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Covenanters faced steep fines or even the threat of
execution for expressing their faith. In 1685 Covenanting
was declared to be treason and punishable by death. The
ever-increasing, repressive laws drove the Covenanters
underground. Religious services (conventicles) were held in
secret.
The persecution of the Covenanters was one of the
bloodiest periods in the bloody history of the Scots. It
became known as The Killing Time. About 18,000
Covenanters would die during the century long struggle with
England. Bands of Royalists roamed the countryside seeking
out and killing the rebels. Rising out of one bloody defeat
after another, the rebels rallied again and again. Eventually
they united under the banner of the Bonnie Prince Charlie
living in exile in France. A new (and final) battle between the
Scots and the Brits was in the making. Regardless of
persecution and the constant threat of capture or death,
Gabriel Thomson and his descendants continued to stand
with the Covenanters.
With the succession of William of Orange to the
throne of England in 1688, the persecution of the
Covenanters was ended but the political struggle continued.