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In 2010 we mark the 450th anniversary of the Reformation, an event which left an indelible legacy in Scottish society. In this major seven part series, Billy Kay tells the story of the great ecclesiastical traditions which have shaped the history of Christianity in this country - Roman Catholic, Episcopalian and Presbyterian.

In the second program, The Killing Times we focus on the period from 1590 to 1690, when there was constant struggle between Presbyterian and Episcopalian parties for ascendancy, and it was only with the Glorious Revolution and Revolution Settlement in 1688/1690 that the Presbyterian form of church government was secured and the Church of Scotland as we know it was established.

Before that though, the Presbyterian Covenanters of the South West of Scotland in particular suffered brutal suppression at the hands the Episcopalian led government and the dragoons of the man called John Graham of Claverhouse, known as Bluidy Claverhoose in Ayrshire, and Bonnie Dundee in Episcopalian areas like Angus and the North East. We hear stories from the Killing Times and visit monuments to the martyrs worked on by the descendants of Old Mortality - the Scottish Covenanter Memorials Association which lovingly restores the martyrs gravestones. Billy Kay hails originally from Galston in Ayrshire in the heartland of the Covenanting
Country, so he was aware of this history from an early age.

Among those taking part are historians Dane Love and James Halliday, Professors Jane Dawson and Stewart Jay Brown of Edinburgh University, and Professor Allan Macinnes of Strathclyde University. On a dreich Ayrshire Spring morning Billy also interrupts the work of stonemason, Kevin Roberts who continues the work of Old Mortality, the hero of the novel by Sir Walter Scott.

For a majority of Scots, knowledge of other churches can be scant and based on stereotypes. This series reveals the deep historic roots of all of the major Christian denominations in Scotland and explores their relevance to the future of the country.

An Odyssey Production for Radio Scotland. Show less