wanderer of the archipelago: The Ayr River Gorge, Peden's Cove & Troon Beach

Peden's Cove
These steps cut into the walls of the Permian sandstone of the River Ayr Gorge are believed to have been carved in the 17th Century to allow Alexander Peden access to a stance from where he could preach to a congregation on the opposite bank.

ALEXANDER PEDEN was a charismatic covenanter who was born in 1626 in the village of Sorn in Ayrshire. He was well educated, and studied at Glasgow University, subsequently becoming employed as schoolmaster at Tarbolton. He ultimately entered the ministry, and was immediately dogged by controversy, being accused by an unmarried woman of having fathered her child outside of wedlock. The real father, who confessed to having made the woman pregnant, cleared Peden's name but the mother herself later committed suicide.

As Minister of New Luce for only three years before the removal of the covenanting ministers from the pulpits in 1662, following the restoration of King Charles II, and his opposition of the enforced Episcopal system, whereby only bishops and the King held power in the church, rather than of the Presbyterian system, which involved much greater democracy.On 24th February 1663 Peden had to leave his pulpit, and struck the pulpit door, charging that none should enter it, except if they had entered, by the door, as he had done.

The parish remained vacant, when no curate or minister ever preached in its pulpit until 1693.Without a pulpit, Peden preached at sermons, ministering to the Covenanters, baptising their children and carrying out other ministerial duties.

His reputation grew, and he soon came to the notice of the authorities. In 1666 the Privy Council cited Peden for holding sermons, preaching and baptising babies. The citation read,

“The said Mr Alexander Peden did keep a sermon at Ralston, in the parish of Kilmarnock, about the 10th of October last, where he baptised the children of Adam Dickie, Robert Lymburner, and many others; as also kept a sermon in Craigie parish, at the Castle-hill, where he baptised the children of William Gilmor in Kilmarnock, and Gabriel Simpson, both in the said parish, and that besides twenty three children more; both which sermons were kept under cloud of night, with a great deal of confusion, as also the same Mr Alexander Peden rides up and down the country with swords and pistols, in grey clothes”.

Peden did not attend his citation, and was on 4th March 1666, declared a rebel, with his life to be forfeited, and his goods to be confiscated. He was forced to flee to Ireland in that year during, which he continued to travel extensively between Scotland and Ulster.

On retuning once in 1673 he was captured near Ballantrae, taken for trial in Edinburgh Toll and subsequently imprisoned on the Bass Rock (East Lothian) until 1678. On applying for permission to live in exile in Ireland, which was refused, the Council, instead decreed that Peden and sixty-six other prisoners be transported to the West Indies, where they would be employed as slaves on a plantation.

They were embarked on a ship, the St Michael, bound for London. In London, Peden persuaded the captain to allow him and sixty other covenanters to go free. Peden arrived back in Scotland in 1679 following the covenanters’ defeat at Bothwell Bridge.

This was a very dangerous time for Peden and his associates and again to protect his friends and allies he fled to Ireland. He returned three years later, sleeping rough from place to place.

Peden’s escapes and evasions of capture were almost magical and it seemed that no-one would be tempted by the one thousand merks placed on his head. He was also said to wear a mask to hide his identity, the mask is still in existence today.

In 1685 Peden knew his life was nearing it’s natural end, and he spent much of his time hiding in now what is known locally as "Peden`s Cave" on the River Lugar. After being outlawed for twenty-two years, Peden left his cave and made his way to his brother’s farm close to death. He died a few days later on January 26th, 1686. As he lay dying, the dragoons searched for him in outbuildings at the farm, miraculously again, they never found him.

Peden was buried in Auchinleck kirkyard, now Cumnock’s New Cemetery, but forty days later dragoons heard of his death and exhumed his body intending it to be placed at the foot of a gallows as a warning to others, this did not happen due to the worries of a local uprising, and Pedens body was finally buried in what now is Cumnock’s Old cemetery.

There were so many areas around Ayrshire in which Peden preached that a lot of local place names are duplicated or confused, and Pedens Cove, is often confused with Pedens Cave. This walk takes you to Pedens Pulpit where the Minister used to preach to his congregation across the River Ayr, and where he could make a hasty escape from the troops if required.

Peden's Cove

Ishbel took this photo for me and then took the next few as well

Ellie was quite desperate to get out of the stroller & walk and actually tottered her way for quite a remarkable distance- considering her diminutive stature!