THE MARTYR OF SOLWAY: The Tale Yet To Be Heard

On request of @isax1124

 The Martyr Of Solway, a Pre-Raphaelite work of art, made in 1871, tells a story older than itself. Made by John Everett Millias, the painting is seamlessly perfect. Painted with loose strokes, with a sort of painterly hand. It shows the story, one that found an important place in the history of Christianity.

Inspiration

the scene is inspired by an incident of that took place on 13th April, 1685 on the Solway Firth, located on the west coast of Scotland, where an 18 year old girl was executed. The painting depicts the ingrained faith the girl had in her God.
The Solway Firth

Also known as he Wigton Martyr, the girl played a major role in the Presbyterian Movement. Only little is known about the intricacies of the painting itself, possibly due to the fact that the final act of sacrifice has become more fascinating for the viewer than the painting itself. So, who was this young lady ? And what is her story?

Interpretation and Features

  • The story is of Margaret Wilson, a story that remains unheard by many. She was a girl who alongside her siblings took Covenanters in the Presbyterian Movement, i.e. to encourage Presbyterianism which is a Reformed tradition within Protestantism. They refused to believe hat a man could be the head of the church, they also undermined the authority of the bishop, saying that that no one but Jesus himself could be the spiritual head.
Logo of the Presbyterian Movement

  • Back then, King James VII of Scotland (James II of England) was considered the head of the church. Margaret Wilson, her 12 year old sister Agnes and an 89 year old Margaret Lachlan, refused to swear an oath accepting him as the head of the church and his  right to appointing a bishop.
A Portrait of King James VII of Scotland

  • This lead them to be thrown in the 'Thieves' hole' and eventually being sentenced to execution. Margaret's father was able to get Agnes out by paying 100 Pound Scots but couldn't raise money for Margaret.
Scot Pounds

  • Both Margarets were sentenced to death by drowning. They were chained to stakes on the Solway Firth. The older one was drowned first to instil fear in the other. When Wilson was drowning she was pulled out of as she choked on the salt water once to give her a chance to make an oath to the King. But her faith didn't wither and she refused.
Sketch of Margaret Wilson chained to the stake

  • It is said that she died while reciting the psalm of epistles. She became more popular due to her young age.
  • The painting is made in a realistic manner. Wilson is shown looking downwards with slight sadness probably due to her impending death but not frantic, panicked or even slightly scared. She has complete faith that she was right and didn't compromise her beliefs in the face of death.
  • She is shown tied to a stake and completely dry, showing this before execution started. But the water is shown very far away when in reality it was nearer. 

  • It is Pre-Raphaelite work as mentioned before which means I has been painted with techniques used by Michelangelo and Raphael, which started to change after 1850s.

  • The painting is oil on canvas, and is in he size of 70.5 × 56.5 cm (27.8 × 22.2 in).

Interesting Facts

  •  Wilson was originally shown naked, her clothes were added later so as to not offend the Victorian observers.
X-ray of the painting

  • It is displayed in the Walker Art Museum, England.
The Walker Museum, England

  • The bodies of both Margarets are buried in the Wigton cemetery, leading them to be called the Wigton Martyrs.
Graves at Wigton Cemetery

  • There are memorials built on the stakes they were chained on as well as where they were buried.
Memorials in honor of the martyrs

  • The painting was originally made as a magazine illustration. The magazine was called 'Once A Week'.

Can your faith reach such heights? Do your beliefs go to such lengths that it remains unmoved in the face of the worst?

Hope you found the information and interesting. Please leave a comment, your feedbacks are very appreciated. Everyone is also welcome to leave requests. Please subscribe for newsletter (option on the top) also follow me on instagram @detail_artwith_a12 for instant updates.

Signing Off
A.

Comments

SATHIYA PRABHU said…
😍😍
Very interesting way of narration .

With Love,
Sathiya Prabhu
August 10, 2020 at 11:46 AM
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