David Hackston suffered probably the most brutal execution recorded during The Killing Times. He was captured, taken to the market cross at Edinburgh, had his hands cut off, was raised on the gallows and dropped to the ground three times, then his still-beating heart cut from his chest - the executioner shouted "Here is the heart of the traitor!" - which was then thrown onto an open fire. He was finally beheaded and quartered. One of Hackston's hands is buried under this ornate gravestone at Cupar in Fife, along with the severed heads of two other Covenanters.
During his trial, Hackston said:
"...It was cast up to me both at the council and here, that here were not two hundred in the nation to own our cause. I answered, at both times, that the cause of Christ had been often owned by fewer..."
Cupar is a beautiful historic village en route to St Andrews - worth a visit if you're in the area. You can read a fuller bio of Hackston here
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