An Act of Uniformity for Scotland was passed in October, 
1662, by which 400 ministers and their families were turned 
out of house and home in the depth of a severe winter, with 
nothing but privation, hunger and hardship before them. 
In 1663 the Scots Mile Act was passed by which all non- 
conforming ministers, with their families, were driven from 
their parishes and not allowed to reside within twenty miles on 
pain of punishment. A Court of High Commission, consisting 
of nine bishops or prelates and thirty-five laymen, saw to the 
enforcement of these and other statutes. So infamous did it 
become that no layman would serve on it. 
The ejected ministers began to hold secret meetings, at 
first in houses, afterwards in fields and lonely glens. To 
suppress these field gatherings or “ conventicles,” bands of 
troops known as mosstroopers, were quartered in villages 
where nonconformity was strongest. The bishops, too, had 
passed a special act called the “ Bishops’ Dragnet,” under 
which a roll call of parishioners was held after service, and 
absentees were visited by the soldiers, who exacted heavy 
fines for their non-attendance at service. If the fine could 
not be paid, the furniture, clothing, and even food was taken, 
and in this way many families were reduced to beggary and 
utter want. One of the cruellest agents in this service was 
Sir James Turner, who, in the course of three visits to the 
West, is said to have collected £90,000 in Scots money, wringing 
it from the people by the most horrible cruelties. Matters 
were brought to a crisis by the seizure of an old man, and his 
rescue by some peasants, in the course of which one of the 
troopers was killed. Fearing the consequences the peasants 
resolved to keep together ; and being joined by a number of 
county gentlemen, they marched, nearly 2,000 strong, into 
Dumfries and made Sir James Turner prisoner. A small army 
under General Dalzell was sent against them, and the 
Covenanters were utterly routed, fifty being killed. Several 
of the survivors of this, the Pentland rising, were caught 
and executed in batches of five and ten at a time. 
For a time there was a lull in the storm. At this time 
the king issued his first Letter of Indulgence, which on certain 
conditions permitted some of the ejected ministers to return 
to their parishes. Only fifty ministers, however, availed 
themselves of this permission. Field meetings continued to 
be held. Three years later the king issued a second Indulgence, 
and imposed heavy penalties on those who refused to accept it. 
Letters of Intercommuning were then issued forbidding the 
inhabitants of a district to help rebels by food, drink, clothing 
or shelter, or even to write or speak a word to them. The 
