Old Mortality

What It's About

Set in Scotland in 1679, during the persecution of the Presbyterian Covenanters under Charles II, this novel follows Henry Morton, a thoughtful young man who wants no part in either side's extremes. Drawn almost against his will into the uprising that follows the murder of Archbishop Sharp, he finds himself between rigid religious zealots on one side and the harsh government forces of John Graham of Claverhouse on the other. The title comes from the old stonemason who travels the country recutting the weathered gravestones of Covenanter martyrs, and who frames the story as a memory worth preserving. Alongside the war runs Morton's love for Edith Bellenden, whose family is loyal to the Crown.

Key Concepts

The novel is a study of fanaticism and moderation: Scott shows how conviction on both sides, religious and political, can harden into cruelty, and what it costs a person of conscience to stand in the middle. It also explores divided loyalties in a civil conflict, where family, faith, class and politics pull in different directions. Scott's handling of the Covenanters was controversial. Presbyterian writers of the day, notably Thomas McCrie, accused him of caricaturing them as bigots, while Claverhouse is portrayed with a more sympathetic complexity than many readers expected. The debate has been part of the book's reputation ever since.

About the Author

Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832) was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian, born in Edinburgh. Trained as a lawyer, he served as an advocate and sheriff, and was created a baronet. He is widely regarded as the pioneer of the historical novel, and his blend of Scottish history, folklore and storytelling made him one of the most celebrated authors in Europe in his lifetime.