The Martyr of Solway originally appeared as a wood engraving in an 1862 Once A Week, a British weekly illustrated literary magazine published by Bradbury & Evans from 1859 to 1880.
18-year-old Margaret Wilson, a teen from Wigtown in Scotland, and a friend were executed by drowning because they refused to swear an oath that declared James VII of Scotland (who was also James II of England) as head of the church.
The two women were known as the Wigtown Martyrs but the younger woman – Wilson – became more famous due to her young age at the time. Despite receiving a reprieve, the two women were chained to wooden stakes in the waters of the Solway Firth and left to drown as the tide rose.
Looking closely, we see how the young Margaret is so disappointed that the reprieve she was supposed to receive actually meant very little at the end of the day.
Read more about The Martyr of Solway here.
