Call for tests to solve ‘body in bog’ mystery
An academic expert says carbon dating should be carried out on human remains discovered at a Lanarkshire nature spot – in a bid to clear up claims the man was a Covenanter murdered because of his religious beliefs.
The “body in the bog” – a male, including his well-preserved clothing – was unearthed at Greenhead Moss in Wishaw back in 1932.
Gerard Rolink, a local man who was digging peat at the time, came across the individual buried in a shallow grave within sight of Cambusnethan Old Kirk.
Newspaper reports at the time claimed the body was that of a Covenanter killed for his religious beliefs, and although never confirmed that urban legend has maintained to the present day.
The remains have been held by Glasgow Museums since 1955, despite several attempts by Central Wishaw Community Council to have them repatriated to Cambusnethan for burial.
Scottish historian Dr Stephen Mullen grew up near Greenhead Moss and doubts the Covenanter “myth will ever go away”.
A Research Associate in History at the University of Glasgow, Dr Mullen carried out extensive research into the body and clothing and concluded the murdered man was not a Covenanter and died around a century later. An article he wrote on the subject was published in the Scottish Archaeological Journal in 2020.
He said: “I walk past the cairn in Greenhead Moss every day. MP Frank Roy and MSP Jack McConnell supported formal repatriation claims in the 1990s, and Wishaw community council has continued to look for answers.
“Even if the body was not a Covenanter, Glasgow Museums should approve carbon dating of the remains and partner with academics and the local community in an educational initiative.
“The repeated refusals have created a grievance that won’t ever go away”.
Alan Love, secretary of Central Wishaw community council, said: “We’d support carbon dating. It would give us a definitive answer; it’s in everyone’s best interest.
Glasgow have had the body since 1955 so they’ve had a long time to do something.
“They have to acknowledge they [the bones] have lain in a drawer in the basement for all that time. There are Christian values attached to that. It doesn’t really matter if it’s a Royal Soldier or a Covenanter, it is of historical and cultural interest. If they don’t return the remains they are no better than body snatchers.”
Alan’s brother Sam Love, a former Wishaw councillor, insists there is no benefit to them being “locked in a drawer”.
If carbon dating were to take place it could finally dispel the myth or confirm the man was indeed a Covenanter.
Costume historians have dated the coat he was wearing to the 1790s, and a textiles expert concluded it was an expensive garment of the type worn by elites.
D r Mu l l e n a d d e d : “T h e re ’s n o archaeological or historical evidence this was a Covenanter, although it was common for bog body finds of that era to be described in this way.
“Ludovic McLellan Mann, t he archaeologist at the Wishaw find in 1932, did not actually describe the body as a Covenanter, although he did endorse a date of death to the 1680s to 1690s, which provided the foundation for the myth.”
Glasgow Museums were contacted for comment.