The Cumbernauld Band

Montrose’s First Secret Move Toward the King

In the turbulent 1640s, Scotland was a nation split between loyalty to King Charles I and allegiance to the National Covenant—a religious and political agreement resisting royal interference in the Presbyterian kirk. While the Covenanting movement commanded broad support, not every noble who had signed the Covenant was ready to see the king stripped of his authority. Among the most prominent of these uneasy Covenanters was James Graham, 1st Marquis of Montrose, a man destined to become the king’s most brilliant and unpredictable commander in Scotland.

Before Montrose raised the royal standard, before his lightning campaigns and dramatic victories, he quietly set in motion a plan to gather like-minded nobles. This covert alliance—known as the Cumbernauld Band—was his first tangible step away from the Covenanting cause and toward the king.