author
Alexander Shields
d. 1700
A fierce voice of the Scottish Covenanters, he turned prison, exile, and danger into writing that defended conscience and resistance to tyranny. His life moved from hidden worship meetings in Scotland to ministry overseas in the ill-fated Darien colony.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born around 1660 or 1661 at Haughhead in Berwickshire, Alexander Shields became a Scottish Presbyterian minister, writer, and activist during one of the most turbulent periods in Scottish religious history. He studied at the University of Edinburgh, spent time in the Netherlands, and became closely linked with the Covenanter movement, which resisted state control over the church.
Shields was repeatedly imprisoned for attending or supporting private worship services outside the established system, including confinement in London, Edinburgh, and on the Bass Rock. After escaping, he wrote A Hind Let Loose (1687), the work for which he is best remembered, arguing passionately for religious liberty and the right to resist oppressive rule.
Later, after the Revolution settlement, he rejoined the established Church of Scotland and served as a minister. In 1699 he sailed with the Scottish expedition to Darien in Central America, where he became the colony's minister and died there in 1700. His story stands out for its mix of courage, controversy, and deep commitment to the struggles of his church and country.