Ringan Gilhaize or the Covenanters

Galt's Ringan Gilhaize (or The Covenanters), once called "a neglected masterpiece," is an historical novel that was intended to shock rather than entertain, in which Galt turned his attention to the psychology of the Scottish race and attempted to analyze the tragedy of its recent history. It deals with the themes of community, loyalty, religious and legal justice and with violence as a begetter of further violence.