About Arise Ministries
Arise Ministries is a group of Christians of mixed denominations dedicated to prayer, healing and reconciliation. We are based in Huntingdon, England, the birthplace of the 17th Century English Civil War leader Oliver Cromwell. I, Shirley Bowers, am the leader, along with team members Annette Quail and Vanessa Murphy. We are also supported by many prayer partners around the world.
Cromwell was a devout Puritan and states in many of his campaign letters that he fought his battles in the name of God, led by the Holy Ghost. He is, and will always be, a controversial figure. Some see him as a godly man leading the country to freedom, others see him as a dictator who had no thought or care for those who disagreed with him. In Arise Ministries we are not ‘pro’ or ‘anti’ Cromwell, but we have discovered that this part of our history has left consequences that continue to affect people today. We feel called to go to those places where Cromwell’s legacy is most keenly felt in order to bring healing and reconciliation. Where God’s name was used in the past to bring death and destruction, we through our love and apology, can sow seeds of life and hope.
In 2002, we retraced the route Cromwell took around Ireland, taking with us a letter of apology signed by ministers from Huntingdon Churches Together which was presented to civic and church leaders. My book From History to Hope tells this story. During this trip, I was given a book; To Hell or Barbados by Sean O’Callaghan. It documents the plight of thousands of Irish, predominantly Royalist Catholics, sent to Barbados as prisoners of war or indentured labourers during the Civil War in the 17th Century. My heart broke as I read their story. Sean also writes about a group of direct descendants he discovered who are still living in one part of Barbados. They continue to suffer because of what happened to their ancestors and are known by the derogatory name ‘Red Legs’ or ‘Poor Whites’. He ends his book with this plea “Perhaps somebody, somewhere will do something to ease their plight.” Because someone from Huntingdon caused this injustice, I felt I was being called to do something.
So in 2008, we travelled to Barbados and again took a letter of apology. While there, we were taken to an area known as ‘Little Scotland’ and we realised that many Scots had also suffered the same fate. We found out that in 1649 following the execution of Charles I, the Scottish Parliament proclaimed his son, Charles II, as his successor. So, after his campaign in Ireland, Cromwell turned his focus to Scotland. He defeated the Scots at the Battle of Dunbar on 3rd September 1650 and took around 5,000 soldiers prisoner. They were marched south to Durham Cathedral. Some were left to work the mines at Newcastle and many died en route, and only 3,000 arrived. Conditions were so harsh that of these, only about 1,600 survived. They were either marched further south to assist in draining The Fens, or sold as bonded labour to Virginia and the Caribbean.
On 3rd September 2014, a service was held in Dunbar to commemorate the Battle. I was given the opportunity to speak and present a letter of apology to the Lord Lieutenant of East Lothian which was hung in St Anne’s Church in Dunbar.
A year later on 2nd September 2015, it was announced by archaeologists at Durham University that skeletons found near Durham Cathedral were the remains of the soldiers taken as prisoners of war after the Battle of Dunbar. They were all aged between 14-25 years old and had been unceremoniously tipped into a pit. In May 2017, a plaque in their memory was unveiled at the site where the skeletons were found and in 2018 their remains were reburied in a cemetery in Durham, with soil from Dunbar. We were invited to attend both events. These men were finally shown the dignity and honour they were denied in their lifetime.
In 2018, we pondered the idea that we too could place a memorial in St John district of Barbados, where the descendants have settled. We wanted to tell the story of those transported against their will and restore the respect that’s due to them. We returned to Barbados to secure approval and permission. The memorial stone has been placed in a ‘Circle of Remembrance’ which incorporates the ruin of a plantation windmill, with plants and seating in the grounds of St Margaret’s Church. The memorial was dedicated by both Anglican and Catholic Bishops in a ceremony on 19th November 2022.
