James Graham Marquess of Montrose about to mount the ladder to the gibbet in the marketplace of Edinburgh. Wood engraving by C. Roberts.

In the background is Edinburgh Castle. James Graham 5th Earl and 1st Marquess of Montrose (1612-1650) was a Scottish general who won a series of victories in Scotland for King Charles I during the English Civil War. After the king's defeat at Naseby in 1645 Montrose fled to the Continent but returned with the exiled Charles II's blessing to Scotland. He suffered defeat at Carbisdale and was hanged in the marketplace of Edinburgh in May 1650. To the last he protested that he was a real Covenanter as well as a loyal subject