There
are many stories, legends and just plain lies about the last Jacobite
Rising in 1745 (hereafter referred to as the '45). Many of these lies
are nothing more than Hanoverian propaganda. The purpose of this
thread however is to introduce those who don't know to some of the
women who participated in the so-called Rebellion.
Some
of these women were powerful in their own right being either rich,
well-respected or married to clan chiefs. Others were most decidely
not powerful. Most were the wives, girlfriends or “bits on the
side” of the men who made up the Jacobite army.
(As an aside here, before anyone gets too confused, Scotswomen who
marry keep their own surnames. This can lead to interesting problems
(if a Joan Smith marries a John Smith, in legal documents she would
be referred to as Joan Smith or Smith), but the husbands name is
always secondary).
I'm
going to focus this thread on a few women who had very different
experiences of the '45. These are, in no particular order:
Colonel
Anne – Anne Farquharson of
Invercauld, wife to Aeneas (Angus) Mackintosh, chief of the
Macintoshes (who were part of the Clan Chattan federation).
Mackintosh was a serving officer in the Hanoverian military, being in
a Captain in the Black Watch. Colonel Anne (who was 22 at the time)
raised a regiment of 300 men commanded by Alexander McGillivray of
Dunmaglass. This regiment only joined the Jacobite army in time to
fight at Falkirk on the 17th of January, subsequently it
fought in the Jacobite centre at Culloden.
After
the Hanoverian victory, Colonel Anne got off very lightly. A
detachment of “several officers and 200 men( was despatched to
arrest her the day after Culloden. This detachment looted, plundered,
raped and murdered on it's way to this arrest. She was arrested, the
detachment spent that night investigating (and imbibing) her wine
cellar. The naxt day she was taken to Inverness on horseback with the
redcoat drummers beating out the funeral march. However, after six
weeks she was released into her husbands custody – which was only
fair, as the Jacobites had released him into her custody earlier.
Captain
Jenny - Jenny Cameron of
Glendessary raised 300 men for the cause and marched with them to
Glenfinnan for the raising of the standard. She was in her mid 40's
at the time, yet according to the pamphlet “The Life of Miss Jenny
Cameron, the Reputed Mistress of the Deputy Pretender” she was a
real “party girl” (I have a sneaking feeling that the writer of
this pamphlet had just read Moll Flanders).
Even
before the Hanoverian victory, Jenny had been arrested. She spent the
months between February and November 1746 “banged-up”
(incarcerated- for the benefit of the furriners) in Edinburgh Castle.
Margaret
Johnstone (Lady Ogilvie) – When her husband David proclaimed
Charles as Prince Regent at the mercat cross of Coupar Angus,
Margaret stood at his side with a drawn sword. She also travelled
with him for the duration of the campaign.
After
the Hanoverian victory, Margaret was arrested in Inverness while she
was waiting for news of the battle. She too was sent Edinburgh Castle
– the ladies among the prisoners had considerable freedom (within
the Castle) and they could have visitors. Lady Ogilvie was removed
from “durance vile” on 21st November 1746 by her
sister, a couple of her sisters friends and a maidservant. When her
escape was discovered, these friends were arrested and released after
a short time. The guards were court-martialled (of course). She
eventually managed to make her way to France where she rejoined her
husband – who had escaped Culloden. She died at 33 but he went on
to be a Lieutenat-General in the French army.
Flora
MacDonald – was (and is) the
Jacobite heroine par excellence – except she wasn't. She may have
had some sentimental attachment to the idea of Jacobitism but that
has never been proven. Her stepfather (Hugh MacDonald ofArmadale) was
a serving officer in the Hanoverian militia, yet he has been credited
(by Hugh Douglas in “Flora MacDonald: the Most Loyal Rebel”) with
devising the plan to remove BPC to Skye. Flora herself had to be
asked personally by BPC to assist in his escape.
After
the Hanoverian victory trouble came to Flora. After being arrested on
July 12th, 1746 she was shipped south on HMS Bridgewater
with this being given as the reason for her arrest: “Mifs Flora
Macdonald made Prisoner for for having carryed off the Pretender's
Son as her servant in Women's Aparell”
She
spent the next year in the Tower of London, and as there were no
reports of her giving birth (which the Hanoverians would have taken
great delight in publishing), I think we should discard all the
bullshit about people being descended from their children as the
plain fact is they didn't have any (not together anyway).
All
of the above were, in the fashion of the time “Ladies”.
Annie
MacLeod, on the other hand, was of “the common sort”.
Annie
MacLeod – was a woman from
Skye with no pretensions to gentility (far less nobitlity), who had
very little of the English language. She was married to a MacKay who
had died at Carlisle. Her experience of the Hanoverian victory was
very different.
She
was living in Inverness at the time of Culloden. Two wounded
Jacobites (MacDonald of Bellfinlay and Robert Nairn) were dumped in
her cellar. As was traditional in the Highlands, she cared for their
wounds and in general, looked after them.
Nairn,
who had been Deputy Pay-master of the Jacobite army, was informed
that he would shortly be transferred to London for trial. This in
itself, amounted to a death sentence. He was supplied with food and
clothing which would let him “blend in”, Annie distracted the
guard and Nairn escaped successfully.
When
the escape was discovered all Hell broke out. The guard was given 500
lashes and an English officer (Colonel Leighton of Blakeney's
Regiment) attempted to interrogate Annie
this interrogation was unsuccessful as Leighton Did not speak Gaelic
and Annie only had limited English.
She
was kept standing in the guardhouse for three days and three nights,
not allowed to sleep, speak or sit down, nor was she given any food
or water. Yet, in relative terms, she was lucky – she didn't
experience the thefts, beatings and rapes which befell many women in
the Highlands in the aftermath of Culloden.
The
moral of this story is that there is “One Law for the Rich and
Another for the Poor”.
Edited by Chookie - 16-Oct-2011 at 15:14