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| Bonnie Prince Charlie entering the Ballroom at Holyroodhouse. (John Pettie 1839-93) |
Our travels around this wonderful countryside has thrown up many delights, which you can read about in my Travel Blog, but one of the most interesting things is the many connections we have found to Charles Edward Stuart and the Jacobite history so I have include this as a separate “page” to bring these connections together under one heading. I will hopefully add to this as time goes on and we complete more travels.
It was at Glenfinnan on 19th August 1745 the standard was raised by the Jacobite army under Charles Edward Stuart to begin the 1745 Rising. Set in a uniquely fitting picturesque location, the Glenfinnan Monument looks out proudly over Loch Shiel. It was built in 1815 to commemorate the many who fought and died for the Jacobite cause. The Jacobite train does not pass very close to one of Scotland’s most important monuments so to get a closer look, and to visit its dedicated visitor centre, you would have to make a special journey either walking back from Glenfinnan Station or travel by road.
After Arisaig Station we pass through what some consider being one of the most beautiful sections of the train journey. It offers us panoramic views over the hills of South Morar, and a wide coastal sweep with radiant white sandy beaches that were used in the filming of ‘Highlander’ and the classic ‘Local Hero’. Off shore we can see the Islands of Eigg and Rum.
Mallaig is one of the main west coast ports. From here you can get a car ferry to Skye, Castlebay on Barra (a very favourite place) and the Small Isles of Rum, Eigg, Muck and Canna.
Our return obviously takes the same route as the outward journey but the train does not stop. It was a most enjoyable experience taking you back in time to saviour the delights and smells of an authentic steam train journey. My only complaint is that it’s quite difficult to take pictures as lots of passengers are trying to do the same thing and all at the same time.
About five foot eleven inches, pretty strong and well built, has a brown completion, full cheeks, and thick lips that stand out a little, he looks more of the the Polish than the Scottish breed, for he is nothing like the King they call his grandfather. A partisan description by a Whiggish physician of Lancaster, Dr Henry Bracken - November 1745.
Culloden Moor Revisit.
Culloden Moor and its visitors centre is a pilgrimage for all lovers of Jacobite History. It was here on the 16th April 1746 that the last battle to be fought on British soil took place between the highland army of Charles Edward Stewart and the Government forces of the bloody Duke of Cumberland. Unfortunately the Prince lost and Scotland was changed forever. In the summary report produced by the National Trust for Scotland it is underlined that “Culloden Moor is at the heart our culture and spiritual identity as a Scottish nation. If we stand back and allow its demise through inappropriate development, future generations will never understand or forgive us”
Stonehaven Aberdeenshire
Our recent trip to Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire included a visit to
Dunnottar Castle, which is linked to the Jacobite uprisings through the Earl’s
Marischal, a title bestowed on the Keith family in 1314 by King Robert the
Bruce following the Battle of Bannockburn. The family’s connection with the
castle goes back to the 1390’s when Sir William Keith built the first stone
castle.
The Jacobite struggle to reinstate a Catholic Stewart dynasty to the
throne began with the first Jacobite Rising of 1689. At this time that the 8th Earl was a
supporter of the Protestant William of Orange. However the Earls Marischal took
up the Jacobite cause and the 9th Earl was imprisoned at Edinburgh Castle for
his support in 1708. The 10th Earl, George William, was also to prove his
loyalty to the Jacobite Rising of 1715 but at great cost. In September of that
year the Earl of Mar declared James Stewart King, and joined the 10th Earl in a
military campaign to overthrow the Hanoverian George 1st supplying troops and
cannon from Dunnottar.
Both William and his younger brother James fought at the battle of
Sheriffmuir in November 1715 but the cause was lost almost before it began.
Both brothers escorted the rightful king to Montrose where James boarded a ship
for France never to return.
Following the 10th Earl’s gallant service to the Jacobite cause he was
forced to forfeit his estates including Dunnottar that had been in his family
for 400 years. It then fell into disuse until 1761 when it returned to the
ownership of the Keith family. That was
until 1919 when it was purchased by Lord and Lady Cowdray who went on to
restore the castle, eventually making it a spectacular tourist attraction.
Incidentally it was William the 10th Earl who sailed from Spain with 307
Spanish troops, a small part of the main expedition of 5000 that was scattered
by a storm, and landed on Stornaway on the Isle of Lewis reaching the main land
in April 1719 settling in Eileen Donna Castle.
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| Christian's House. Stonehaven. |
The harbour at Stonehaven was a principal harbour during the Jacobite
uprising with French troops landing there as support for the ‘45 that was until
the Duke of Cumberland recaptured the town in February 1746.
Nearby Aberdeen’s considerable port town was captured by Jacobite James
Moir 4th Earl of Stoneywood in September 1745 that was until it was recaptured
during February 1746.
The Jacobite Steam Train - Fort William to Mallaig.
“The World’s Greatest Railway Journey” (Voted By Wanderlust Magazine)
To quote from The History of the Midland Railway which referred to the
railway line between Fort William to Mallaig and was published in 1876. “If a
line were to be built it would have to be by spanning the valleys with
stupendous viaducts and piercing mountain heights with enormous tunnels, deep
cuttings would have to be blasted through the rock and mile after mile of high
embankments would somehow have to be piled on soft peaty moors. However, great
the obstacle, they had simply one of four courses to take - to go over it, or
to go under it, or to go round it, or to go through it; but go they must” The
Line was finally completed on April 1 1901 but it never produced the returns
that was expected. It did however escape Dr Beeching’s cuts in the sixties and
in the seventies; summer use by visitors started the successful trend that
continues to this day by running steam train excursions over the 42-mile
journey.
The steam train departs from Fort William railway station at 10:15 and
on the morning we travelled it was full. A second class ticket costs £35.00 for
an adult day return and a child’s day return will set you back £20.00 giving a
total of £90.00 for two adults and a child, plus of course a booking fee.
Neptune’s Staircase, an impressive flight of eight locks that allows
boats to climb 20 metres to the main reach of the canal, can be seen as the
train crosses the Caledonian Canal via the 50 feet span of the Swing Bridge at
Banavie.
The train continues its journey through some typical picturesque
Highland countryside and alongside the shores of Loch Eil. As the train precedes
it passes Fassiefearn House on the right where Prince Charles slept on the 23rd
August 1745 four nights after he raised the Royal Standard at Glenfinnan.
It was at Glenfinnan on 19th August 1745 the standard was raised by the Jacobite army under Charles Edward Stuart to begin the 1745 Rising. Set in a uniquely fitting picturesque location, the Glenfinnan Monument looks out proudly over Loch Shiel. It was built in 1815 to commemorate the many who fought and died for the Jacobite cause. The Jacobite train does not pass very close to one of Scotland’s most important monuments so to get a closer look, and to visit its dedicated visitor centre, you would have to make a special journey either walking back from Glenfinnan Station or travel by road.
The Monument can only just be seen in the distance from the Glenfinnan
Viaduct, a location made famous in the Harry Potter films. Incidentally West
Coast Railways, operators of The Jacobite, provided the steam engine and the
carriages for the ‘Hogwarts Express’ as seen in this popular movie franchise.
Glenfinnan Viaduct is certainly one of the highlights of the journey to
Mallaig. 1248 feet in length and 100 feet high it has 21 spans of 50 feet each,
and was built wholly of concrete made from cement and crushed rock quarried
from the deep cuttings through which the line passes at each end of this giant
structure.
Our train journey stops at Glenfinnan Station to allow passengers to get
off the train and have a look around the West Highland Railway Museum located
in the restored station building.
We were fortunate to be entertained by a young piper on the platform
during our 20 minute stop.
Beyond the Viaduct we pass though four tunnels in quick succession, then
cross Glen Beasdale by a long embankment and through one of the deepest
cuttings on the line to reach Beasdale the private station for the 19th century
Arisaig House.
At Borrowdale we enter the longest tunnel on the route at 1050 feet.
After the tunnel we cross the Borrodale Burn by another large concrete Viaduct.
Loch-nan-Uamh is where on the 25th July 1745 Charles Edward Stuart
arrived on the French frigate Doutelle and discussed plans for the forthcoming
rising with the local Clan chiefs and landed gentry. It’s also here that the
Prince escaped to France on September 20th 1746 after his sad defeat at
Culloden.
Arisaig is the next station and if requested the guard will stop the
train. The station was opened in 1901 to bring tourists to the area. A nine-hole
golf course lies to the north, and the Coast has fine sandy beaches and you can
get ferries to the Small Isles from here in the summer months.
After Arisaig Station we pass through what some consider being one of the most beautiful sections of the train journey. It offers us panoramic views over the hills of South Morar, and a wide coastal sweep with radiant white sandy beaches that were used in the filming of ‘Highlander’ and the classic ‘Local Hero’. Off shore we can see the Islands of Eigg and Rum.
It is now 12:25 and our journey terminates at Mallaig. We have 90
minutes to enjoy the delights this fishing and ferry port and enjoy a fish
supper from Jaffys Fish and Chip shop located by the Station.
Also of interest to our granddaughter was of course the Harry Potter Museum and the gift shop where we purchased a magic wand - never know when that could come in handy?
Also of interest to our granddaughter was of course the Harry Potter Museum and the gift shop where we purchased a magic wand - never know when that could come in handy?
Mallaig is one of the main west coast ports. From here you can get a car ferry to Skye, Castlebay on Barra (a very favourite place) and the Small Isles of Rum, Eigg, Muck and Canna.
It developed like many other ports as a herring-fishing port in the
1890s. More recently it has become a centre for whitefish, prawn and lobster.
Its prawn fleet is the largest in Scotland.
Like many places on this train journey the port town has links to
Charles Edward Stuart who landed here on his flight from Skye disguised as a
woman and assisted by the Jacobite heroine Flora MacDonald.
Our return obviously takes the same route as the outward journey but the train does not stop. It was a most enjoyable experience taking you back in time to saviour the delights and smells of an authentic steam train journey. My only complaint is that it’s quite difficult to take pictures as lots of passengers are trying to do the same thing and all at the same time.
We arrived back at Fort William Station, spot on
time, at 4 o’clock and well in time to catch our bus back to the Glen Nevis
Camping Park
The Exibition.
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| The young princess Charles Edward with his brother Henry Benedict Stuart |
The National Museum of Scotland has been running a special exhibition
called “Bonnie Prince Charlie and the
Jacobites” since June 2017, but unfortunately for those who haven’t had a
chance to get to the museum it finished on November 12th. The exhibition delves
into this rather interesting period in Scottish history, which led to a complete
change in the culture and lifestyles of the Scottish people that still
resonates to this day. The enduring and
somewhat romantic story of the Stuart dynasty and their supporters, known as
Jacobites, has fascinated people from the writings of Sir Walter Scott right up
to the current Outlander books and
television series.
The Landing.
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| Eriskay Beach. |
Prince Charles first landed on Scottish soil on the 23rd July 1745 in
the Outer Hebrides on a deserted beach on the island of Eriskay, why did this
noble young prince take on what was a perilous and dangerous journey from
France to western isles of Scotland? At this time in history the King of these
kingdoms was a German, a member of the Hanoverian dynasty who many in these
lands thought had no right to be on the throne and it was this reason that the
Princes father, James VIII, sent his son to Britain to restore “the rightful
king” to his hereditary seat and regain his right to rule. It was of course
much more complicated than that involving the ambitions of the French and the
Spanish, the tensions between England and Scotland since 1707. Add to this the
religious divide and you have the setting for an almighty set too that reached
its crescendo on the Culloden Moor on the 16th April 1746. To explain the reasons fully
are complicated and many books have been written on the subject. But suffice to say the main reason was to
restore the Stuart dynasty to the throne of the three kingdoms, Ireland,
England and Scotland.
Scone Palace.
11th September 1745 Prince Charles made a sentimental visit to the House
of Scone where his father had stayed thirty years before. The Palace is next to
the coronation site of the old Scottish kings.
Linlithgow Palace.
On the morning of 15th September 1745 Jacobites took peaceful possession
of the palace of his ancestors at Linlithgow. The following January the Duke of
Cumberland and his government troops stayed at the palace but put it to the
touch when they left.
Edinburgh.
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| The formidable Edinburgh Castle. |
Battle of Prestonpans.
Prestonpans lies to the east of Edinburgh between Musselburgh and
Cockenzie. Founded as a Priest Town by monks in the 12th century,
designated as a burgh in 1552 with a harbour built four years later. The town
developed in association with coal mining, fishing, salt works, pottery works
and brickworks. It was close by, on the 21st September 1745, that
Charles Edward Stuart and his Jacobite army defeated the Hanoverian government
troops of General Sir John Cope.
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| The Battlefield view point. |
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| One of the many information boards to be found at the view point . |
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| The 1745 Cairn. |
The stone cairn was erected in the early twentieth century to mark the location of the battlefield. It contains a time capsule and wreaths are lain there annually in honour of the fallen of both the armies.
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| The site of the Battle of Prestonpans. |
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| The site of the thorntree memorial is now a public park area. |
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| The Thorntree Monument. |
The Thorntree Monument, erected in 1998, marks the spot where it is
alleged that British cavalry officer Colonel James Gardiner was struck down and
lay dying under a hawthorn tree, the only tree standing on the battlefield,
which has long since gone. This was the area where it is said the fiercest
fighting took place. By coincidence
Colonel Gardiner faced the final battle of a long army career near to his hometown
and close to the house were he lived.
When Gardiner’s government troops fled the field of battle following the
Jacobite onslaught he tried to rally his men and fought a gallant last stand,
all in vain. He was shot through the leg and shoulder then brought down with the Highlander's axes and broadswords. A servant later found Gardiner only just
clinging to life under the thorntree. He was taken to Tranent Manse where he
died a short time later.
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| Tranent Kirk. |
It was north of Tranent, on open ground, that John Cope called a halt to his government troops that comprised 2034 rank and file and included 650 dragoons. Over fifty Jacobites belonging to Lochiels Camerons were positioned in the Tranent Church yard by Colonel John William O’Sullivan, a ready-made strongpoint, but were pulled back by Lord George Murray when they were attacked by Hanoverian artillery.
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| Bankton House. |
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| Rebuilt to match the original. |
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| The rear of the house and garden. |
This was Gardiner’s family home during the most settled time of his life,
which he shared with his wife Lady Frances Erskine. In recent times the house
suffered several major fires and was left in a ruinous state until the late
twentieth century when it was restored to its original appearance. The house is
now in private hands.
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| The Doo'cot. |
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| A wee man tells the story of Colonel Gardiner. |
The Doo’cot is the only part of Bankton House that you can visit. Inside
you will discover the Colonel Gardiner story told with a audio-visual presentation narrated by a wee man sitting in front of a fireplace.
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| Colonel Gardiner's Monument. |
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| The Monuments Plaque's. |
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| It has a lion on each of the four corner's. |
In 1853 this large obelisk was erected in the memory of Gardiner and is
now one of the iconic locations of the battlefield. Beyond stands his former
home.
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| Johnnie Cope's Road. |
Johnnie Cope’s Roa, which was the route taken by the defeated British general and the surviving dragoons when they fled the battlefield.
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| Gardiner's Burial Plaque located in Prestongrange Kirk yard. |
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| Prestongrange Kirk. |
Jedburgh.
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| Jedburgh Abbey. |
The Prince entered Jedburgh on the 6th November 1745 and stayed close to the ruined Abbey. Jedburgh was a town replete with the traditions of Mary Queen of Scots and other Stuart monarchs.
This is the house in which the Queen of the Scots stayed in October 1566 overseeing the local Jedburgh district court. A year later she was forced to abdicate and spent the last nineteen years of her life as a prisoner following this she was beheaded by her cousin for being of the wrong religious persuasion.
On the 18th November 1745 Prince Charles entered Carlisle in impressive style. mounted on a white charger and accompanied by 100 pipers. The streets were lined with cheering Highlanders, there were salutes of cannon and musketry from the castle and the walls of the town, and the bells were ringing all the time.
Carlisle.
On the 18th November 1745 Prince Charles entered Carlisle in impressive style. mounted on a white charger and accompanied by 100 pipers. The streets were lined with cheering Highlanders, there were salutes of cannon and musketry from the castle and the walls of the town, and the bells were ringing all the time.
Dumfries.
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| The Whiggish Dumfries still fly's the Union Flag. |
When the Prince entered Dumfries
on the 21st December he found that the fanatical local Calvinists
where already celebrating the success of Cumberland and the annihilation of the
Jacobite army much to the Princess amusement. As penance for stealing Jacobite
goods that were left in Lockerbie on their way south the Prince demanded a fine
of £2000 and 1000 pairs of shoes. To this day Dumfries cannot be depended on to
vote for the right side of the political divide!
Stirling Castle.
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| The storm clouds gather. |
Stirling Castle was a place of
great importance in Scottish history not least when William Wallace defeated
the English at the battle of Stirling Bridge on the 11th September
1297 and likewise Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn on the 24th June
1314. It could have been a major prize for the Jacobites whether for offensive
or defensive purposes, for it were situated at the narrowest point of the
British mainland.
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| The castles defences were tested by the Prince and his army. |
Prince Charles and his
Jacobite army tested the castles defences as he marched south in 1745 and following
his success at Falkirk on the 17th January 1746 he returned with his
Lowlanders to continue the siege of the castle from adjacent Gowan Hill until 1st
February when he pulled his army out of Stirling.
Inverness Castle.
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| The rebuilt castle. |
On a good day its worth the five pound it costs you to ascend the 94
stairs to the Castle viewpoint to get a breath taking 360-degree view right
across Inverness and the surrounding countryside. You also get a couple of
floors of local legend including how St Columba was responsible for Loch Ness
having its own monster. The castle was blown up by the Jacobite’s in February 1746
so the medieval castle had to be rebuilt and is used today as the local
Sheriff’s Court and therefore the main building is not open to the public.
Members of the Atholl family supported different sides of the political divide. It was when the Jacobites returned north that Lord George Murray found that his ancestral home was occupied by government forces. On 16 March 1746 Lord George besieged the castle with the intention of demolishing it. But despite damage to the castle roof the government troops held out until 2 April 1746 when George withdrew north having failed to take the castle.
Blair Castle.
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| Between 1747 and 1758 Gorges brother, the 2nd Duke of Atholl rebuilt the castle as a Georgian mansion which is what you see today. |
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| Weaponry found in the Blair Castle. |
Culloden Moor 16 April 1746
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| A lithograph showing the Battle of Culloden with Cumberland in the foreground. |
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| An artists impression of the brave Highlanders. |
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| The Visitor Centre. |
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| The Memorial Cairn. |
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| Culloden Muir the site of the last battle to be fought on British soil. |
The last battle that took place on British soil was on the 16th April
1746 between Prince Charles Edward Stuart and his Jacobite army, and the Government
forces of the Duke of Cumberland who represented the Hanoverian claim to the
British throne. The main reason for this bloodthirsty battle was to reclaim the
thrones of Scotland, England and Ireland. Following a crippling defeat the
Stuart dynasty where never again going to be able to reclaim their
rightful place as kings of the three kingdoms. It is alleged that over 700
brave Jacobites were killed in direct battle with a further 800+ wounded men
slaughtered after the battle by Cumberland who was labelled ‘the butcher’ for
his men's cowardly actions. The aftermath of the battle accelerated the
dismantling of the Clan system and gave a foretaste of the Highland Clearances
when families were forced from their homes and land. The bad taste left after
this period still lingers to this day. Don't miss an opportunity to visit the
National Trust property and take full advantage of a free tour of the battlefield
to learn more about the Battles history.
Dunrobin Castle.
At the time of the
Jacobite Rising, the Earl of Cromartie was George Mckenzie, a staunch Jacobite.
In April 1746, reports reached the Earl that the Prince's men had been
victorious at the Battle of Culloden. Without stopping to verify the truth of
the report, Mackenzie gathered his men and launched an attack on Dunrobin
Castle, seizing the castle in the name of the Stewart king. It was only after
the Earl's men were ensconced comfortably in Dunrobin that news reached him
that Culloden had in fact been a complete and utter disaster for the Jacobite
cause. The Sutherland militia quickly surrounded the castle, and the Earl was
captured. The apartment where he was found is still known as the Cromartie
Room.
By May 1746 the Orkney Islands was probably the last part of the British Isles which was under the control of the Jacobites.
Orkney.
By May 1746 the Orkney Islands was probably the last part of the British Isles which was under the control of the Jacobites.
Old High St Stephen’s Church Inverness.
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| The church where the prisoners were held. |
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| The Jacobite Stone |
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| The Kirk yard where the Jacobites were executed. |
The original Parish Church of Inverness is where the Government housed
the Jacobite prisoners after the battle of Culloden Moor in 1746. Those
condemned to death were taken out and then executed in the churchyard. Two
stones can be seen, one with two curved hollows and the other with a v-shaped
grove - nine paces apart. The blindfolded prisoner sat on one while the musket
of the executioner rested in the grove of the other. Their bodies were removed
by the ‘poor folk of Inverness’ and unceremoniously thrown into a pit outside
the church boundary.
Flora MacDonald Birthplace.
While on South Uist pay a visit to Milton which is said to
be the birthplace in 1722 of the great Scottish heroine Flora MacDonald's. A large
cairn has been erected with a plaque and is surrounded by ruined blackhouses
that would have formed a wee settlement.
Across the sea to Skye.
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| Flora MacDonald's last resting place. |
A
short walk from the Crofting Village Museum on Skye is the grave of Flora MacDonald.
During the Jacobite Risings, in June 1746, at the age of 24, she was
living on the island of Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides
when Bonnie Prince Charlie took refuge after the Battle of
Culloden. The prince's companion, a Captain Conn O'Neill of The Feeva, County
Antrim, sought her assistance to help the prince escape capture which she
successfully did dressing him in ladies clothes provided by Lady Clanranald
and sailed across the sea to Skye.
Flora MacDonald Statue.
We again meet the Jacobite heroine Flora MacDonald in the form of a
large statue by the Inverness sculptor Andrew Davidson erected outside the
present day Inverness Castle in 1899.
Fort George.
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| Front entrance. |
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| Part of the Fort. |
Fort George was built to replace the original Fort at Inverness. This
great white elephant, was completed in
1769 by George II government to house an army of occupation in the Highlands
after the Culloden battle to ensure that
the Highland Clans and there supporters would never again rise in support of
the true heirs of the English, Scottish and Irish throne. It was never attacked
by a Jacobite army or for that matter any other invading forces.
Dunbeath Castle is in private ownership but I believe you can see the gardens in August and it can be hired for weddings. A descendant of Charles Edward Stuart’s personal physician, Mr Stuart Wyndham Murray Threipland, bought the 30000-acre estate in 1997. The Murray Threipland’s were one of the Stuart royal family's strongest sympathisers with the Old Pretender staying at Fingask Castle, there ancestral home, during his 1715 uprising. The Scots Baronial style castle dates back to 1428 but has been remodelled many times since by its many different owners.
Miscellaneous items of interest.
Dunbeath Castle
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| The main entrance to the castle estate. |
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| Dunbeath Castle. |
Dunbeath Castle is in private ownership but I believe you can see the gardens in August and it can be hired for weddings. A descendant of Charles Edward Stuart’s personal physician, Mr Stuart Wyndham Murray Threipland, bought the 30000-acre estate in 1997. The Murray Threipland’s were one of the Stuart royal family's strongest sympathisers with the Old Pretender staying at Fingask Castle, there ancestral home, during his 1715 uprising. The Scots Baronial style castle dates back to 1428 but has been remodelled many times since by its many different owners.
Dunrobin Castle's Summer House.
This dirk belonged to John Mackay, a piper with the Earl of Sutherland when the earl marched with the government side to Culloden in 1745.
Arbroath Abbey is forever in antiquity as the location of the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320 that confirmed Scotland's status as an independent sovereign state and defended the country's right to use military action when unjustly attacked.
‘For as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any condition be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom’
That was until 1707 when Scotland was forced into the Act of Union which brought England and Scotland under one parliament, one sovereign and one flag, some thing its been trying to rescind ever since. The coastline around Arbroath was of great strategic value to the Jacobite's.
Stewartry Museum Kirkcudbright.
Arbroath Abbey.
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| The ruined Abbey today. |
Arbroath Abbey is forever in antiquity as the location of the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320 that confirmed Scotland's status as an independent sovereign state and defended the country's right to use military action when unjustly attacked.
‘For as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any condition be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom’
That was until 1707 when Scotland was forced into the Act of Union which brought England and Scotland under one parliament, one sovereign and one flag, some thing its been trying to rescind ever since. The coastline around Arbroath was of great strategic value to the Jacobite's.
Glemis Castle Angus.
Notes from the Author.
I live in a country that I chose to live in and not one I was originally born into and would never wish to change that. My love affair with Scotland started in the late 1980's and my family and I have lived and worked here for over 26 years, i am now fortunate to have three Scottish born grandchildren, and a further one on its way.
I certainly cannot be accused of being a royalist, It may have been different if the usurpers had not highjacked the British throne that rightfully belonged to the Stuarts. I feel that our present monarch is a complete and unnecessary burden on the UKs taxpayer. Along with her extended family we are paying for an array of expensive property, not for them the horrors of modern day poverty but during a period of austerity they are allowed to continue to luxuriate at the working persons expense while hiving their untold fortunes into tax havens.
Hopefully one day Scotland will be free from the over bearing rule of Westminster and govern as a completely independent republic.
Various dates and information were from, British Heritage Sites, property guide books and Christopher Duffy's 'The '45 the Untold Story of the Jacobite Risings'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-42342490
https://www.britroyals.com/stuarttree.asp
https://youtu.be/MqVMoM5eraY
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