"REBELLION" PART TWO - BOUGHT AND SOLD 1698 - 1719

"We're bought and sold for English Gold,
such a parcel o' rogues in a nation."
Robert Burns. "Fairweel tae a' our Scottish fame."

The Darien Project

Since 1603 the Kingdom of Scotland has played second fiddle to her larger and richer neighbour England, and it was inevitable. The Scots, so proud that they had given England a King, were soon to realise that there was a price to pay. An absentee Monarch, riched up on English gold was one thing, but a sovereign exercising the Royal prerogative in Scotland acting on the advice of his English Ministers was not only unconstitutional, it was dangerous to the interests and well being of the Scottish realm. There was no better example of this than the Darien fiasco.

Some countries seem to excel in doing it the hard way, Scotland is one of them, if there is an easy route then the Scots seem compelled to ignore it and take the tricky way, such a way was the Darien project at the end of the 17th Century.
In 1695 William, King of England, begrudgingly signed an Act of the Scottish parliament allowing the creation of the 'Scotland Company'. As this company was in direct competition with England's own Imperial aspirations, William was reluctant to alienate his English Ministers, by supporting Scotland. This was a common problem, this conflict of interest often meant the William, as head of state of Scotland, was to be found acting in direct opposition to the welfare of his northern Kingdom. The scots were determined, with or without William's consent, to strike out alone. The nobility of Scotland plunged in head first investing large amounts of money, and sons into the project. The place chosen by the Scots adventurers was right in the heart of Spanish America - The Darien peninsular (now part of Panama). Many of the gentry dreamed of life on foreign shore - the dream would turn to nightmare.

The King's level - headed Commissioner to Parliament, the 4th Duke of Hamilton, could see the folly in settling out Darien, and he was not alone - many of the economic and military experts expressed concern is such an undertaking, but the trickle of interest had become a torrent, nothing could stop it now. In 1698 the first expedition sailed out of the Forth bound for Darien, and some have said Scotland's independence sailed with it.

At Darien itself, the signs were ominous - death from fever was becoming common place, and the land was found to be an insect ridden swamp. Another problem, one that was foreseen was the Spanish. Darien was an unwelcome intrusion into Spain's American Empire, it was only a matter of time before she moved to expel the Scots. Therefore, Thomas Drummond, a party in the Glencoe massacre six years earlier, was commissioned to build a series of defensive forts along the Darien coast. Conditions, however, deteriorated, the deaths escalated and hunger set in - the rations brought from home went off. The colonists appealed to the English in Jamaica, but to no avail. A decision was taken, and the colony was abandoned. Of the 1200 that had set out the previous year only 300 would make it out alive. Bad as this was, it was only the beginning of the story.

On the banks of the Clyde a second, and larger, expedition was preparing to set sail for Darien, blissfully unaware of the catastrophe unfolding across the Atlantic. In September 1699 a flotilla of ships laden with gold (it was said that a third of Scotland's wealth was on board) and men set off out of the Clyde, bound for the promised land. Not only were there men on board, but women and Church Ministers (to convert the savages), all however, were bound for disaster. Twelve days later the directors of the Scotland Company in Edinburgh learnt that Darien had been abandoned, and that the survivors were holed up in New York. Frantically, another ship, this time laden with troops hastened out of the Clyde to catch up with the convoy and force them back. The convoy, however, was quicker and by November they had reached Darien, and looked on in horror at the sight that greeted them; Armageddon would have been more appealing. But worse was to come. There was no food, no shelter, diseases were rife, and the natives were far from friendly. The record also seem to indicate that the expedition had too many chiefs and not enough Indians - and the rainy season was just around the corner. The omens weren't looking too hot.

Fever took it's daily toll, insects living in the disease infested swamp that was Darien had reached an unbearable level, and the people lived in constant fear of infection. Yet, for all this the colonists were determined to hang on. William, unwilling to disturb the fragile peace between England and Spain refused to help, and his ministers advised that he send the Royal Navy to blockade Darien and prevent any aid reaching the beleaguered colony. The King of Scots was now actively working against Scotland. Then the Spanish attacked. The troops had by now landed, and were, to begin with, able to stay the Spanish onslaught, but things inside Darien had reached an all time low. 600 were sick, ammunition was low, food was all but gone, and again the Spanish came - it was too much. On April 1st 1700 Darien was finally Abandoned.

The colonists continued dying on board the ships limping out of Caledonia Bay. An appeal was again sent to the English in Jamaica, and again William refused to budge, even on humanitarian grounds. A relief ship arrived from Scotland to escort the 3 ships back to New York. One of the ships struck rocks near Cuba, with a large loss of life, and the remaining two were blasted into smithereens by a hurricane, all were lost.

In Parliament, the Duke of Hamilton cursed William and his English cronies for actively plotting against the Kingdom of Scotland (in breach of the Declaration of Arbroath). The fiasco showed that a Union of Crowns was unable to operate without a Union of Parliaments. Yet a union was bitterly opposed, Darien and the critical state of the economy showed that Scotland 'needed' a Union with England, but conversely, it also stoked up an intense hatred of England, and all things English, a hatred that might prevent the very union that Scotland required. Above all, it had been shown once and for all that an absentee monarch was no good for Scotland, William's popularity was at an all time low - the Stuarts watched carefully from the wings.

The Act of Settlement and the Succession

On the morning of the 30th July 1700 Great Britain faced up to the most serious constitutional crisis it had faced since 1688; and the greatest threat to the success of the Glorious Revolution - the untimely, but not altogether unexpected, death of ten year old William, Duke of Gloucester, heir presumptive to the Throne. William of Orange was not a well man, and it was unlikely he would ever have children. His successor would be his cousin / sister in law, Princess Anne, second daughter of the exiled James VII. Anne had been pregnant a ridiculous number of times, but there was something amiss with her child bearing abilities, all the children she bore died either at birth or within a few days, all except one - William, Duke of Gloucester. The hopes of the Protestant succession rested on the narrow shoulders of this sickly child. In France James's son, James Francis Edward Stuart, was starting to emerge as a serious threat to this succession, and many in Europe genuinely believed that he would one day sit on the Throne of England. However, in 1700 the Duke of Gloucester lost the battle against his multiple illnesses and died, leaving a dilemma - who would wear the crown on the death of Anne ? Many saw it as God's will - man had removed the hereditary line, and God was restoring it. James Francis was the natural choice, except he like his father was a devout Catholic, so he was immediately excluded. However, the nearest Protestant successor was the distant Sophia, Electress of Hanover, great granddaughter of James VI. Jumping so many lines would be unpalatable in many corners, ie. Scotland, but to the English it was a necessary evil.

The problem for both countries was two-fold; Both England and Scotland enshrined in their laws and beliefs the doctrine of unchallenged hereditary succession (that of premogenture), and that the sovereign was chosen by God alone. This was the theory, but on numerous occasions throughout the history of both countries bad or unsuitable monarchs had been 'removed'. If the doctrine was to be followed on this occasion then the throne should by rights be offered to James Francis. This was unacceptable to the English, they decided that Parliament would be the sole arbiter of Succession. To the Scots this went completely against the law, and took away much of the King's role as God's appointed 'shepherd' of his people, something that the Scots truly believed. Scotland's relationship with it's absent King was also at an all time low, confounded by Glencoe and Darien, perhaps the time had come to review the arrangement, again this was unacceptable to the English.

In 1701, in response to the crisis at hand, the English Parliament passed the 'Act of Settlement', which forbid anyone of the 'Popish' faith from ever succeeding to the Throne of England (and because of the set-up, also to the Throne of Scotland). This Act automatically barred James Francis Stuart from the Throne of England, and provided that on the death of Anne that the crown would pass to the Electress of Hanover, her heirs and successors. The Scottish Parliament had not been consulted during the debate, and this typical show of arrogance by the English further angered the already discontented Scots. It thus became a real possibility that Scotland wouldn't accept the Act of Settlement, and would choose a King of their own. The tension mounted.

Anne succeeded William in 1702 after he died of pleurisy (brought on after falling from his horse), and was more popular in Scotland that William had ever been. Yet, after only a couple of months Anne took Scotland into a war that England was fighting against Scotland's old friend, France. Anne was Queen and there was nothing the Scottish Parliament could do, but it covered it's back for the future. In 1703 it passed the 'Act Anent Peace and War', rejecting the war with France (and it's costs), and affirming the right of the Scottish Parliament to decide whether to get involved in continental wars after Anne's death. On a roll, the Scots then, in 1704, passed the 'Act of Security', reaffirming the right of the Scots to make their own decision on should be their King, and if it differed from that of England then so be it. The Scots decided that the direct line should be maintained, as long as the incumbent was a Protestant (again barring James, but his chances of overcoming this hitch were better with the Scots than with the English - hopes were high of a restoration). This threw the Hanovarian succession, favoured by the English, into doubt.

The Act of Security angered and confounded the English, who in their arrogance saw themselves as masters in their own island, and sole arbiters of the Royal succession. However, they were worried as well.

The English were concerned about the closeness of the relationship between Scotland and France, in particular the relationship enjoyed by the Jacobites. If James (now the Jacobite James VIII after the death of old James VII in 1701) succeeded to the Scottish throne on the death of Queen Anne, and despite the religious problems it seemed likely he would, then France would have a 'back-door' to England, they could invade by land. England was forced to act. England would have to bring its northern neighbour to heel, but how ?

In 1705 the English Parliament passed the 'Alien Act' which gave the Scots ten months to repeal the Act of Security, and accept the Hanovarian Succession, or begin negotiations for Union. The English, although traditionally opposed to Union, realised that this was the best way to control its troublesome neighbour. If the Scots resisted then the 'Alien Act' would come into force. This would result in every Scot in England becoming 'Alien', all free trade between the two nations suspended, and the Royal Navy employed to prevent the Scots trading with Europe. The choice was stark - accept the English demands (and ultimately, rule), or face ruin. The path with the greatest rewards (for the Scots) was afforded by a treaty of Union, this was the path that the Scots decided upon, although decided wasn't exactly the right phrase. To begin with, the majority in Parliament were the 'Anti-Unionists' headed by the great patriot, Alexander Fletcher of Saltoun. Their arguments, while patriotic and emotive, offered nothing it the face of the bleak economic situation facing Scotland, should it resist. The Jacobites naturally supported independence, they saw it as a way of bringing the Stuarts back, but they also offered nothing more constructive than colourful rhetoric. Queen Anne chose Pro-Union commissioners - the Duke of Queensberry and the Lord Chancellor, James Ogilvie, and they were quickly joined by two others - the 2nd Duke of Argyll and the 6th Earl of Mar who skilfully manipulated the parties to Anne's way of thinking.

The 'Treaty of Union' would have 25 articles, primarily : One Monarch - of the Hanovarian line, one Parliament, one flag, one coinage, one Great seal and one system of tax. Scotland would be allowed to retain it's legal system, and the Presbyterian Church of Scotland would remain independent. Importantly, the Scots would be given unrestricted trading rights in all of England's colonies, something which almost certainly sold the deal, and England would pay into Scotland's industries, and compensate many who had lost out in the Darien scheme. Yet, for all these advantages, the reality was that Scotland had become absorbed into a greater England. When the draft treaty was presented in the Scottish Parliament in October 1706, the general feeling was that Scotland has been sold to England - and there ware riots on the streets of Glasgow, Stirling and Edinburgh. Many who felt betrayed, or had become disillusioned, transferred their loyalties to the Jacobites, as James now offered the only chance to repeal the treaty. Nevertheless, the vote was carried by 110 to 67. In April 1707 the Parliaments and nations of Scotland and England were dissolved, and on May 1st 1707 the Treaty of Union came into effect and the Parliament and nation of Great Britain was born.

The Pretender and the 1708 Rising

James Francis Edward Stuart was born to be King, and according to God's Law he should have been, it was a dream that would never be fulfilled. James was born before the revolution of 1688, and was still King in exile once the smoke cleared on Culloden Moor some 58 years later. To his supporters he was James VIII and III, King over water, to his enemies he was the 'Pretender' (to the Throne). Much as James coveted the Throne of his Fathers, the initiative was often taken by others, and at times James found himself a helpless pawn serving others in the grand scheme of European politics. As the war between Great Britain and France wore on, the French King,, Louis XIV, saw the Pretender as a possible option in breaking the deadlock. And so began a new Jacobite Rebellion.

All throughout February 1708 large numbers of troops were arriving at the Channel ports of Dunkirk and Saint Omer. Across the Channel the English watched with some trepidation, unsure if the French were preparing to attack and attempt an invasion of the British Isles - no-one had done so successfully since 1066. The French however, were well aware of that particular fact, and they were really only trying to call England's bluff. France was the most heavily populated and powerful nation on the European continent, and they spent most of their time and money on flexing their mussles and extending their lands. However, a perpetual thorn in the side of France's plans was the British expeditionary force, charged with protecting the Netherlands. Therefore, a plan was hatched. If they built-up their troops at the Channel ports and threatened invasion it may precipitate a Jacobite rising in Scotland (especially if James Francis was involved), thus forcing the Westminster Government to withdraw its forces from Europe to deal with the problems at home. This would give the French the advantage required - even if the attempt to restore the Stuart proved futile.

The French employed Scotsman Colonel Hooke, a shadowy and curious character, as their agent-provocateur in Scotland. his job, what anyone can make of it, was as a negotiator between the French King and the Jacobites. He returned to Scotland in 1707, whereupon he was entertained by no less a personality than the High Constable of Scotland, the Earl of Erroll. Hooke was here to test the water, was post-union Scotland ripe for an uprising ?

The Highlanders were keen, and could be relied on to follow 'their true King over water', but the cause could not be won by the Highlanders alone. However, many of the powerful magnates refused to commit themselves on paper, but fobbed Hooke off with many's the promise paper thin. Yet, Hooke wouldn't be so easily put off. He returned to France and the King, bearing a document which 10 nobles had signed, stating : ". . . the whole nation will rise upon the arrival of the King (James). . ." Utter nonesense of course, but the fantasy continued. The nobles told Hooke to tell James and the French King that on the Pretender's arrival they could possibly raise 25,000 men and 5,000 horse. Neither Montrose or Dundee had commanded a quarter of this number, in fact James IV would have done well to lead as many onto the field of Flodden, so it would seem incredulous to believe that so many could be risen in a country so deeply divided as Scotland, and equally incredulous that Hooke accepted this as even a remote possiblity.

Boyant as Hooke was, he was unable to let King Louis XIV know the mind of the great Lords such as Hamilton, Gordon and Atholl. The whole expedition rested on the mood and mind of these magnates. Simon Fraser, the Lord Lovat, a flawed genius if ever there was one, and one of the true characters of the Jacobite cause, had promised the French that the Highland chiefs such as MacDonald of Sleat, MacDonell of Glengarry and of Keppoch would raise a substantial force, and that this would act as a catalyst to a full blown rebellion. Undoubtably the shrewd Lovat was guessing (albeit an educated one), but the French King seemed convinced, even if his ministers weren't. The Chief Minister of war, Forbin, believed that any expedition was doomed to failure right from the start and was far from enthusiastic about following his king's instructions. Yet, it was he himself that would command the 20 ships and 6,000 preparing on the Channel coast.

Some of the commanders were more optimistic than Forbin, and saw him as trying to stall or make any excuse as why the ships shouldn't leave France, Forbin returned the insults with venom. Across the Straits of Dover Anne, in response to the French build up, sent 38 Men o' War into the Channel to prepare to repel the perceived invasion. This worried Forbin even more, and the French ports were on the brink of panic, and then right in the middle of it all appeared James Stuart.

After much humming and hawing, Forbin gave into the pressures being exerted by the French Court and by the exiled Stuart King, and prepared for the worst. The plan had never been to attack England directly, but to restore James and precipitate rebellion in Scotland, then, and only then, could a full-scale invasion be considered. However, as the weather turned bad, and the howling winds and stormy seas battered the ships, smashing many into smithereens, the omens for success were far from good. Forbin saw this as excuse enough to call off the attack, but James would have none of it - caring little for French ambitions, focused firmly on his Triple crown. Forbin gave in once more and on the 8th of March 1708 the fleet sailed, it's secret destination - Burntisland on the Fife coast. Three days after sailing Forbin spotted the coastline of Scotland, but he too had been spotted. Lord Leven, the Commander at Edinburgh castle watched, worried, as the ships sailed toward the mouth of the River Forth. He had good reason to be worried. Without guns, much ammunition, little men and no monies he knew that defending Edinburgh from attack would require a miracle - how fortunate for Leven that just such a thing would happen. The pilots miscalculated and the fleet dropped anchor at the mouth of the Forth near the Bass Rock, miles away from Burntisland. Signals were launched, guns were fired but obviously no response returned the fire. Then the roof fell in on the expedition. Forbin's Scout ships had reported gunfire to the south, the Royal Navy was all but upon them. Slowly but surely the English fleet, commanded by Captain Byng, had followed them up the North sea, his patience had paid off and the French were ripe for the picking. Byng positioned his ships in such a way as to trap Forbin in a bay, the French commander had but one chance. He ordered his ships to 'sail' an rush at the awaiting English fleet, looking for all the world as if they were about to attack. Byng took the bait, and immediately ordered his ships to battle standby. In doing so he lost the initiative and handed it back to Forbin. Forbin then rigged himself to full sail and rushed out of the bay. Taken completely by surprise, Byng was slow to react and the French were free. Forbin fully expected the Royal Navy to give chase and so turned due north towards Aberdeen.

For James this flight had added complications. Recovering from a bout of measles he spent most of the journey suffering from a severe case of sea-sickness, and was desperate o get back onto dry land, Forbin wasn't so sure that was such a good idea. The French fleet, realising that they weren't being pursued, dropped anchor of the Aberdeenshire coast to consider the next move. James and his advisors were still advocating that he disembark and head for Slains castle, whereupon the Standard could be raised. The French commander didn't want to lose his or his master's (Louis XIV) prize posession, a landing was out of the question. Forbin, of course, didn't word it quite like that, but James was left in no doubt as to any proposed landing. As Byng's fleet re-anchored at Leith, Forbin, who had been aginst the expedition from the start felt enough was enough and put to sail and headed back to Dunkirk. The whole thing had been a great flop, including the sickly James, and no crowd gathered to greet the conquering heros, as they had done months earlier, the cries of 'vive le Roi' (long live the King) rang very hollow in the ears of the Pretender now.

Unfortunatly for the Jacobites, James (who would have made a good constitutional monarch) had inherited some of his father's less welcome traits - melancholy and undecidedness. James blamed much of the failure of the 1708 rising on himself, and he became more withdrawn, and rather than dictate events he was happy to be carried along by them. He sullenly waited for fate to sit him on the British Throne, many now began to question if such a thing would ever happen.

Bad as things were for James, they were about to get worse. Between 1712 and 1713 the British and French concluded peace negotiations, thus ending the long war between the two nations. As part of the deal, the French King was obliged to give up his sponsorship of the Stuart claim, and expel the Pretender. Louis was probably happy to get the depressing youth of his hands, and so, in 1713, James left his Father's exiled home at St.Germaine and set up at Bar de Luc in the independant Duchy of Lorraine. Yet, within a year he and his cause would once again be in the spotlight.

The Elector of Hanover, King George I

To the establishment of England it was all so simple - the dying Queen Anne would be succeeded by the Protestant George of Hanover; the Law, as spelt out in the Act of Settlement, demanded it, the Church demanded it and the people expected it. As far as Westminster, and the English at large, were concerned the Scottish dimension had been dealt with in 1707, and any lingering resentment, or Jacobean sypathies, could be easily swept under the carpet. Although typical of English arrogance, their complacency could well have been their undoing.

Generally speaking, the Whig party in England (which held power at Westminster) was totally opposed to a Jacobite succession, the Tories however, while not wishing to see a Catholic restoration, were more open on the subject. The picture in Scotland was more or less the same, except that the Jacobite party was a large and credible force, and a growing dissalusionment with the Union was forcing many liberals to consider the 'King over water' as a solution to their woes. There was also a sentimental angle to the Scottish dimension - The House of Stewart itself. As far as the English were concerned, the Stuarts were just another family to wear their ancient crown following Tudor, Lancaster, York and so on, but for the Scots the Stuarts were their Royal family, fought and died for for over 350 years. What was proposed not only brought to end the Stuarts but also the idea of the King of Scots. All this led to a dramatic rise in the support for the 'ill treated' James Francis, a upsurgence that the English hundreds of miles to the south, were slow to pick up on; but would James be quick and smart enough to take advantage ?

At length, in August 1714, Anne Stuart, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, and the last of her line, died - the chesspieces began to move themselves into position.

The English secretary of State, Viscount Bolingbroke, had been in regular contact with the exiled court in the run-up to Anne's death. He told James that if he wanted to be restored, and there was popular support for it, then all he had to do was renounce his Catholicism and convert to Church of England. This was Bolingbroke at his devious best. He knew that James a devout Catholic would never 'betray' his faith, even for the Crown, that wasn't the deal - it was Crown and faith he wanted. By offering James a route to the Throne, and having James refuse it, the wily Viscount steadied the ship long enough to allow George of Hanover a painless accession as King George I. It was a gamble that Bolingbroke could not have lost, just as well, as he had bigger problems than a rival for the Throne - the new King himself.

George, Elector of Hanover, was chosen primarily because he was a Protestant, but there were also important political ramifications for the choice. As he had been the 'choice' of the Government he could be easily controlled by it. Power in Britain since the Civil war was shifting away from the King towards Parliament and its representative members that formed 'His Majesty's Government'. The 'Glorious Revolution had helped that shift, the accession of George moved the process on further still, and much quicker than if James Stuart had taken the Throne. The Whigs were keen to exercise power, George allowed them that luxury, James most certainly would not of. So, as far as the Whig Government was concerned this positive outweighed all the negatives, the country, especially Scotland, wasn't so sure. King George I had an extreme dislike of his newly acquired Kingdom of England, and it is unlikely he even knew where Scotland was, and he couldn't speak a word of English. As a result he spent most of his time in Hanover. This pleased the Whigs, as it meant they could run the country with little or no interference from the King. The rest of society felt they had become alienated from the seat of power, and England now felt what Scotland had for the previous hundred - life with an absentee Monarch. Yet, with James still apathetic in Lorraine a rising against George, despite his unpopularity, seemed highly unlikely. The Jacobites at home and abroad still waited for their champion to rise, and yet ironically the 1715 rising had little to do with James and more to do with George I and more particularily his Whig Government.

With George in Hanover the Whigs exercised complete control, and they weren't about to share one inch of it with the Tories, in fact most of the policies eminating out of Whitehall seemed to have but one agenda - the destruction of the Tory party. Using a campaign of dirty tricks and fantastical propaganda the Whigs conviced the receptive King that all Tories were Jacobites in disguise, who coveted his downfall, and the Stuart restoration. George, taking his Government at their word began to play to their every whim. The Whigs had fabricated in the King's mind the belief that rebellion lay round every corner, little did they realise that their actions brought that reality ever closer.

The Fifteen and the Earl of Mar

Despite the aggressive nature of the Whigs towards the Tories, both in London and Edinburgh, many in the Tory party, especially those who had done their bit to win George his throne, or those, like John Erskine, Earl of Mar, who had helped secure the 1707 union had expected some sort of windfall and share in power - they were to be seriously disappointed. The King made it quite clear to Mar and others that under no circumstances would they have a roll in Government.

Mar took the huff, and gathered his belongings and left London, promising that the next time he set foot in the English capital it would be to place the crown on Jamie Stuart's head. The King and his Whig Government dismissed Mar, and in doing so they sealed their fate. After leaving London Mar stopped briefly in Fife before heading to the seclusion of his vast Highland Estate on Deeside. Once settled in, Mar invited Lowland nobles and Highland chiefs great and small to his home under the pretense of a great hunting party. Scotland was a land of discontent, a tinderbox of passion and emotion wating to ignite; Mar's arrival lit the touchpaper, and the 1715 rebellion was born.

The Earl of Mar knew he had two advantages over the King; Scotland was ready to rise and in the Highlanders she had a loyal military might waiting to be released, and secondly, James Stuart, despite his exile from France was still a favourite of King Louis XIV, and that the French King was still keen to put James back on the throne. With deserved confidence, Mar raised the Royal Standard of Scotland (of the Stuarts) on the slopes of the lofty Lochnagar. Supporting the Earl on that day were some of the great and good of Scotland : The Marquis of Tulliebardine (son of the Duke of Atholl), the Marquis of Huntly, the Earls Nithsdale, Marischal, Erroll, Southesk, Seaforth, Traquair and Carnwath, Lords Rollo and Drummond, the Jacobite generals Hamilton and Gordon, and Clan Chiefs such as Locheil, Glengarry and Struan Robertson. Mar had beguiled this receptive crowd, convincing them that the Chevalier de St. George, as James was now being called in France, was the man to place their faith, and loyalty, in. He promised the party that James would 'Hear their grievances, and right their wrongs'.

Originally, the 1715 rising in Scotland was to be in conjunction with a rising in the Southwest of England, with French support. The southwest was intended to be the main theatre of operation, with the landing of the Pretender there, while Scotland was to be the diversion. Mar had been made commander in chief of the Jacobite army in Scotland, and his job was to support the main risings in England. However, Mar was too quick in raising the Standard and the Clans, forcing James to act before his own plans were ready. In any case the fates were conspiring against the rebellion. Unbeknown to Mar, Louis XIV had died 5 days before he raised the Standard, and his successor, the Regent Duc de Orleans was sympathetic to the Hanovarian succession, and wanted nothing to do with James or his Jacobites. This changed the complexion of the rising. At Bar de Luc, James now doubted the rebellion could succeed, and the planned rising in the south of England was put on hold, like his father he began to dither. Although he didn't know it, the full resposibility of the rising now rested on Mar's shoulders, it had become a purely Scottish affair.

Slowly, the Government in London began to awaken to the threat now posed by Mar and his followers.

The rebellion was widely welcomed and supported in Scotland, both in the Highlands and the Lowlands. Generally, the most active supporters were Catholics (still to be found in pockets in the Highlands and Borders), Episcopalians (angered at their railroading by the Kirk), disaffected nobles and Highland Chiefs (eager to win back powers they had lost), and, of course, staunch Jacobites loyal to the Stuarts. For the first time in Scotland it was a Protestant majority calling out for the restoration of a Catholic Monarch, if that didn't tell the English what conditions were like in Scotland then nothing would. However, not all supported Mar or his Jacobean master. Glasgow and the Southwest with their strong Covananter tradition were utterly opposed, as were the Whig nobility and, as expected, the powerful voice of the Church of Scotland was openly hostile to Mar. North of the Forth only the mighty Duke of Argyll supported the Hanovarians, but it would cause Mar all sorts problems, for Argyll, known to his supporters as 'Red John of the Battles' was commander in Chief of the Army in Scotland. Once again the fortunes of the Stuarts would rest on the age old battle between the Clans and the Great Campbell Chief.

The Duke of Argyll

John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll, Commander of His Majesty's Army in Scotland, was a distinguished soldier and politician, and was King George's best hope of quelling the insurrection. He was the latest in a long line of Campbell Chiefs to thwart the ambitions of the Stuart dynasty, a dynasty that had brought his family to great power centuries before. But while his grandfather had been the Marquis who beheaded Montrose and courted Cromwell, this Argyll was a much more subtle and engaging man. Still, the very fact that once again the Clans would be ranged against the Campbell Lord added a certain spice to the rising.

John Campbell had been marked out in early life as someone destined for glory in a military field. Born in 1678, he was by the age of 16 already in command of a Regiment of foot, and although he was someone who spurned the books for the sword, it was obvious this was a man of great intellegence, and that he would go far. He cut his teeth in the white heat caldron of Britain's European wars, where he served under Marlborough at a Brigadier General at Ramillies, and at the battle of Oudenarde he commanded 20 battalions. At Malplaquet he distinquished himself with several feats of valour, and in a way his European career mirrored that of Dundee, their fates however, would be very different. As Marquis of Lorne and later Duke of Argyll, he wasn't able to channel all his energies into the art of war, his high noble rank meant that he was a big player in the murky world of Scottish politics as well.

Argyll was made High Commissioner to the Scottish Parliament at the turn of the 18th century, and wholeheartedly supported and promoted the Treaty of Union, his backing almost certainly swayed the outcome. However, by 1714 his attitude to the Union had cooled somewhat, and seeing how badly Scotland was doing out of the deal, he reversed his opinion and began supporting the efforts to dissolve the Union. Unlike many in Scotland also disaffected by the Union, Argyll didn't switch his loyalty to the Jacobites. As far as Argyll was concerned Parliaments were one thing, your choice of King should never waver, and he remained loyal to the Protestant Hanovarian succession. With his distinquished record, and his trustworthinesss, Argyll was discharged north to 'deal' with the developing situation.

Mar's finest hour

Although London had now cottoned on to Mar and his Jacobite rebellion, they were still painfully slow in reacting to the situation. The Government was still living under the illusion that the main rising would be taking in place in England's Southwest centred on the Pretender's landing, it was only at the eleventh hour they twigged that the rising in Scotland was the main event. At length, orders were sent to all the Lords Lieutenents of the Scottish counties, instructing them to raise the militia. In addition re-inforcements were sent to strengthen positions in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Generally speaking, the main group to volunteer to the militia were tradesmen and merchants who didn't wish to see their highly lucrative trading links with England, and the money they were rolling in, spoiled by Mar and his rebellion, and God forbid it was successful. The Church also advocated resistance to the Jacobites, saying it was counter reformation and the ruin of Scotland. In anti-Jacobite areas the response was good, but unfortunately for the Government there just weren't enough of those areas. When the Duke of Argyll arrived at Stirling on the 16th of September he found less than 2000 men at his command.

While the Hanovarians were busy recruiting, Mar was also drumming up quite a support, but not all was going according to plan. John Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl, possibly the most powerful Highland Lord, sided with the Government, despite the enthuiasm of his Jacobean eldest son. The Duke's lack of support almost certainly caused the 'fifteen to fail, by denying Mar 2500 men of Atholl. Interestingly, the Duke's second son, George, followed Mar, behind his brother, and would emerge thirty years later as the Jacobite commander.

As Mar poured over his plan and worked out his route south, Jacobites in Edinburgh devised a rising of their own - the capture of Edinburgh castle, the main Hanovarian stronghold in Scotland, and the main stockpile of government arms north of the border. In addition, the symbolism of the capture and the impact it would have on the rebellion as a whole would be incalculable. A small force, led by the main conspirators; Lord Drummond (son of the Jacobite Duke of Perth), Charles Forbes of Brux, and MacGregor of Balhaldy would, under the cover of darkness, sneak up to the base of the Castle rock and climb up specially designed ladders and storm the fortress. This was to be achieved by the bribing of several guards, in order to grease the wheels of occupation. Once in Lord Drummond would be made Governor and the big guns fired to signal the start of the rising in the south. However, the plot was leaked to Colonel Stuart the Deputy Governor of the castle, who, although not taking the threat seriously, doubled the guard. He needn't have bothered. Drummond and the others decided that Dutch courage was the order of the day, and so while the bribed guards sweated away on the castle battlements awaiting the soldiers, the conspirators were sitting in the pub getting drunk, prematurely celebrating their success. Inevitably they arrived at the ladders late, two hours late in fact. Drunk, noisy and desperately late the men gave the game away, and the plot was foiled. A detachment of Redcoats was sent out of the castle to round up the fleeing Jacobites, not the best of starts - it wasn't to get any better.

Preston and the battle for England

Popular support for James and his cause wasn't restricted to Scotland, the North of England was also a hotbed of discontent and Jacobite sympathy, but one that would require clever exploitation, it goes without saying that this never materialised.

Many of the mainly Tory gentry in northern England had found themselves in dire financial straits thanks to the actions of the Whig Government, and so began shifting their allegiance towards a Stuart restoration. The Govenment was keen to stop any insurrection before it began, and attempted to arrest the two main Jacobite leaders in the north - James Radcliffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater, and Thomas Forster, the MP for Northumberland. However, obsticals were placed in the way of the officials by the powerful local nobility, and the Government found their every move thwarted. The fuse was lit, and the gentry moved. Forster was chosen as the leader in the rising, as it was believed that he would be more popular that the Catholic Derwentwater, and so it proved. The volunteers came in thick and fast to the Jacobite camp at Warkworth, just to the south of the Duke of Northumberland's seat at Alnwick, and by early October they were ready for the march.

While all this was going on Lord Kenmuir raised the Jacobites in Galloway, and headed east to find Forster's band somewhere in the north of England. The two armies met at Kelso on the 19th of October, where they were joined by a force of MacIntosh Highlanders sent by Mar to aid the rising in the south. By the 22nd of October 1500 men stood at the small Border town ready and armed to the teeth. Unfortunately, not one of the commanders could take a decisive lead, and no definite objective had been set out by Mar for his southern force. Precious time was being wasted while the Council of war met to plan the best course of action. The Scots wanted to march on Glasgow, while the English wanted to turn south an link-up with the Jacobites in Lancashire. The dithering was a recipe for disaster, and the Jacobites were effectively beaten before they started. While the Jacobites argued, the Government commander in the north of England, General Carpenter, was silently creeping north to engage them. Some at the Council wanted to deal with Carpenter, and his force of 1000 men, before doing anything else. The obvious course of action would have been to head north to Stirling, outflank Argyll and afford Mar easy entry into the Lowlands, and the prizes of Edinburgh and Glasgow. With Argyll out of the picture Scotland would surely have fallen for James. But as this was the obvious option it was equally obvious that it wasn't the one chosen, it wasn't even close. The worst possible descision, from a tactical and military point of view, would have been to head south into Lancashire, needless to say this is the one they went for.

Originally it was decided that Carpenter was to be eliminated from the equation, but like some tragic joke gone wrong, the Jacobites found themselves wandering aimlessly through the Border country, lacking resolution, and squandering valuble time. Despite the mutual distrust between the Scots and the English Forster was able to convice Kenmuir and MacIntosh that the sallying round the Borders was going nowhere, and that Lancashire was the best bet. Far from being the best bet, it was probably the worst, it was all about to go horribly wrong.

The Jacobites headed south through Penrith, Kendal and Lancaster, arriving in Preston on the 10th of November. As the Jacobites streamed into Preston, General Carpenter crossed the Pennines to block any retreat north, and a second Government force, under the command of General Wills, raced north from Manchester

The realisation of what was happening slowly dawned on Forster. Carpenter was closing in from the north and Wills was varing down on him from the south. Trapped, Forster made the brave descision to baracade the town and hold it at all costs, until good news arrived from Scotland. On the 12th of November, while Mar was preparing to meet Argyll at Sheriffmuir, Wills arrived with his troops, and the battle for Preston was begun. The Jacobites stoutly defended the town, resisting everything Wills could throw at them, but with the arrival of Carpenter the next day the advantage swung descively to the Government, and Forster found himself completely surrounded. Seeing the situation as hopeless, and lacking any real conviction, Forster surrendered Preston to the Government's Generals. The battle had lasted 2 days, 1500 Jacobites were taken prisoner, and the fight for the north of England was over.

Sheriffmuir

By the 20th of October the Earl of Mar stood at Perth with an army approaching 10,000; and at Perth he stayed. Mar, ever the cautious, was unwilling to engage the Duke of Argyll, unless he had an immensely superior force. However, by the first week in November it was Mar himself who began to get fidgety, cooped up in the narrow wynds of the Fair City with 10,000 wild highlanders. Striking while the iron was hot, Mar ordered his men to muster. He had resolved to head south via Stirling, and he commanded General Gordon to meet with him at the small Perthshire village of Doune.

The Earl's plan was to detach three bodies of 1,000 men who would make a feint to pass Stirling; one by Abbey Ford, one by Stirling bridge and the third by Drip Cobble. Mar himself would lead the main army across the river Forth further up, and so avoid the attentions of Argyll. Unknown to the Jacobite commander the Duke of Argyll had only 3,000 men at his disposal.

On the 10th of November, the Earl left Perth and quartered his forces at Auchterarder 15 miles down the road, where he was joined by General Gordon. Two days later he marched on Ardoch, site of an ancient Roman camp, where he billeted the bulk of his army, while Gordon took the Fife and Huntly divisions of horse and 3,000 highlanders, with the order to take the cathedral city of Dunblane, only a few miles north of Stirling.

Despite his inferior force, Argyll had early and good intelligence of Mar's intention to come through the Stirling gap. Argyll knew that he would have to use his greater cavalry strength against the vastly superior highland force if he was to have any chance of stopping Mar. He also realised that he horse divisions would lose this advantage if they engaged on the swampy banks of the Forth (as Edward II had found to his detriment at Bannockburn in 1314), so he resolved to advance and meet the Jacobites on the firm moorland of Sheriffmuir.

On November 12th, General Gordon discovered that Argyll had outmanoeuvred him and taken possession of Dunblane, so he accordingly fell back onto the main Jacobite force, and a halt was called at Kinbuck to the north of the city.

The following day the two armies arranged themselves across the wild heath of Sheriffmuir. The previous night had been bitterly cold, and much of the marsh ground was frozen solid. This gave Argyll an added advantage, and he was able to extend his right wing of Dragoons across the hillside. The Duke formed his army in two lines, only yards apart. The first, his main strength, consisted of six battalions of infantry, and had its right and left wings covered by three squadrons of dragoons, with an additional squadron behind each wing of horse. His second line was formed of only two battalions of infantry, with horse on each wing.

The Earl of Mar arranged his troops on the eastern flank of the moor, to the left of the road to Dunblane. His army also consisted of two wings, with a reserve of 800 men in the rear. The infantry in his first line consisted of the fierce Highland clansmen. The Stirling squadron (carrying the Royal standard), and two squadrons of Huntly's horse formed the right wing, while the Perthshire and Fifeshire horse were on the left. His second line was composed of the Earl Marischall's horse on the right, ten battalions of infantry in the centre, and the Angus horse on the left. Having weighed up the options Mar, realising that this was the great opportunity to crush Argyll, decided to give battle.

The two commanders had set their forces in order without seeing the enemy, and so, when the Jacobite force crossed the ridge they soon discovered that the right wings overlapped considerably. Mar quickly ordered his men to reform, on the crest in front of the Hanovarian force. Partly due to the haste, and partly due to the fact that the ground under the left wing was beginning to thaw, chaos ensued. The first line was mixed up with the second, while the left wing of horse found itself pushed into the centre. Not a shot had been fired.

Argyll had also rearranged his men, but in a much more orderly fashion. His Grace then opened a narrow plain on the heights above the Jacobites, and advanced half a mile east until he found himself face to face, and within pistol shot of the opposing force. The Duke quickly assessed the situation and, keen to use Mar's debacle, he saw it as an opportunity to use his cavalry. Therefore, before Mar had restored order in his ranks, Argyll, leading the cavalry in person, charged the Highland lines. The whole weight of Argyll's right wing came crushing down on the Jacobite left, and forced them to a retreat as far back as the Allan Water, a distance of about two miles.

It was while Argyll was harassing the enemy at the crossing of the Allan Water that he was informed by General Wightman of the disappearance of the whole of his own left wing. Further, he was told that a considerable highland host, both of horse and foot, was forming behind him and threatening his rear. The Duke was alarmed, and perplexed. It was impossible for him to tell whether he has gained a victory or suffered a defeat. He waited until dusk, and then, having failed to locate his missing wing, he gingerly marched his men back to their former station on the moor. His forces were now quite exhausted, and utterly unable to renew the conflict.

Unknown to the Duke, Mar was in the same position. Having seen his right wing obliterated, at the same time as he was cutting through Argyll's left, he too was unsure of the overall position. Mar decided to march his men back to the Hill of Kippendarie, and there he stayed, awaiting information.

As night fell Mar, fearing to enter Dunblane, where he expected Argyll to be, marched his exhausted men back to Braco. Argyll was, of course, still on Sheriffmuir, expecting Mar's wild highlanders to come careering over the ridge at any minute. It must have come as of a surprise as a relief when he heard the great Clan Donald war pipes gradually reseeding from him on the north side of the hill. This was Mar leading his men off the moor and back to Strathallan.

If either commander had been aware of the other's situation, then a decisive battle would surely have been fought, probably in favour of the Jacobites. But, it wasn't to be, and the result can be seen as nothing more than a draw. But to the Jacobites a draw was effectively a defeat, as they had been prevented from passing Stirling.

The end of the '15

Three days prior to the stalemate of Sheriffmuir Lord Sutherland, Duncan Forbes of Culloden and Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat (changing sides at just the right moment), recaptured Inverness from the Jacobites, the rebellion lay in ruins; Preston had fallen, Inverness had fallen, and now Argyll stopped Mar in his tracks at Sheriffmuir with a much smaller force. Mar's army dissolved before his eyes; Strathmore's men left after their leader had been killed, the Camerons quietly left, anxious of the reception they would recieve from old Lochiel. The Gordons and the MacKenzies were long gone, and Struan Robertson was captured. With these great clans away the Clan Donald fell apart and went home for the winter. Above all, Mar did not command the respect and loyalty of the Highlanders in the way Montrose or Dundee had, or James would have, had he been here. So here, in the southwest corner of Perthshire, Mar recieved the news of Inverness and Preston, and realising the game was a bogey, he gave up on the rebellion. His thoughts now turned to his own personal safety.

Yet, all this escaped the slightly bewildered Argyll. Victorious as he was, he couldn't work out if he had won a war or just the battle. He still believed that if James was to land he would be unable to hold back the Jacobite flood, not exactly inspiring stuff from a Government commander obviously shaken by the near miss at Sheriffmuir.

In fact the 1715 rebellion was dead on it's feet, but with a fateful twist to the irony, the Pretender suddenly appeared on the scene, the debacle was complete.

On the 23rd of December James landed at Peterhead in the northeast of Scotland. Many of the Jacobites still clung to the belief that if the 'King' came then all their troubles would melt away and they would live happily ever after. Some however took a more pragmatic view of the situation, and buried their heads in their hands, what next ! With a second wind many in the Jacobite camp envisaged scenes of jubilation, with Mar replaced by the King, all foes would be vanquished and James would ride victorious down the Royal Mile. Back in the real world however, the truth was crushing. James had landed with no new ideas, and was even less inspiring than Mar had been. The bottom line was that James was too like his father, and the Jacobites knew it. Like his father, James was genuinely bewildered by what was happening, and totaly out of his depth in the politics and intrique of the time. He would have made a fantastic Constituitional Monarch, (i.e one devoid of political thought and radical ideas), but unfortunately for the cause, the time demanded a man of action, a time when Kings drew their swords and won back their ancient birthrights, but for now the Jacobites had to settle for James.

Originally, the plan was to get James to Scone and have him crowned King on January 23rd 1716, but it never materialised, instead James' melancholic charm had the effect of demoralising his followers, and alienated the moderates. James had one last ace up his sleeve, a Spanish ship laden with gold and guns was heading for Scotland. True to form, this ship ran aground in the Tay at Dundee, and the booty was seized by the Government. The game was up, Argyll was advancing towards Perth with superior numbers, and the Jacobites were evaporating fast. At a Council of war in Perth at the end of January it was finally decided to give up the ghost, and the rebellion was abandoned.

As Argyll entered Perth, what was left of the Jacobite army took to their heels and fled to Montrose, where James caught the Marie Therese and sailed back to France. The last credible option of Stuart Kingship was gone, and he would never set foot in Scotland again.

Mar, fearing for his own life, left with James, the quick departure and the return to the rule of law in Scotland probably saved the Highlands from the atrocities that would be visited upon them thirty years later.

Conclusions on the 1715 Rebellion

The rebellion of 1715 was the second major attempt to restore the Stuarts to the throne, but there the similarity with Dundee's rising in 1690 ends. The '15 had as much to do with the Earl of Mar as with James Francis Stuart.

The rising in 1690 had been a war of ideology, the King had been removed, many saw it as a natural duty to reverse the coup. By 1715 the world had moved on (only the Stuarts remained in their 16th century timewarp), and Jacobeaism entered the murky world of politics. Many in Scotland were dissalutioned, and many more openly hostile, to the treaty of Union and London domination; the Whig government alienated many in the establishment both north and south of the border. Britain was ripe for revolution. Revolutions, however, need a focus, a figurehead, and James Stuart fitted the bill. He was used as a pawn in a much bigger game - the power struggle in the corridors of Whitehall and Windsor, it was a game that James never understood, and never would. While the Stuarts stood still their cause has moved on from one of pricipals and belief to one of economics and high politicking.

With the failure of the '15 both camps stood back and assessed the situation. The victory had boosted Whig control, and so the reprecusions were slight, James was a broken man, few could have predicted what was about to unfold through the years of calm.

Part Three - The Right belongs tae Charlie 1720 - 1747