13.Strong Women

There we were, granddaughter Shayna and I, looking at the memorial to Flora MacDonald.

She said,thoughtfully, "All these strong women you admire."

Flora Macdonald's Statue at Kilmuir, Skye

Strong?

Peggy, En Route to Her (Second!)Graduation
L to R: Grandpa Len Cleal, Peggy, Shayna, Chirsty Mac (Me)

Well, she should know. In addition to me, the granny from Hades, there is her formidable Aunt Peggy, scourge of the executive boardroom, and Shayna's not so wimpy sisters.

Sisters!
Lto R:Toyah, Grumps, Jolene



But, I digress. On to Flora MacDonald, far more of a heroine than the Bonny Prince was a hero.

After the terrible defeat of Culloden, the prince fled west, convinced he could find transportation to France if he managed to get to the Outer Hebrides, and landed in Scalpay, Harris, with a price of thirty thousand pounds on his head.


There is a family connection here. My grandmother, Chirsty MacLean was born on Scalpay. More anon of her.

Scalpay
Courtesy Christine Walling

Donald Campbell who sheltered the Prince was not a Jacobite, but he took him in and fed him, while the Royal Navy prowled round the coast, and the local minister made it his business to capture the fugitive. Just remember that ministers, in addition to being rabidly anti-Catholic, often were appointed by the local landowner. Obedient to the ancient laws of hospitality, Campbell turned away the party which came for the Prince, who had to escape to Uist, accompanied by his faithful friends, Captain O'Neill, and Neil MacEachain (MacDonald) of Arisaig.

It was here that they met Flora MacDonald aged 24, who was visiting her brother. Descended from both the MacDonald, Clanranald, and MacDonald of Sleat lines, she was no Jacobite, but the atrocities perpetrated by Cumberland's army were well known, so she agreed to help the Prince, assisted by her stepfather, who was in charge of the militia who were trying to capture the Prince!

Dressed in the clothes of a female flax-spinner, and dubbed with the name of Betty Burke, the prince embarked for Skye. What the prince looked like I leave to your imaginations. Flora had a tough time preventing him from hiding a pistol on his person. Imagine if he were searched! Yeah, well, no, fine!!!

Attempting to land at Waternish, they were fired upon by the militia, and eventually landed at Trotternish.

Trotternish, Skye





Waternish

After being fed and given new clothes by Flora's family, the party travelled through Skye, and on 1 July, 1746, the Prince bade Flora Macdonald and the faithful MacEachain goodbye. She had severely endangered both herself and her family, and it was time for her to go home.

After much wandering in the west, the Prince, on 19 September 1746, sailed in a French ship from Loch nan Uamh, where it had all started. He was never to see Scotland again.he sank into alcoholism and died in Rome. His cousin, King George III (the mad king) helped to pay for his memorial.

He never contacted any of the brave souls who helped save his life, though that might be to avoid incriminating them. Let's be charitable!

If there were any heroes in this story, they would be the poverty stricken Highlanders, who were offered a huge sum to turn in the Prince, and never did so. That is why the memorial at Glenfinnan shows not Prince Charles, but a Highlander.

On the island of Raasay, the inhabitants were severely brutalized by the Navy, whose sailors burned their cottages (not before robbing them of their pitiful possessions), stole their livestock and beat them up. Their only crime was that they were around for the sailors to vent their frustrations on.

As for Flora, she turned herself in! By now, a famous figure, she refused to buy her way out of trouble, and landed in the dreaded Tower of London on 20 November 1746.

An embarrassed government did not know what to do with her, especially when the atrocities committed by government troops in the North began to filter through.

She became a celebrity, visited by even the Prince of Wales. She told the Prince she would have done the same for him if he had been in trouble. In July 1747, Parliament passed an Act of Indemnity which set free, not only Flora Macdonald, but also many of those who had assisted the Prince. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Returning to Skye, she married Allan MacDonald in 1750, and in 1874, emigrated to America. 

These were tough times in Britain. For reasons we shall explain later, the population had risen, the land was impoverished, and their cattle, the main source of wealth in those parts were dying from disease and lack of food.

It was just Flora's luck that as soon as they were settled in America, the Revolution erupted, Allan MacDonald landed in jail, and their house was burned down. They were robbed of all their possessions.

Returning to the Hebrides in 1780, they settled near Kingsburgh, where Flora died on 4 March 1790. At least her last two years were peaceful and prosperous. Her funeral was huge. So is the Celtic cross which marks her grave.

The inscription reads:

FLORA MACDONALD

Preserver of Prince Charles Edward Stuart.

Her name will be mentioned in history,

And if courage and fidelity be virtues,

Mentioned with honour.

Born at Milton, South Uist 1722

Died Kingsburgh, Skye 4th March 1790

That was one strong woman!

What amazes me is the number of non-Jacobites who were involved in the escape of the Prince. I put it down to the unnecessary brutality visited upon quite innocent people by Cumberland's conquering heroes. They, as a conquered people, were to suffer exile, forced eviction and humiliation, but they thumbed their noses at the conqueror one last time.

As my husband sagely observes, the wheel always turns. It took a long time.

And here is a picture of Shayna at Edinburgh Castle at St Margaret's Chapel where she got initiated into the life of another: St Margaret. But we'll leave her for another day!

Shayna has had her sojourn in the marshmallow realms of Bimbodom.

Who hasn't? We all discover it doesn't earn one a living- if your name isn't Paris Hilton.

 A footnote.

Before we went to Scotland, Shayna and I spent a day in Paris. Naturally, we visited the Cluny Museum, with its old Scottish associations, and the crowns of the Celtic kings. You did know that the Parisi were a Celtic tribe?

As we passed the Rue Macdonald, I told her it was named after the son of a man who lived in Arisaig, but hailed from Uist. Neil MacEachan had fled to France after his adventures with the Prince, and his son visited Uist in 1825, to find out about his family. The locals were impressed with Etienne Joseph MacDonald. Dukes didn't visit very often!

Life is a funny thing. He had fought for Napoleon, and been made a Marshall of France, and Duke of Taranto. I hope his father was pleased!



12. Sunset and Sorrow

N B Please note that thanks to the Internet, you can read up on the often gory detail of the '45. I am taking my own view of events. (As usual)

From the very start, it seems that there were strong doubts about the chances of success of the Rising. A huge gale had smashed to pieces the ships which were to have accompanied the prince - not the first time England has been saved by storms, when one thinks of the Spanish Armada.

Glenfinnan, with Memorial

On the 19th August 1745, Charles  raised his standard at Glenfinnan. He had some strong support, though not, as we have noted, from our horrid chief. By 11 September he was in Edinburgh. Charlie was everyone's darling and the ladies flocked to meet the bonnie Prince. His army was doing well. Indeed, until April 1746, he was highly successful, beating General Cope at Prestonpans on 21 September.

By 13 November, he had taken Carlisle, letting the garrison depart in peace, probably much to their surprise. The army then moved south, in winter weather. The troops were now hungry and cold, their boots had worn out, and the fateful decision was taken at Derby, against Charles's inclinations,  to return to Scotland. The government had had time to get its defence organised. Three armies were converging on the Jacobites, one led by the Duke of Cumberland, the king's son, and one by our old friend, General Wade. The third was sitting unhappily North of London, while the National Anthem was composed as a kind of prayer to save civilisation from the Hieland mob. in addition to requests to the Almighty to crush "rebellious Scots,' the next verse takes a whack at the rest of the enemy:

From France and Pretender

Great Britain defend her,

Foes let them fall.

From foreign slavery,

Priests and their knavery

And Popish reverie

God save us all.

If it does not seem to you to be immortal verse, just remember it was a rush job.



Panorama of Culloden

Battles were won, even in the sunset of the campaign, but the opposition grew stronger, and fate caught up with Charles at Culloden on 16 April, 1746.The battle lasted about an hour, though the hunting down and slaughtering of the prince's army took longer, on the orders of the Duke of Cumberland, or the "Butcher' as he now became known.

Cumberland's young aide-de- camp, aged only 18, to his eternal credit, refused to participate, telling his enraged commander he was not an executioner, but the ordinary soldiers had no such scruples. Those they captured were beaten to death in a number of artistic ways. A number of wounded lying in a hut were locked in and burned to death. Those locals who attempted to help the rebels were beaten and sometimes killed.

Some years later, the young ADC, a General at 32, was to storm the Heights of Abraham at the head of his Royal Highland Fusiliers and gain Canada for the British Empire. He died during the battle. It is said that he discussed Goldsmith's Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard, the night before the battle. I have always had a soft spot for General Wolfe. He was a practical and intelligent soldier's soldier.

When someone told George II Wolfe was mad, he retorted: "Mad is he? Then I hope he will bite some of my generals."

The Death of General Wolfe

The battle of Culloden has been represented as the English against the Scottish Highlanders, but this is very inccurate. Scots, Irish and English, and some Hessian and Austrian mercenaries fought for the government.. In some tragic instances, brothers were on opposing sides

Terrible reprisals were taken not only on the Jacobite troops, but on the Highland population.
And Charles fled westwards, to the Outer Hebrides, and eventually back to France, dying in Rome as a worn out alcoholic. George III made a handsome donation for the building of his tomb.

Cumberland became a national hero, but only for a while. When he failed to cover England in glory in the endless wars going on on the European continent, his father welcomed him back:

"Here is my son who has ruined me and disgraced himself."

Parents are difficult to please.

We will deal with the Prince's wanderings in the next edition, but why did it all go pear-shaped?

The Reasons for Charles's Failure.

Clausewitz

Here's the guy who eventually worked it out, 87 years too late for the Bonny Prince. Naturally, Clausewitz was a Prussian. War was a national industry in Prussia., not something for gifted amateurs, though he acknowledged that luck and the outstanding commander could help things along.

It all boiled down to first assessing the probabilities. If Charles  had done so, he would never have left France. Where were the men, money and materials that the French King had promised? They were never provided.

"Then one must act with the utmost concentration." and: "Act with the utmost speed." Decide what to do and do it. Not hang about partying in Edinburgh for weeks while the enemy is gathering strength.

And finally, the soldier "must fight at the right place and at the right time."

I can add a few thoughts. Cumberland's use of artillery at Culloden was decisive. The charging Highlanders were cut down brutally and  quickly. When Napoleon came along, his success was partly due to his brilliance with the guns.

The motto of the British Royal Artillery is "Ubique" (everywhere) and they have no battle honours because they have been in so many battles.

On a personal note (why not?) I remember sitting in the Latin Class mis-translating Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars, first at Sir E Scott, with Mr Macaskill ( how we hated each other), and Mr Thom at Inverness Royal Academy.

Sir E Scott, Tarbert, Harris

Ol' Julie was always going into "Winter Quarters", and I thought he was a bit thick to stop the war just when he was winning. Napoleon and Adolf Hitler, however have confirmed Caesar's brilliance. It's difficult to fight a campaign when the snow is falling, your boots have worn out and food is scarce.

It was always going to be a losing campaign, not only for Charles, but for the Highlands and for Scotland. The figure on the Memorian at Glenfinnan is not of Prince Charles, but a Highlander. I think the Victorians got it right.

For my next trick, we will deal with Flora Macdonald, and the family connection with Culloden.


Detail of the Glenfinnan Memorial
The Highlander who followed the Prince and Paid the Price



Loch nan Uamh

Here Charles landed, and from here he sailed away, never to return.



12. Wae's Me For Prince Charlie

N.B.
We're up again. Finding a route into Google took me a while. Scott had less trouble getting to the North Pole, but a senile whimper seemed to touch their commercial hearts, and all of a sudden everything was O.K. Even the Cleals and Cambridges blog got onto the engine!

Some years ago, my husband and I were looking for a B&B in Arisaig. The scenery varied from beautiful to exquisite but the prices  varied from huge to superheated, and we were getting a bit desperate .Turning off the Road to the Isles, we arrived at a farmhouse. It was clean, comfortable,and had a free phone to the non-resident owner, who whisked in in minutes.

Loch nan Uamh

Faced with the information that we would have to share a bathroom, and knowing my husband's en suite fetish, I sighed and turned to him. He was getting out the wine.

Fish and chips went down a treat with South Africa's finest.

"The Prince's beach is down there."

Serendipity?

So this is where he came ashore. This is where it all started.

Camusdarach Beach, Arisaig

We watched a glorious sunset and lay listening to the crashing waves as they hit the patch of shingle, rolling the stones about. Did he listen too?

Prince Charles Edward Stuart

I've always had a problem with Prince Charles Edward Stuart. In 1688, his Catholic grandfather, King  James V11 had slipped quietly away from London before his embarrassed son-in-law, William of Orange  and even more embarrassed daughter Mary could be faced with the problem of taking over Daddy's throne, and deciding what to do with him. Catholics were bad news in England, Holland and Northern Germany, and William couldn't wait to get his hands on British tax money to continue his wars against whichever Catholic ruler he was fighting at the time.

He was involved in the Massacre of Glencoe and the English hated him but had no choice but to put up with him.

Childless, William and Mary were succeeded by James's other daughter, Anne, whose reign was chiefly remarkable for great architecture and furniture, and all of whose 13 children died. Oops, I nearly forgot! It was during Anne's reign that John Churchill, ancestor of Winston, put the British army on the map by defeating the French on numerous occasions. More of Winston later.

Another  crisis. Who could they scratch about for? They settled on George, Elector of Hanover, who spoke no English, hated England, but was descended from James VI. Apart from that, he was Protestant. To this day, a Muslim can sit on the British throne, but not a Catholic.

Failed Jacobite( Latin for James) rebellions followed, in 1715 and 1719, and some very highly placed noblemen lost their heads. But the family never gave up.

So it was that on 23 July, 1745, Prince Charles Edward Stuart landed in Eriskay. Young and handsome, a trained soldier, he seemed exactly what the downtrodden Celts were looking for.

According to legend, he scattered the seeds of a convovulus near the beach. They grow there to this day.

Calystegia Soldanella
Pink Convolvulus



Sorry, guys, the distribution maps give this the lie. BUT it seems to have been a new visitor to Eriskay at this time. Always a grain of truth in the story.

The Prince's Beach, Eriskay



Foot notes to Eriskay.

You now know where the the beautiful song, the Eriskay Love Lilt comes from. A haunting variant of the tune can be heard on the MacCormack blog. It is possibly an earlier version. She sang it to her children, "often and well".

Aunt Mary

On a lighter note. In 1941, the S S Politician sank in rough weather off Eriskay. The locals liberated large quantities of the lovely liquid. This was hidden in some inventive places. One family buried it under the cow dung.  Some of the whisky was found, but most was eventually drunk.

The local customs officer, one McColl led a positive crusade against the naughty islanders, and was infuriated with the light sentences handed down. A few went to jail some had their boats confiscated, but no one would bid against them at the sale.

In the end, permission was received to dynamite the ship, which was duly done, watched by horrified Hebrideans.

"Dynamiting whisky! you wouldn't think there were men in the world so crazy as that."

When I was at school in Inverness, the Uist boys told us that far more whisky was taken off the ship than was ever admitted, and that some was still hidden..

The real fury of the oficials was that no duty was paid on the whisky. We have another story coming up on that.

Personally, I am glad the Hebrideans scored just once.

Compton MacKenzie wrote a book, Whisky Galore which was turned into a film, starring, I think I remember Gordon Jackson, among others. We didn't think much of the dancing,or the fake accents, but it was good fun.