A Short Account of the Affairs of Scotland in the Years 1744, 1745, 1746
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A SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE AFFAIRS OF SCOTLAND IN THE YEARS 1744, 1745, 1746 By DAVID, LORD ELCHO Printed from the Original Manuscript at Gosford WITH A MEMOIR AND ANNOTATIONS BY THE HON. EVAN CHARTERIS EDINBURGH PUBLISHED BY DAVID DOUGLAS MDCCCCVII David, Lord Elcho 1741 Contents PREFATORY NOTE .................................................................................................................................... 4 LIST OF PLANS AND ILLUSTRATIONS ..................................................................................................... 6 MEMOIR OF DAVID, LORD ELCHO ............................................................................................................ 7 I............................................................................................................................................................... 8 II ............................................................................................................................................................ 16 Ill ........................................................................................................................................................... 25 IV .......................................................................................................................................................... 31 VI .......................................................................................................................................................... 51 VII ......................................................................................................................................................... 60 LIST OF AUTHORITIES ......................................................................................................................... 78 A SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE AFFAIRS OF SCOTLAND IN THE YEARS 1744, 1745, 1746 ............................. 80 APPENDIX A ......................................................................................................................................... 166 From the Cumberland Papers. .......................................................................................................... 166 APPENDIX B ......................................................................................................................................... 166 Letter of Charles Edward from the Stuart Papers. ............................................................................. 166 APPENDIX C ......................................................................................................................................... 167 Extract translated from The Expedition of Charles Edward Stuart in 1743-44-45-46: done in Latin in 1751 by the Jesuit Giulio Cordara, and translated into Italian by Antonio Gussalli 1845. ................... 167 APPENDIX D......................................................................................................................................... 169 Sir James Gray to the Duke of Newcastle.......................................................................................... 169 APPENDIX E ......................................................................................................................................... 169 APPENDIX F ......................................................................................................................................... 171 Field Officer for the day tomorrow Major Willson. ...................................................................... 171 APPENDIX G ........................................................................................................................................ 172 Endorsed Original “Orders” under Lord George Murrays own Hand; from April 14 to 15 1746. (From the Cumberland MSS. at Windsor.) .................................................................................................. 172 PREFATORY NOTE David, Lord Elcho, left two manuscripts: 1) A Journal written in French, which covers the principal years of his life; 2) A narrative of events in 1745-46, which is now for the first time printed in this volume. With the exception of the Narrative, all Papers relating to the Wemyss family are in the possession of Mr. Wemyss, of Wemyss Castle, Fife. Mr. Wemyss has kindly allowed me to make use of a copy1 of the Journal, and it is therefore owing to his generosity and courtesy that it has been possible to collect the facts of Elcho‘s life as set forth in the accompanying Memoir. The Narrative, on the other hand, was originally in the possession of Sir James Steuart Denham, the nephew of David, Lord Elcho. In the early part of the nineteenth century it was transferred by Sir James to Admiral Wemyss, of Wemyss Castle, who, in 1832, presented it to the family of the then Earl of Wemyss, in whose possession it has since remained. Elcho‘s Narrative was evidently intended to be a complete and faithful account of what transpired during the ill-fated campaign of Prince Charles. Nor after a perusal of its contents can it he denied that its object has been attained. It is effectively, if drily written. It throws light on the characters of the principal actors, and discloses with much perspicuity the conditions which rendered so mad an attempt to recover a throne possible, and at the same time brought it within measurable distance of success. As regards its accuracy, it is sufficient to say that it is in close agreement with Mr. Blaikie‘s Itinerary of Prince Charles Edward. The Narrative has often been referred to by Jacobite historians, but no one, with the exception of Sir Walter Scott, appears to have been given the opportunity of citing its contents. To compare it with the Tales of a Grandfather shows not only that Scott was given such opportunity, but that he adopted the Narrative as the principal authority for his history of the ‗45. This alone may be considered to justify the publication of a document connected with a period already overloaded with literature. In printing the manuscript, the original spelling has been preserved, the punctuation has alone been altered. To His Majesty the King I beg leave to record my humble gratitude for permission to inspect the Stuart and Cumberland MSS. at Windsor, and to print those extracts which appear in the Appendix to this volume. The State Papers in the Record Office have also been consulted. I owe much to Lord Rosebery for the encouragement he has given me in the work connected with the editing of the Narrative. My thanks are also due to Mr. Edmund Gosse for kindly reading proofs of the Memoir; to Mr. W. B. Blaikie for valuable suggestions in the preparation of the Notes, and for the loan of many books and manuscripts, including copies of papers in the French Foreign Office, MS. of Daniel‘s Progress, a MS. of Events in Aberdeenshire, and a MS. volume of the General Orders of the Duke of Cumberland, General Wade, General Hawley and other commanders; also the rare work of the Jesuit Cordara, of which the translation of a passage is printed in the Appendix. I have also to thank Mr. Robert O. Cunningham, St. Helena, Paignton, Devonshire, for allowing me to make quotations from letters addressed to the Lord Advocate in 1745. In the footnotes and references I have endeavoured, as far as possible, to acknowledge my indebtedness to the work of Mr. Andrew Lang, Mr. Blaikie, and Mr. Fitzroy Bell; and, in connection with the social life in Scotland, to the work of Mr. H. G. Graham. Mr. J. W. Fortescue 1 Translated by the Rev. Thomson Grant. of the Royal Library, Windsor, kindly helped me to examine the Papers in his charge. E. C. April 1907. LIST OF PLANS AND ILLUSTRATIONS DISTANT VIEW FROM THE SEA OF WEMYSS CASTLE In The Eighteenth Century. Adapted by William Hole, R.S.A., from a Drawing by Slezer. Vignette in Title page. DAVID, LORD ELCHO, 1741 – To face page 1 From a Painting at Gosford. CHARLES EDWARD, 1745-6 – 227 From a Painting at Gosford. BATTLE OF GLADSMUIR Or PRESTONPANS, Fought On Saturday, The 21st September 1745 – 272 By the Author. THE PRINCE‘s ARMY That Marched To DERBY – 324 By the Author. BATTLE OF FALKIRK, Fought On Friday, The 17th January 1746 – 372 By the Author. BATTLE OF CULLODEN, Fought On Wednesday, The 16th April 1746 – 432 By the Author. MEMOIR OF DAVID, LORD ELCHO I Upon a page of a Bible which for generations has been in the possession of the Wemyss family at Wemyss Castle there is written, ‗My son David was born at 3 a.m. Aug. 21st 1721.‘ This David was Lord Elcho, writer of the Narrative which follows. Born a year later than Prince Charles, with whom his destiny was to be so closely linked, he was the eldest son of James, 4th Earl of Wemyss (1699-1756), his mother being Janet Charteris, daughter of Colonel Charteris of Amisfield. Of the Charteris family, Elcho says in the pages of his Journal that ‗it had been renowned among the nobility of Scotland since the year 1320.‘ Whatever degree of truth this statement may contain, certain it is that the notoriety of the family name was immensely heightened by the indecorous excesses of the colonel. The marriage of Elcho‘s parents, effected with romantic secrecy, and in the face of much opposition, brought considerable wealth into the family, but it was destined to turn out badly, ending in separation and unseemly squabbles over the monetary dispositions of the owner of Amisfield. But the early years were unclouded, and these were spent by young Elcho with his parents at Wemyss Castle. The family from which he was