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When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. ‘Great Gathering of the Clans’: Scottish Clubs and Scottish Identity in Scotland and America, c.1750-1832 Sarah Elizabeth McCaslin Doctor of Philosophy The University of Edinburgh 2015 i Continue, Best of Clubs, Long to Improve Your native Plains and gain your nation’s Love - Allan Ramsay, ‘The Pleasures of Improvments in Agriculture’, (c.1723). I declare that this thesis (consisting of approximately 93,500 words) is entirely my own work and has not been submitted for any other degree or professional qualification, or published in any form. Sarah Elizabeth McCaslin 15 August 2014 ii ABSTRACT The eighteenth century witnessed the proliferation of voluntary associations throughout the British-Atlantic world. These voluntary associations consisted of groups of men with common interests, backgrounds, or beliefs that were willing to pool their resources in order to achieve a common goal. Enlightenment Scotland was home to large numbers of clubs ranging from small social clubs to large national institutions. The records of these societies suggest that most, if not all, of the men who formed them believed that defining and performing Scottish identity was important to preserving the social and cultural traditions of Scottishness in the absence of state institutions. These patriotic associations followed Scots across the Atlantic and provided the model for similar clubs in the American colonies. This thesis examines the construction and performance of Scottish identity by Scottish clubs in Scotland and America from c.1750-1832. It, in contrast to the existing historiography of Scottish identity, asserts that associations were vehicles through which Scottish identity was constructed, expressed, and performed on both sides of the Atlantic. It demonstrates that clubs provided Scots with the tools to manufacture identities that were malleable enough to adapt within a wide variety of political and cultural environments. This was particularly important in a period that witnessed major political disruption in the shape of the American and French Revolutions. By directly comparing Scottish societies in both Scotland and America, the thesis also reassesses and revises common attitudes about the relationship between Scottish identities at home and in the wider diaspora. Often seen as distinct entities, this thesis emphasises the similarities in the construction of Scottish identity, even in divergent national contexts. Drawing on a variety of sources ranging from rulebooks, minute books, and published transactions to memoirs, newspaper articles, letters, and even material goods, this thesis reveals that the Scottish identity constructed and performed by associations in America was no less ‘Scottish’ than that formulated in Scotland, indeed it paralleled and built upon the practices and attitudes developed in the home country. It rested on the same foundation, yet followed a different political trajectory as a result of the differing environment in which it was expressed and the different communities of Scots that expressed it. Indeed, the comparison between Scottish clubs in Scotland and America demonstrates that modern Scottish identity is the creation of a diasporic, transnational Scottish experience. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements .................................................................................................... iv List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................. vi List of Figures .......................................................................................................... vii Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1 Chapter 1 ‘And, by these Clubs, it is thought, they were first Civilized’: The ‘Usefulness’ of Private Societies in a Transatlantic Context ............................. 27 Chapter 2 ‘I could not help remembering that I was a Scot’: Scottish National Identity in Scotland’s Clubs, c.1750-1790 ................................... 63 Chapter 3 ‘Scoto-Britannico-Americanus’: Scottish Clubs and Scottish Identity in the British-American Colonies, c.1745-1776 .............................................................................................................. 101 Chapter 4 ‘Clap your kilted hips with joy’: The Evolution of National Identity in Scotland’s Clubs, c.1790-1832 ................... 131 Chapter 5 ‘May loyalty to the mother country give place to fealty in our adopted’: Scottish-American Associations and the Construction of Identity in the Early-Republic, c.1776-1832 .................................................................................. 169 Chapter 6 ‘Most Authentic Materials’: Associational Material Culture and Scottish Identity in Scotland and America, c.1750-1832 ............................................................................................. 201 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 243 Bibliography ............................................................................................................ 251 iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS While all of the tenuous arguments, typos, and mistakes in this thesis are entirely my own, this work is the product of a collaborative effort. First and foremost I would like to thank my supervisors, Professor Stana Nenadic and Dr. Alex Murdoch, for their tireless support. Their knowledge, suggestions, comments, and criticisms made this thesis what it is today. I also wish to thank Alan and Anne McFarlane and the Scottish Centre for Diaspora Studies for awarding me the William McFarlane Postgraduate Scholarship. Their generous funding allowed for this thesis to be completed. The St. Andrew’s Society of Williamsburg and the St. Andrew’s Society of Baltimore, who provided me with grants, also deserve my thanks. In turn, the American Philosophical Society, who provided me with financial assistance to study at their library in Philadelphia, cannot be forgotten. Without the monetary support of these funding bodies, this American girl could never have made her dream of undertaking a Ph.D. at the University of Edinburgh come true. The staff at the National Register of Archives Scotland, the National Library of Scotland, the National Archives of Scotland, the New York Historical Society, the New York Public Library, the Maryland State Archives, the Massachusetts Historical Society, the New England Historic Genealogical Society, Glasgow University Library, Glasgow Mitchell Library, Stirling Council Archives, the British Library, the Library of Congress, the Centre for Research Collections at the University of Edinburgh, the American Philosophical Society, and the New College Library helped me find and use sources I did not know existed. Archivists and librarians are most certainly the backbone of any good historical research project. I also wish to thank the Douglas-Hamilton Family, the Macpherson-Grant family, the St. Andrew’s Society of Baltimore, and the St. Andrew’s Society of Philadelphia (Jim Bishop in particular) for allowing me to look at their private records. While newer associations, such as the Robert Burns Society of Annapolis and the St. Andrew’s Society of Williamsburg, deserve my thanks for showing constant interest in this work. v Recognition is due to all of the individuals, academic and otherwise, that helped me through this project. David Forsyth, Tom Devine, Angela McCarthy, Graeme Morton, Bob Morris, Gordon Pentland, Esther Breitenbach, Nuala Zehedieh, Adam Budd, Enda Delaney, Tony Lewis, Jim Bishop, Jane Ridder-Patrick, Sally Tuckett, David Ritchie, Dan Clinkman, Alex Imrie, Kathleen Ward, Fran Houghton, Jodi Campbell, Freya Gowrley, Hisashi and Suzee Kuboyama, Keisuke and Kiyo Masaki, David Taylor, Stephanie Chambers, and Andrew Lincoln, thank you for your encouragement and words of advice, which have meant more to me than you know. Vidhya Swaminathan, Malcolm Craig, Jaqui Booth, and Stephanie Chambers, thank you for opening up your lovely homes to a poor scholar. Yvonne and Brian Dziennik, thank you so much for your kind words, warm support, and Highland hospitality. Finally, I wish to thank the people that mean the most to me. Matthew, thank you for your love, encouragement, and historical expertise. Not only are you my biggest critic but you are also my rock and emotional support. This thesis could not have been completed without you. Andrew, Robbie, Kerry, and wee James, thank you for believing in me and looking after your perpetual student sister (and aunt). Grandma and Pops, you have encouraged me from day one. At