Proc Antiqc So Scot, (1999)9 12 , 887-907 RomantiA c foll Romantio yt c folly Glenfinnae th : n Monument reassessed Neil Cameron* ABSTRACT The Glenfinnan Monument, carethe National in of the now Trust Scotland,for principal ofthe one is symbols of Highland Jacobite head culture.the Lochof at Set Shiel, marksit placenearor the at which Jacobitethe standard raisedwas 1745in signalto uprising startPrincethe by the of led Charles Edward Stuart. Despite fameJacobitea its as symbol, other aspects Monument ofthe have been overlooked, including circumstancesthe patronageits of locala by landowner with instinctan excess,for historyits structure,a work factas foremost the the of the that ofone was and it Scottish architects of the first half of the 19th century, James Gillespie Graham. More speculatively, it is also argued here that dramaticits relationship topographicalits to settingmonumentkey a as marks out it Romanticofthe period. This paper emanates from surveya researchand project Royal the carried by Commissionout on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) as part of its Listed Buildings Recording Programme. INTRODUCTION The Glenfinnan Monument is undoubtedly one of Scotland's most widely recognized structures and is regularly used as a national icon in tourist brochures and picture books. Although the buildin towee completes th f grwa o 1815n di year0 7 , s afte Jacobite th r e standar raises dwa t da Glenfinnan, it has become the principal architectural signifier of the Jacobite uprising. There has been much debate about whether the tower marks the exact spot of the raising of the Jacobite standard conclusivo n t bu , e evidence survive thin so s point .saide Whab n , howeverca t thas ,i t the tower has been situated at the head of the loch with great sensitivity to the form of the surrounding landscape (illus 1) t use I .dramati e sth c recession dowSunare loce th d nf th h o an t Moidart hillvisuaa s sa l framework, encapsulatin relationshie gth man-made th e f th po d an e natura mannea n i l r typica Romantie th f lo c period.1 The tower (illus 2) is a simple cylindrical structure some 18.3m high, constructed of coursed rubble with dressed margins. There is a battered base-course, a Tudor Gothic doorway enclosed withi projectina n g square-headed surroun a crenellate dd (illuan , 3) sd parapet carrien o d moulded consoles. The external diameter of the structure is some 4 m at the base and 2.95 m above the base-course; it is 1.65 m internally. The tower encloses a spiral stair, lit by narrow slit * Royal Commissio e Ancienth d Historican o nan t l Monument f Scotlando s 6 Bernar1 , d Terrace, Edinburgh EH8 9NX SOCIET ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1999 Glenfinnae ILLUTh S1 n Monumen Locd an t h Shiel from east (Royal Commission Anciente th Historicaln d o an Monuments of Scotland© Crown copyright) windows, which provides accesplatfore th o st whicn mo h there stand statusa Highlandera f eo . buils i t I t o slightlna y raised are pebblef ao d and sandy ground whic boundes hi ease y th b t o dt an area of peaty marsh and to the west by the headwaters of the loch. MACDONAL GLENALLADALF DO E A crucia t neglectelbu d aspechistore Monumene th th f f o ty o patronages it s ti recordes .A a n do marble slab set into the perimeter wall (illus 4), it was built for the local laird, Alexander Macdonald of Glenalladale, but it also became a memorial to him as he died in Edinburgh on 4 January 1815 at the age of 28.2 Previous accounts of the Monument refer to these simple facts, but within a collection of unpublished family documents there survives an extraordinary level of persona] detail about him. This detail exists becaus amassed deats ha hi e t heh a d debt ovef so r £32,000 owed to over 80 different creditors.3 Some of the estate debts remained uncleared 10 years later,4 despit renunciatioe land th e sellin e parf th d e o th f f smothean s o t gr of hi he y nf b ro life-rent. documente 5Th s provid valuablea e insight into Macdonald's personal life, allowins ghi patronage of the Monument to be characterized as the grand gesture of a flamboyant character liveo wh dprodigaa l liff unfettereo e d consumption ver s chieftainn wa ythin ow I .e liks h ehi , Macdonald of Clanranald, who dissipated his inheritance in London and was ultimately forced to sell off assets valued at over £200,000. Macdonald of Glenalladale bought from Clanranald the island of Shona along with Dalilea and other lands — perhaps to ensure that they remained withi Macdonale nth d cla thun— s contributing substantiall indebtedness.n ow s hi o yt 6 0 89 SOCIET ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1999 largess Onhi f eo t service-debt solicitorss hi o t s s,wa Coll Macdonal whoo t , oweme dh WS d deaths £37time hi lis e th lOcreditorf s f 7eo 3 t o d.Th a s also show employeen s ow tha s thi s were sometime t paid housekeepers sno Hi . Margares Mr , t Macdonalda d owes an wa , , d 5d £12 s 214 servant-maid, Bett o shepherd1 17sy £2 Tw .Cameron e t du Glenalladale a ss wa , , Angud an s Alexander Macdougald respectively3 £2 d an 3 , ,£6 wer while edu ploughmanea , John Livingston, was owed £20, and a 'gardner', Robert Mackay, £40. On the other hand, he sought to provide witcredi0 Glasgoh£1 a f to w merchan McGregors behaln Mr to a f fo , whose husban died dha n d i a drowning accident. He was also celebrated locally in Gaelic poetry of the time, being the subjec lamena f o t t publishe 182n di 17 which poignantl m referhi o st 'ths ya ereveree heath f do d family/Who will be lingering in Edinburgh/In his winter-house and without the power of moving', and to his raising 'a stone and a tower. .. That were as memorials of gloom'.8 One of his creditors even wrote to him shortly before his death, saying T hope that you will soon extract yourself from being obliged to me or any other in this way by getting a Fair Lady by the hand that will set you upright'.9 181n I 3 Bishop Chishol Lismoremf o whoo t , m Macdonald owed over £2000, wrotm hi o et of his reputation as 'a rake & one head & ears in debt'. Following a 'jaunt' to the Hebrides with 0 Clanranald which 'did not increase your good name',1 he was exhorted by Bishop Chisholm to 'wash away past stain securd san e grac..e .th protectioe& youf no r Creato remaindee th r rfo f ro your temporal existence.' caustie 11Th c descriptio Macdonalf no 'rakea s da ' might have beee ndu i nfatherins parhi o t t illegitimatn ga e childnumbea t bu , billf o r s also show tha purchasee h t d extremely large amounts of alcohol, even by the standards of the time; at a personal level some of his largest regular bills were from vintners. From vintnea Greenockn ri , Archibald Campbell& 2 r examplefo y , 180 Co e obtaineMa 8h , 1 alcoholi2 n o d c drinks totalling £161 includin1 ga hogshea gallons0 d(5 port-winef )o , alone costin 10s 2 doze2 g1 £5 , n bottle sherryf so doze6 , f no Madeira doze4 , f claretno gallon4 , f shruo s b (ru fruit-juice)d man , along with substantial quantities of 'Carcavellos', 'Lisbon', Burton ale and Brechin ale. This level of expenditure in a 3 fachave y th tsingl ma e o tha t y bee woule e eh tda ndu d have 1808been i migh1 e n2 h ; t well have 1 purchased suc hlarga e amoun drinf o t celebrato kt majoritys ehi face purchases tTh . thawa t ti d at Greenock suggests that it was destined for a party at his estate rather than at Edinburgh. It havy ma e been this kin f gesturdo beins ehi whico gt described hle 'amiables da Reve th dy b ' Archibal Statisticalw dNe Clere th n ki Account f 1845 o sociabls Hi . e characte alss ri o bornt eou by bills for alcohol obtained in Edinburgh such as that for £61 7s run up at one merchant between Novembe0 3 d 21an r 1809.epicureas Hi n taste attestee sar variouy db s other billse , sucon s ha 4 delivere foth r dinnef yo varioud ran 1 s bottle winf so e from Oman's Hote Andret S n i l w Streeo t his lodgings, and at his death he owed an Edinburgh grocer, Mather Carnegie, £50 14s 10d.15 It may be in this context of conviviality that a John McG . was owed £2 'to carry him home'.16 Macdonald's lov f clotheeo alss si o suggeste ranga y da f billb invoicesd e o d san ha e H . tailo Londonn ri , John majoa Cameron s wa r creditoo deaths wh , hi t ra , beind an , g owe6s 9 d£4 a tailor in Edinburgh, William Purves, was due £33 10s 9d.17 From 1813-14 he also ran up debts with John Christie, 'Breeches Maker' of South St Andrew Street, Edinburgh. These were for 8 gentlemanly items such as white doeskin pantaloons, buckskin gloves, leather1 vests, 'shammy' [chamois] drawers and cashmere trousers.