The Jacobite Trail

17/01/2025

The battle of Falkirk Muir took place on this day 279 years ago (17 January 1746).

The battle turned out to be the largest battle of the '45 Rising, and the penultimate Jacobite battle fought on British soil, prior to the final clash at the battle of Culloden.

Read more about the battle of Falkirk Muir here: https://www.jacobitetrail.co.uk/falkirk-muir

13/01/2025

Hair jewellery gained popularity during the Jacobite era due to its emotional, political and symbolic importance. It often embodied dual meanings, both sentimental and political, making it a deeply personal and historically significant form of art.

This 18th century heart-shaped brooch has gold fittings, a silver border set with 13 diamonds and a glass centre, is said to contain the hair of Bonnie Prince Charlie. Given by him to Lady Mary Clark.

📷 National Museums Scotland

https://www.nms.ac.uk/search-our-collections/collection-search-results?entry=19655

31/12/2024

Happy Birthday Bonnie Prince Charlie! On this day, 304 years ago (31 December 1720) was Charles Edward Stuart was born.

He was born in the Palazzo Muti in Rome, Italy, where his family lived in exile. His father was James Francis Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender), and his mother was Maria Clementina Sobieska.

Read our top ten facts about Bonnie Prince Charlie here: https://www.jacobitetrail.co.uk/bonnie-prince-charlie

13/12/2024

Fancy owning your very own Scottish church with links to the Battle of Culloden?

The Old High Church, the oldest church in Inverness, served as a prison for government supporters when Bonnie Prince Charlie's Jacobite army occupied the town in 1746.

After the Jacobites were defeated at the Battle of Culloden, the Duke of Cumberland released the government supporters and detained captured Jacobite soldiers in their place. Some of these Jacobites were later executed, with some being buried in the churchyard.

Find out more about The Old High Church's sale here: ⬇️ https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/about-us/property-and-church-buildings/properties-for-sale/properties/churches-and-halls/old_high_church_inverness

Impressive A-listed church occupying a prominent position overlooking the River Ness in the city centre of Inverness. The historic property dates from...

11/12/2024

Bookings for the 2025 Jacobite steam train season are now open! 🚂🛤️

Book here: ➡️https://westcoastrailways.co.uk/jacobite/steam-train-trip

06/12/2024

This ultra rare satirical propaganda broadside from c.1745 titled "A grand consultation concerning the invasion of England, held between the Pope, the Old Pretender, a Highlander, King of France, the Young Pretender, & the Devil" has recently sold at auction for £6,500!

Read more here: ➡️https://www.dominicwinter.co.uk/Auction/Lot/311-jacobite-uprising-a-grand-consultation-concerning-the-invasion-of-england-1745/?lot=411583

29/11/2024

⭐Outlander fans! Episode 10, season 7, releases on Starz today! 29 November 2024, at 8:00 PM EST. ⭐

Here's a great recap of recent events: ➡️https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/news/outlander-season-7-episode-9-ending-explained/ar-AA1uCzvR?apiversion=v2&noservercache=1&domshim=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1&batchservertelemetry=1&noservertelemetry=1

Outlander season 7 is back with episode 9, the mid-season premiere, which sets up a variety of exciting stories (and characters) going forward.

28/11/2024

On this day 535 years ago (28 November 1489) Margaret Tudor was born.

Margaret was the daughter of Henry VII of England and the sister of Henry VIII. She married James IV of Scotland and became Queen Consort of Scotland from 1503 until James' death in 1513. Margaret was also the mother of James V.

Read more about the Royal bloodlines in the Jacobite succession here: ⬇️
https://www.jacobitetrail.co.uk/jacobite-succession

18/11/2024

Yesterday, nine Edinburgh fashion designers took their sustainable creations to the ReFashion Edinburgh catwalk. Carina Rose's 'Echoes of the Rebellion Collection' was inspired by the Jacobite rebellion. Every garment tells a story through subtle details, like the hidden Jacobite rose embroidery or the use of tartan sashes, connecting the wearer to a moment in history, blending the past with the present to forge a path for the future.

Read more about this event and the designers here: ➡️https://www.tdfs.org/refashion-edinburgh/

13/11/2024

309 years ago on this very day (13 November 1715) the Battle of Sheriffmuir took place. The Jacobite army was prevented from taking southern Scotland by a much smaller government force. The outcome of the battle was to be inconclusive, with both sides claiming victory.

Read more about Sheriffmuir here ⬇️ https://www.jacobitetrail.co.uk/sherrifmuir

Sheriffmuir• Perthshire • Sheriffmuir was and is a remote elevated plateau of heathland lying between Stirling and Auchterarder, home to the The Battle of Sheriffmuir in 1715. Slide 1Slide 1 (current slide) Slide 2Slide 2 (current slide) SheriffmuirSheriffmuir, the site of the inconclusive 1715 ...

11/11/2024

Check out this wonderful tartan suit, made for English Jacobite Sir John Hynde Cotton!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3kSilF41Pc

Not all supporters of the Jacobite cause were Scottish. This magnificent tartan suit belonged to Sir John Hynde Cotton, described as ‘one of the most zealous...

04/11/2024

A long-lost letter sent from the Duke of Perth to Lord Ogilvy has finally confirmed Bonnie Prince Charlie did hold a victory ball at Palace of Holyroodhouse!

It is now known the ball took place on 23 September 1745, and more than likely was held to mark the Jacobite victory at the Battle of Prestonpans which was just two days before.

Read more here ⬇️
https://www.scotsman.com/heritage-and-retro/letter-reveals-for-first-time-that-bonnie-prince-charlie-did-throw-a-victory-ball-at-holyroodhouse-4820651

📷Bonnie Prince Charlie Entering the Ballroom at Holyroodhouse by John Pettie, c.1892

28/10/2024

On this day 170 years ago (28 October 1854) Charles Edward Augustus Maximilian Stuart, Baron Korff, Count Roehenstart died from injuries sustained in a carriage accident in Dunkeld, Scotland.

Born in May 1784, Charles was the illegitimate son of Prince Ferdinand of Rohan, Archbishop of Cambrai, and Charlotte Stuart, Duchess of Albany. Charlotte was the legitimised daughter of Bonnie Prince Charlie.

His surname, Roehenstart was a combination of Rohan and Stuart to discreetly avoid scandal. A passive Jacobite claimant to the British throne, he retired as a lieutenant colonel but is often referred to as "General" with this title on his gravestone at Dunkeld. Stuart married twice, outlived both wives, and left no children or heirs.

23/10/2024

A week-long archaeological dig is currently under way at Culloden Battlefield, what will they uncover this time?

Read more about this important dig here ⬇️

In a quest to uncover secrets from the historical spot that changed the course of history 280 years ago, a week-long dig at Culloden Battlefield has…

21/10/2024

When thinking about the Jacobites and the clothing they wore, male Jacobites usually spring to mind. However women also used clothing to express their loyalty to the Stuarts.

Although the 1746 Dress Act banned civilian men in Scotland from wearing tartan, kilts, and other traditional Highland attire, the Dress Act did not apply to women. In 1746 a group of ladies in Edinburgh raised concerns among the authorities when they planned to celebrate Bonnie Price Charlie's birthday by wearing tartan dresses and white ribbons.

The elegant silk gown pictured, was reportedly worn by Margaret Oliphant of Gask, a committed Jacobite, when she was received at the Palace of Holyrood House in 1745. While the dress was likely adapted rather than specially made for the event, the embroidered white roses in its design may have gained new significance, symbolising loyalty to the exiled Stuarts.

📷National Museums Scotland

#1746

14/10/2024

On this day 391 years ago (14 October 1633), James Stuart was born. When his elder brother Charles II died in 1685 without a legitimate heir, James succeeded him, becoming James II of England and Ireland and James VII of Scotland. Read more about King James here: ⬇️

https://www.jacobitetrail.co.uk/king-james-jacobite

07/10/2024

Did you know that the symbol of the Jacobites is a small white rose, specifically the Alba Maxima? The Jacobite Rose is a highly fragrant shrub rose with grey-green foliage, found throughout Scotland.

In the years leading up to the final battle at Culloden in 1746, Jacobite supporters were forced to meet and plot in secrecy. The white rose, or "white cockade" (a flower made of ribbon often worn on a hat), became a subtle symbol to identify those loyal to the Jacobite cause. According to legend, Bonnie Prince Charlie, while traveling south to begin the '45 Rebellion, plucked a white rose from the roadside and placed it in his hat.

While interpretations vary, The Jacobite Rose is commonly believed to symbolise James Francis Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) or, more broadly, the English throne.

04/10/2024

Lord George Murray was born on this day 330 years ago (4 October 1694).

Murray was a soldier and one of Bonnie Prince Charlie's Jacobite commanders during the ill-fated 1745 uprising.

Read more about the Battle of Falkirk Muir, where Lord George Murray led the Jacobites in an attack late in the afternoon of the 17th January 1746: ⬇️
https://www.jacobitetrail.co.uk/falkirk-muir