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STUART FAMILY. 



STUART FAMILY. 



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able amount of knowledge, he is botb apt to miss the essence of 

 events and transactions in his prolix detail of the circumstances, and 

 even occasionally, with all his tediousness, to leave his narrative im- 

 perfect by the omission of some particulars which would not have 

 escaped a sharper intellect. We believe every reader or consulter of 

 Strype will have found himself annoyed occasionally by this absence, 

 amid a multitude of superfluities, of the one thing needful. His books 

 however are all curious and valuable for the quantity of information 

 they contain never before published, and some of which is not to be 

 elsewhere found ; and they must on that account be considered as 

 forming, along with Burner's ' History,' and even in some respects in 

 a higher degree than that, the foundations of the history of the 

 reformed Anglican Church, but like that work they require some 

 critical discernment and judgment to use to advantage. 



STUART FAMILY. The origin of this family is briefly stated 

 under ROBERT II. of Scotland. In his descendants the crown of Scot- 

 laud continued down to James VI. of Scotland, who became James I. 

 of England. From him the sovereigns of England remained in the 

 Stuarts to the flight of James II. The Acts of Settlement, passed in 

 the reign of William III., secured the succession of the House of 

 Hanover to the throne of England, and the descendants of James II. 

 were subsequently excluded from the throne of Scotland also. 

 [GEORGE I.] The chief historical interest that attaches to the House 

 of Stuart after the abdication of James II., is limited to the two 

 invasions of Great Britain by his son and graudson, who are often 

 respectively called the elder and younger Pretender. 



STUART, JAMES FRANCIS EDWARD. On the 16th of September 

 1701, James II. died ; and his sou James, Prince of Wale?, was imme- 

 diately acknowledged by Louis XIV. as king of Great Britain, contrary 

 to his promise to King William. The King of France was induced, 

 as Tindal affirms, to take this step, chiefly by the persuasion of 

 Madame de Maintenon, whom Mary of Este had engaged in her 

 favour; and the influence of the Dauphin was added to that of 

 Madame de Maintenon. The King of Spain, the Pope, and the Duke 

 of Savoy also acknowledged the Pretender, as the Prince of Wales was 

 afterwards called, as king of England. 



In 1708 extraordinary preparations were made by Louis XIV. at 

 Dunkirk, but the object of tbem was kept so secret, that no one in 

 England suspected the intentions of the French. Louis, indignant at 

 the recent attempt of the allied powers upon Toulon, and believing 

 that the discontent of the Scotch with the Union rendered them 

 ready for revolt, was preparing to invade England. The Pretender's 

 claims were the ostensible reason for this attempt : and Louis, in a 

 visit to him at St. Germain's, presented him with a sword mounted 

 with diamonds, begging him never to forget that it was a French 

 sword. The prince repaired to Dunkirk, intending to pass over to the 

 Frith of Forth ; but he was taken ill of the measles, and the English 

 fleet had time to gtt ready. "In the meantime," says Cunningham, 

 ' the Pretender wrote to the French king for his directions what to do 

 in this unhappy case. The French king, who was no more concerned 

 about the Pretender's life and affairs than to serve his own turn, 

 answered, that he must not desist from the undertaking nor delay his 

 embarkation ; and ordered some men thither to see him on ship- 

 board, though he was hardly recovered of his distemper." So eager 

 was Louis for the enterprise, that though the Pretender requested 

 only a few days for the recovery of his health, Louis was peremptory, 

 and the fleet put to sea. But this expedition was wholly unsuccessful, 

 partly, as some thought, from the aversion of the Pretender to land in 

 Scotland, partly from storms, which dispersed the French ships, partly 

 from the vigilance of the English admiral, Sir George Byng, but chiefly 

 from the dissensions of Fourbin and Gare, who had the command of 

 the French fleet. It returned, with the Pretender on board, to Dun- 

 kirk, and the disappointed prince obtained permission of Louis to engage 

 in the campaign in Flanders. In commemoration of this expedition a 

 medal was struck in England ; and the price of 100,000 crowns was set 

 upon the Pretender's head by the English parliament. On the llth of 

 July 1708, the Pretender is stated by French writers to have been in 

 the battle of Oudenarde, which was gained by Marlborough; -but 

 according to the accounts of Dutch historians, he contented himself 

 with observing the engagement from the steeple of a neighbouring 

 village church, and consulted his safety by a timely retreat. 



In 1713 the Pretender published a protest which he forwarded to the 

 ministers of the different states at Utrecht, declaring that he could Lot 

 " by his silence seem to consent to what was trausactiug to the prejudice 

 of him and of the lawful heirs of his kingdom ; " and that, finding the 

 confederate powers had no regard to his rights, he solemnly protested 

 against all that might be agreed on to his prejudice. No notice was 

 publicly taken of this protest; but the Pretender's friends iu England 

 were indefatigable in strengthening his favour with the queen. The 

 jealousy which Anne cherished of the House of Hanover, and her 

 resentment when it was proposed that the Electress Sophia should 

 reside in England, strengthened for a time the influence of Lord 

 Bolingbroke. But the Pretender's stronghold was in the affections of 

 the quo en. It has even been surmised that she was cognisant of the 

 expedition against Scotland in 1708. Upon the death of Queen Anne, 

 James, who had been residing at Bar-le-Duc, posted to Versailles, 

 where he met with an ungenerous reception from Louis XI V., who 

 had found it most consonant with his interests to acknowledge King 



George I., and who intimated to the Pretender, through the Marquis 

 de Torcy, that he must quit France. In August 1714, James sent to 

 the principal nobility of Great Britain a declaration in which he 

 asserted his claim to the throne, and stated his surprise that upon 

 the death of the queen a foreign prince should have been proclaimed 

 king. This manifesto was eent by many of those who received it to 

 the secretary of state ; and the ambassador of the Duke of Lorraine, 

 in whose territory James was then living, was forbidden the court. 

 A proclamation was made, in which the price of 100.000/. was set on 

 the head of the Pretender, who, as his partisans expressed it, had " no 

 place left for him to flee unto." Circumstances however had been 

 operating in favour of the Pretender. Many persons had an hereditary 

 attachment to the House of Stuart ; some were influenced by hopes 

 and promises of honours ; and more, by the outcry that the church 

 was in danger under the Whig government, which was the " main 

 artifice " of the plot, as George 1., in his speech to parliament, after 

 the rebellion had commenced, expressed himself. In 1715 the court 

 of St. James's received information that an open rebellion had broken 

 out in Scotland, headed by the Earl of Mar, who had been secretary 

 of state for Scotland when Anne died, and had been one of the first to 

 swear allegiance to her successor. The Marquises of Huntley and 

 Tullibardioe, the Earls of Southesk and Marischal, with many other 

 noblemen and landed proprietors, joined in the rebellion, and -the 

 Pretender's standard was set up by the Earl of Mar at Brae-Mar, on 

 the 6th of September 1715. 



Active measures were taken by the English government. Several 

 suspected persons were imprisoned iu the castle of Edinburgh ; and 

 General Whetham was ordered to form a camp near Stirling. Several 

 vessels at the sarm time sailed from Havre-de-Grace for Scotland, and 

 notwithstanding the efforts of the British navy, one of them reached 

 Arbroath, and supplied the Highlanders with arms and ammunition, 

 which were carried to Brae-Mar. Assurances were also given that the 

 Pretender would shortly arrive. But the news that Louis XIV., who 

 had secretly encouraged the rebellion, was dead, struck a panic among 

 the Jacobites, and for a time suspended their operations. They 

 decided however to proceed in their course, and to urge the Pretender 

 by letter to appear amongst them. The Earl of Mar assumed the 

 title of lieutenant-general of the Pretender's forces, and a manifesto, 

 setting forth the national grievances, was published. A scheme was 

 also formed to surprise the castle of Edinburgh, but was defeated. 



About the 9th of September the Duke of Argyle, cominander-in-chief 

 of the English forces in Scotland, marched northward ; whilst several 

 Scottish peers, the Earl of Sutherland, the Duke of Roxburgh, and 

 others, showed their loyalty to King George by raising their clans. 

 A conspiracy was about the same time discovered in England. Colonel 

 Paul, who had a company in the first regiment of foot-guards, was 

 detected in enlisting men for the Pretender's service. In Somerset- 

 shire an insurrection was projected, but checked by the government ; 

 treasonable designs however were so widely spread in th western 

 counties of England, that at Bath the Jacobites talked openly of the 

 Scotch rebellion as merely a diversion to draw the troops off to the 

 north. General Wade was at last ordered to march to Bath, where be 

 discovered and seized many chests of fire-arms and some pieces of 

 cannon. The University of Oxford was also tainted with Jacobitism, 

 and ' King James's ' health is reported to have been drunk there every 

 day. General Pepper being despatched to Oxford, entered the city 

 early one morning and apprehended sixteen or eighteen persons, 

 whom he conveyed to Abingdon. Cornwall was also disaffected, and 

 a correspondence was now carried on among the conspirators through- 

 out Great Britain. As their communications could not with safety be 

 entrusted to the post, Jacobite gentlemen rode to different parts of the 

 kingdom under the pretence of travelling for pleasure, but in fact to 

 convey letters and intelligence. 



The next step which the insurgents took in the north was to proclaim 

 James king at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and to make an attempt ou the 

 town of Newcastle, but finding the gates closed, they retired to 

 Hexham, where they were joined by some Scottish horse. Their 

 numbers were now increased by recruits, who joined them at different 

 towns, and the influence of the Earl of Der went water, a Jacobite 

 nobleman, gave them additional strength. But the town of Newcastle 

 stood firm, and the rebels, hearing that they were to be attacked at 

 Hexham, withdrew from that place, having first proclaimed the 

 Pretender. On the 12th of October the standard of James VIII. of 

 Scotland was set up at Moffat in Annandale, by the Karl of Kenmure ; 

 and ou the 19th the Scots, under Lord Kenmure, being joined by the 

 English rebels, marched to Kelso. 



In the meantime the Earl of Mar proceeded to Dunkeld, where the 

 Marquis of Tullibardine, and the Earl of Breadalbane, joined his troops 

 with 2000 men. They possessed themselves of Perth, and upon this 

 important town beiug gained, their force was much augmented. The 

 rebel army now assumed a formidable appearance; being the clansmen . 

 of rich nobles and chief*, the soldiers were well armed, and amounted 

 to 12,000, cavalry and infantry. The rebels possessed themselves of 

 Burutisland, and afterwards of all towns on the coast between their 

 head-quarters and the mouth of the Frith of Forth. The Earl of 

 Mar next attempted to cross the Frith, and to make a descent upon 

 the Lothians, in order to gain over the south of Scotland. Fifteen 

 hundred men succeeded in landing at North Berwick, Aberlady, and 



