Jacobite Rising of 1745: Bonnie Prince Charlie's Campaign

The Jacobite rising of 1745, often called “the Forty-Five”, was the last attempt to restore the Stuart dynasty to the British throne by force. Charles Edward Stuart, later known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, landed in Scotland in July 1745, captured Edinburgh, defeated a government army at Prestonpans and marched as far as Derby, about 125 miles from London. His army then turned back and was destroyed at Culloden in April 1746.

Background: the Stuart claim

“Jacobite” comes from Jacobus, Latin for James. Jacobites supported the claim of the exiled King James VII of Scotland and II of England, deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688, and of his descendants. After the 1707 Acts of Union and the arrival of the German Hanoverian dynasty in 1714, Jacobitism drew on Scottish discontent, Episcopalian and Catholic loyalties, and Highland clan traditions.

An earlier attempt, the Jacobite rising of 1715, had failed. By the 1740s the claimant was James Francis Edward Stuart, the “Old Pretender”, living in Rome. His son Charles, born in 1720, was eager to act. France, at war with Britain in the War of the Austrian Succession, planned an invasion of England in early 1744, but storms scattered the fleet and the plan was dropped.

The Jacobite army

The Jacobite army was smaller and more varied than legend suggests. Its core was formed by Highland clan regiments, such as the Camerons, Stewarts of Appin, MacDonalds and later the Frasers, raised through the authority of chiefs and their tacksmen, the leading tenants. Alongside them served Lowland regiments, many from Episcopalian families in the north-east, mounted troops and, later, small numbers of Irish and Scottish soldiers sent from France.

Many clans, however, stayed out of the rising or fought for the government, including the powerful Campbells under the Duke of Argyll. The towns of the Lowlands and the Presbyterian Church of Scotland were largely hostile. Estimates of the total number who served vary, but the main field army rarely exceeded 5,000–8,000 men at any one time.

Landing and early success

Charles decided to go anyway with little French backing. He sailed from Brittany with a handful of companions, known as the Seven Men of Moidart. A second ship carrying weapons and volunteers was damaged by a British warship and turned back. Charles landed on the island of Eriskay on 23 July 1745 and on the mainland at Loch nan Uamh two days later.

Many Highland chiefs were reluctant, but the support of Donald Cameron of Lochiel proved decisive. On 19 August Charles raised his father’s standard at Glenfinnan before about 1,200–1,500 men. The government commander in Scotland, Sir John Cope, marched north but avoided battle and took his army to Inverness, leaving the road south open.

The Jacobites entered Edinburgh on 17 September 1745, though the castle held out. Cope’s army returned by sea to Dunbar. On 21 September, at dawn near Prestonpans, the Jacobites attacked after crossing a bog by night. The Highland charge broke Cope’s line within minutes, and Charles became master of most of Scotland.

The march into England

Charles spent about six weeks in Edinburgh at Holyrood Palace, holding court and gathering men. Against the doubts of many officers, he insisted on invading England, believing English Jacobites and a French landing would support him.

The army of about 5,000–6,000 men crossed the border on 8 November and took Carlisle. It marched through Lancaster, Preston and Manchester, where around 200–300 recruits formed the Manchester Regiment. Lord George Murray, the most capable Jacobite general, outmanoeuvred the Duke of Cumberland’s army, and on 4 December 1745 the Jacobites reached Derby.

The decision at Derby

London was alarmed, and the Bank of England faced heavy withdrawals. Yet the Jacobites’ position was weak. Few English Jacobites had joined, no French army had landed, and two government armies, under Cumberland and George Wade, were in the field. A government agent, Dudley Bradstreet, spread false reports of a third army blocking the road south.

At a council of war on 5 December, Murray and most officers argued for retreat to Scotland. Charles bitterly opposed it but gave way, and the army began to march north on 6 December. Historians still debate whether pressing on could have succeeded; many think the army would have been overwhelmed, while others point to the panic in London.

Retreat and defeat

The retreat was skilful. At Clifton Moor near Penrith on 18 December, Murray’s rearguard fought off Cumberland’s dragoons, the last fight of the rising on English soil. The garrison left at Carlisle surrendered to Cumberland at the end of December.

Back in Scotland, reinforced by new recruits and some French and Irish regulars, the Jacobites defeated General Henry Hawley at Falkirk Muir on 17 January 1746. But a siege of Stirling Castle failed, and the army withdrew to the Highlands, short of money and food. Cumberland followed with a well-supplied army. On 16 April 1746 the two met at the Battle of Culloden near Inverness, where the Jacobites were crushed in less than an hour.

Key people

• Charles Edward Stuart (1720–1788): the prince who launched and led the rising.
• Lord George Murray (1694–1760): the Jacobites’ leading general, often at odds with Charles.
• Donald Cameron of Lochiel (c. 1700–1748): the clan chief whose support made the rising possible.
• Sir John Cope (1690–1760): the government commander defeated at Prestonpans.
• Prince William, Duke of Cumberland (1721–1765): George II’s son, who commanded the government army from late 1745.

Myths and facts

“Charles was only a few days’ march from taking London.” He reached Derby, about 125 miles from the capital, and London was alarmed. But two government armies were nearby and a third was being assembled, and most historians think a Jacobite advance would have been very risky at best.

“All Highlanders were Jacobites.” Highland society was divided. Many clans stayed neutral or supported the government, and several Highland companies served in Cumberland’s army.

Aftermath

Charles spent five months as a hunted fugitive in the Highlands and Islands. With help from many people, including Flora MacDonald, who took him to Skye disguised as an Irish maid, he escaped to France in September 1746. A reward of £30,000 was never claimed.

The government responded with severity. Around 120 Jacobites were executed and hundreds were transported to the colonies. Three Scottish lords were beheaded in London, the last of them Lord Lovat in 1747. Laws after 1746 disarmed the Highlands, banned Highland dress for most men and abolished the hereditary legal powers of clan chiefs. During the rising, “God Save the King” had become popular as a loyal song at London theatres; it later became the national anthem.

Timeline

• 1745, 23 July: Charles Edward Stuart lands on Eriskay.
• 1745, 19 August: The Stuart standard is raised at Glenfinnan.
• 1745, 17 September: The Jacobites enter Edinburgh.
• 1745, 21 September: Jacobite victory at Prestonpans.
• 1745, 4 December: The Jacobite army reaches Derby.
• 1745, 6 December: The retreat to Scotland begins.
• 1746, 17 January: Jacobite victory at Falkirk Muir.
• 1746, 16 April: Defeat at Culloden.
• 1746, September: Charles escapes to France.

Why it matters

The Forty-Five was the last serious challenge to the Hanoverian monarchy and the last major armed rebellion in Great Britain. Its failure ended Jacobitism as a military force and led to laws that transformed Highland society. Its romance, from Glenfinnan to the flight with Flora MacDonald, has shaped Scottish memory ever since.