National Trust for Scotland searches for Culloden decendants

[Sheep In Wolf's Clothing]

I do think that it is a great way to get children interested in history. I find that history classes are sadly understressed in schools today (in many parts of the world, mine included).
Sara

[Galician]

Hmm, interesting point. Please let me know if I'm wrong, but I understood that the reason for the whole conflict was that the Laws of Succesion had been changed to exclude his line due to their Catholic faith.

[macwilkin]

Hmm, interesting point. Please let me know if I'm wrong, but I understood that the reason for the whole conflict was that the Laws of Succesion had been changed to exclude his line due to their Catholic faith.

You've got it; the issue of James II, his Catholicism, and more importantly, his son's Catholicism, was one of the key factors in the Glorious Revolution of 1688.

But, in Scotland, some Catholics, Protestants and Dissenters alike had been opposed to the Union of 1707, and saw the Jacobite Rebellions as a way to reverse it.

T.

[McClef]

They were changed following the "Glorious Revolution" of 1688.

James II had converted to Catholicism prior to his accession (and it appears that Charles II had done so on his death bed) and it had not made him popular with his subjects.

When he fled, he had legitimate female Protestant heirs - Mary and Anne who reigned in their turn (Mary was a Queen in her own right and not merely the Consort of William IV). Neither produced living heirs so with the death of Anne the only other child of James II was his son (the Old Pretender) by his second wife, Mary of Modena who had been raised in exile as a Catholic and therefore exlcuded by the Act of Settlement.

To find Protestant heirs they had to work the line back to the sister of Charles I who had married Frederick the Elector Palatine and that led to the Hanovarians and George I succeeded Anne. He could not speak English and brought his mistresses with him having imprisoned his legitimate wife Sophia Dorothea for adultery (case of kettle calling the pan!)

There were many, irrespective of religion, that preferred a Stuart to a Hanovarian so religion was secondary for supporters of the Jacobite cause.

The Act of Settlement is still in force even though the need for it may well be considered redundant in our modern world and though an attempt was made in the House of Lords by Michael Forsyth, former Secretary of State for Scotland for it to be abolished, it did not get much support.

So any member of the Royal Family who marries a Catholic still looses their place in the Line of Succession - this happened to Prince Michael of Kent for example, but his low position in that line in effect made no appreciable difference. The Duchess of Kent's conversion on the other hand does not affect her husband or their children as she was not Catholic when they were married and the children are still Anglican.

This act is one of the main reasons for so much marriage with Germans by the Royal Family in the past as Germany had the highest proportion of Protestant royalty.

Hope this helps give a little more background to those interested.

[Sheep In Wolf's Clothing]

Look who won:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/...ds/7340595.stm
Sara

[Pleater]

The imprisonment of an unfaithful wife was thought to be exceedingly proper - in a society where there is a patrelinear (HA!! That's foxed the spell checker) inheritance and no DNA testing it is highly problematic.

Victoria's Prince Consort, Albert, was reputedly not the son of his mother's husband, as he did not have hemophilia like his brother Ernest. He was, however a perfectly acceptable social match as he had not been disinherited - being the second son and healthy it was perhaps a sensible decision.

The Saxe-Coburg connection was, I think, on Victoria's mother's side, with the inheritance of sex linked conditions understood, the threat of the illness having come to Victoria was realised, so the legitimate son, His Serene Highness Ernest of Saxe-Coburg Gotha, who was known to be a hemophiliac, would have been a disastrous match as it would have condemned most of the royal children to inherit the full form of the condition.

Even with the marriage to Albert, Victoria's daughters spread the condition to other royal houses - perhaps most notably to the Russian Czar's son.

Victoria - being female, did not inherit the crown of Hanover from her uncle William, it went to another of her uncles, I think he was also called Ernest.

It is sometimes rather amusing to think of the different possibilites in British history, if there had been children, or if a boy had been born rather than a girl, or if someone had lived to inherit.

[Hamish]

Most informative, Trefor. Thank you.

History was never 'my thing' but I now feel enlightened as Culloden, and that era, has always confused me.

By the way, I am reliably informed that my name is engraved on a flagstone in the path leading to the new Culloden Visitor Centre. Apparently, it reads simply: "Hamish - The kilted legend" !!! I must get there one day to see if I can find it.

Take care,
Ham.

[highlander_Daz]

Interestingly my own family The Camerons) fought with the Stewart, in the British ranks was General Woolfe , who was general of the 20th regiment of the foot (later the Lancashire Fusiliers.) whilst studying a branch of my familys history, a distant great great uncle called George Clarkson served in the great war with the Lancashire fusiliers, so I family connections with Woolfes old regiment on both sides

At Culloden Woolfe refused to carry out an order of the Duke of Cumberland to shoot a wounded Highlander by stating that his honour was worth more than his commission. This act may have been a cause for his later popularity among the Royal Highland Fusiliers, whom he would later command.

heres George Clarkson



he survived the great war but tragically took his own life after the death of his grandchild and wife.

[gilmore]

...
So any member of the Royal Family who marries a Catholic still looses their place in the Line of Succession - this happened to Prince Michael of Kent for example ....

As will Princess Anne's son, who, though not strictly speaking a member of the Royal Family, will no longer be in the line of succession when he marries his Catholic fiancee.

[sharpdressedscot]

Unfortunately, I have no clue if my ancestors fought in this war, probably not though, Morrisons are always left out...