The Jacobite Rising of 1715 and the Murray Family

 For some reason, I have always been more interested in the early Jacobite uprisings than the better-known '45, with Bonnie Prince Charlie et al. This book by Rosalind Anderson was in the Naval and Military sale, and it tied in well with my current stage in the Nigel Tranter project.

The Murray family played a key role in the Jacobite rebellions, although in 1715, they had a foot in both camps. The Duke of Atholl stayed loyal to the Hanoverian Succession, but his sons did not. Contrary to popular myth, the Jacobite rebellions were not Catholic v Protestant affairs. The majority of rebels were, in fact, Episcopalians. The Murrays are a good example of this.

If you are looking for a narrative history of the 1715 rebellion, this book is not it. The author's focus is on the family and their relationships with each other. The author had access to their contemporary letters, or at least those that have survived. Blair Atholl Castle is one of Scotland's best preserved castles and is well worth a visit, just off the A9 if you are heading north. The Duke of Atholl still has his Atholl Highlanders based at the castle, the only legal private army in Europe.

The evidence from these letters clearly paints a picture of the sons acting independently rather than a planned family strategy to keep a foot in both camps. Having spent some time myself trying to decipher 18th-century handwriting in archives, this is an impressive piece of research. The problem is that many of the exchanges are really not that interesting. However, they do show the influence of the women in the family, something that is not always apparent in 18th-century history.

The last few chapters cover the action in the 1715 rebellion and the Battle of Sheriffmuir. The one common factor in all the rebellions was the weather. Every rising was cursed by the weather, which impacted the arrival, or not, of French ships. There was a similar issue with Spanish troops in the 1719 rising, which ended in the Battle of Glen Shiel.

This is an interesting piece of family history, and worth a read if you are planning a visit. However, for a history of the 1715 and 1719 risings, I would look elsewhere. Stuart Reid's, Sheriffmuir 1715, is a good starting point.

Some of my 28mm forces of the period.