The 1745 Rebellion and the Southern Scottish Lowlands

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Category:	History
Author:	A. E. McRobert
Publisher:	Melrose Books
Price:	£14.00
ISBN:	1905226373
Pages:	192
Reviewed in issue:	4

This is an interesting book for all those with an interest in Scottish history, as it throws new light on the 1745 rebellion and Bonny Prince Charlie. The story we all learned at school is very romantic, but Mr McRobert has written a scholarly book which puts us firmly in the Scctland of the era.

The book analyses the political and economic situation of the time, and the views and attitudes of the authorities, religious leaders, institutions (such as banks) and of the ordinary populace of the Scottish Lowlands. It is clear that the government in London and authorities in Edinburgh suffered from an acute lack of information about the situation on the ground, and communications were so poor that responses could take weeks – by which time events had moved on.

The rebels succeeded in inflicting significant defeats on the King’s armies – notably in the capture of Edinburgh and the battle of Prestonpans. The clan ties were not so tight in the Lowlands as in the Highlands, and the people were not so enthusiastic about Prince Charles Edward Stuart’s cause. They feared (rightly as it turned out) the retribution that would follow any insurrection. Much has been written about the Scottish Clearances – what emerges from the book is that many more Highlanders emigrated to the Lowlands than took ship to America or the Australia – partly due to the emergence of the Industrial Revolution and development of cotton mills in Lanarkshire and other industry elsewhere in the Lowlands. The rapid development of Scottish culture after the ’45 and the growing impact of Scots on literary and public life is described and has continuing interesting connotations in the present day.

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