Bonnie Prince Charlie and the passions of fine Edinburgh ladies
With his blue eyes, fair face and charming ways, accounts of the day suggest the women of the capital were left simply entranced by the Young Pretender as the second Jacobite uprising got underway.
Public opinion swelled in his favour following his victory at the Battle of Prestonpans in September, with it claimed his appeal among women drove his popularity as the Jacobites lay siege to Edinburgh.
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Hide AdFollowing Prestonpans, the Prince threw a series of balls and entertainment nights at the Palace of Holyroodhouse where he had set up court amid his campaign to restore his father to the throne.
His grandfather, James VII, had lived there less than 60 years earlier.
Designed to attract “all the persons of rank and fashion” in Edinburgh, the balls were elaborate affairs - with Bonnie Prince Charlie the natural star of the show.
Arriving in fine tartan silks, crimson velvet breeks and military boots, the Young Pretender made no hesitation in working the room, bestowing “unwearied attention” on his female guests.
Advocate James Browne, in his 1852 account A History of The Highlands, suggests the effects were palpable.
Browne said: “His politeness, affability and condescension were the theme of universal conversation.
“Captivated by the charms of his conversation, the graces of his person, and the unwearied attentions which he bestowed on them, the ladies entered warmly into the prince’s views.
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Hide Ad“Indeed, so strong was the hold which the spirit of Jacobitism had taken of the hearts of the ladies of Edinburgh, that when afterwards overawed by the Presence of an English army, they, nevertheless, continued to wear the Jacobite badge, and treat the approaches of the Duke of Cumberland’s officers with supercilious indifference.
“As Charles was almost wholly destitute of every household requisite, his female friends sent plates, china, linen and other articles of domestic use to the palace.”
The Prince loved a grand gesture himself, and played admirably to his crowd of fanciers.
During a stop off in the Doune area before arriving in Edinburgh, Browne notes an encounter with the “ladies of Menteith” who had gathered in the house of Mr Edmonstone of Cambuswallace, where Charles had been expected to rest and refresh himself.
Instead, the prince stayed on horseback outside, drank from a glass of wine offered by the hosts and toasted their health.
The daughters of Mr Edmonstone stepped forward to kiss the Prince’s hand - “a favour which he readily granted” - but a Miss Robina Edmonstone, a cousin of the daughters, went a step further.
She stepped forward and asked to “pree his royal highness’s mou” - or kiss him on the mouth.
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Hide AdBrowne notes: “Charles, not being sufficiently acquainted with broad Scotch, was at a loss to comprehend the nature of the request; but on it being explained to him, he instantly caught her in his arms, and instead of allowing her to perform the operation, he himself imprinted a thousands kisses on her fair and blushing face, to the great amusement of the spectators.”
Tall and handsome, he was described by one eye witness as having a perfect oval face, a Roman-style nose and a small mouth which gave him a “rather effeminate appearance.”
“But on the whole, his exterior was extremely prepossessing and his deportment was so graceful and winning, that a few persons could resist his attractions,” the eyewitness, as recorded by Browne, said.
Browne argued it was “the fairer sex” who “contributed not a little” to bring about the change in public feeling towards Charles and the Jacobite cause.
Shortly after first arriving in Edinburgh, a proclamation was made to his father, King James VIII, at Edinburgh’s Mercat Cross.