A Young Noble and High-Spirited Maiden

Flora MacDonald (1722-1790)

In 1784, when Halifax was full to bursting with Scottish Regiments; licking their wounds and touting their heroics after the American Revolutionary War; amoung the officers' wives was one woman who had already proven her own heroism; more than 50 years before. Her name was Flora MacDonald, wife of Allan MacDonald of Kinsburgh, a Captain in the Royal Marine who had served in North Carolina; and apparently a distant relative of the Dominion of Canada's, first Prime Minister. But this story is not about Allan or Sir John A.  It is about the woman who saved the life of "Bonnie" Prince Charlie (Charles Edward Stuart, the Young Pretender), after the  Battle of Culloden in 1746.  This is her story:

Heroic Enterprise of Flora MacDonald Noble Deeds of Woman Examples of Female Courage and Virtue Elizabeth Starling Published in London in 1859

" Honours best thrive, When rather from our acts we them derive, Than our foregoers." SHAKESPEARE

AMONG the most heroic and devoted acts of the female sex, there can scarcely be found one more deserving of our admiration than that by which Flora Macdonald, a young, noble, and high-spirited maiden, preserved the life of her Prince, Charles Edward Stuart, from destruction; nor can we record without the strongest feeling of sympathy the narrative of those perils which this heroic girl dared to encounter, under the influence of the sacred principle of loyalty,-perils from which the boldest of Prince Charles's adherents would have shrunk in despair; yet it is in such moments of danger that the noble and self-devoted spirit of woman shines forth in its greatest purity, and we discover of how much the weakest and ost gentle are capable; and such were the circumstances which brought the name of Flora Macdonald from the quiet obscurity of private life, and linking it by a great and glorious deed with that of the royal exile of the House of Stuart, transmitted it to the admiration of future ages with every history of the times in which she lived. After the fatal battle of Culloden, so ruinous to the hopes of the young Pretender, the only chance of that Prince's safety seemed to rest in his effecting his escape to France.  Having dismissed the two troops of horse

by which he was attended, and bidden farewell to his friends, the unfortunate Prince, unattended except by a few faithful followers, made the best of his way to Long Island, expecting to find there a ship that would convey him to the Continent. He did not arrive at the place of his destination without encountering many difficulties, and suffering from want of provisions, as well as ill-health caused by his disastrous circumstances; but greater evils awaited the fugitives, for the King's troops, as soon as the escape of the Pretender was known, had been sent in every dIrection in search of him; a price was set upon his head, and on arriving in South Uist; an island twenty miles long, and three or four miles only in breadth, Charles Edward learned that General Campbell and his men, about two thousand in number, had arrived there in pursuit of him. These soldiers now dispersed themselves over the island in hopes of earning the promised reward, and the only chance for Charles's escape seemed to be the coast, although that was guarded by ships of war of every size. Every boat was subjected to a strict examination, every ferry was guarded, and it would have been impossible for any person to quit the island without obtaining a passport, or submitting to an accusation of high treason. No resource indeed, except that of surrendering themselves into the hands of their enemies, appeared to await the unhappy exiles, who, after encountering every kind of privation, hunger, thirst and exposure to the weather, appeared now to have arrived at the climax of their fate: yet it was at this crisis an unforeseen protector was raised up by Heaven for the unfortunate Charles. This protector was no other than the youthful Flora Macdonald. Many idle and frivolous stories have been concerning Flora, which seek to enhance the invented merit of the

action performed by her, by conferring on her the additioal of rank and wealth, but these were needless, for she was no other than a simple, modest, and unassuming girl, whose merit arose from her having courage and fidelity to defend her fugitive prince in distress and danger. The Laird of Clanranald, whose son had fought at Culloden, was the owner of the greater part of the island of South Uist, and at the time Charles came to that part of the Hebrides, Flora Macdonald, his kinswoman, was staying upon a visit with his lady, having crossed over thither from her own home in the Isle of Skye. Immediately upon Charles's arrival, he had sent to the old Laird of Clanranald to apprise him of his melancholy position. That faithful chieftain immediately repaired to the spot where he had taken refuge; a small hut, the entrance to which was so low that it was necessary to enter it creeping upon hands and feet: there he and his companions were found to be subsisting upon shell-fish, the garments of the Prince being worn away to mere tatters, and his body afflicted with a disease resembling the leprosy, the result of his mental and bodily sufferings. Clanranald furnished them with better food and fresh apparel, and removed Charles to a small house at Corodale, in the centre of the island, for greater security, appointing the inhabitants to keep strict watch against the enemy. There, however, he ran great risk, more than once, of being taken prisoner, and was forced to shift his quarters frequently in the same night, being at times close to his pursuers.  This state of things could not last, and it was determined that O'Sullivan and MacLeod should be dismissed to make concealment more easy, and thus, of all his followers, O'Neill alone remained about the person of his prince at this critical moment. It was this chief who, happening one day to name, at the house of Clanranald, the misery and destitution to which the

Jacobites had become reduced, and the helpless condition of Prince Charles, was rejoiced to observe the lively interest with which his narrative was listened to by Miss Macdonald, who declared that "if she could do anything to relieve the Prince's sufferings, or to rescue him from the fury of his enemies, she would do it with all her heart." O'Neill immediately replied that it was in her power to render the prince the most signal service if she could convey him from South Uist to Skye, and proposed that he should accompany her in female attire as her maid. This proposal at first appeared to Flora as whimsical, so that she declined being accessory to it, but she expressed a great desire to see the Prince, to whom she was accordingly introduced, at the house of her brother, Angus Macdonald, at Milton.  The sight of the wornout and sickly frame of Charles, who, emaciated with sufferings, still preserved "a firm and dignified bearing, and even a kind of cheerfulness and gaiety, was an appeal which Flora was unable to withstand. She at once declared her willingness to convey the Prince to Skye, in the manner proposed by O'Neill, should no better plan offer itself for his escape. She immediately set out, on Saturday, June 21st, for the house of Lady Clanranald, to make preparations for her departure, being accompanied by her servant, Niell MacKechan. On the way thither they were stopped by a party of militia, who demanded their passports. Unable to furnish these, Flora inquired the name of their commander, and having learned, to her great joy, that it was Hugh Macdonald, her own step-father, demanded to be taken to his presence, at the same time

declining to answer any further questions. During that night she and her companion were detained as prisoners, but the next day (Sunday) she obtained an interview with her step­father. She then undertook the difficult task of obtaining from him a pass for three persons to the Isle of Skye; viz. for herself, for her servant Neil, and for Betty Burke, an Irish maid, for such, it was intended, should be the travelling disguise of the Prince. It is not known by what arguments Flora prevailed on her step-father to give her the desired pass; whether he was actually admitted into her confidence or was misled and imposed upon by her, but it appears most natural to suppose that the dictates of humanity caused him to grant his young petitioner's request. The letter  was couched in the following terms: " I have sent your daughter from this country, lest she should be any way frightened with the troops lying here. She has got one Betty Burke, an Irish girl, who, as she tells me, is a good spinster. If her spinning pleases you, you may keep her till she spins all your linen if you have any wool to spin, you may employ her. " I am, your dutiful husband, "HUGH MACDONALD Flora, having now furnished herself with the required pass, hastened to provide the garments for the Prince's. disguise. Through the aid of Lady Clanranald she procured these; they consisted of the attire usually worn by Irish peasant girls, "A printed cotton gown, a white apron, a Iarge coarse cloak, and a linen cap." This accomplished, the two ladies, accompanied by O'Neill and Niel MacKechan, repaired to the Prince's hiding place, a small hut situated near the sea-coast. Charles, at the time of their arrival, was busily engaged in

cooking his dinner, which consisted of a sheep's heart, which he was roasting upon a wooden spit. The meeting was an affecting one on all sides, although the cheerfulness of the Prince did not forsake him. He invited his friends to join in his fare, and soon inspired them with his own gaiety, depicting the still brilliant prospects in which his fancy indulged. But the approaching separation of O'Neill from his beloved master gave to him at least a deep gloom, for the p]an of Flora was to convey only Charles himself to Skye, and involved the strongest necessity for caution. Indeed, while yet Lady Clanranald was with them, she received intelligence that General Campbell had returned to the island, and that Captain Fergusson with his soldiers had taken possession of her house. Having first arrayed the Prince, with the assistance of Flora, in his novel costume, Lady Clanranald took her leave and returned home, where she was received with such a multitude of questions, that she felt convinced of the suspicions excited against herself and family, and the imperative necessity of prudence to preserve them all from ruin. Scarcely had she departed from the Prince, when four armed cutters sailed along the coast, close to the hut in which he lay concealed, so that it was necessary for him to hide himself among the rocks, and delay his departure till the next day, when at eight in the evening, he left the island in an eight-oared boat, which had been provided by Miss Macdonald. He was accompanied by Flora and her faithful Highland attendant, Niel MacKechan, and the place chosen for their embarkation was Kilbride. About a mile from the shore, the sea became rough, and the wind freshened into a gale, but Charles kept up the spirits of the little party by singing Highland airs, till Flora fell fast asleep, when he showed the most

anxious care lest she should be hurt by the carelessness of the rowers as she lay in the bottom of the boat. At daybreak, the black mountains of Skye rose in sight; but, on approaching the coast near Weternish, they found the place occupied by three boats-full of armed men, by whom they were hailed and ordered immediately to come on shore. Not obeying the summons they immediately received a volley of musketry, but, by the exertions of their rowers, they succeeded in escaping this new danger.  While the bullets were falling about the boat, Charles, it is said, requested Miss Macdonald to lie down in the bottom of the boat in order to avoid them; but, with a generosity of soul which stamps her among the first of her sex, she declined the proposal, and declared that, as she was endeavouring to preserve the life of her prince, she would never degrade herself by attending to the safety of her own person while that of her master was in jeopardy. She even solicited Charles to occupy the place he had assigned for her. The Prince, as the danger increased, became more urgent; but no entreaties could prevail upon Miss Macdonald to abandon her intrepid resolution, till Charles offered to lie down along with her. Both accordingly lay down in the bottom of the boat, till out of the reach of the bullets of the militia. After escaping this danger they entered a small creel and the party, after talkng a short rest, proceeded to Kilbride, and landed near Mugstot, the seat of Sir Alexander Macdonald, near the northern extremity of Skye.  Although there were not so many troops in Skye as in South Uist, there was a detachment of cavalry; the two principal chiefs, Macdonald and MacLeod, were partizans of the government, and the only friend on wom Charles could rely in the moment of his greatest need was the young girl who had already aided his escape, but who must now endeavour to assist him through the intervention of others.

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