Its History and Traditions. Published Hutchison & MacFeat. Chapter V THE CAMERONIANS AND THE JACOBITE REBELLIONS

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1 DOUGLASDALE Its History and Traditions Published 1940 Hutchison & MacFeat Chapter V THE CAMERONIANS AND THE JACOBITE REBELLIONS ALTHOUGH the Claim of Rights signed by William of Orange contained a clause to the effect that the Episcopal Church would be disestablished in Scotland, it contained no mention of the Covenants, nor of the more extravagant claims which had been made in the past. It was in fact drawn up by representatives of the moderate Presbyterian party and did not entirely satisfy the extremists, who still wished to see the acceptance of the Solemn League and Covenant and all for which it stood. Trouble was also to be expected from the Jacobites, for the exiled James could count on the support of a strong Episcopalian party, as well as on the Highlanders and the Roman Catholics generally. The Presbyterians of the west, who had suffered so much under the former governments, were divided among themselves as to the best line of action. They were dissatisfied with the treatment they had received under the Settlement, but they were far from favouring a return of the Stuarts. To discuss the situation, frequent meetings of the Covenanters were held, and Douglas appears to have been the centre for gatherings from many parishes in Lanarkshire and Ayrshire. In those days the church served for purposes other than the holding of services, and it was in the old church of St. Bride that the people assembled to survey the position. In the north the Highlanders under Claverhouse (now Viscount Dundee) were rallying to the support of King James, and there were many among the Covenanters who felt it their duty to assist King William and to take up arms on his behalf. At one of the numerous Douglas meetings, a majority of those assembled expressed the conviction that it would be " a sinful association " to enlist under King William, but the others were just as firmly determined that some active part should be taken in assisting the new ruler, and the outcome was that the i4th of May, 1689, saw the enrolling of a body of enthusiasts, afterwards to earn fame on many a field. While it cannot be said that the Marquis of Douglas ever took an active part on the side of the Covenanters, there is strong indication that he found no fault with their ideas, and was willing to extend help to persecuted Presbyterians. His eldest son, James, who bore the courtesy title of the Earl of Angus, was a keen admirer of the principles upheld by so many of the tenantry, and he showed that the martial spirit of the Douglases was not yet dead when he willingly accepted the post of colonel of the new regiment. But he was only a lad of nineteen at the time, and it is small wonder that the organizing of the regiment was left almost entirely to an older and much more able soldier, William Cleland. The Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Covenanters held Cleland in high esteem, and he had the additional advantage of being personally acquainted with many of his soldiers. Tenants of the Douglas estate formed the nucleus of the regiment, but in all no fewer than 1200 men enrolled for service. The task of subjecting to discipline this body of volunteers was no light one, but it was entered on with such enthusiasm that within a very short space of time King William's enemies had to admit that the Angus Regiment was a formidable obstacle to their success in Scotland. This William Cleland was in many ways a remarkable man, and had very close associations with Douglas. He was born about 1660, and the probability is that his early days were spent at Douglas, where his father was an employee of the Marquis. When barely sixteen, he was enrolled as a student at St. Andrews University, and later graduated with the M.A. degree. There is evidence that he had early attracted notice as an associate of the Covenanters, and a letter written to the Marquis of Douglas in 1678 mentions " James and William Clellands, sones to Thomas Clelland your Lordship's girnell keeper" as having been charged the previous year with being present at conventicles. Immediately after leaving the University, young Cleland joined the Covenanters, who had just broken into open rebellion, and, quickly proving his worth, was acting as one of the commanders of the Covenanting forces before many months had passed. Cleland was present at the battle of Drumclog and at Bothwell Brig. After the defeat, he escaped to

2 Holland, and a few years later he seems to have been concerned in an unfruitful rebellion under the Duke of Argyll, while he also played a part in conducting negotiations for the landing of William of Orange. Within a very short time of its formation the Angus Regiment was to see active service. At Killiecrankie, King William's force was swept away in utter rout before the fierce charge of the opposing Highlanders. So great was the alarm caused in the Lowlands that preparations were at once made for an invasion of the Highlands; and the new regiment received orders to garrison Dun-keld, a particularly dangerous outpost. The men acted here with a courage unusual in such raw troops, and held the position with a tenacity which could not have been equalled by many fully experienced soldiers. But it was here that the brave soldier met his death, for in the act of leading his men he was fatally wounded in the head and body. Cleland had talents for pursuits other than warfare. He was a good linguist and a mathematician, while among his countrymen he was regarded as a poet of no mean ability. His poems, which were chiefly concerned with the struggles of the Covenanters, appear to have been written on various occasions and without any idea of publication, but a collection of several of them was printed about eight years after his death. The Angus Regiment is better known as the Cameronians, a name which it adopted in memory of the extreme Presbyterian Richard Cameron. In the suppression of risings in the Highlands it played no small part, and it was also present throughout the campaign which was carried on in the Netherlands. Until after Dunkeld, the young Earl of Angus saw no active service with his regiment, largely because his father was averse to his incurring the risks of war, Unpleasant censures reached Angus, studying in Holland, and in January, 1692, he wrote to his father pleading that he might be allowed to take his place at the head of his regiment. His wish was granted, but in August he was killed at Steinkirk leading the Cameronians against the French, old foes of the Dutch William. He was only twenty-one, and his death came as a great blow to his father, the Marquis. The bicentenary of the raising of the Cameronians was commemorated by the unveiling at Douglas of a statue of the Earl of Angus. This handsome monument, the work of Thomas Brock, stands at the top of the Craig Brae, the outstretched hand of the figure pointing towards the field on the other side of the river where the regiment was enrolled. Every year on the anniversary of the day on which the Cameronians were mustered for the first time, a detachment of the famous regiment makes a pilgrimage to Douglas to lay a wreath at the base of the Earl of Angus's monument, and to visit the old tolbooth and St. Bride's where hang two of the Cameronian flags. In the year which saw the mustering of the Cameronians at Douglas, the lands of Andershaw were the centre of a considerable disturbance. The tenant in Andershaw, one John Braidfoot, died in 1689 leaving no family, but by his will he directed that his estate should be divided among more than twenty cousins and distant relatives. At the time of his death, however, he had many creditors these including the Marquis of Douglas for rent long overdue and there were heated discussions as to the validity of the will under these circumstances. Braid-foot's kinsfolk, each laying claim to the best right to the movables and farm stock, assembled on the lands of Andershaw, interfered with the horses, sheep, cattle and crops, and signified their intention of remaining in possession until their demands were satisfied. The days of armed resistance would be fresh in the memory of all present, and as they had come equipped with " guns, carabines, picks and Lochaber axes " they must have been a formidable band, well calculated to disturb the peace of the countryside. A complaint against their behaviour was lodged with the Privy Council, who granted a warrant to the bailie of the Marquis of Douglas to take measures to secure order, and to hold the stock and plenishings at Andershaw until he could make them over to those to whom they legally belonged. Now that the persecution of the Covenanters was a thing of the past, with the dawn of the eighteenth century the people of Douglasdale entered on a period of comparative quietness, concerning themselves more with their local trade and the affairs of their homes than with either political or religious contention. In 1712, however, Douglas again figured in connection with the renewal of the Solemn League and Covenant, but to appreciate why this renewal was considered necessary the main changes which had taken place in Scotland during the previous twenty years or so must be outlined. Although the active Jacobite insurrections had been suppressed, there still remained in the country, when William died in 1702, very many who were in favour of the return of the Stuarts. And when in the previous year an Act had been passed which settled that on William's death the crown was to pass first to Anne, the younger daughter of James II, but then to the Electress Sophia of Hanover and her descendants, this strong Jacobite party had taken by no means

3 kindly to the idea of a Hanoverian succession. After some delay, Queen Anne agreed to an Act of the Scottish Parliament which provided that the successor to the crown of Scotland should be a Protestant of the royal line of Scotland, and not necessarily the holder of the English crown, but very soon afterwards several Acts were passed which tended to be hostile to the Scots, and when commissioners were appointed to treat for a union of the Parliaments of the two countries, feeling ran very high on both sides of the border. In 1707 the Act of Union was passed, but only after much opposition from the Presbyterians in the west (who were, however, somewhat pacified by the insertion of a clause stating that Presbyterianism was always to remain the state religion of Scotland) and from the Jacobites. Many Scots felt that by uniting with England they were surrendering their independence, and the people of Douglas parish, in common with those of parishes all over the country, lodged a petition against the Union. The Douglas missive, which is dated loth December, 1706, is duly acknowledged in the Parliament papers of the time: " Address of Heretors and Commons of the Town and paroch of Dowglas subscribing the same..against an Union with England in the terms of the articles were given in and read ". The Marquis of Douglas died in 1700, and as his eldest son, the Earl of Angus, had met his death at Stein-kirk, the estates passed to the younger son Archibald, then a boy of six years of age. After the Act of Union was passed, a petition was made on his behalf that the combining of the parliaments should in no way interfere with the hereditary privileges of the representative of the house of Douglas. These privileges included the rights of leading the van in battle, of giving the first vote in parliament, and of carrying the crown on state occasions. The petition does not appear to have carried much weight, but at the close of the last Scottish Parliament, Douglas was allowed to exercise one of the privileges, and although on account of his youth he had to be supported on his horse, the crown was carried by him from the Parliament House to Edinburgh Castle where the regalia were deposited. In the light of subsequent events, it is of interest to note that a protest was at once lodged on behalf of the Duke of Hamilton. The window tax which had been introduced in England in 1696 was extended to Scotland in 1711, but as far as Lanarkshire was concerned it proved unproductive. Occupiers of houses with less than twenty windows were exempt, los. was paid if the windows numbered twenty to thirty, and 2os. was levied for more than thirty windows. No charge was made unless the building were inhabited, and an appeal was lodged by the bailie of the Duke of Douglas against the tax on Douglas Castle on the grounds that this residence had for a long time been unoccupied. Presbyterianism was now officially recognized as the religion of Scotland, but much dissatisfaction was still to be found among the stricter Covenanters. These people, not so many years ago firmly set against Episcopacy in any form, were now far from content with the manner in which the affairs of their own Church were being conducted. They also disapproved of the Union of England and Scotland, which they regarded as an act calculated to injure their country in every possible way, and another of their grievances was that although the election of parish ministers had been taken out of the hands of patrons shortly after 1688, parliament had recently restored the old system of patronage. The more rigid Presbyterians of Lanarkshire, Dumfriesshire and Kirkcudbright at length decided that something must be done to confirm the faith of their Church and to testify against the apostasy of the times, and at a large meeting held at Crawfordjohn on 26th May, 1712, it was decided that the Covenant should be renewed. For this purpose the people gathered together on the appointed day at Auchensaugh, a hill between Douglas and Crawfordjohn, and the articles of the Covenant were read and sworn to. The transactions occupied several days, and it has been estimated that on the second day there were as many as 1700 people present, but possibly some of these were drawn merely by motives of curiosity. On the last day communion was administered, eight tables each capable of accommodating sixty persons being set out on a level spot to the east of the hill. Rain fell heavily practically the whole time, but it needed more than a deluge to damp the ardour of these enthusiasts. It was long before the descendants of the most strict of the Covenanters were reconciled to the Church of Scotland, and until the beginning of last century the " Reformed Presbyterians ", as they were called, held regular services of their own in Douglas, usually in the open air. The dell behind Braidlea was the scene of most of their assemblies, and here came many people from a great distance in Scotland, and a few even from Ireland, to have the sacrament administered. The villagers were in the habit of going on these occasions to the head of the Craigbrae to hear the singing of the psalms, which at times continued till 3 o'clock on the Monday morning. The first minister of the Cameronian Church which for long stood at Rigside was a Mr. John Fairlie, and it is said that before the church was built he frequently preached in the open near Craigburn. In 1800 the Cameronian Church had about forty adherents in Douglas parish, and about 1845 it was thought desirable to take down the original church and to erect another place

4 of worship on the opposite side of the Douglas Water. The Jacobites had never relinquished the hope of seeing Stuart kings ruling again, and soon after the accession of George I an invasion by the son of James II was planned. The Scottish Jacobites assembled at Braemar in August, 1715, but instead of waiting for external support they decided to act at once, with the result that although at first they met with a measure of success, they were soon utterly defeated, and the rising came to nothing. At the outbreak, the Duke of Douglas took the side of the Hanoverians, and, although it was harvest time when labour could be ill-spared from the farms, he raised among his tenantry about 500 men whom he trained for service. It so happened, however, that these men were not required, and as provisions were scarce with the King's army, the Douglas men were ordered to remain at home under arms, ready for service should the need arise. The Duke himself, with some of the neighbouring gentry, served on the staff of the Duke of Argyll, and he was present in November at the battle of Sheriffmuir, where the Jacobites suffered a severe defeat. Nearly thirty years later a much more formidable Jacobite invasion was planned, the leader being now the young Pretender, the " Bonnie Prince Charlie " of the Jacobite songs, the eldest son of the Pretender of Nothing more than a summary of his campaign is called for here. In July, 1745, Charles landed in Inverness-shire with only seven followers, but he was soon joined by many of the Highland clansmen, and after several successes he marched into England. Here, however, all the support for which he had hoped was not forthcoming, and by the time the army reached Derby it appeared that the affair was hopeless. On 6th December a retreat was begun, and throughout the month the Chevalier retraced his path into Scotland. The Highlanders, disappointed at the failure, became daily more and more reckless, and did not hesitate to plunder the towns through which they passed. After crossing the Esk, Prince Charles divided his army into two sections, one of which, led by himself, proceeded through Annan, Dumfries and Drumlanrig towards Glasgow. On the 23rd of the month the retreating army passed through Leadhills, and in the late afternoon arrived at Douglas. While in the village, the Highlanders made free with the property of the inhabitants, and in particular, being much in need of footwear, they seized all the shoes they could find, even removing them from the feet of any men they encountered in the streets. At the Cross, men were thrown down on their backs so that the Highlanders could with greater ease strip off their shoes. The news of the arrival of the retreating force soon spread throughout the parish, and many of the farmers and their servants, prompted by curiosity, came into Douglas. But when they discovered that the Highlanders were seizing any horses on which they could lay hands, many returned hastily to their farms to place their animals in safety. Farmers in the lower end of the parish drove their horses for protection into the deep ravine at Craig-burn. The Pretender and his officers, chief among whom was the Duke of Perth, passed on to the castle, but met with a very cold reception. The Duke of Douglas still entertained a violent dislike towards the Jacobites; in the autumn he had written expressing his willingness again to serve King George, and now he flatly refused even to see Prince Charles. The Pretender and some of his followers appear, however, to have taken possession forcibly of part of the castle and there stayed for at least one day and night. Doubtless resenting the strong anti-jacobite feelings of the Duke, the men before they left did considerable damage to the interior of the building, breaking up bookcases and cabinets and taking away silver ware. They also helped themselves to any weapons available guns, broadswords and pistols and they even removed the sword of the Black Douglas, for so long treasured among the family heirlooms. Some of the dykes in the neighbourhood of the castle were pulled down, a large extent of planting was destroyed, and crops of hay and corn were ruined. Some years after, the old sword was, after much trouble, recovered by the Duke. The parish as a whole was looked upon with anything but favour by the Jacobites, for the tenantry, following the lead of their overlord, had leanings towards the side of the Hanoverians, and although throughout the retreat remuneration was generally made for food and lodging, it seems that at Douglas free quarters were exacted. The written orders issued to the army from day to day have been preserved, and among these is one dated from Douglas. It reads: " Orders from 23rd to 24th December, Douglass, 23rd December. Parole Ogilvy and Doun. " That two sentrys be alwayes at the outside of the guardhouse; that they may be ready to turn out the guard in case of an allarum and the rendevouse at the generallis quarters; but still ten men to be kept in the guardroom and the drum to beat. "It is expected that the order of march will be better observed than it was this day. John Roy Stewart the van, Ogilvy next, Glenbucket next,..., to march precisely at break of day."

5 There is a tale that the people of Douglas had recourse to a clever ruse to get quit of their unwelcome guests. The story has it that a letter, purporting to be written by an officer of the pursuing forces, was drawn up by a person in the village and dropped in the street, where it was found by one of the Highlanders, who took it to his superiors at the castle. The substance of the letter was that the people should use all means to detain the Highlanders till the arrival of the King's troops. The result, we are told, was that within an hour the Jacobite supporters were marching out of Douglas. This tradition is rather difficult to reconcile with the order given in the evening to the Highlanders that they were " to march precisely at break of day ". During the time spent by the Jacobites at the castle, Lord Perth several times intruded into the presence of the Duke of Douglas, and tried to persuade him to see the Pretender, but without success. Throughout the visit, Douglas made no attempt to disguise his dislike for Prince Charles and his followers, and it has been recorded on good authority that, when the unwelcome guests were leaving, he watched them from, a window and cried out loud enough to be heard by all: " My Lord Perth, I see your friend, your Pretender. I say he plays a very poor fiddle." After leaving Douglas, the army proceeded to Hamilton, passing through Lesmahagow on the way. Against the latter place the men considered they had a particular grievance because the inhabitants had taken prisoner a Stuart envoy, MacDonald of Kinlochmoidart, who had received the Prince upon his landing. MacDonald was on his way to England after rallying the Western Highlands, when he was recognized in Lesmahagow by a divinity student of the name of Linning. This person determined to show his zeal for the Hanoverians by capturing Kinlochmoidart, who was accompanied by a single servant. He roused a rabble of villagers, followed the travellers, and overtook them on the lonely Broken Cross moor. The government rewarded the captor by making him the parish minister of Lesmahagow, and Kinlochmoidart was put to death. It is not then difficult to picture with what hostility 1 the retreating Highlanders looked upon Lesmahagow, and it was only with the greatest difficulty that the officers prevented their men plundering and burning down the village. Sir Walter Scott in his Tales of a Grandfather says that the houses were actually set on fire, but there is little real evidence of this, although there is some indication that the manse suffered. At Hamilton, Charles Stuart stayed in the palace, and the next day proceeded to Glasgow. The subsequent history of the ill-fated rebellion does not concern us here. Suffice it to recall that the Stuart cause was finally ruined by the defeat at Culloden in April, 1746, and that the Young Pretender, after months of hiding in the Western Highlands, escaped to France, where he lived until his death some forty years later. In the autumn of 1748 an inquiry into the passage of the Highlanders through the district was held at Lanark, and from the evidence given by witnesses on that occasion it seems that Douglas had received a previous visit from Jacobites in October, 1745, probably from a party concerned with the advance into England. William Howison, writer in Douglas, stated that on this occasion a body of men headed by Sir William Gordon of Park came to Douglas Castle and forcibly removed arms and money. James White, the factor to the Duke of Douglas, gave evidence that these men, who numbered about fifty, carried him with them to Edinburgh when they left the castle.