ABSTRACT
The Jacobites were supporters of the Stuart line, whose legitimate heir (James II) had gone into exile in France in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. His charismatic grandson, Charles, returned to Britain in 1745. He found strong support in Scotland, the homeland of the Stuart monarchs, and assembled an army of roughly 5,000 men. After the Jacobite victory at the Battle of Prestonpans (21 September 1745), Bonnie Prince Charlie ordered his supporters to head south towards London. Many of these letters were written by soldiers taking advantage of the opportunity that presented itself soon afterward. Charles Spalding of Whitefield was sent north with important military documents, and offered to transport soldiers’ letters home along with them. He was captured and his documents fell into enemy hands, so these personal letters never found their way to their intended recipients. Because these men are rebels, their letters suggest slightly different concerns than might those of regular army soldiers. They show men who are worried about the running of their farms in their absence. However, they also offer a glimpse of the different ways in which the men of the time might address their parents and their wives. While both appear to have received assurances of the men’s health and good diet, while the latter were also given many instructions and warnings about incurring debts. All of the letters contain declarations of family affection, whether conjugal, fraternal, or filial. They also demonstrate the public nature of letters in this period, and authors’ expectations that they would be widely read and circulated among kin and community.
