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CHAPTER XV.

"To wanton me, to wanton me,
Ken ye what maist wad wanton me?

To see King James at Edinburgh cross,

Wi' fifty thousand foot and horse,

Oh this is what maist wad wanton me."-Jacobite Song.

"Borlum and his men's coming."-Ibid.

GEORGE I.—THE REBELLION OF 1715.-MAR'S INVASION.— EXPEDITION OF BRIGADIER MACINTOSH.

ATTACK ON

HEPBURN OF KEITH.-THE LAST EARL OF WINTON.-DEFEAT OF THE INSURRECTION. GEORGE II.-REBELLION OF 1745. PRINCE CHARLES STUART. MEETING OF THE HOSTILE ARMIES AT PRESTON.

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On the accession of George I. to the throne of Great Britain, an effort was made for the restoration of the expatriated house of Stuart. The Earl of Mar was among the first to raise the rebellious standard. On Wednesday, the 12th October, 1715, a party of the rebels sent by his lordship to reinforce the Northumbrians. under Brigadier Macintosh of Borlum, attempted to cross the Forth; but the sea exhibiting a dead calm, part of the transports were intercepted, by the boats of three men-of-war, which lay in Leith Roads. Sixteen hundred troops, however, succeeded in landing during the night, at North Berwick, Aberlady, Gullan, and other places. Next night General Macintosh stopped at Haddington, where he proclaimed the Chevalier;* but instead of going southward, as was conjectured, he marched upon Edinburgh.

On Friday, the 14th October, 1715, John Campbell, lord provost of Edinburgh, took the earliest opportunity of apprising the Duke of Argyle of the arrival of the rebel forces at Haddington; and demanded a detachment of regular troops for the defence of the city. Two hundred foot were immediately dispatched, (mounted for the sake of expedition on country horses,) with 300 cavalry, who arrived at the West Port of Edinburgh, at ten o'clock at

⚫ James VIII. who resided at the court of France, was commonly called the "Chevalier de St George."

night. Meantime Macintosh having advanced as far as Jock's Lodge (Piershill), and finding that none of the citizens came to join him, and dreading the approach of Argyle, he proceeded to Leith, which he took and pillaged, and liberated those who had been taken prisoners by the boats.

Saturday the 15th, the Duke of Argyle arrived at Leith, with his small force; but on account of the height of the walls and fortifications, and being without artillery, he found an assault impracticable. The rebels were, however, summoned to surrender, under pain of getting no quarter should they resist. A highland laird, called Kinackin, replied, "that they did not understand the word; that they would neither take nor give quarter; but if he was able to force them he might try!"

Macintosh despairing of aid, evacuated the place about nine o'clock at night; and taking advantage of the ebb-tide, stole round by the head of the pier, and proceeded by the sands to Seton-house, leaving behind him 40 men, who had inebriated themselves with brandy, which they had found in the customhouse.

Argyle having provided himself with two pieces of cannon, and two mortars from Edinburgh castle, was on the eve of proceeding to Seton to dislodge the rebels, when Macintosh received a dispatch from the Earl of Mar, commanding him to cross the Forth at Stirling, in order that this movement might create a diversion in their favour. In compliance with this order, that night his little army began their march. Meanwhile, on the 19th October, an attack was made on Seton-house by Lord Torphichen, and the Earl of Rothes, who marched from Edinburgh, with 200 cavalry and 3000 volunteers, for that purpose. Lord Rothes (the eldest son of the Earl of Haddington,) had been appointed vice-admiral of Scotland, and from his zeal in the cause of the Brunswick family, had rendered himself particularly obnoxious to the rebels. A party of them having proceeded to proclaim the Pretender at Kinross, his lordship entered the town, sword in hand, with a detachment of the "gallant Greys," put them to flight, and took Sir Thomas Bruce prisoner. These proceedings incurred a barbarous method of retaliation. Another party coming to his seat of Leslie, searched it for arms, forced open the church doors, broke into the family burial place, dug up the coffins, and tore them open.

On arriving at Seton-house, the royalists found that old Macintosh had so securely entrenched the avenues and fortified the gates, that it was impossible to dislodge them without artillery to batter the walls, upon which, after exchanging a few shots, without injury to either party, they returned to Edinburgh. While in this fertile district, the rebels supplied themselves with cows, sheep, meal, and other provisions, which they found in abundance in the neighbourhood.

On the 18th, the rebels received orders from the Earl of Mar to evacuate Seton-house, and proceed to England.

Macintosh departed next morning with his whole strength, directing his march to the lonely wastes of Lammermoor. In passing by Hermandston-house, (situated near the borders of Tyne,) he could scarcely be prevailed upon to spare it from fire, in consequence of an offence which its proprietor, Dr Sinclair,* had committed against his party.

Early in October, the Marquis of Tweeddale, lord-lieutenant of Haddingtonshire, had given particular injunctions to his deputylieutenants to enforce the laws against papists and suspected persons, by binding them over to keep the peace, and seizing their horses and arms. Although this order was strictly in terms of existing acts of parliament, yet it is evident, that a law putting so much arbitrary power into the hands of one set of country gentlemen against the other, would require to be acted upon with great discretion. "In the case under notice (observes Mr R. Chambers), it seems to have been abused as a means of venting private pique and revenge. On the very day when the deputylieutenants of Haddingtonshire received their charge from Lord Tweeddale, two of them, Dr Sinclair of Herdmanston, and Mr Hepburn of Humbie, formed the resolution of going next morning under cover of it, and assailing a gentleman in their neighbourhood, Mr Hepburn of Keith, against whom they had a grudge. At the time they had appointed for the execution of this scheme, Dr Sinclair appeared at the rendezvous with a number of armed attendants; when, not finding his associate arrived, he proceeded forward to Keith by himself. As he went, he enjoined his party that, in case of finding resistance, they should not fire till first the Laird of Keith should fire at them; and, on coming

• There was a John Sinclair, physician in Haddington, grandson of Sir John Sinclair of Herdmanston. He died in 1742.

near the house, he repeated these orders. Hepburn of Keith, being informed that a party was at his gate, commanded by Dr Sinclair, at once understood the object of his visit, but called for a sight of the doctor's orders. Sinclair immediately sent forward a servant, who, finding no admittance at the gate, offered the Marquis of Tweeddale's commission to Mr Hepburn at the diningroom window. The fiery Jacobite openly scouted at the commission, crying" God damn the marquis and the doctor both!" But the servant thinking that, upon consulting with his friends within, he might agree to terms of submission, continued standing near the gate, that he might carry back a message to his master. Hepburn entertained no such intention Animated by

feelings similar with those of Dr Sinclair, he had resolved to go out and encounter his assailants. Staying only till he and his friends had mounted their horses, he sallied suddenly from the gate, fired a pistol at the servant, which wounded him in two different places, and then, advancing to Dr Sinclair, who stood near the outer gate, struck him a severe blow upon the head with his sword. His daughters, who remained within the house, were heard, at this moment, calling to one another that they should see fine sport; the party rage of the time having entered even the breasts of the gentler part of creation. But the sport which they saw was such as to call forth very different feelings. Sinclair's men returned the assault of old Keith by firing a volley, which laid his younger son dead upon the ground. The distracted father, with his remaining son and friends, immediately broke away, and joined the troops of Mr Forster in the north of England."

Macintosh, with 1400 men, continued his march next day. He reached Longformacus on Wednesday the 19th. General Wightman followed him from Edinburgh, and, attacking his rear, returned the same evening with several prisoners. Macintosh on his arrival at Dunse, proclaimed the Chevalier. After collecting the public revenues, he proceeded to Kelso, where, on Saturday, the 22nd, he formed a junction with the Earl of Winton and Lord Kenmure, the former of whom had joined the Northumbrian insurgents at this town, with a fine body of horse, on the 19th. The higher command was assigned to Kenmure, in consequence, it was presumed, of that waywardness of character peculiar to the

noble family of Winton, and which is too often the gift of talented individuals.

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The Northumbrian gentlemen were decidedly of opinion, that they should at once march into England, which was strenuously opposed by the Earl of Winton, Macintosh, and others, of the Scottish chiefs. The latter thought it better to return to Scotland, for the purpose of joining the western clans, taking Dumfries, Glasgow, and other places, on their way, till they should form a junction with the Earl of Mar. Their opinion having been overruled, the army proceeded to Hawick, when the highlanders, who were sensible of the propriety of the plan of the Earl of Winton, broke out into open mutiny. It was in vain that the horsemen, surrounding the foot, ordered them to march southward. In this instance, the saying, that "the Gael seldom found his way back from the sunny south,'" was completely reversed. Cocking their firelocks, they exclaimed: "If we are to be made a sacrifice, let us die in our own country." In place, therefore, of opening a passage through one of the richest cities of Scotland to the west, the English insurgents pretended they had letters from Lancashire, assuring them that, on their arrival, a general insurrection would take place, and that they would be joined by 20,000 men. The Earl of Winton, with part of his troops, withdrew in disgust. Unhappily for that nobleman and his descendants, he was again prevailed on to join the Pretender's standard; but he was never afterwards invited to attend on his councils of war. This disrespect, however, Patten observes," gave him little uneasiness; for he amused himself with such company as chance threw in his way, and amused them with stories of his travels and adventures in low life."

This rebellion proved unsuccessful; and terminated with the battle of Preston, in England. On the 14th November, the Earl of Winton was taken prisoner on this disastrous field, where he distinguished himself in the affair of the barricades, and where the rebels were defeated. His lordship was tried for high treason on the 15th March, 1716; found guilty, and sentenced to be executed, while his estate of L.3393, 10s. 3d. sterling, per annum, with his titles and honours, were forfeited to the crown. On the 4th August, 1716, he was fortunate enough, however, to effect his escape from the Tower of London, by sawing through, with

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