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KENMURE HURRIES ON TOWARDS
DUMFRIES-INCENDIARY ATTEMPTS TO DESTROY THE TOWN-FORTIFICATIONS ARE
CONSTRUCTED, TRENCHES DUG, AND THE WORKS MANNED-THE CRISIS OF THE 31ST OF
OCTOBER AND 1ST OF NOVEMBER-A. FALSE ALARM-THE REBELS RETIRE WITHOUT
STRIKING A BLOW-IMPORTANCE OF DUMFRIES IN A MILITARY ASPECT-THE INABILITY
OF THE JACOBITES TO CAPTURE IT CONDUCES TO THE FAILURE OF THE
INSURRECTION- THEIR DEFEAT AT PRESTON-TRIAL AND CONDEMNATION OF KENMURE,
NITHSDALE, AND OTHER CHIEFS-THE COUNTESS OF NITHSDALE RESOLVES TO DELIVER
HER HUSBAND FROM THE TOWER-SKETCH OF THE COUNTESS FROM THE PORTRAIT AT
TERREGLES-SHE SUCCEEDS IN HER SCHEME, AND THE EARL IS RESCUED FROM
IMPRISONMENT AND DEATHSIR JOHN JOHNSTONE KEPT LOYAL AGAINST HIS WILL BY
THE MAGISTRATES OF DUMFRIES AND HE AFTERWARDS, OUT OF GRATITUDE, PRESENTS
THE BURGH WITH PORTRAITS OF KING WILLIAM AND QUEEN MARY.
LORD KENMURE, finding
himself at the head of a considerable army, resolved on making some
decisive movement. His thoughts again turned towards Dumfries; his idea
being that he was now in a condition to attack it with success. The
inhabitants, anticipating a second and more serious visit from his
lordship, renewed their defensive preparations, which had been partially
put a stop to. The Marquis of Annandale, having granted commissions to the
officers of militia, and made arrangements for cutting out the force if
necessary, left Dumfries for Edinburgh on the 20th of October; and no
immediate danger being apprehended, the country people returned home,
leaving the town to the care of its own inhabitants. When, however, news
of the ominous rebel conjunction at Kelso reached the magistrates, they
despatched expresses to their friends throughout Nithsdale and Galloway;
and in a short time, in answer to their urgent requests, two thousand
well-armed men volunteered their services for the protection of the Burgh.
A few of the inhabitants favoured the Jacobites; one of whom went bustling
about, assuring the country folks that Kenmore would be down upon them
with irresistible force; that the town would have to give in; and that
they would all be massacred wholesale. The tongue of this tattling
busy-body might have occasioned mischief; had he not been promptly
consigned to durance vile. Next morning (the 28th) the Town Council met;
and, in order to dissipate the impression made by such treasonable gossip,
they issued a proclamation, setting forth:- "That whereas some person or
persons, disaffected to his Majesty's person and Government, have raised
and spread a false and groundless report that the town would surrender, we
do therefore certify all concerned, that we have no such design, but that
we are firmly resolved to make a vigorous resistance if attacked by the
rebels; and we hope none will credit the malicious stories to the contrair
that have been contrived by the enemy." [Rae's History, p. 227.]
It was not traitorous
tale-bearers merely that the authorities had to deal with: there were
Achans in the camp of a more dangerous kind-plotting incendiaries, who
repeatedly endeavoured to fire portions of the town. One notable attempt
of this nature was made on the night of the 26th. A train of gunpowder,
nine yards long, was laid at the foot of a close of thatched houses near
the centre of the Burgh, which, on being ignited, set one of the tenements
in a blaze. Fortunately two of the magistrates were near at hand, by whose
assistance the fire was extinguished before much damage or alarm was
occasioned. A reward of a hundred merks was offered for the discovery of
the guilty parties; and the authorities, fearing that on the approach of
the rebels their friends inside would perpetrate similar acts of
incendiarism in order to withdraw the loyal inhabitants from their posts,
and otherwise create confusion, adopted all possible precautions to
prevent or mitigate the threatened evil. The militia of the County was not
yet raised - why, it is difficult to say; so that Dumfries had to depend
for its defence on volunteer soldiers alone.
These, as has been
mentioned, were forthcoming to a large extent. In the last week of
October, the Burgh wappenschaw could boast, we should say, of fully three
thousand men; one half of whom were well trained and armed, the other half
raw recruits, including five score of such inhabitants as had little skill
in fire-arms, who were furnished with scythes, and set to do duty at the
barricades and in the trenches. The magistrates, with prudent forethought,
resolved that Mr. Currie, one of their number, should be sent on a mission
to General Carpenter, who had arrived at Jedburgh in search of the
Jacobites under Kenmure. On learning the condition of affairs at Dumfries,
the General assured Bailie Currie that if the town were attacked, and held
out for six hours against the rebels, he would at the close of that time
be ready to fall upon them in the rear. Fully aware of the importance of
retaining Dumfries, the Duke of Argyle sent Major Campbell, Captain
William Graham, Lieutenant Francis Scott, Lieutenant Anthony Smith,
Lieutenant David Reid, Lieutenant John Kay, and Ensign Robert M`Arthur,
all half-pay officers, to superintend its defence.
On the 24th, soon after
their arrival, the work of thoroughly fortifying the town was proceeded
with. In earlier times, as we have seen, it was surrounded, except where
the Nith formed a natural defence, by walls, ditches, and earthen banks.
Pursuing a somewhat similar plan, the loyal inhabitants, under skilful
military direction, soon rendered the fortifications tolerably
complete-quite able to resist the enemy's assaults for ten times the six
hours that General Carpenter had bargained for. All the gates and avenues
were built up with stone, except the bridge and Lochmaben-gate. A line of
wall was raised from the river to the churchyard, and thence through the
adjoining meadow to the high road beyond Lochmaben-gate; it then ran
towards the east, curved towards the north-west, then to the south-east
corner of Sir Christopher's Chapel: the whole constituting a covered way
in the form of a half-moon. From the south-west corner of the chapel
another line was drawn nearly parallel to the former, for the safety and
convenience of the defenders in the event of the rebels forming on the
fields betwixt that locality and the Loreburn, which streamlet was also
intrenched; and the meadow beyond it was protected by a deep ditch, dug
behind a thick thorn hedge, that separated it from the highway leading to
the Townhead. Here also the gate was walled up, and a trench of bastion
shape gave protection to the Moat on the other side. It took fully a week
to complete these works: for though hundreds of hands were employed,
suitable materials were not easily obtained; and in the pressing
emergency, the stones of the east gable of the sacred edifice erected by
Christian Bruce in memory of her patriotic husband, were appropriated by
the workmen. Little did the royal lady think, when she erected the chapel,
or Robert Bruce when he endowed it, that its walls would be thrown down
for the purpose of resisting the march of one of their descendants to his
ancestral throne. What piety and widowed love fondly built up, patriotism
unreluctantly cast down. But curious cross-purposes such as this are
frequently met with by the historian.
The 30th and 31st of
October formed the crisis of this extraordinary passage in the annals of
Dumfries. As the first of these days was Sabbath, those who laboured at
the defences expected to enjoy a short season of rest. At half-past nine
o'clock in the morning, however, a proclamation was made by tuck of drum,
that they were all to repair to the works as usual; the Provost and
deputy-lieutenants having received an express announcing that the enemy
had arrived at Hawick, on their route by Langholm to Dumfries.
Accordingly, the din of preparation was redoubled on the sacred day:
trenches were extended or deepened; several trees growing in the
churchyard were cut down-the ringing sounds made by the axe-men rising
simultaneously with the song of the worshippers-and stakes formed of them
with which to dam up the Mill-burn, so as to cause the waters of that
brook to fill the trenches, and prevent the mounted rebels crossing the
meadows. It was on the 30th, too, that the remains of the ancient chapel,
consisting chiefly of a fine arch and back wall, were put to use. With the
stones of the arch a redoubt was built to cover the entry of the highway
near at hand; and the wall was lowered to serve as a rest for firelocks.
Langholm was reached by the
rebels that evening; and, long before sunrise next morning, a detachment
of them numbering about four hundred horse, commanded by the Earl of
Carnwath, arrived at Ecclefechan, with orders to blockade Dumfries till
the main body arrived to attack the town. Carnwath and his men rested in
their saddles at Ecclefechan, for further instructions; which having been
brought by Mr. Burnet of Carlops, they took quarters for a brief space in
the village, and then remounted, with the design of being at Dumfries by
break of day.
On the lieges there
learning from a special messenger that the rebels were within eight miles
of them, the preconcerted alarm was given by beating of drums and ringing
of bells; a muster of all the able-bodied men was made at the Moat; after
which they were marshalled into companies, and took their posts at the
trenches. "Marching thither," says Rae, "with an undaunted courage," the
ministers going with them, prepared to fight as well as their people, and
surgeons attending in case of need. [History, p. 275.] From the 13th of
October (with the exception of a short period, when it was erroneously
supposed that the Jacobites had abandoned their intention to attack the
town), meetings for prayer and exhortation were held daily in the church,
and the windows looking into the principal streets were lighted all night.
What a season of excitement it must have been' and the night of the 31st,
when it reached a climax, must have proved the most painfully anxious one
experienced by that generation of Dumfriesians, and been referred to by
them ever afterwards with mixed emotions of terror, thankfulness, and
pride.
A Town Council minute of an
after date, in noticing the recompense given to "the countrymen come in
for defence of this place, and that particularly on the 31st of October
last and 1st of November instant, when the rebels were within a little
space of this Burgh, in order to the attack thereof," states that "people
were obliged to be fourty-eight hours in the trenches made round this
town, during which time they could not be removed from duty for refreshing
themselves, and therefore the magistrates caused give them bread and
provisions for refreshing them in the fields." It was felt that if the
least relaxation were made the enemy might take ruinous advantage of it,
and therefore the watch was unremitting. With the clouds of night carne
pelting showers of rain, and the air waxed piercingly cold; but every man
continued at his allotted post in the trenches, at the barricades, or with
a chosen body of reserve in High Street, two hundred in number, with three
pieces of cannon, whose orders were to reinforce those defenders against
whom the main assault of the enemy should be delivered.
They had friends outside,
too, ready on certain conditions to give them a helping hand, if
necessary. These consisted of about three hundred and twenty Presbyterian
Dissenters, under their minister, Mr. John Hepburn of Urr; who, having
some military knowledge, trained them for the express purpose of coping
with the rebels. [The Rev. John Hepburn, a native of Forfarshire, began
his ministerial labours in Urr about the year 1680. He was a devoted
Gameronian; and his opinions as such made him a resolute opponent of the
Jacobites. He employed his soldierly skill in drilling his parishioners on
Halmyre hill, near his church, that they might be the more able to resist
the Pretender. The late Dr. Mundell, rector of Wallace Hall Academy, who
was great-grandson to Mr. Hepburn, had in his possession the claymore and
drum that were used by his martial ancestor.] On the 31st they were in the
parish of Kirkmahoe, three miles distant from Dumfries; and Bailie
Gilchrist, with the Laird of Bargaly, were sent to solicit their
assistance. They forthwith marched towards the town, but, owing to
religious scruples, they declined to enter it; and, crossing the river,
took up a position on Corbelly hill, at the west end of the bridge, to
watch the current of events from that commanding eminence. There they were
visited by the Provost and other gentlemen, who offered them any post they
might choose within the town; upon which they presented an unsigned paper
to the deputation, asserting "that they had no freedom in their
consciences to fight in defence of the constitution of Church and State,
as established since the sinful Union." They mentioned the conditions on
which they would enter the town to join in its defence: but as many of
these were of a political and general nature, such as the King or
Parliament only could grant, no arrangement was effected; and the party
continued on Corbelly hill, where they were supplied with necessaries by
the inhabitants, whom they would no doubt have helped had their services
been required.
The night of the 31st, with
its pitiless showers and inclement winds - ill to bear by the wearied
watchers, but of no moment compared to the racking thoughts that troubled
them-passed slowly on. "Would that it were day, even though the enemy
should appear alongst with it!" was, we may suppose, the anxious wish of
many, as the leaden hours crept lazily along. At brief intervals the
officers visited their men, to see that they were prepared for the
expected emergency; and about four o'clock in the morning the news went
round that the attack might be looked for at seven, and the men were told
to mind their arms and to keep their powder dry-precautions all the more
requisite as it still rained heavily. At five o'clock an express arrived
from the hamlet of Roucan, affirming that the rebels had passed the old
castle of Torthorwald, and were within three miles of the town. This was
found out to be erroneous, friendly scouts having been mistaken for the
enemy, but not till the false alarm had caused a great flutter of
excitement. Seven o'clock arrived, and still the enemy remained unseen -
eight o'clock-nine! - without bringing a single rebel in view. Was it
possible that the bold Jacobites, after all their threats and boastings,
had resolved to leave Dumfries unharmed in its loyalty; without so much as
striking a blow for a town, the possession of which they at one time
deemed essential to their success in the south of Scotland?
It was even so. Good news
to this effect reached its defenders by ten o'clock. The intelligence was
rapidly circulated that the rebels, afraid to attack a place so well
defended, were preparing for a retrograde march; and the inhabitants, so
long stretched upon the rack, began to feel at ease, and breathe freely.
Soon after Carnwath's party left Ecclefechan, on their way to Dumfries, an
express from their friends in the Burgh informed them of its
condition-bristling with arms, strongly fortified, bravely defiant-and
beseeching them "not to try their teeth on so obdurate a morsel." This
discouraging letter was forwarded to the main body of the army, then lying
about two miles west from Langholm, and formed the subject of a keen
debate.
A proposal, made by Lord
Kenmure, to continue moving on Dumfries, though favoured by the Lowland
horse and foot, was resolutely opposed by the English gentlemen, who
desired to carry on the war in their own country. Kenmure, reluctantly
giving way to the opinion of the latter, ordered a march into England.
About five hundred Highlanders, who did not relish the idea of crossing
the Border, set out for the North, proceeding through the moors by
Lockerbie - near which town ten were taken by the country people, and sent
prisoners to Dumfries; some were seized at Sauquhar; a great many about
the head of Clydesdale : scarcely a tithe of the poor Celts reaching their
own mountain land in safety. All dread of a rebel attack being now over at
Dumfries, the country friends who had helped to stave it off withdrew,
promising to return within twenty-four hours, if called upon.
Ere another month had
passed away, the rebel cause was crushed in England, and beginning to wear
a forlorn aspect in the Highlands. It would, in all human probability,
have fared much better if its adherents had succeeded in becoming masters
of Dumfries. Kenmure's plan of operations at Kelso, after the Scottish and
English forces united and revived at Langholm, was to move westward along
the Border, occupying first Dumfries, next Ayr, and eventually Glasgow. He
proposed then to open the passes, held chiefly by militia and volunteers,
in order to allow the Argyleshire clans, under General Gordon, to rally
round the Princes standard. This movement effected, it was reasonably
supposed that the Duke of Argyle, when he found himself confronted by a
superior army under the Earl of Mar, and with the forces of Kenmure,
Forster, and Macintosh upon his left flank and in his rear, would be
compelled to evacuate his strong post at Stirling; and in that case King
George would have had but a frail tenure left of his northern dominions.
Once possessed of Dumfries, the Jacobites would readily have obtained
reinforcements and supplies by sea from France and Ireland; the gentlemen
of the district who sympathized with them would have been encouraged to
join their ranks; and the first great step of a promising campaign would
have been taken. But the unexpected opposition given by the Burgh altered
the whole character of the rebel movement; and by enforcing the separation
of its promoters, contributed materially to its failure.
When the Pretender's forces
entered England, Forster, in virtue of a commission from the Earl of Mar,
assumed the chief command; Kenmure, however, still continuing to act as
leader of the Scottish soldiers, who by the desertion of the Highlanders
were reduced to about a thousand in number. The Earl of Nithsdale, who had
joined the movement personally at Langholm, was amongst them; also William
Grierson of Lag, Gilbert Grierson, his brother, John Maxwell of Steilston,
Edmund Maxwell of Carnsalloch, Robert Maclellan of Barscobe, William
Maxwell of Munches, George Maxwell, his brother, Charles Maxwell of
Cowhill, Andrew Cassie of Kirkhouse, Basil Hamilton of Baldoon, lieutenant
of Kenmure's troop of horse, and other gentlemen of the district. It was
on the 1st of November that the rebels turned their backs to Dumfries. On
the 12th of that month we find them, after gathering considerable strength
in the town of Preston, preparing to resist a large Royalist army under
General Wilks. On the 14th, they are seen, after making an unavailing
defence, in the attitude of hopeless captives - "the white rose of
loyalty" vanished from their grasp, leaving nothing to them but its
rankling thorns.
The prisoners, nearly
fifteen hundred in number, were cruelly treated: six were shot, according
to martial law, as holding commissions under the Government against which
they had borne arms ; and many were banishid to the plantations in
America. Those of most note were sent up to London, and after being led
through some of its streets in triumph, were consigned to prison. Crushed
in the north of England, the Rebellion was at the same time, as we have
said, faring badly in the ancient kingdom, on which the Chevalier chiefly
relied. Mar half gained a victory at Sheriffmuir ; but, under the peculiar
circumstances of his position, his partial triumph was tantamount to a
defeat. If in any way an early junction could have been effected between
his army and the one led by Kenmure and Forster, the insurgent movement
would have become more hopeful; and when the latter force withdrew to
England, Mar ought to have boldly crossed the Forth, seized Edinburgh,
which could have offered little opposition, and have swept into the South.
Instead of adopting, or trying to adopt, such an energetic line of policy,
he allowed the Royalists time to muster powerfully in his front, was
forced to fight a testing battle, which resulted in his retreat to Perth,
and lost a chance of success that never again presented itself. On the
22nd of December, nine days after the disastrous no-victory at Sheriffmuir,
and eight after the inglorious and woeful surrender of Preston, the Prince
arrived at Peterhead, all too late to revive the bloom of his blighted
fortunes. The Northern army melted gradually away, "without even the eclat
of a defeat;" and in the following February the unfortunate Pretender and
his faithful Lieutenant-General, the Earl of Mar, were forlorn fugitives
in France.
Trial and condemnation
followed rapidly to the leaders of the collapsed Rebellion. On the 9th of
February, Lords Derwentwater, Kenmure, Nithsdale, Wintoun, Carnwath, Nairn,
and Widdrington were brought to the bar of the House of Commons, and,
having pleaded guilty to the articles of impeachment previously served
upon them, were adjudged to death. The four first-named peers were ordered
for execution, in spite of great intercessions made on their behalf; the
other three were eventually pardoned.
When Winifred, Countess of Nithsdale, first heard of her good lord's
capture at Preston, his imprisonment in the Tower, and -sad climax of
all'-his dread death-sentence, she was overcome with sorrow.
"Our ladie did nocht noo
but wipe aye her een:
Her heart's like to loup the gowd lace o' her goun,
But she's husked on her gay cleeding, an's aff for Lonnon toun" - [Allan
Cunningham's Remains of Nithsdale and Galloway Song.]
resolved to risk everything
in an attempt to cheat the gibbet of its victim. With true wifely
devotedness - all the less wonderful when we think of the lovable nature
of her husband -she travelled night and day, amidst tempestuous weather,
that she might solace him in his dark hour of need, appeal to the clemency
of the King in his behalf, or in some other way not yet apparent obtain a
reversal of his sentence. His Majesty rudely repulsed the noble suppliant,
rejected her petition, and she relapsed into despair; which, however, soon
gave way to a hopeful resolution to win by love and wile what harsh
royalty had denied.
The Countess was fifth and
youngest daughter of William, Marquis of Powis, and must at this time have
been in the bloom of early womanhood. Her picture is also at Terregles
House, forming one of its chief art-treasures: it bespeaks a heroine from
whom we might expect such a daring and ingenious enterprise as that upon
which she entered with full heart and mind. Rarely do we meet with a finer
face: it is full of intellectual beauty. There is great force of character
and intellectual strength, softened by womanly sweetness - no amazonian
roughness being noticeable in any of the lineaments. The brow is broad and
high; the face oval, with a rare blending of the Roman with the Grecian
features; and the general expression is extremely captivating. When the
vision of such a radiant countenance as this lighted up the room where her
imprisoned husband lay, he might well believe that a bright celestial
apparition had come to cheer him in his passage through the valley of
death; and what must have been his rapture when he saw that it was the
wife of his bosom come to give him hope, liberty, life itself !
His sentence was fixed to
take place on the 24th of February; and two days before, the Countess,
whose plans were nearly matured, visited her husband, as she had
previously been allowed to do on several occasions. Affecting an air of
cheerfulness, she assured the guards that she was the bearer of joyful
news for the prisoners: their petition praying the House of Lords to
intercede for them had been passed, she said, and their early liberation
might be looked for. By such representations, and a pretty liberal
distribution of money, the guards were led to relax their vigilance, and
inadvertently to favour her designs. Having prepared Lord Nithsdale for
their being carried into effect, she took her leave, returning on the eve
of the following day, when he must be delivered from the dungeon and the
scaffold, if at all. Her faithful attendant Evans, an acquaintance of the
latter, named Mrs. Morgan, and her own landlady, Mrs. Mills, were her
accomplices in the projected stratagem. On the arrival of the fair
conspirators at the Tower, the Countess, who was only allowed one
companion at a time, introduced Mrs. Morgan in the first instance; and she
having purposely left a superfluous riding hood in the prison, was sent
out to request the attendance of another servant, Mrs. Mills. The latter,
a stout, portly woman, appeared accordingly, holding a handkerchief to her
face, as if overcome with grief. To her was assigned the difficult duty of
personating the imprisoned Earl: but though sufficiently masculine for the
purpose, her eyebrows and hair were ruddy, Lord Nithsdale's dark. His
lady-rich in forethought and resources-by means of paint, chalk,
artificial head gear, the clothes left by Mrs. Morgan, and other articles
of her own, so disguised the captive that, when viewed superficially, he
seemed the veritable Mrs. Mills, though that lady had already, in her
ordinary attire, slipped out unchallenged. Accompanied by his Countess, he
safely passed the sentinels, whose suspicions had been lulled asleep by
her plausible statements and liberality.
"When" - to quote from her
own account, drawn up many years afterwards in a letter to her husband's
sister - "When I had almost finished dressing my lord in all my petticoats
excepting one, I perceived that it was growing dark, and was afraid that
the light of the candles might betray us; so I resolved to set off. I went
out leading him by the hand; and he held his handkerchief to his eyes. I
spoke to him in the most piteous and afflicted tone of voice, bewailing
bitterly the negligence of Evans, who had ruined me by her delay. `Then,'
said I, `my dear Mrs. Betty, for the love of God run quickly and bring her
with you ! You know my lodging ; and if ever you made despatch in your
life, do it at present : I am almost distracted with this disappointment"
The guards opened the doors, and I went down stairs with him, still
conjuring him to make all possible despatch. As soon as he had cleared the
door, I made him walk before me, for fear the sentinel should take notice
of his walk; but I still continued to press him to make all the despatch
he possibly could. At the bottom of the stairs I met my dear Evans [who
had only been blamed for delay as a pretence for hastening the disguised
lord's departure], into whose hands I confided him. I had before engaged
Mr. Mills to be in readiness before the Tower, to conduct him to some
place of safety in case we succeeded. He looked upon the affair as so very
improbable to succeed, that his astonishment, when he saw us, threw him
into such consternation that he was almost out of himself; which Evans
perceiving, with the greatest presence of mind, without telling him any
thing, lest he should mistrust them, conducted him to some of her own
friends on whom she could rely, and so secured him, without which we
should have been undone."
So far, matters had
progressed in a manner that seemed almost miraculous; but the heroine of
the escape had still some delicate work on hand, to prevent detection and
pursuit. She had pretended to send Mrs. Mills on a pressing message for
another attendant, and had therefore to return to the cell on the further
pretence of waiting her arrival. When there, she says, "I talked to him as
if he had been really present, and answered my own questions in my lord's
voice as nearly as I could imitate it. I walked up and down as if we were
conversing together, till I thought they had time enough thoroughly to
clear themselves of the guards. I then thought proper to make off also. I
opened the door, and stood half in it, that those in the outer chamber
might hear what I said, but held it so close that they could not look in.
I bade my lord a formal farewell for that night; and added, that something
more than usual must have happened to make Evans negligent on this
important occasion, who had always been so punctual in the smallest
trifles; that I saw no other remedy than to go in person; that if the
Tower were still open when I finished my business, I would return that
night; but that he might be assured I would be with him as early in the
morning as I could gain admittance into the Tower; and I flattered myself
I should bring favourable news. Then, before I shut the door, I pulled
through the string of the latch, so that it could only be opened on the
inside. I then shut it with some degree of force, that I might be sure of
its being well shut. I said to the servant, as I passed by-who was
ignorant of the whole transaction-that he need not carry in candles to his
master till my lord sent for him, as he desired to finish some prayers
first. I went down stairs and called a coach, as there were several on the
stand. I drove home to my lodgings, where poor Mr. Mackenzie had been
waiting to carry the petition, in case my attempt had failed. I told him
there was no need of any petition, as my lord was safe out of the Tower,
and out of the hands of his enemies." After lying in concealment for
several days, Lord Nithsdale, disguised as a livery servant to the
Venetian ambassador, proceeded in that gentleman's coach and six to
Dover-where it was going on other business-and then took ship for Calais.
Lady Winifred, after the lapse of several weeks, succeeded in getting an
interview with King George, when she presented a petition, praying that
the forfeited Nithsdale peerage and estates might be conferred upon her
son; but his Majesty, resenting her conduct, not only disregarded her
petition, but treated her with rudeness. She had the gratification of
knowing, however, that her husband was beyond the King's reach. Lord
Nithsdale lived twenty-nine years after the date of his extraordinary
deliverance, and died at Rome in 1744, on the very eve of another great
rebellion in favour of the House of Stuart. Lord Derwentwater and Viscount
Kenmure were beheaded on the 24th of February; both of them continuing
firm Jacobites to the last.
The estates of the
convicted insurgents were forfeited to the Crown; and though the property
belonged to nearly forty individuals, its annual revenue was comparatively
small-only £30,000. A Government surveyor, appointed for the purpose,
estimated the rental of the Earl of Nithsdale, from depositions made by
the tenants, at £803 2s. 8d., of which fully £749 was payable in money;
the rest in goods, including such items as forty-four bolls of barley, at
10s. 5d. per boll; about the same quantity of oatmeal, at the same price;
three hundred and forty-seven hens, at 5d. each; and 13s. 6d. for peats,
at 1d. per dozen loads. The forfeited estates were purchased from the
Crown by a London company; but as this speculative investment was badly
managed, they were afterwards exposed for sale, and for the most part
bought at moderate rates for the late proprietors by their friends. The
Nithsdale peerage was never restored, though the estates continue to be
possessed by the Maxwell family. Lady Kenmure survived her chivalrous and
unfortunate husband sixty-one years, and so managed the property that when
her son Robert reached majority it was delivered to him free of debt. She
died at Terregles House in 1776; and in 1824 the attainted title was given
back to her grandson, John, the sixth Viscount of Kenmure.
We complete our account of
the Rebellion by a local episode that ought not to be overlooked. Whilst
the Marquis of Annandale was busy superintending the defences of Dumfries,
his brother, Lord John Johnstone, who had served James the Seventh in
Ireland, was doing his best to promote the pretensions of that monarch's
son. His design was to assist in the meditated attack upon the town at the
head of some of his brother's retainers; but before he could marshall
them, he was seized at the instance of the magistrates, and kept in the
Tolbooth till the whole affair was over. According to a tradition in his
lordship's family, the authorities honoured his exit from prison with a
procession, and expressed a hope, in parting with him, that they had not
acted improperly.
What the liberated Jacobite
said in reply is not recorded; but when, fifteen years afterwards, a
deputation from the magistrates waited upon him at his house, to
compliment him on his birth-day, he presented the town with two valuable
pictures, accompanied by the following note, addressed to the Provost:-"
Sir,-The great civilities the good town of Drumfries has been pleased to
show my brother and his family, makes me earnestly wish for an opportunity
to show them my sense of the obligation this lays upon both of us. King
William and Queen Mary is so well, that I have chosen to send their
pictures as a present to the Corporation; and I hope, as I value those
great deliverers, on public as well as private considerations, they will
receive them as a pledge of my disposition to do all the good in my power
to this County and Burgh; and beg you would take the trouble to make
these, and my compliments, acceptable to the Corporation, which tie me to
be still more, sir, your most humble servant, - JOHN JOHNSTONE. Dumfries,
30th August, 1730."
Though a slight vein of
irony is visible in this letter, the writer of it had reason to be truly
thankful to the magistrates for keeping him out of an embroilment by which
he might have lost his head; and the beautiful portraits presented by him
remain in the Town Hall-the mementoes of his gratitude, and the best
pictorial treasures possessed by the Burgh. |
