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PREFATORY NOTE
The materials from which
this volume has been compiled have been selected from various
repositories. The origin of the volume may be briefly indicated. In 1890
the Earl of Rosebery, President of the Scottish History Society,
presented to the members of the Society a volume entitled A List of
Persons concerned in the Rebellion (1745), founded upon a document in
his Lordship's possession. With the purpose of providing illustrations
of the condition of affairs at that period, the late Dr. T. G. Law, then
Secretary of the Society, had caused transcripts to be made of certain
papers in H. M. Register House relating to some of the principal
"rebels" mentioned in Lord Rosebery's volume; but it was found that to
include these would swell the volume to gigantic proportions, and the
transcripts were laid aside. After many consultations. Dr. Law decided
to ask the Council to submit these documents to me for a report as to
how they could best be utilised. In May 1893 I reported that the
documents would be of great value to students of the political and
economic history of the period; but I pointed out that to begin with
1745 would make only a fragmentary story, as the earlier forfeitures in
1715 would complicate the sequence of events, and intensify the
exaggerated importance given to the later Rising of 1745, which, in the
popular mind, has dwarfed the earlier movement. Hence I suggested that
some attention should also be given to the forfeitures in 1715, many of
which were merely duplicated thirty years after. It so happened that in
this year (1893) Dr. Law had ac(|uired for the Scottish History Society
several volumes of documents relating to 1715, which were sold at the
sale of Sir Thomas Phillips's books. Some of these bear the signature of
George Chalmers (1742-1825), the antiquary, author of Caledonia and many
other standard works. The volumes contain personal and official letters
written to Christian Cole, who was secretary to the York Buildings
Company, and purchased and administered the properties sold by the
Forfeited Estates Commissioners of 1715. Incidentally the valuations of
the principal estates are detailed among these documents, and afford
absolute proof of the current value of land at the time, while they show
why some of the schemes of the York Buildings Company proved abortive in
Scotland. On my suggestion, Dr. Law consented to the proposal that a
view of these papers dealing with 1715 should be included in this
volume. To keep them distinct from the official documents relating to
1745, they have been utilised in the Introduction. Still further to show
the unwritten history of 1715, I have quoted from the extremely rare
Report from the Commissioners appointed to Enquire of the Estates of
ceHain Traitors in that part of Great Britain called Scotland^ printed
in 1717, and now in my possession. The documents connected with the
Rising of 1745 have been made the chief text of the volume. These were
transcribed from the originals in H. M. Register House in 1890 by Mr.
Walter Macleod ; and the text has been carefully collated with the MSS.
so as to ensure accuracy in the copies now printed. The nature and scope
of the documents are indicated in the Introduction. The editor desires
to express his obligations for valuable assistance rendered by W.
Macleod, Esq.; Dr. D. Hay Fleming; W. B. Blaikie, Esq.; Rev. Robert
Paul; A. Francis Steuart, Esq.; James Duncan, Esq., F.S.A. Scot.; and
Dr. J. Maitland Thomson, for revising proofs and for advice in the
arrangement of the contents of the volume.
A. H. MILLAR.
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