1. What was a Jacobite ?
2. Were the Jacobites just Scots ?
3. Did the Jacobites all wear Highland Dress ? What Tartan did they wear ?
4. What would have happened if the Jacobites had won ?

What was a Jacobite ?

A Jacobite was an adherent to the Stuart family of King James II and believed that they should rightfully be restored to the thrones of England and Scotland. Many supported the Stuarts as they were pro-Catholic (and later because they opposed the Act of Union between England and Scotland), whilst others did so out of simple loyalty to those they regarded as the rightful monarchs. Some still yet did so out of self-interest, hoping to gain if the Stuarts came to power. The word Jacobite itself comes from the Latin ‘Jacobus’ - James.

Were the Jacobites just Scots ?

The popular misconception is that all the Jacobites were Highlanders, and that the ‘45 rebellion was, for instance, just another English vs. Scots war. This is far from the truth. Whilst it is true to say that in the ‘45 most of Charles’ support came from Scotland, there were more Scots in arms against him than for him. The majority of the Lowlands (the southern half, including the cities such as Edinburgh and Glasgow) spoke Scots or English, and were mostly Protestant. They regarded the Highlanders - who lived in a semi-feudal society, spoke Gaelic, and were mostly Catholic - as barbarians and a threat. Indeed many of the atrocities during the ‘45 were committed by Lowlanders in government service, who were taking the opportunity to ‘put the boot in’ against their traditional enemies. Many of the regiments in the government army were Scots regiments. Not all the Highlands supported the Jacobites either. Some were more prudent to keep out of the whole thing, whilst others, the Protestant ‘Whig’ Clans, such as the Campbells hated the Jacobites. There were large numbers of Highland militia, and the famed ‘Black Watch’ regiment in the Government forces. (The photo above shows members of the recreated Black Watch from Lace Wars, photo courtesy of English Heritage). Nor were the English just anti-Jacobite - most were, but many came out to fight in the Jacobite cause in 1715, and a regiment of English Jacobites was raised in Manchester during the ‘45.

Did the Jacobites all wear Highland Dress ? What Tartan did they wear ?

Given the fact that the Jacobite troops came from all over Scotland, even England and France, they did not all wear the same type of clothing. Only the French regiments were actually uniformed, and everyone else came in their civilian clothing. The Lowland and English troops would have just worn standard clothing of the 1740s, including breeches - indeed evidence suggests that many of the Highlanders wore breeches rather than a belted plaid. Attempts were found at the start of the Rising in 1745 (unsuccessfully as far as we can gather) to find large quantities of plaids to equip the breeched Highlanders with to try and establish some form of uniformity. In addition to breeches many of the better off Highlanders and gentry wore trews, plaid trousers designed to facilitate riding.

Nor was their any uniform tartan. Indeed despite the best efforts of the modern tartan industry to convince us otherwise and increase their sales, it is generally accepted that there were no clan tartans as we understand them today. Instead there were simple tartans (plaid) of various colours, which would vary according to the dyes used and would be worn by Highlanders according to taste and availability. Attempts on rare occasions by Highland Lairds to try and impose some form of uniformity on their clans failed, although many had their own retinues and households wearing the same tartan as a sign of their status.

What would have happened if the Jacobites had won ?

‘What if’ questions are not easy to answer, but there was a slim possibility in 1745 that the Jacobites could have won. If Charles and his army had marched on London instead of turning back at Derby and as a consequence the 3000 French troops under the Duc de Richelieu in France had landed in Southern England, it is possible they could have taken over. Whether or not they could have held onto power is debatable, but provided the Jacobites had given a measure of religious toleration (which Charles promised) and not tried to reimpose Catholicism, it easy to see much of the government changing sides to keep their positions. It is likely that the Act of Union would have been abolished, which so many pro-Jacobites wanted to see, and it is also likely that the British empire would have been much smaller. With French support for the ‘45, a Jacobite government would have been beholden to Louis XV, thus giving him a free hand in North America and India with regard to colonies - and as a consequence imagine everyone in the USA today speaking French instead...!