1745: John Campbell and the Jacobite Occupation of Edinburgh Solutions to the Activities

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1 ctivity 1 The aims of this activity sheet are: To introduce John ampbell, the man who kept the diary on which this resource is largely based. To show how pictorial evidence can be used to learn about the past. To introduce the theme which runs throughout the pack; the question of whether John ampbell was a Jacobite or a Hanoverian. If pupils are working on black and white photocopies of this activity sheet, it will be necessary to provide a colour version of the portrait of John ampbell. This can be found in the image gallery. ampbell is wearing tartan, which had been banned since 1746 under the ct of Proscription: that no man or boy, within that part of Great ritain called Scotland will wear or put on the clothes commonly called Highland lothes and that no tartan, or partly-coloured plaid or stuff shall be used for great coats, or for upper coats. The punishment for breaking this new law was six months in prison or, for a second offender, transportation to any of his Majesty's plantations beyond the seas and there to remain for a space of seven years. This law remained in force until The objects are significant to activity on this sheet (see below). The weapons are a sword and a dirk being worn by ampbell, and a gun on the table next to him. In addition, there is a targe on the wall behind ampbell, although this has not been blanked out for pupils to colour in. The wearing of weapons was also banned under the ct of Proscription The idea of the significance of objects in paintings may be introduced by explaining that the view through the window behind ampbell is of rdmaddy ay, where ampbell was born. This does not mean that the painting was done standing in front of a window with that view; it s just a way of telling the painting s viewers that rdmaddy was a very important place for ampbell. Objects: banknote and bag of coins on the table; gun next to them; pile of books on the shelf under the window. Occupation: the books suggest that ampbell was an educated man (in fact, he trained as a Writer to the Signet), while the coins and banknote suggest that he was involved in finance. The gun indicates the security of the bank, suggesting that money deposited there would be well-protected. The note is a Royal ank note and ampbell was, of course, ashier of The Royal ank of Scotland. This was the 18 th century equivalent of a hief Executive the most senior person in the bank. The evidence from the portrait can be interpreted in two ways. The simpler interpretation is that by wearing highland dress in his portrait, John ampbell was identifying himself with the Jacobite cause. Since wearing highland dress or weapons was illegal at that time, this was quite a rebellious thing to do, and must have been a deliberate choice. More able children may also consider the alternative interpretation, that ampbell obviously felt safe having his portrait made showing him doing something which was officially illegal. This suggests that he knew the Hanoverian authorities trusted him enough to let him get away with it, which they would only do if they were sure he was not really a Jacobite. One further point which might be made is that the tiny portrait on the banknote on the table shows George II, the Hanoverian king. This is an accurate portrayal of a Royal ank note of the period, but it must have been a deliberate choice to show that part of the note so prominently. If the artist and his sitter wished, the king s portrait could have been partly or wholly hidden. It seems likely that an ardent Jacobite would not have been so willing to have a Hanoverian king included in his portrait. The Royal ank of Scotland Group plc Registered Office: 36 St ndrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2Y. Registered in Scotland No

2 ctivity 2 The aim of this worksheet is to set the scene of Edinburgh s preparations for the arrival of the Jacobite army. 250 Nothing He thought they were likely to fire on the people of Edinburgh, whom they were supposed to be defending. dd some repairs to the walls and platforms with cannons on them. ctivity 3 This worksheet shows that, just as the ity of Edinburgh was preparing for the arrival of the Jacobites, businesses and individuals were also busy making preparations. The Royal ank of Scotland wanted to protect its money, record books and all the other items which were essential to its operation as a bank. Regardless of political sympathies, the arrival of an army brought uncertainty with it, through the threat of violence, damage to property and the loss of public order in the city. The bank sought to protect its property by locking it up in the most secure, well-defended place in the city; the astle. This activity sheet contains the first quotations from ampbell s diary. efore beginning to use these quotations, it will be necessary to explain that this was John ampbell s private notebook, which is why some parts of it can be difficult to understand. Some words are abbreviated (eg, [astle] in Source 4). It also has some archaic spellings (eg, packt instead of packed in source 4), and a few Latin words, which will need to be explained to pupils. The accompanying glossary will help with these words. Point 5 on the map High Street or Royal Mile (point 6 on the map) Edinburgh astle (point 1) and Holyroodhouse (point 10) D E Show the bank staff packing up books, money and other possessions, or loading them onto a cart and taking them up to the astle. Notice that the transporting was done at night. This would have been for security, so that there would be the fewest possible people in the streets while the precious items were being moved. It was also probably because the sight of the bank transferring its possessions to the astle might worsen public anxiety, so it would be better if it were done as discreetly as possible. The astle was the most secure place in the city, where the items had the best chance of being kept safe. Taking the possessions to the astle suggests that ampbell did not want the Jacobites to get their hands on the bank s money. lternatively, this might just be because ampbell feared the disorder that would arise from the Jacobites arrival in Edinburgh. ctivity 4 omplete the map. It will be necessary to ensure that pupils understand what consternation means. This question might be presented as How would you feel if? The preparations, as described in ctivities 2 and 3, would mean that there was a lot going on in the city as everyone got ready for the army s arrival. People who did not support the Jacobites might be frightened of them. Even people who did support the Jacobites would feel very uncertain about what might happen. They would wonder whether the Jacobites would seize Edinburgh, what they would do if they did, how their opponents might react, etc. The Royal ank of Scotland Group plc Registered Office: 36 St ndrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2Y. Registered in Scotland No

3 ctivity 5 You may wish to refer back to the map in ctivity 3 to see where the Prince and his army set up camp, and perhaps mark the camp onto the map (point 10) and the map s key. Tall; handsome; light coloured wig; short tartan coat; crimson velvet trousers; military boots; blue bonnet; star of the Order of St ndrew Drawing ctivity 6 Open to opinion but hopefully the answer given will be that he did the right thing! Once they were fit again, they could rejoin the battle against the Prince and his army. ctivity 7 opy of banknote. Note that the dark border around the note is not an original design feature; it is damage caused by old-fashioned preservation methods. lthough the note can be printed in colour, its design is purely black on white, so it is not necessary to give pupils colour photocopies of this activity sheet. Show the banknote burning. To prevent the Jacobites from getting them. It was safer for the bank to destroy the notes than to risk having them fall into hostile hands. t that time, people could take banknotes into a bank and demand gold in exchange for the notes. If the bank s whole stock of notes fell into hostile hands, they might all be presented for payment at once. The bank would not have enough gold to honour its obligations, and it would be bankrupted. urning the notes suggests that the bank was concerned that the astle itself might not be completely secure. Suggests Hanoverian sympathies, because the bank would rather destroy its own notes than risk the Jacobites getting them. ctivity 8 The Earl of readalbane appears to have been friendly towards the Prince and, although he was no longer active in political affairs, he seems to have sympathised with the Jacobite cause. John ampbell was a loyal friend and kinsman of the Earl. John ampbell was very fond of the Earl, who was sympathetic to the Jacobites. This might suggest that ampbell himself would have had ties with the Jacobites, or at least have been able to understand their point of view. ctivity 9 The diary extracts may require some explanation. It was normal for people to take banknotes into the bank and ask to exchange them for gold. The bank was obliged to pay the gold as requested. This was usually not a problem, because only a small quantity would be requested each day. On this occasion, however, there was much more of a problem, both because the bank s money had been locked up in the astle, and because the sums demanded were so large the 3,164 requested on 1 and 2 October 1745 was a sum equivalent to nearly 400,000 today. He wanted gold to finance the expenses of his army when they marched south into England. s the army got further from Edinburgh and Scotland, they would have more problems using Royal ank notes as money, whereas gold would be accepted anywhere. The Royal ank of Scotland Group plc Registered Office: 36 St ndrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2Y. Registered in Scotland No

4 His home (and the homes of the bank s directors) would be seized by onnie Prince harlie s supporters. The money was locked up in the astle. There was a real prospect that ampbell would not be able to get the money; two of the bank s representatives had tried to get into the astle to carry out some bank business on the previous Saturday (28 September), and had been denied access. Referring to harles Edward Stuart as the Prince seems to suggest a respect for him that might indicate Jacobite sympathies. His opponents more commonly called him the Young Pretender. ctivity 10 Each of the sentences paraphrases one of the extracts. The main purpose of this exercise is to aid comprehension of the diary extracts. 5 They went to the room in the astle where the bank s property had been placed, and set to work getting the money for onnie Prince harlie. 1 efore setting off, John ampbell made arrangements to be allowed into the astle. 6 They stayed nearly all day. s they worked, they could hear shooting between soldiers in the astle and onnie Prince harlie s supporters outside. 3 s they walked through the streets, ampbell waved a white flag. 2 John ampbell and his friends ate breakfast together, and then set off towards the astle. 7 When they had finished, they left the astle. John ampbell waved his white flag again as they walked through the streets. They went straight back to John ampbell s house, and then went out for dinner together. 4 t the astle gate, John ampbell told the guards who he was, and they let the drawbridge down so that he and his colleagues could go inside. The guard would have known beforehand that ampbell was due to arrive that day. He may have seen ampbell and his colleagues walking towards him, waving a white flag. He would have spoken to ampbell, found out who he was, and let him into the astle. Perhaps he saw, or was involved in, the shooting during the day. In the afternoon, he let ampbell and his colleagues out again, and saw them walk away, waving their white flag. Perhaps he would have noticed that they were carrying bags on their way out. There is no certain answer to this question. One might say: He had to, because the banknotes had been honestly and legally presented for payment, and the bank had an obligation to pay. He had to, because if he refused, his home would be seized by the Jacobite army. or, on the other hand; He risked his life to obtain money which he knew would be used to fund the Jacobite army. Once inside the astle, he could easily have warned the Hanoverian forces that he had been threatened, and that the money he was withdrawing was to be paid to onnie Prince harlie himself. If he had done this, it is quite certain that the Hanoverians in charge of the astle would not have allowed any money out, and onnie Prince harlie s attempt to get money would have been thwarted. This depends on the answer to the preceding question. ctivity 11 1 November 1745 Derby The Royal ank of Scotland Group plc Registered Office: 36 St ndrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2Y. Registered in Scotland No

5 ampbell mentions it briefly, as though it were not very important. The lack of interest suggests that their presence in Edinburgh did not worry him perhaps because he shared their ideals. ctivity 12 Timeline: 23 July onnie Prince harlie arrives in Scotland 19 ugust Royal Standard raised at Glenfinnan September Royal ank effects taken to astle 16 September Jacobites enter Edinburgh and take control of the city 17 September onnie Prince harlie arrives in Edinburgh and takes up residence at Holyroodhouse 21 September attle of Prestonpans 23 September The Royal ank of Scotland burns its banknotes 1-2 October John Murray, onnie Prince harlie s secretary, presents banknotes to The Royal ank of Scotland, asking for payment of them in gold 3 October John ampbell and five men from The Royal ank of Scotland go to the astle to get the money to pay onnie Prince harlie 1 November The Jacobites leave Edinburgh ctivity 13 The following table records the most direct ways of interpreting the evidence, but alternative interpretations, if they are supported by evidence, should be encouraged. Since we don t know the answer to the question, the point of the exercise is to consider and judge, rather than to arrive at a particular answer. ctivity Source Suggests he was a Jacobite Suggests he was a Hanoverian 1 1 He wore Highland dress, like the Jacobites 3 5 Took the bank s possessions to the astle, to protect them from Jacobites 7 13 urnt the bank s notes to prevent them from being captured by Jacobites 8 14 John ampbell was good friends with his uncle the Earl of readalbane, who was a Jacobite sympathiser 9 15 John ampbell calls harles Edward Stuart the Prince He risked his life to get the money for the Jacobites He doesn t treat the departure of the Jacobites as very important, which suggests that he wasn t frightened of them while they occupied Edinburgh If he refused to get the money, his home and possessions might have been seized by the Jacobites The Royal ank of Scotland Group plc Registered Office: 36 St ndrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2Y. Registered in Scotland No

6 fter assessing the Jacobite/Hanoverian evidence, you may wish to discuss a third possibility; that John ampbell did not have very strong feelings in either direction, and that he was first and foremost a businessman, whose actions were governed by the best interests of his business. Some reasons for regarding the diary as reliable might be: He wrote the diary at the time He was an eyewitness to the events he describes Since this was his private diary, and not a public document, he had no reason to lie Some reasons for regarding the diary as unreliable might be: Expressing Jacobite sympathies in writing, even in a private diary, might be dangerous what would happen if someone took the diary and gave it to the Hanoverian authorities? The diary cannot tell us the whole story, because it is only one person s version of it. For example, the diary tells us that John Murray threatened to seize ampbell s home if the money was not paid to onnie Prince harlie, but it cannot tell us whether he really would have done so, or even whether ampbell believed the threat was geniune. The Royal ank of Scotland Group plc Registered Office: 36 St ndrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2Y. Registered in Scotland No