2 . A Political Issue
Jacobitism was not only a question of religion , it was also a political movement . Its avowed aim was to expel this Dutch dynasty which had ousted from power a great part of the nation . Indeed , much of the population was unable to identify with this new England where the feeling remained largely “ Tory ” but which would henceforth be dominated by a Hanoverian “ Whig ” oligarchy . As a result of this , there persisted a strong link between the exiled Jacobites and the Tories who remained in England . What Tory didn ’ t remain deeply attached to the Stuart dynasty in his way of thinking ? What Tory didn ’ t raise his glass “ to the health of the King over the water ”? This king who would return to restore the true English to their legal rights . It was undoubtedly this which explains the purge which took place during the first years of George I ’ s reign .
III . Ramsay and Jacobitism : A Lasting Relationship
It is difficult to say with certainty
when Ramsay joined the Jacobite cause . Few elements concerning this period have come down to us , either in the manuscript entitled the Anecdotes , which purports to be a biography dictated by Ramsay himself at the end of his life , or in any of his various publications . However , we know that over a long period of time , he strongly believed in a return of the Stuart dynasty to the British throne . He displayed his Jacobite zeal in various ways : in his youth , for example , he was often seen in
Ritual , Secrecy , and Civil Society
38 the company of Jacobites ; he took part in the doomed 1715 rebellion ; and he also spent several months as the tutor of James III ’ s son . In addition , his political writings clearly bear witness to his attachment to the Jacobite cause . From 1724 , however , some aspects of his behavior appear more ambiguous and lead us to wonder whether his proclaimed Jacobite leanings were beginning to betray certain limits .
1 . Early Signs of Political Commitment
From his earliest childhood , Andrew Michael was raised in a family environment where religion and politics held a large place . His parents were both Protestants , his father being Episcopalian and his mother Presbyterian , but at the same time , they were favorable toward the Stuarts . His mother was very close to the Earls of Mar , who were deeply attached to the Jacobite cause . Moreover , as fervent supporters of James II , they were forced to leave Scotland for a time and probably took refuge in Ireland , where Andrew Michael may have been born . So , although his parents seem to have adopted different standpoints on certain religious issues , they obviously shared the same political convictions .
His youth was marked by the strong bonds he formed with a group of young intellectuals who met together at Rosehearty in Scotland , and who , like Ramsay , were in search of the ideal religion . The vast majority were Jacobites , and many of them took part in the abortive 1715 rebellion , subsequently fleeing to Holland .