The Saber and Scroll Journal Volume 8, Number 3, Spring 2020 | Page 113

ontributions of Women Jacobites 1688–1788
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By 1745, the Jacobites had had several
failures, such as the 1715 uprising led
by the Duke of Mars and the Spanish
attempt, so most clans would not openly
declare their support for the Stuart
cause. Most men and clan chieftains had
lost heart in the fight and were content
to sit on the fence rather than commit
themselves to action and risk another
failure. Nevertheless, Jacobite women
rallied and generated the support of
their menfolk by bullying or whatever
means were at hand.
It is unknown if Isabel regretted
her words and the influence she had on
her husband; she faced hardship and fled
into exile in France following the Battle
of Culloden. Although her husband escaped
and hid in a small cave near their
home, known as Ardsheal’s Cave, he
eventually had to flee the country when
government men enhanced their search
for all Jacobites. 90 Government soldiers
sacked Isabel’s house. With her ability
to feed her young children stolen from
her by Cumberland’s men, and the fear
of reprisals, she fled into the snow with
her newborn infant and five small children.
91 She avoided the English army by
moving from hut to hut until she could
obtain passage to join her husband in
France. The couple settled in Sens, in
Champagne, France, for the rest of their
days. 92 The most famous heroine of the
final rebellion was Flora MacDonald.
Raised as a stout Jacobite, she was the
last hope to secure the safety and escape
of Charles Edward Stuart from Scotland
following the defeat of the Jacobite forces
at Culloden. Her act of bravery included
dressing the Prince as her maid,