The Saber and Scroll Journal Volume 8, Number 3, Spring 2020 | Page 90

The Saber
ily from Yorkshire, whose women outshined
the men in the active participation
in all Jacobite Rebellions. Eleanor
Wall married Theophilus Oglethorpe;
she was Irish Catholic and served
Charles II’s mistress, Louise de Querailles,
Dutchess of Portsmouth. 11 Eleanor’s
loyalty to the Stuarts was beyond
mere religious affiliation, and she was
a faithful supporter of James II as she
held service in the King’s household.
Both King James and his wife Queen
Mary trusted Eleanor to such an extent
that they asked her to keep some of the
Queen’s diamonds during the Glorious
revolution of 1688. She later traveled to
the King’s court at St. Germain, France,
and returned them. 12 While attempting
to restore his throne from William III,
James II found less support than he had
anticipated during his rising of 1689.
Nevertheless, Elenore provided assistance
by transporting intelligence to
her husband, stationed in Ireland, who
held command of some of the King’s
troops. Eleanor and her husband were
very active in James II’s court before
the Glorious Revolution and managed
to purchase a home, Westbrook Place,
in 1688. 13 The Oglethorpe house became
the staging area for the plot of
the rising in 1689 since it contained a
“secret passage” for private meetings
and provided a safe haven for hiding. 14
During the 1689 uprising, the government
considered both Eleanor and
Theophilus a threat and ordered their
arrest. In February 1690, Hanover soldiers
captured Eleanor while attempting
to deliver messages to Ireland for
King James II. 15 The Hanoverian government
released her shortly after her
4