To begin with the familiar, “our” Mackintosh of Mackintosh, Alfred Donald Mackintosh, who was born in 1851 and married Harriet Diana Arabella Richards was the 28th clan chief to hold the title.  This paper is about one of his predecessors, Captain Aeneas Mackintosh of Mackintosh, the 22nd holder of the title, his wife the Lady Anne and their parts in the last Jacobite Rising in 1745-46.

Background to the Jacobite Risings:

The Jacobites supported the claim to the throne of King James II of England and VII of Scotland and his descendants.  During his short reign, James II became increasingly unpopular, mainly because of his support for Catholicism.  He was eventually replaced by his daughter Mary and her husband William III, usually called William of Orange. King James escaped to Ireland.  He made an ineffectual attempt to regain the throne in Ireland then remained in France until his death in 1701.

William and Mary, who had no children, were succeeded by Mary’s sister Anne, who also died without heirs.  In order to ensure the Protestant succession, the Elector of Hanover, a great-grandson of James I, was proclaimed King of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 1714, on the death of Queen Anne.  He ruled as George I.

In 1715 the first Jacobite rising against the Hanoverian monarchy in an attempt to restore the Catholic Stuart Kings to the British throne, James Francis Edward Stuart (“the Old Pretender”), only son of James II and his second wife, landed at Peterhead but left Scotland some weeks later.  Jacobite forces were defeated at Preston and the rebellion collapsed in 1716.  After this, James lived in Rome until his death in 1766.

In 1745 the second Jacobite rising started when Charles Edward Stuart (“the Young Pretender”), son of James, landed with seven followers at Eriskay in the Hebrides and raised his father’s standard.  The assistance he hoped for from France did not arrive, but the clansmen flocked to him.  Edinburgh surrendered and he kept court at Holyrood.  Following his victory at Prestonpans, he invaded England but turned back at Derby for lack of English support.  He was routed by the Duke of Cumberland’s forces at Culloden Moor in 1746.  The rebellion was ruthlessly suppressed and Charles was hunted for five months. Eventually, he escaped to Brittany, then lived in France and Rome until his death in 1788.

The Political Position:

Whig propaganda identified Charles as a foreigner from Italy (the home of popery). Even in traditionally Jacobite areas, the elites of some clans such as the Mackintoshes and the Chisholms were terminally split in their loyalties. The most effective agents for the Government were the Presbyterian clergy of the west-central and south-east lowlands who encouraged fears that the return of the House of Stuart would bring in an autocratic papist regime.

Now back to the Mackintoshes:

The Mackintosh Clan, one of the members of the Clan Chattan Confederation, was prominent in the Jacobite Rising of 1715 under Brigadier Mackintosh of Birlum. Captain Aeneas Mackintosh of Mackintosh, the Clan Chief in 1745, was on service with General Loudon’s Highlanders when the Rising took place and continued to support the Hanoverian cause (reportedly, because the Elector could pay him “half-a-guinea today and half-a-guinea tomorrow”). His wife, Lady Anne, who was a Farquharson of Invercauld, raised the Clan for Prince Charles.  Her family were also part of the Clan Chattan Confederation.  In 1715 they fought and were defeated at Preston.

Following the landing of the Prince with his companions on the shores of Loch nam Uamh in Arisaig on 25 July 1745, two of Lord John Murray’s Black Watch companies, commanded by Captain Aeneas Mackintosh of Mackintosh and Sir Peter Murray of Ochtertyre were dispatched to Inverary “to assist the Civil Magistrates in seizing the boats in order to prevent the Rebels coming in from the Western Islands.”

After a Jacobite victory at the Battle of Prestonpans, General Loudon (Adjutant to Gen Cope) mounted an enterprising attempt to kidnap the Prince from his quarters at  Moy Hall, 8 miles from Inverness, where he was being entertained by Lady Anne. Gen Loudon took 1,200 men with him after throwing a security cordon around Inverness but word of the expedition preceded him and while his quarry bolted in his nightshirt the local blacksmith and 4 other men were sent out to delay any pursuit. The main force halted 3 miles short of Moy Hall and 30 men were sent to seal off the approaches.  In the dark, they stumbled over the blacksmith and his mates and briefly exchanged fire.  The noise of this exchange threw the main body into confusion and 5 companies retreated.  This engagement is known as the Rout of Moy.  In some accounts Lady Anne is represented as organising the Prince’s escape and instructing her men to shout war cries and fire their guns in order to confuse the enemy but Col John Sullivan, a Jacobite who was present, paints a picture of her running around in a state of panic dressed only in her shift.

The clansmen raised by Lady Anne are referred to in official reports as Lady Mackintosh’s Regiment and she became known as “Colonel Anne”. After the defeat at Culloden, she was imprisoned for 6 weeks for her support of the Jacobites.  General Hawley hoped to provide her with a “mahogany gallows and a silken cord” but his wish was not granted and she was released unharmed.

Sources — and a puzzle:

I first came across this incident in a novel, The Flowers of the Forest by Jan Carew, in which Lady Anne appears as a character (information about the imprisonment of Lady Anne after Culloden and the quote about Captain Aeneas’ “half-a-guinea today …” come from this book). The author, who was born in Dunfermline and now lives in Penarth, tells me that the Rout of Moy is a well-known part of Scottish history. I also consulted 3 reference books available in the Central Library: 1745: a Military History of the Last Jacobite Rising by Stuart Reid; The Scottish Nation 1700-2000 by TM Devine; The Clans and Tartans of Scotland by Robert Bain. In 3 of the books mentioned, the 22nd Mackintosh’s Christian name is given as “Aeneas” but The Clans and Tartans of Scotland calls him “Angus” I did check whether either name was also used by his descendants and find that the 28^th Mackintosh had an elder brother named Alexander Aeneas and a son named Angus -…. not a lot of help!

This is a digitisation of a Roath Local Hisotry Society – Occasional Paper which was written in 2008 by Malcolm Ranson