Product Description

They were modern men: doctors and lawyers, students and teachers, shoemakers and shopkeepers, farmers, gardeners and weavers. Children of the Age of Reason, they wrote poetry, discussed the latest ideas in philosophy and science - and rose in armed rebellion against the might of the British crown and government. Sons of a restless nation that had unwillingly surrendered its independence a mere generation before, some were bound by age-old ties of Highland kinship and loyalty.Others rallied to the cries of 'Prosperity to Scotland' and 'No Union!' Many faced agonising personal dilemmas before committing themselves to Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobite Cause. Few had any illusions about the consequences of failure. Many met their date with destiny on Culloden Moor, players in a global conflict that shaped the world we live in today. Combining meticulous research with entertaining and stylish delivery, Maggie Craig tells the dramatic and moving stories of the men who were willing to risk everything for their vision of a better future for themselves, their families and Scotland.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #79217 in Books
• Published on: 2009-02-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

About the Author
Married with two children, Maggie Craig has been a medical secretary, a translator and a Scottish Tourist Guide. She is the author of the acclaimed Damn' Rebel Bitches: The Women of the '45, as well as several historical novels set in Glasgow and Edinburgh. A native of Glasgow, she now lives with her husband and two children in Aberdeenshire.

Customer Reviews

excellent
Another excellent book. I highly recommend it to everyone who has an interst in Scottish Jacobite history.

Men of the '45
'Bare-Arsed Banditti' by Maggie Craig is a collection of short stories detailing the experiences of men who served the House of Stuart in the Jacobite army of 1745/46. Rather than concentrating on the history and wider scope of events, the author intends this as a book "about people" and to 'give a voice' to those people who often become just another name in history.

Through painstaking research of correspondences by the men who partook in the '45 the author paints a colourful picture of the campaign as it unravelled and the personalities of these willing and/or unwilling participants. Although primarily a book about Jacobites, we also hear the poignant tale of Colonel Gardiner- slain within site of his own house, an account of the unfortunate General Cope and the story of Andrew Cochrane, the Whig provost of Glasgow. Famous followers of the House of Stuart in the form of the stalwarts Lord Pitsligo, John Roy Stuart and James Johnstone feature alongside lesser known Jacobites such as Donald MacDonell of Tirnadris, Roderick MacKenzie and Robert Lyon, the latter three giving the ultimate sacrifice for their devotion.

Perhaps the most fascinating chapter of all is that which details the correspondences of the common Jacobite soldiers, the Highland clansmen, who's letters intended (but intercepted or captured) for their families during the campaign are curiously tucked away in a corner of the Public Record Office in London. This is rare insight into individuals who have become cloaked in myth over time and reminds us today that these were family men with feelings and thoughts we can associate strongly with today.

'Bare-Arsed Banditti' is an entirely approachable and informal read, delivered by the author with style, subtlety and strength. This, along with Maggie Craig's Clydeside sense of humour and wit- which is evident throughout the narrative- make this book appealing to a wider audience than just the historian. For serious scholars of Jacobitism there is not much new here, many of the tales one would have heard before although, as previously mentioned, there are some lesser known gems hidden in the text. Certainly worth adding to the collection, if only as a light-hearted, informal read.

Three and a half stars.