Researching Jacobite Ancestors

The Jacobites believed that being King was a God given right and passed on through heredity and were opposed to parliamentary interference with the line of succession to the throne. They saw this interference as being illegal. People were expected to swear allegiance to their King and his authority. Jacobites wouldn't swear allegiance since William was not a direct descendant of James, while Charles Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) was. Hoping to reinstate the Stuart regime, the Jacobites rose in rebellion on a number of occasions, notably in 1715 and in 1745.

Beginning in 1716, Jacobites were rounded up, imprisoned and subsequently transported to the Americas. Approximately 1,500 Jacobite prisoners were exiled to the American Plantations. Since Jacobites were charged with Treason they were tried before the High Court. Documents pertaining to the Jacobites, for genealogical purposes, are Royal Warrants, Letters, and a variety of letters.

While there are some records contained within the High Court records at the National Archives in Scotland, the primary repository is the National Archives in London.

There are also registers of ships that were used for transportation. PDF listings of Jacobite prisoners for various regions of Scotland can be found here: http://www.jacobites.net/lists.html

Hugh Tornabene, a volunteer for the Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild has uncovered the

passenger lists for the ships that were used to transport the Jacobites. He has transcribed the lists for the 10 ships that arrived in the Americas. 

There are another 8 ships that went to the Caribbean (Barbados and the Leeward Islands). Here is the website to view the transcriptions of the 10 ships (there are 13 lists, with two of the ships having made the voyage more than once) that Hugh has transcribed: 

http://immigrantships.net/jacobite/indexjacobite.html

Culloden

Today is the 270th anniversary of one of the bloodiest battles in Scotland's history. Over 1500 men were killed in less than an hour. This was a decisive defeat for the Jacobite forces. And was the beginning of change that led to mass emigration to the American Colonies, the West Indies and eventually to Canada. 

Leanach Cottage on Culloden Battlefield is the only building remaining from the time of the battle. It continued to be occupied up until 1912. The cottage did have barns, but they were burned down by government forces when 30 or so Jacobites who had been wounded but not killed were found seeking refuge in the barns. The gov't forces barricaded the men in the barns and set the barns alight, killing the men and razing the barns to the ground.

In the aftermath of Culloden came the Act of Proscription in 1747. This was an attempt by the English government to do away with the Highland way of life.  The Act banned the wearing of tartan, or Highland dress except for army uniforms. It further banned the carrying or owning of broad swords, durks, pistols, guns or any other "warlike" weapon. Government officers were authorised to search houses and arrest anyone who had proscribed weaponry in their possession. 

Many who were arrested were then banished to the colonies for a period of 7 or more years. 

The Act wasn't repealed until 1782 and by that time, the Highland Clearances had begun with tenant farmers and crofters being moved off of the highland estates to make way for more economical and lucrative sheep farming. 

Jacobite Rebellion Ships Lists

Between 1650 and 1775, thousands of Scots were banished to the Americasfor their political or religious beliefs or for crimes that they had committed. One example of this were the Jacobites who were expelled between 1715-1745. 

Hugh Tornabene, a volunteer for the Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild has uncovered the passenger lists for the ships that were used to transport the Jacobites. He has transcribed the lists for the 10 ships that arrived in the Americas. There are another 8 ships that went to the Caribbean (Barbados and the Leeward Islands). 

Here is the website to view the transcriptions of the 10 ships (there are 13 lists, with two of the ships having made the voyage more than once) that Hugh has transcribed: http://immigrantships.net/jacobite/indexjacobite.html

List of Jacobite Prisoners from 1745

I just came across this interesting link which lists Jacobite prisoners from 1745:

 http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,282134.30.html