Flora MacDonald
Flora MacDonald was a notable Scottish figure born in the Outer Hebrides, where she experienced a challenging upbringing marked by her father's early death and her mother's subsequent remarriage. As the youngest of three children, Flora was raised in a simple yet functional farmhouse and received no formal education, learning instead from her mother and community. Her life took a significant turn during the Jacobite uprising in 1745 when she assisted Prince Charles Edward Stuart, helping him escape British troops disguised as her maid. This act of bravery, rooted in loyalty to her family and clan, led to her arrest and a year of imprisonment, during which she maintained her dignity and composure.
After her release, Flora married Allan MacDonald, and the couple faced numerous hardships, including financial struggles and the challenges of emigrating to America amidst rising tensions between British forces and American revolutionaries. Despite the difficulties she endured, including health issues stemming from her travels, Flora MacDonald remains a symbol of courage and loyalty in Scottish history. Her legacy has been celebrated in literature and commemorated with monuments, reflecting her enduring impact on Scottish culture and identity.
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Subject Terms
Flora MacDonald
Scottish heroine
- Born: 1722
- Birthplace: Milton, South Uist, Outer Hebrides, Scotland
- Died: March 4, 1790
- Place of death: Kingsburgh House, Skye, Inner Hebrides, Scotland
MacDonald helped Prince Charles Edward Stuart escape King George II’s soldiers in 1745 and flee to France. In 1774, MacDonald and her husband moved their family to America and became involved in the American Revolution, fighting for the British. MacDonald’s heroism was noted by several contemporaries, including Scottish writer James Boswell and English writer Samuel Johnson.
Early Life
Flora MacDonald was born on one in a group of islands, the Outer Hebrides, off the coast of Scotland. She was the youngest of three children born to Ranald MacDonald and his second wife, Marion. Ranald was a tackman, which meant he ran two tacks, or farms, on the island. Flora’s father died when she was two years old, leaving her mother a young widow with three small children and two farms to manage. Four years later, Marion married Hugh MacDonald, a young man from Skye. Hugh also was a tackman.
The main products of the MacDonalds’ farm were cattle and sheep. During the summer months the family drove the cattle up the nearby mountain slopes to pasture, and then slept in little huts away from home. On the farm, the MacDonalds lived in a small, plain, but well-furnished cottage consisting of three rooms and a kitchen.
Life on South Uist was not easy. Flora received no formal education. It was the custom for boys to be sent away to school, but girls were expected to learn from their mothers. Flora learned to speak without a Scottish accent, like other Scots of her class. She also learned how to sing, sew, read, and write. It was once believed that Flora left the island to attend school in Edinburgh, but that is inaccurate. The first time Flora left the islands was in 1744, when, at age twenty-two, she visited cousins on the mainland. When Flora’s older brother Angus was old enough to run the tacks himself, Hugh MacDonald moved the rest of the family to Skye.
Life’s Work
In 1745, Prince Charles led one of two major attempts to put his father, James II, on the throne of England. The attempt failed, and Charles found himself on the run from British soldiers with a reward of œ30,000 on his head. His boat landed at Eriskay, a small island off South Uist. The first person he met upon landing was Hugh MacDonald, Flora MacDonald’s stepfather.
Around this time, Flora MacDonald was in South Uist visiting Angus. Also on the island was Colonel Felix O’Neil, who was one of several men traveling with Prince Charles. The prince was hiding in a glen on the eastern side of South Uist. O’Neil and the other men took turns scouting the island for information on the whereabouts of the English troops. On Friday, June 20, MacDonald had taken her brother’s cattle to the hill pasture behind his farm. That night, she was awakened by a cousin with a “friend” who wanted to speak with MacDonald. Dressing quickly, MacDonald went outside to see Colonel O’Neil standing in the moonlight. O’Neil told her about their plan to get the prince off the island and to safety. He proposed that MacDonald travel back to Skye with Charles dressed as her female servant, “Betty Burke.”
At first MacDonald did not want to help. She felt the whole idea too dangerous, for herself as well as the prince. O’Neil tried to assure MacDonald that there would be no trouble, but she was still not convinced. At this point, Charles himself stepped out of the shadows to talk to her. The prince was well known for his charm and, despite his dirty, shabby appearance, MacDonald agreed to help. There were no women’s clothes large enough for Charles to wear, so they had to wait several days for some to be made.
On June 30, MacDonald, Charles, and MacDonald’s cousin sailed for Skye, intending on meeting Lady Margaret, wife of the clan’s chief, but she had an unexpected visitor, an English lieutenant in search of the prince. Charles was left at the boat, and MacDonald was sent to the house with instructions to keep the lieutenant occupied while the others decided the best way to get the prince to safety. When a plan was devised, MacDonald was relieved of her duties. When they parted, the prince gave her the garters he wore under his maid’s costume.
On July 12, MacDonald was arrested and questioned. She told the authorities as much as she could without involving her family and friends, taking most of the blame herself. She was kept prisoner aboard several ships at varying times before being sent to London in November. By the time general amnesty was declared on July 4, 1747, MacDonald had spent a year in prison.
After returning to Scotland, MacDonald renewed a friendship with Allan MacDonald, son of Sir Alexander MacDonald of Kingsburgh. They were married on November 6, 1750, and eventually had six children. By 1774, Flora and Allan were deep in debt because of high rents, bad crops, and the loss of cattle; they decided to emigrate to America.
By 1774 tension had begun to rise between Britain and the American colonies. The Highlanders raised an army on behalf of British king George III. On February 28, 1776, Allan helped lead fifteen hundred men in the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge against the Americans. The charge was unsuccessful, and many men, including Allan, were taken prisoner. The women left at home had to endure difficulties under the hands of the Americans. Their homes were robbed, and they feared for their lives. Flora managed to get her family to safety in New York and was reunited with Allan. She then followed him to Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1778. The winter was too harsh for her health, though, and she headed back to Scotland. Allan did not join her until 1784.
Flora’s health was never the same. She was in constant pain from an arm broken during the trip to Scotland, a break that had not been set properly, and on March 4, 1790, she died after an illness.
Significance
Flora MacDonald was known as a quiet, modest, steadfast woman who captured the imaginations and the affections of the Scottish people. Though not a Jacobite herself, MacDonald helped Prince Charles in his escape from the British out of loyalty to her stepfather and the Highland chiefs. Treason against the throne was a punishable offense, and MacDonald was much admired for her bravery. Even during her year of captivity, she managed to keep her dignity. MacDonald’s fame and influence followed her to America, where she rallied the Highlanders to the king’s side during the American Revolution.
MacDonald’s small but important part in history managed to catch the attention of several authors, most notably James Boswell and Samuel Johnson. Both men mentioned meeting her during their trip through the Hebrides. Several years after her death, MacDonald’s son John built a monument in her honor, but it disappeared within a few months, chipped away bit by bit by Scottish pilgrims. A second monument, built in 1871, was blown down during a violent gale. A third monument was built, and it still stands.
Bibliography
Daiches, David. The Last Stuart: The Life and Times of Bonnie Prince Charlie. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1973. A contemporary account of why Prince Charles, also known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, became one of the great romantic figures in history. Illustrated.
Douglas, Hugh. Flora MacDonald: The Most Loyal Rebel. Stroud, England: Sutton, 1999. A biographical and historical examination of MacDonald’s role as heroine and rebel in the context of Jacobite Scotland.
Erickson, Carolly Charles. Bonnie Prince Charlie: A Biography. New York: William Morrow, 1989. An account of Charles Stuart, the English prince who attempted to overthrow King George III and place his father on the throne. Illustrated.
Fletcher, Inglis. The Scotswoman. New York: Bobbs-Merrill, 1954. A historical novel based on MacDonald’s life in America and her role in the American Revolution.
Herman, Arthur. How the Scots Invented the Modern World. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2001. Examines how eighteenth century and nineteenth century Scotland made crucial contributions in forming the modern world.
Houston, R. A., and W. W. J. Knox. The New Penguin History of Scotland. New York: Penguin Books, 2001. This work contains a detailed examination of the history of Scotland, including the Jacobite uprising and MacDonald’s part in saving Prince Charles.
MacLeod, Ruairidh H. Flora MacDonald: The Jacobite Heroine in Scotland and North America. London: Shepheard-Walwyn, 1995. A historical account of MacDonald’s significance to the greater Jacobite struggle in Scotland and in North America.
Magnusson, Magnus. Scotland: The Story of a Nation. New York: Grove Press, 2000. An exploration of the events that shaped Scotland as a nation.
Toffey, John J. A Woman Nobly Planned: Fact and Myth in the Legacy of Flora MacDonald. Durham, N.C.: Carolina Academic Press, 1997. Examines the rich legacy, including the facts and myths, surrounding MacDonald’s life.
Vining, Elizabeth Gray. Flora, A Biography. New York: J. B. Lippincott, 1966. One of the more thorough, and factual, accounts of MacDonald’s life and her contributions to the Jacobite Rebellion. Illustrated.