The Battle of Prestonpans Tapestry

   Members are busy stitching* About our panel * We've completed our panel

Introduction:

This epic and ambitious community project will see the creation of a huge tapestry depicting the first weeks of the 1745 Jacobite campaign and Prince Charles Edward Stewart's resounding victory at the Battle of Prestonpans.

The finished tapestry, which is in fact embroidery, will measure over 100 metres long and will have involved over 200 volunteers from the communities associated with the Prince's journey. The panels depict different aspects of the Prince's journey from his home in Rome, by ship from France to Eriskay, through the Highlands to Edinburgh and victory over General Cope's forces at Prestonpans. Each of the panels is meticulously historically researched and the final designs created by artist Andrew Crummy.

From the end of July until October 2010 the completed tapestry, which will be longer than the Bayeux Tapestry, will follow the Prince's footsteps and be displayed in many of the places he visited in 1745. The complete tapestry will be on display in the Ballroom of Blair Castle from 1st to 3rd August, 2010. The final home of the tapestry will be in Prestonpans.

Mid April - of the Rannoch and Highland Branch are busy stitching the panel which depicts the Prince staying at Blair Castle. The panel must be completed by the end of May but good progress has been made so far. We are enjoying getting together every Thursday for a day of stitching and up to four stitchers can sit and work at one time at the large frame thanks to Sylvia's husband Duncan having made a splendid stand for the frame. This enables us to companionably sew together with suitable short breaks for morning coffee, soup at lunch time and tea in the afternoon. Sylvia also beavers away in the evenings!

Sylvia Robertson at Blair Castle in particular was proud to be using an excellent embroidery frame especially crafted by her husband. [Jealousy is a deadly sin!] Panel # 35 can be seen appropriately braced and the whole illuminated for late night working perhaps. And everyone of her fellow embroiderers is a Robertson: Ingrid Robertson, Jenny Stark and Ginnie Wilkie.

Stitchers come when they can and so far the following local branch members who have wielded a needle -Jean Cameron (who came all the way down from Rogart in Sutherland), Ann McBay, Betty Robertson, Ingrid Robertson, Sylvia Robertson, Jenny Stark and Ginnie Wilkie. It is expected that more members will have put in some stitches before the work is complete.

Our panel is now completed and has been taken Prestonpans, where the rest of the panels will be stitched together ready for display. The completed tapestry will tour Scotland later this summer and will be on display at Blair Castle from 31st August - 3rd September. It will eventually be on permanent display at Prestonpans.

Men can sew too - Duncan Robertson adds some stitches.

           Iris and Flora Stark, members from Germany, during a
           visit to Scotland, Flora is our youngest stitcher and she
           and her mother are our furthest travelled stitchers.

Sylvia and Duncan Robertson deliver the completed panel to Prestonpans.

Our signature, bottom right of panel.

'Our' panel
We were sent a 'kit' comprising a full size coloured cartoon on paper, the appropriately coloured wools and linen fabric with pencil outlines drawn on by the artist Andrew Crummy. The crewel embroidery is being worked in wool in a variety of stitches including stem, Quaker, split, chain, long and short, satin, Byzantine and couching.

Dorie’s Wilkie (Senior Stitcher and organiser) shows off some completed panels during a visit to our stitchers from left to right  Dorie Wilkie; Jenny Stark; Ingrid Robertson;  Andrew Crummy, (Aritist); Sylvia Robertson; Ginnie Wilkie  Ann McBay.

General description of 'our' panel.
Entitled 'The Prince stays at Blair Castle', the panel shows Prince Charles Edward Stewart, Duke William the Jacobite Duke of Atholl, Lady Lude, Blair Castle and additional historical details depicted in the borders around the main scene.

The Prince.
In 1745 Bonny Prince Charles Edward Stewart sailed from France and landed on the west coast of Scotland. Travelling with a small group of loyal supporters, including Duke William, he travelled east and then south to Atholl. He must have been bitterly disappointed when the expected hoards of
Highlanders failed to join him and the promised French aid failed to materialise, but the time at Blair Castle allowed loyal Jacobites, including many from clan Donnachaidh, to come and throw in their lot with the son of the exiled King James. Meanwhile, plans were made prior to the Prince and his followers setting off south for Edinburgh, full of hope.

The Prince is depicted on the panel as a stylish young man, full of confidence, with a white cockade on his splendid black cocked hat.

Duke William
In 1745 there were effectively two Dukes of Atholl. William had been attainted because he joined the 1715 Rising. He had to live in exile and the title passed to his brother James. Many loyal Jacobites on the Atholl estate continued to regard William as the true Duke of Atholl and, knowing this, in 1745 Duke James withdrew to London. Duke William, who was one of the Prince's most loyal friends and brother to Lord George Murray, sailed with the royal party from France, raised the standard at Loch Shiel and hosted the Prince's stay in his old home, Blair Castle while doing all he could to raise Atholl men for the Jacobite cause.

William was in poor health, suffering from gout, arthritis and 'the sciatick' which is why Andrew Crummy has depicted him bent and leaning heavily on a walking stick.

Lady Lude
The widowed Mrs Charlotte Robertson of Lude was a daughter of Lord Nairn and a cousin of Dukes William and James and Lord George Murray. On the death of her husband she continued to live at Lude, very near Blair Castle, and was thrilled to be asked by the unmarried Duke William to act as hostess to his royal visitor. As well as functions in the castle, a grand ball was held at Lude and Duke James’ factor sourly described the widow behaving 'like a light Giglet.'

She is portrayed wearing a fashionable white ball gown embroidered with sprigs of flowers in delicate heather shades.

Blair Castle
The oldest part of the castle dates back to 1269 but over the following centuries a number of alterations and additions had been made. Work had been started to extend the building at the south end but, due to lack of money and the political uncertainty of the times, this had not been completed and the castle on the panel shows Blair Castle as it was when the Prince stayed there in 1745.

Border details
The top border gives the dates of the Prince's stay, 31st  August -3rd  September beside a quill pen and the sealed letter which Lord George Murray, the Prince's Lieutenant General and younger brother of Duke William, wrote to the Prince from Perth.

The side panel shows details of the embroidery on Lady Lude' s ball gown and a pineapple, which the Prince tasted for the first time while staying at Blair Castle.

Bonny Prince Charlie saw, for the first time, bowls being played on the Castle bowling green and this is shown on the bottom panel.

Andrew Crummy left the bottom right comer of each panel blank so that stitchers could identify themselves with their logo or initials. Despite the small space available and with the help of Sylvia's brother, who very kindly drew on the design, we have embroidered the clan crest, a hand upholding the crown, and the words Clan Donnachaidh Rannoch and Highland Branch.

Clan Donnachaidh's plant emblem, bracken, has been added to the bottom of the main picture and the initials of each stitcher will be discreetly embroidered onto individual fronds, to remain there as a hidden record of our part in the creation of the Prestonpans Tapestry.