History of the Johnstones, 1191-1909, with ... - Electric Scotland

DUMFRIESSHIRE MEN WHO ASSISTED PRINCE CHARLES 173
in my cause as you are to George, I now should have been on the throne of my
fathers." He was at once released, and as the Duke of Cumberland, who was
on his road to the North to attack the Prince's army, heard of it, he sent for
Mr Carlile and offered to relieve him of the heavy debt on his estate if he
would assist him with all the information he could, but, to the distress of Mr
Carlile's nearest relations, he refused even to meet the Duke. His estate passed
out of the hands of his family, owing to the general ruin caused by the failure
of the local banks after the insurrection was suppressed.
Dumfries received the gift of some confiscated estates in recognition of its
townspeople having seized a baggage waggon left in the mud near Ecclefechan
as the Prince's army marched South. The Highland soldiers in charge were
only armed with pikes and scythe blades, so easily taken prisoners.
A few in the county were reported for their share in the movement—two
Johnstones of Knockhill, James Irving, junior of Gribton ; "Edward Irving of
Wysbie guided the rebels from Ecclefechan to Graitney, on their way to
Carlisle ; William Johnstone of Lockerbie was very assisting to the rebels in
their march through Annandale ; William Irving of Gribton refused to drink
His Majesty's health and is supposed to have forced his son into the rebellion
John Henderson of Castlemains imprisoned at Carlisle for drinking treasonable
healths was set at liberty and made Governor of the Jail by the rebels " (he
was executed at Carlisle) ; Gavin Broun, the two Douglases, the Earl of
Nithsdale, and many Maxwells, including Sir William of Springkell, who "had
entertained certain rebels and provided them with horses " ; Sir John Douglas
was kept for a short time in the Tower, but his brothers were left alone after
a trifling search.
One of Prince Charles's aide-de-camps at Culloden was a scion of the
House of Wamfray, the only son and eighth child of James Johnstone, a
merchant in Edinburgh (a Jacobite), and his wife, Cecile Hewit. The younger
James was baptised in Edinburgh in 1719 ; and in 1738 visited his uncles,
General Douglas and Hewit in St. Petersburg, but his father declined to allow
him to enter the Russian service. The same objection did not prevent the
youth from joining Prince Charles Edward at Perth in 1745 and he became
;
aide-de-camp to Lord George Murray, till Prince Charles made him one of his
own, and he remained with the Prince till the end. Lady Jane Douglas, a
distant relative of his mother, had always been kind to him, and, in spite of
hair-breadth escapes, he safely reached her house at Edinburgh, and was concealed
there for two months. After a secret interview with his father, he went
to London, but, probably dismayed by the fate of other captured insurgents, he
left England for Holland disguised as Lady Jane's servant, thence to Paris to
join the Prince, and received 2200 livres out of 40,000 given by the French
Court for Jacobite refugees. He entered the French marines, went to Louis-
bourg, and obtained promotion ; but when Louisbourg was captured by the
English, he fled to Quebec, and assisted Montcalm against the English. On
the capture of Quebec, General Murray kindly ignored his nationality, and sent
him back with other captured officers to France. His parents were now dead,