Unsung Heroines of the Jacobite Rebellion: Women Who Changed History
History has a habit of forgetting the women. Even when they’ve carried wounded men off battlefields, smuggled messages under their petticoats, or quite literally rowed doomed princes across storm-lashed seas, they often end up as a footnote—if they’re lucky. The Jacobite Rebellion of the 18th century, full of daring escapes and tragic losses, is no different. Everyone remembers Bonnie Prince Charlie, mostly because of his unfortunate nickname and that one time he cross-dressed to flee government forces. But what about the women who helped him? So let’s talk about them. Let’s talk about the women who defied armies, outwitted soldiers, and, in some cases, had to stitch their own lives back together after the rebellion failed. These are the unsung heroines of the Jacobite rebellion— women who changed history and we should never forget.
Flora Macdonald: The Woman Who Dressed a Prince in a Skirt
If you’ve heard of any Jacobite woman, it’s probably Flora Macdonald. She’s the one in all the paintings looking wistfully out to sea, as if pondering a life spent laundering men’s socks. But her real story is much more interesting.
In 1746, after the Jacobite army had been obliterated at Culloden and government forces were sweeping the Highlands for survivors, a bedraggled Bonnie Prince Charlie found himself stranded on the Isle of Skye. Enter Flora Macdonald, a well-connected Highland woman who, despite not being a fervent Jacobite herself, agreed to smuggle the prince to safety.
Her method? Dress him up as her Irish maid, Betty Burke. Yes, the supposed King of Scotland and England fled the country in a frock, a fact which is both delightful and, frankly, deeply relatable. Thanks to Flora’s quick thinking, Charlie escaped (only to spend the rest of his life sulking in exile). Flora, however, was arrested and taken to London, where she was imprisoned in the Tower. Luckily, the English found her charming (or at least, non-threatening), and she was released. She later emigrated to North Carolina, where she had an eventful time dodging cannon fire in the American Revolution before returning to Scotland. Her grave on Skye is still a pilgrimage site today.
More on her here: https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usbiography/macdonaldflora.html
Lady Anne Mackintosh: The Woman Who Led an Army
Lady Anne Mackintosh was not messing around. When the Jacobite cause needed troops, she didn’t just donate money or smuggle letters—she raised an entire fighting force.
In 1745, when Bonnie Prince Charlie landed in Scotland and called for clans to rise in rebellion, Lady Anne took it upon herself to rally the Mackintosh men. Her husband, Captain Angus Mackintosh, was fighting for the government, which made dinnertime conversation somewhat awkward. Nevertheless, she gathered 350 men and sent them to fight for the prince, earning her the nickname “Colonel Anne.”
Her bravery did not go unnoticed. After Culloden, she was arrested and interrogated by government forces, but she charmed her captors so thoroughly that they let her go. (Apparently, 18th-century British soldiers had a soft spot for charismatic, rebellious women.) She spent the rest of her life overseeing the clan lands and generally being a formidable force of nature.
Her story in more detail: https://www.clanmacintosh.com/history/
Jean Cameron: The Woman Who Inspired Scandal
Jean Cameron is proof that history can’t resist turning a powerful woman into a sex scandal. A leading Jacobite figure, she’s often portrayed as some kind of seductive warrior queen, supposedly leading 250 men into battle while dressed as a man. There are also lurid tales about her being the prince’s lover and inspiring the song “Jenny Cameron.”
What’s true? Not much of that, actually. While Jean Cameron did support the Jacobite cause, she didn’t command an army, nor is there any evidence of a torrid affair with Prince Charlie. What she did do was provide financial and logistical support to the rebellion—an act that got her into serious trouble when the government cracked down. She was arrested and interrogated, but, like so many Jacobite women, was eventually released.
Her reputation, however, was another matter. 18th-century society couldn’t quite handle a woman being politically active without assuming she must also be scandalous. The rumours about her followed her for life, and even now, history books struggle to separate fact from slander.
More on her here: https://www.jacobitehistory.com/jeancameron
The Aftermath: What Happened to Jacobite Women After Culloden?
Culloden didn’t just mark the end of the rebellion; it marked the beginning of a brutal period of repression in Scotland. Highland culture was systematically dismantled—tartans were banned, clan chiefs were stripped of power, and Jacobite families were hunted down. While the men faced execution or exile, women bore their own hardships.
Widows and daughters of Jacobite fighters were left landless and impoverished. Some were forced into marriages with government loyalists to save their families. Others, like Flora Macdonald, emigrated to America, hoping for a fresh start only to find themselves caught in another war. The government, always generous when it came to pettiness, even outlawed traditional Gaelic songs and customs, trying to erase Highland identity altogether.
Despite all this, the stories of Jacobite women endured, passed down in whispers and ballads. While history books largely ignored them, folklore kept them alive.
Why Were These Women Forgotten?
The usual reason: history is written by men, and men tend to find women’s contributions “less interesting.” A battle? Exciting! A woman smuggling gold and messages through enemy lines? Eh, not so much.
Women’s roles in the Jacobite rebellion didn’t fit the grand, dramatic narratives historians loved. They were subversive, working in the shadows—plotting escapes, raising funds, hiding fugitives. And yet, without them, the rebellion would have collapsed much sooner. Their courage shaped the course of the conflict, even if they didn’t get statues in their honour.
Luckily, modern historians and novelists are starting to give these women their due. Books like Rosemary Sturge’s Give Me Again, All That Was There (which reimagines the life of Betty Burke, Bonnie Prince Charlie’s fictional Irish maid disguise) breathe life into these forgotten figures, giving them the voice they were denied.
The Legacy of Jacobite Women
Today, the Jacobite cause is more romanticized than ever. Tourists flock to Culloden, Outlander fans swoon over tartan-clad rebels, and Flora Macdonald’s grave is covered in fresh flowers year-round. But beyond the romance, it’s important to remember the real women who risked everything.
They weren’t just background characters in someone else’s war. They fought, they strategized, they suffered—and they deserve to be remembered.
