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MacDonald, Flora

Name: Flora MacDonald

Achievements: Helped Prince Charles Stuart to escape from Scotland

Born: 1722; Milton, South Uist, Outer Hebrides, Scotland

Died: March 5, 1790; Skye, Inner Hebrides, Scotland (Aged 68)

Field & Discipline: Religion; Politics; Government

Language: Gaelic; English

Father: Ranald MacDonald

Mother: Marion MacDonald

Siblings: Angus; Ranald

Spouse: Allan MacDonald

Children: Charles; Ranald; Alexander; James; John; Ann; Frances

Education: At home

Life & Times:

In May 1745 Flora moved with her mother and step-father to Armadale in the southern part of the island of Skye. In July of that year, [helped escape of] Prince Charles Edward Stuart* landed in Scotland to begin the rebellion (called ‘Jacobite’ after his father James, who had tried the same thing earlier) which he hoped would regain the crowns of Scotland and England for his father, James.

Flora's stepfather, Hugh MacDonald of Armadale,  claimed to have met the Prince at Moidart when he first landed on the Scottish mainland, and the Clanranald MacDonald’s joined the Prince.  Armadale, however, was appointed captain of a company of local militia raised by Sir Alexander MacDonald of Sleat to defend Skye against Charles's supporters ­ a post he could not refuse.

By the end of April 1746 Prince Charles was on the run in the Highlands with a price on his head.  In June, Cumberland, General of the English armies,  heard from MacDonald of Sleat that the Prince was hiding in the Outer Hebrides, waiting for a boat to France. Armadale was ordered to search for arms and rebels on the islands, and travel by boat was forbidden between the Outer Hebrides and Skye and the mainland.

In early June, Flora went to visit the Clanranald’s at Benbecula, in the Outer Hebrides and there she met her cousin Lady Margaret Clanranald and Captain Felix O'Neill, a dashing Italian born Irishman who was then in the service of the French who were sympathetic to the Stuart cause. O'Neill had been with the Prince since his defeat at Culloden and was attempting to get him onto a boat for France.

Flora travelled on to the island of South Uist,  visiting her brother on the family farm at Milton,  and  was briefly introduced to the Prince by O'Neill as the royal party foraged for food. At the end of June she was persuaded by O'Neill and her stepfather to help the Prince leave the island of Uist. 

As leader of the militia, Armdale was able to give her a passport, in which he included the name of Betty Burke, an Irishwoman who was acting as maid to Flora. On 27 June, Flora and one of the Prince's followers, accompanied by Charles dressed in woman's clothes, sailed to Skye.

They were prevented from landing by gunfire from the militia and sailed on to another place near Monkstadt.  Flora left the two men in a cave and went to Monkstadt where Sir Alexander MacDonald lived.  Lady MacDonald was a sympathiser,  but among her guests was Captain John Macleod,  who was in command of the militia, and he grilled Flora about her arrival in Skye and about the Prince's movements in the islands. She managed to avoid suspicion and that night escorted the Prince to a house on the MacDonald estate.

The next morning, they travelled to Portree where Flora left the Prince after he set sail for an island nearer the mainland. The boatmen were arrested on their return to Uist and the escape and Flora's part in it became known.

She was arrested in July and held at Leith, just outside Edinburgh, until November when she was taken by sea to London. She impressed the navy with her dignity and poise and was treated with great consideration.

After some months [visited in prison by] Frederick, Prince of Wales*, visited Flora in order to annoy his father, the king, and was so impressed by her he ordered that she should have every comfort.

After a general amnesty in July, 1747, she was freed and arrived in Edinburgh in August. She married Allan MacDonald at the end of 1750 and settled with him on Skye.  In 1767 he lost his job and they were soon in debt. In 1773 [visited by] Dr Johnson*  and [visited by] Boswell*visited their cottage on his Hebridean tour and was as impressed as everyone else who had met Flora.

Life was so hard in the Highlands that many people were attracted by emigration to north America.  In North Carolina there were many Gaelic-speaking highland families with whom Flora was closely connected,  so in 1774 Flora and her family sailed to America where they bought a plantation and settled at Cheek's Creek in what was later called Montgomery County in North Carolina.

Almost immediately they were caught up in the war of Independence. MacDonald was loyal to the English crown and was made a brigadier-general,  captured after the defeat of his troops at Moore’s Creek in February 1776 and too high a rank to exchange. Flora lost her home and all her household possessions.

MacDonald was eventually appointed commander of Fort Edward in Novia Scotia but could not secure his release from service. In 1779 it was agreed that Flora would return to Britain. On the voyage home her ship was attacked by a French privateer and she was injured. 

Back in London she was treated by the second son of [treated by son of] Monro*  of Edinburgh,  with whom she had a family connection.  She returned to Scotland in 1780 and stayed with different relatives until her husband eventually returned in 1785 and they settled on Skye.

Assessment: Flora MacDonald is remembered for helping Bonnie Prince Charlie to escape from the island of Skye.

Oneliner: Flora MacDonald, who helped Bonnie Prince Charlie to escape

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