Traquair’s Royal Connection - Part IV

This is the fourth, and final part of what has been an illuminating trip through the lengthy history both of The Stuarts of Traquair and the Scottish Crown. At times the two have been closely intertwined, however as we move into Part IV we will see the decline of The Stuarts, their staunch support for the doomed Jacobite clause and their eventual fading into obscurity and extinction. It’s not going to be all doom and gloom however, as a key marriage of Charles, 4th Earl of Traquair, into the Maxwell family will give this story an upbeat ending. And that is where we pick the story up…

24. James VII and II (1685 - 1688)

James VII, King of Scots, became King on the death of Charles II, his big brother. James was a Catholic and as Part III of this blog showed us, this was troublesome to the nobility and his subjects. His short reign ended after three years in the so called Glorious Revolution where Willem Hendrik, Prince of Oranje (otherwise known as King William III or King Billy to Rangers fans) was invited to take the throne with his wife, Queen Mary (Protestant, Anglican daughter of James VII). The Glorious Revolution was principally kicked off because James VII had another son called James Francis Edward Stuart (the future Old Pretender) and the fear was with him becoming heir and raised a Catholic, it would exclude the Protestant William and Mary. So a joint reign began and James and his son fled to Europe. The Jacobite era had begun…

At Traquair we left things in the hands of the fourth Earl, Charles Stuart, who appears to have made little secret of his support for the Jacobite cause, leading to his imprisonment on two occasions. His marriage to Lady Mary Maxwell, daughter of the Earl of Nithsdale (also Jacobite supporters and Roman Catholics) was a vital one for the future of Traquair. The now united family of Maxwell-Stuart, headed by Catherine, owes it’s current status to this match and it is through the Maxwell-Stuarts that the great tradition of these two houses endures.

One of the most remarkable stories in the history of Traquair dates to the time of the 4th Earl. The Lord Nithsdale (brother in law to Charles, 4th Earl of Traquair) was jailed in The Tower of London for his Jacobite ways. Sensationally he escaped, the day before he was due to be brutally executed, in a plot involving cross dressing to confuse the guards at London’s Royal fortress. It sounds like something from ‘allo ‘allo however this was life and death stuff. The Jacobites were seen as enemies of the state. A wonderful book called ‘Lady Nithsdale and The Jacobites’ by Flora Maxwell-Stuart details more of this and the other remarkable stories of the time. The Stuarts of Traquair and Maxwells of Nithsdale showed courage and loyalty to their cause and faith, while other houses moved with the prevailing winds. It was to cost them.

25. Queen Anne (1702 - 1714)

Queen Anne was the first Monarch of Great Britain, following the Act of Union in 1707. She was also the last Stuart monarch, being succeded by George I and the House of Hannover, none of whom ever visited Traquair. There were rival claims of Catholic pretenders (the Old Pretender as noted above), but these were dismissed by the British establishment. I don’t have any details of how, when and if Anne visited Traquair, but we know she did spend time in Scotland in the early 1680’s. One to look into at the Traquair archives! You’ll note that her predecessors, William and Mary, did not visit Traquair. Nor do I believe did any of the Hanoverian or Saxe-Coburg Gotha monarchs.

All of Anne’s reign as monarch was during the long period of the 4th Earl of Traquair, lasting for many decades. He died in his early 80’s in 1741, having fathered 17 (!) children. Never mind the Earl, well done The Countess! It was during his time that the house took on the shape we recognise today, with the two wings added. He continued his staunch support of the exiled King James, and Traquair was heavily implicated in the 1715 rising. Upon his death, his son (also Charles) became the Fifth Earl. The continuity of faith and support for the exiled, Catholic Stuart Monarchs remained. The Fifth Earl was responsible for building the famous entrance to Traquair, topped with bears from the arms of Traquair (a nod to the hunting past of Traquair). These were built in 1738 and were only in use for a small number of years before famously being closed. With that in mind, lets move on to Charles Edward Stuart.

N/A. Charles Edward Stuart (Pretender 1766 - 1788)

Known to history, romance and tour guides as ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’, Charles Edward Stuart was born in Rome, the son of the Old Pretender and he was, in the minds of Jacobites, the Prince of Wales as rightful Heir to the throne of Great Britain. He arrived in Scotland in July 1745 to raise his fathers standard and launch what would be the last major Jacobite rising. The story is a familiar one - the gathering of Highland clans, the victory over Government forces at Prestonpans which sent fear and shock into the heart of the British state, the march to Derby (only 100 flat miles from London!) and decision to retreat, followed by the slaughter of Culloden and subsequent suppression of Highland culture. He then fled, over the sea to Skye, and retreated to the continent. Further attempts were made to gain the British throne, including even renouncing his Catholic faith, but the cause was lost. The days of The Stuarts as Monarchs and serious claimants to the throne of Britain died at Culloden.

The decline and fall of The Stuarts of Traquair…

The Fifth Earl had welcomed Charles to Traquair in September 1745 and promised, on his departure, to keep the gates locked until the Stuarts were returned to the throne. Thus was added another layer of romance and the literal shutting away of the Stuarts of Traquair into the forgotten margins of Scottish history. Charles, Fifth Earl, also spent time in prison for his Jacobitism and died in 1764. His successor was his brother John, already an old man, and it is with him that the house began an even more unsettled period of financial instability. John actually retired to France, handing over the house to his son (another Charles!) who would in time become the Seventh and penultimate Earl. More financial misfortune befell him and an ill-fated spell on the continent left him bankrupt and widowed. He returned to Traquair to see out his days. He would, however, leave a lasting legacy for the people of the area. He built the first pavilion at what would become St. Ronan’s Wells, giving Innerleithen its first tourist attraction. This was in 1826, a few years after Sir Walter Scott’s novel ‘St Ronan’s Well’ which was enthusiastically linked to Innerleithen by local folk, and endorsed or at least indulged by Sir Walter. The 7th Earl lived just long enough to hear of, if not attend, the first St Ronan’s Border Games in September 1827. A month later he was dead.

The 8th, and final, Earl of Traquair inherited both his title and debts from his father. The Estate was reduced, but many farms were installed (many of the Traquair Estate farmhouses we see today, with crow stepped gables, date to this time). He was a retiring man, with his share of quirks and steadfastly refused to end his bachelor ways, even at the expense of continuing the line of Stuarts. Notoriously he would play pranks on any poor, unsuspecting potential countess - salt in the tea, nettles in the bed, ghost stories. He was happy to cultivate the image of weird bachelor. Contemporary reports do point to a Laird who was well liked locally both on his Estate and in neighbouring villages. One of my favourite stories is that in his dotage he had a particularly attentive and favourite butler - John Hope. Mr Hope was the uncle of George Hope Tait, a figure whose mark in The Borders is best exemplified in his role to create Innerleithen’s Cleikum Ceremonies and Galashiels’ Braw Lads Gathering. The Earl was so fond of Mr Hope that he built him a Villa - Hope Villa. This is now Craig Dhu in Innerleithen and is split into two homes, with the gardens being home to three more - The Limes, Norwood and Ivanhoe. Some of the apple trees planted for Mr Hope still bear fruit today. He must really have loved that butler! On his death, the Earldom became extinct. His sister, Lady Louisa, became the 15th Laird (Lady) of Traquair. She was devout in her faith, and was Lady of Traquair from the ages of 85 to 99. She was interested in her people in the surrounding hopes, farms and cottages and was fondly remembered - some people even report still seeing her wandering the grounds today, almost 150 years after her death. She was a remarkable link from the Jacobite past to the Victorian age - she met Burns, Walter Scott and her grandfather had supped with Bonnie Prince Charlie. With her death, The Stuarts of Traquair died. She was laid to rest in Traquair Kirk, along with her ancestors. This aisle was sealed, the last resting place of the ancient House of Stuart of Traquair - 1491 to 1875.

But the story continues…

‘Discourses against Popery’ - Traquair Library

The Stuarts of Traquair took at the new Protestant religion in 1560, during the Scottish reformation. 100 years later, under the second Earl, they returned to the ‘true religion’ of Roman Catholicism. The TER on this volume suggests it was inherited from Terregles, along with many other Maxwell treasures.

Tomb of the Earls of Traquair, Traquair Kirk

The monument to Lady Louisa sealed the tomb, the end of the line of Stuarts of Traquair

26. George V (1910 - 1936)

A royal visit of the newly minted House of Windsor. George V visited along with Queen Mary and the future George VI in 1932.

By this time Traquair has passed to the Hon. Henry Constable Maxwell, as decreed in the will of the final Earl. He took the surname Stuart, by virtue of his own descent from the fourth Earl. The family moved from Terregles in Nithsdale to Traquair. The Lairdship eventually passes to Francis (Frank) Constable Maxwell Stuart who is the first to see the tourism potential of the house, and embarked on improvements post World War II, opening the house to the public a few days a week. It was he who started to uncover some of the splendour of the old house. He was succeeded by his son Peter, who quickly realised maintaining the house and estate was a full time job. Peter, along with his wife Flora, threw themselves into Traquair, spending 30 years working on restoring and maintaining this incredible piece of history. One of his lasting legacies is the brewery, where Traquair Ale is still produced to this day. The brewery dates to the early 1700’s and was originally domestic, producing beer for the house and estate but had eventually become unloved and forgotten, paralleling the fortunes of The Stuarts. Peter discovered it in in the early 1960’s where it was full of old junk but, remarkably, the brewing equipment still worked! Thus began the story of Traquair Ale, produced under license in the house to this day. Indeed, they have just celebrated the 2000th brew with a superb new ale. Traquair beer is perfect winter stuff, traditional ‘wee heavies’. To learn a bit more about this story, have a look at this video, from the national archives. Peter died in 1990, living long enough to welcome the last royal visitor to Traquair, in 1989.

27. Elizabeth, Queen of Scots (1952 - 2022)

Her Majesty The Queen ascended to the throne in 1952 and thus began the longest reign of any Monarch in the history of this island. Known across the world as Queen Elizabeth II, at the suggestion of the then Prime Minister Winston Churchill to simplify numbering after the Union of the Crowns, it’s never sat that easily in Scotland - given that Elizabeth I was never Queen here. For my part, I like to think of her Late Majesty as Queen of Scots - reflective of both her clear love for the country, as well as her lineage to the Stewart Kings of Scotland. We know all about Elizabeth and she visited Traquair in 1989 with Prince Phillip, though only in the grounds. It’s actually a day I have a vague recollection of happening, standing outside the Memorial Hall waving a wee flag at 7 years old. That royal visit brings the story of Traquair and it’s brushes with Scottish royalty to the current day - we await to see if King Charles III will visit Traquair, but time will tell.

Traquair itself undertook a change in leadership, just a few months after Elizabeth visited, Peter Maxwell Stuart, 20th Laird of Traquair, sadly died. His young daughter Catherine became the 21st Lady of Traquair, a title she holds to this day. Initially running the estate with Flora, Catherine took on sole leadership when Flora retired at the Millennium and Catherine runs the estate, with the help of her husband Mark Muller, their children and a super team of locally based staff. The house continues to diversify with weddings, festivals, sporting events, light shows, dog shows, medieval fayres, filming, theatre and just about everything else in between being hosted in the house and grounds. Catherine is a tireless advocate of Traquair, and of The Borders in general, working exceptionally hard to bring visitors to her home and continue the story of this oldest inhabited and arguably most fascinating house in Scotland.

Conclusion

I started writing this blog back in June, thinking I could rattle through it quickly in one post. 5 months and four parts later, I have well and truly proved myself wrong! What a story Traquair has, and my own modest efforts at condensing it would not have been possible without the following sources - Traquair Website & Archives, The Cleikum by the late George A. Anderson, the guides at Traquair, National Library of Scotland, Gillian ‘Lady’ Steele and Caroline for providing me with the list, ‘Lady Nithsdale & The Jacobites’ and ‘A Gift of Time’ by Flora Maxwell Stuart, ‘The Kings and Queens of Scotland’ and ‘David I’ by Richard Oram, The Flodden Visitor Centre and Allan Johnston for information about Hope Villa.

As kids we would cycle across from Innerleithen during the summer holidays, fording the Quair Water so we didn’t have to pay (sorry Catherine) and spend the day running through the woods, getting lost in the maze and clubbing together to buy a piece of rhubarb rock. As a result, we soon grew to know the house and grounds well, and I suspect took it for granted. As teenagers we snuck into the Beer Festival (a recurring theme) and drank too much. In adulthood I attended plays and performances here. And now I take my kids, losing them in the maze, petting the animals and telling them stories about the ghosts of 1,000 years of history. I am no Laird and my name will never be mentioned in the annals of Traquair, but this deep dive has made me realise just how much the house is part of my own story and that taking it for granted is no longer on the agenda. Long live Traquair!

Judge Nocht