FLORA MACDONALD

A distinguished historical biographer tells the “stranger than…Jacobite fiction” story of a Scottish national hero.

Named after Flora MacDonald (1722-1790) by her historian mother and politician father, Fraser grew up on a Scottish island once inhabited by brothers claiming descent from Charles, the Stuart prince who tried to regain the British throne from George II. Yet it wasn’t until well into her career as a writer that Fraser realized her namesake had lived a far more complex life than her legend had granted. Most histories focus on the role MacDonald, a “Highland gentlewoman” sympathetic to Charles’ plight, played in saving his life after the attempt to overthrown George II. In disguise, Charles evaded British government troops until he was able to secure a passage to France. Held prisoner for a time on a British ship, MacDonald became a celebrity. Fame brought her into contact with wealthy English nobles like Lady Primrose who were interested in a Stuart restoration; many of them became MacDonald’s patrons. While Fraser examines in detail this period in MacDonald's life, she also explores the less-discussed years after her marriage to the man who inadvertently brought financial ruin to her family. Seeking a way out of poverty, MacDonald and her husband immigrated to North Carolina. There, her life took an unexpected turn when her husband and all four of their sons became Loyalist soldiers in the Revolutionary War. Fraser’s book, which she intended in part as a study on “the nature of loyalism as a function of emigration,” will appeal primarily to Scottish history buffs and lovers of historical biographies. Despite its limited audience reach, the narrative is an eloquent addition to the scholarship on a much celebrated—but not fully considered—life of a beloved historical figure.

A thoughtfully rendered portrait.