The Prestonpans Tapestry is on display at New Lanark until the 9th April when it will be on display at other venues in Scotland. New Lanark is a World Heritage Site in South Lanarkshire in Scotland.
Today I went down to New Lanark to view the tapestry and also to see a group of British Army (Redcoat) re-enactors from the Edinburgh City Guard (http://www.edinburghcityguard.org.uk/).
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Prestonpans Tapestry |
Longest Tapestry in the World
The tapestry is the longest in the world, took 25,000 hours of work and has 10 million stitches and was created between 2006 and 2010.
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Prestonpans Tapestry |
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Prestonpans Tapestry |
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Prestonpans Tapestry |
Charles Edward Stuart - Bonnie Prince Charlie
Charles Edward Stuart, called The Young Pretender, The Young Chevalier, and Bonnie Prince Charlie (1720-88), was a grandson of the last Stuart monarch, James Vll of Scotland and ll of England.
Charles Edward Stuart "Bonnie Prince Charlie" or the Young Pretender, was the last Stuart claimant to the British throne. He led the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, which ended at the Battle of Culloden.
James Vll of Scotland or ll of England was the last Catholic monarch of the United Kingdom and was overthrown in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and fled to France. This was the union of English Parliamentarians and the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau (William of Orange).
(Since 1701 The Act of Settlement was passed to secure the Protestant succession to the British throne and to prevent Catholics from becoming monarch).
William and Mary
William's successful invasion of England with a Dutch fleet and army led to his ascending of the British throne as William III jointly with his wife Mary II.
There were several attempts to restore the male Stuart line but none came so near to success as the campaign by Prince Charles Edward (Bonnie Prince Charlie or the Young Pretender) in 1745.
Jacobites
The supporters of the deposed king and his descendants were called 'Jacobites', from the Latin for James, 'Jacobus'. Although there was Jacobite support in other areas of Britain and in continental Europe, the main stronghold was the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.
The Stuarts had ambition to reclaim the throne. In 1745, Charles travelled to the Highlands to raise the Scottish clans in rebellion against the current British monarch (King George II, of the house of Hanover). His plan was to make his father, James Stuart, the 'Old Pretender', king.
Battle of Prestonpans
The Jacobite force was almost exclusively made up of Highlanders. Prince Charles landed on the small island of Eriskay and gathered the loyal clan Chiefs before advancing on Edinburgh which they took without much resistance. A government army was defeated at Prestonpans near Edinburgh.
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Government army (Redcoats) |
Battle of Culloden
Eventually the weary Highlanders were cornered at Culloden and slaughtered as Charles Edward Stuart made his escape. After the battle legend has it he escaped with the help of Flora MacDonald. He wandered around Europe for a few years but was never able to further his cause.
Divine Right of Kings
The Jacobite struggle has been romanticised ever since but Jacobitism did not really stand for a noble cause as it sought to put the Stuarts back on the throne. They stood for the 'divine right of kings' which meant they believed the king was chosen by God and should have absolute authority.
The Stuarts also advocated the Catholic religion which many Scots were against as Scotland was a Protestant country and Presbyterianism was the official religion of Scotland.
Redcoats at New Lanark
To celebrate the tapestries at New Lanark a group of re-enactors came from Edinburgh and gave an excellent display of the Government Army known as 'Redcoats'.
Some images from this event are shown below. The weather was nice and sunny, although a little cold, and the display was much appreciated by those who were watching it.
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Redcoats |
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Redcoats |
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Minister's wife and daughter |
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Minister getting ready to preach |
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Redcoats |
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Redcoats |
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Redcoats |
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Redcoats |
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Army officer |
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Army food |
More photos can be seen here.
Further information:
New Lanark World Heritage Trust
Edinburgh City Guard
Alan Breck's Prestonpans Volunteer Regiment
Prestonpans Tapestry
Bonnie Prince Charlie
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