Armoured Petticoats: Jacobite Women and the '45

This article examines the significant yet underappreciated role of Jacobite women in the 1745 Rising, challenging traditional historiography that portrays them as anomalies. It argues that women actively recruited substantial portions of the Jacobite army through direct methods, such as clan obligations (e.g., Anne Mackintosh raising 300-600 men, Jean Cameron fewer than 300), and indirect pressure via family and social influence (e.g., maternal encouragement leading Lord Lewis Gordon to muster 450-550 troops). These efforts accounted for approximately 14.6-20.8% of the Jacobite forces at their peak, demonstrating broad engagement across Highland and Lowland cultures and making the Rising a "family affair."
Both Jacobite and Hanoverian courts recognized women's influence: the former encouraged their participation to bolster support, while the latter viewed them as a threat requiring correction. Post-Rising, Hanoverian propaganda depicted women like Jean Cameron as promiscuous "Amazonians" through pamphlets, prints, and plays to ruin reputations and deter future involvement, as judicial punishment was often infeasible due to gender norms and connections.
The conclusion posits that women's contributions prolonged the Rising, though they adapted post-defeat by leveraging networks for protection. No evidence supports literal female warriors, but their recruitment and cultural roles were pivotal, reshaping understandings of gender in Jacobite politics.