On the death of Charles II, his brother, James VII of
Scotland and II of England, succeeded to the throne.
(The word Jacobite comes from the Latin for James -
Jacobus.) He was a Roman Catholic and a firm believer
in the divine right of Kings. Both stances made him so
unpopular that in 1688 Parliament invited William of
Orange and Mary (James II's daughter by his first wife,
a Protestant) to rule. In 1689 James VII & II was
deposed. In the sixty years that followed there were
five attempts to res...(+)
On the death of Charles II, his brother, James VII of
Scotland and II of England, succeeded to the throne.
(The word Jacobite comes from the Latin for James -
Jacobus.) He was a Roman Catholic and a firm believer
in the divine right of Kings. Both stances made him so
unpopular that in 1688 Parliament invited William of
Orange and Mary (James II's daughter by his first wife,
a Protestant) to rule. In 1689 James VII & II was
deposed. In the sixty years that followed there were
five attempts to restore James and his descendents to
the throne. Of these, three were major - 1689, 1715 and
1745. The massacre at Glen Coe is also part of Jacobite
history.
Jacobite Troops had no formal uniform. The white
cockade on a blue bonnet became their emblem. The white
cockade emblem is said to have originated when Bonnie
Prince Charlie picked a wild rose and pinned it to his
hat. There are other legends, one that traces its
origin to Ireland.
'Blue Bonnets Over the Border' is a famous Scottish
ballad which refers to Bonnie Prince Charlie's march
into England in 1745. A blue bonnet or beret was a
traditional piece of highland dress and due to the
large highland composition of the Jacobite Army became
associated with their faction. This was taken one stage
further by affixing a white cockade to it, which was an
official emblem of Jacobite affiliation. Today the
march is still a popular military anthem, although it
is especially favoured in Canada.
Early ballads were dramatic or humorous narrative songs
derived from folk culture that predated printing.
Originally perpetuated by word of mouth, many ballads
survive because they were recorded on broadsides.
Musical notation was rarely printed, as tunes were
usually established favourites. The term 'ballad'
eventually applied more broadly to any kind of topical
or popular verse.
Although this work was originally written for pipes, I
created this arrangement for Concert (Pedal) Harp.
PARTITION