Having waved farewell to Colonel Francis Townley the Mancunian newly made Governor of Carlisle and the 380/390 men who remained with him Bonnie Prince Charlie exited Carlisle via Scotch Gate and crossed the bridge over the River Eden. Lord George Murray’s men awaited him at Stanwix.
From there the Jacobites marched eight miles to the Scottish border – into what had been the Debatable Lands. At Longtown they needed to cross the River Esk. It should have been a shallow crossing place. As it was the river was if not in full spate very close to it. Cavalry were sent down river to rescue anyone that got swept away and then the soldiers formed up into lines of twelve, locked arms and made their way across with suitable gaps between the parties of twelve men. Apparently they all made it, although Hanoverian press claimed that several camp followers and jacobite women drowned as they made the attempt – this it appears was propaganda.
Once the army had made dry land the pipers struck up and the whole army danced – from joy at being back on home soil and more practically because they needed to dry out.
This event spawned yet another heroic ballad entitled The Hundred Pipers. It was written by Lady Nairn and she seems to have become slightly confused about the chronology as in the ballad the Scots danced their way into England rather than out of it.
The army now split into two columns. One led by Lord George Murray headed in the direction of Ecclefechan whilst the other containing his princeliness headed off in the direction of Dumfries via Annan. This was perhaps to make it seem as though there was a bigger army than there actually was.
The people of Annandale weren’t terribly happy to see the Jacobites not least because they’d stolen from them when the army was heading south. In Dumfries Charlie levied a fine of £2000 and demanded 1,000 pairs of shoes within twenty-four hours. Highlanders were actually stopping people in the streets and taking their shoes from them. To make matters worse there weren’t 1,000 pairs of shoes in the district. The best they could manage having raided all the cobblers in the area was 255 pairs. Andrew Crosbie of Holm and Walter Riddell of Glenriddell were carried away the next morning as hostages to ensure that the full £2000 was paid. It was only when the Jacobites reached Glasgow – anther place that wasn’t overly pleased to see them- that the money was forthcoming and they were allowed to go home.
Johnson Beattie, David. (1928) Prince Charlie and the Borderland. Carlisle: Charles Thurnam and Sons
The Jacobites left Derby on the 6th December but William Augustus (the duke of Cumberland) didn’t get the information until the next day. He set off in hot pursuit hoping to catch Charles on English soil. Meanwhile the Jacobites headed back the way that they came with brief interludes for making local legends. For reasons best known to himself and the original story teller Bonnie Prince Charlie allegedly diverted off the main road at Ashbourne for a quick jaunt around the White Peak – he also allegedly stayed in Hartington where he took a mistress – one night stand might be a more apt description- who died presumably from love and who continues to haunt Hartington Hall waiting for her prince to return, pictured above. Far more likely is the tale of the landlord of the Royal Oak by the River Dove who failed to part with his horse when the Jacobites demanded it and was shot for his pains.
It was at Clifton,outside Penrith that Cumberland’s advance party clashed with the Jacobite rearguard who had been ordered to conceal themselves behind two hedges. It was the 18 December and was to be the last battle on English soil. As the sunset the two sides met and both sides claimed victory – whilst the Redcoats retained the field the Scots could very justifiably argue that their retreat had not been impeded. The St Cuthbert’s Church, Clifton contains a memorial to the men of Bland’s regiment who fell during the skirmish and there is a roadside memorial to the battle. Cumberland stayed the night at Townend Cottage.
As the Jacobites marched south via Lancaster the Hanoverians in the form of the Lancashire Militia and the Liverpool Blues marched into action – which meant breaking bridges. The bridge over the Mersey at Warrington was demolished as were several others but by the time the order came to demolish the bridge at Stockport it was too late. The Blues hurried off to join the garrison at Chester and Liverpudlians heaved a sigh of collective relief as the Jacobites headed for Manchester and Manchester’s magistrates promptly left. There was something of an exodus prior to their arrival. Such was the state of concern that Oates records that families packed their belongings and their families onboard boats in Liverpool ready to sail in the event of the army turning its attention in their direction. Not everyone felt the same about the Stuart cause apparently two fiddlers played the Jacobites into Preston – though Preston a town with a reputation of jacobite sympathies didn’t offer up many in the way of recruits.