Alestair Ruadh MacDonnell
Encyclopedia
Alestair Ruadh MacDonnell [or MacDonell] (c. 1725 – 23 December 1761), chief of Clan MacDonell of Glengarry, a Scottish Jacobite
who has been identified by Andrew Lang
as the secret agent "Pickle," who acted as a spy on Prince Charles Edward
after 1750.
He was the third Lord MacDonell
in the Jacobite Peerage
.
The family were a branch of Clan Donald
, but spelt their name Macdonnell or Macdonell. His father was John, twelfth chief of Glengarry, a violent and brutal man who is said to have starved his first wife, Alestair's mother, to death on an island in the Hebrides
. Alestair ran away to France while a mere boy in 1738, and there entered the Royal Scots, a regiment in the French service. In 1743 he commanded a company in it, and in 1744 was sent to Scotland as a Jacobite agent.
In January 1745 he was sent back with messages, and was in France when Prince Charles Edward landed in Scotland. Late in 1745 he was captured at sea while bringing a picquet
of the Royal Scots to help the prince. He remained a prisoner in the Tower of London
for twenty-two months, and when released went abroad. In 1744 his father had made a transfer to him of the family estates, which were ruined. Alestair, who still affected to be a Jacobite, lived for a time in great poverty.
In 1749 he was in London
, and there is good reason to believe that he then offered his services as a spy to the British government, with which he communicated under the name of Pickle. His information enabled British ministers to keep a close watch on the Prince and on the Jacobite conspiracies. Though he was denounced by one Cameron woman, whose husband he betrayed to death in 1752, he never lost the confidence of the Jacobite leaders and was probably responsible for the betrayal and execution of Archibald Cameron of Locheil
in 1753. On the death of his father, in 1754, he succeeded to the estates, and proved himself a greedy landlord.
See Andrew Lang, Pickle the Spy (1897) and The Companions of Pickle (1898).
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Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
who has been identified by Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang was a Scots poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectures at the University of St Andrews are named after him.- Biography :Lang was born in Selkirk...
as the secret agent "Pickle," who acted as a spy on Prince Charles Edward
Charles Edward Stuart
Prince Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Severino Maria Stuart commonly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie or The Young Pretender was the second Jacobite pretender to the thrones of Great Britain , and Ireland...
after 1750.
He was the third Lord MacDonell
Lord MacDonell
Lord MacDonell refers to the Lordship of MacDonell in the Jacobite Peerage. On 9 December 1716, Alastair MacDonell of Glengarry, with remainder to his heirs male, was created by James Francis Edward Stuart a Lord and Peer of Parliament as Lord Macdonell...
in the Jacobite Peerage
Jacobite peerage
After the deposition by the English parliament in February 1689 of King James II and VII from the thrones of England and Ireland , he and his successors continued to create peers and baronets, which they believed was their right...
.
The family were a branch of Clan Donald
Clan Donald
Clan Donald is one of the largest Scottish clans. There are numerous branches to the clan. Several of these have chiefs recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms; these are: Clan Macdonald of Sleat, Clan Macdonald of Clanranald, Clan MacDonell of Glengarry, Clan MacDonald of Keppoch, and Clan...
, but spelt their name Macdonnell or Macdonell. His father was John, twelfth chief of Glengarry, a violent and brutal man who is said to have starved his first wife, Alestair's mother, to death on an island in the Hebrides
Hebrides
The Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. There are two main groups: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive...
. Alestair ran away to France while a mere boy in 1738, and there entered the Royal Scots, a regiment in the French service. In 1743 he commanded a company in it, and in 1744 was sent to Scotland as a Jacobite agent.
In January 1745 he was sent back with messages, and was in France when Prince Charles Edward landed in Scotland. Late in 1745 he was captured at sea while bringing a picquet
Picquet
The picquet was a method of torture used as military punishment in vogue in late medieval Europe.The punishment of the picquet required placing a stake in the ground with the exposed end facing upward. The exposed end had a rounded point. The malefactor was typically a junior officer who had...
of the Royal Scots to help the prince. He remained a prisoner in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
for twenty-two months, and when released went abroad. In 1744 his father had made a transfer to him of the family estates, which were ruined. Alestair, who still affected to be a Jacobite, lived for a time in great poverty.
In 1749 he was in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and there is good reason to believe that he then offered his services as a spy to the British government, with which he communicated under the name of Pickle. His information enabled British ministers to keep a close watch on the Prince and on the Jacobite conspiracies. Though he was denounced by one Cameron woman, whose husband he betrayed to death in 1752, he never lost the confidence of the Jacobite leaders and was probably responsible for the betrayal and execution of Archibald Cameron of Locheil
Archibald Cameron of Locheil
Dr Archibald Cameron of Lochiel was a prominent leader in the Jacobite uprising of 1745 and the last Jacobite to be executed for high treason on June 7, 1753.-Before the uprising:...
in 1753. On the death of his father, in 1754, he succeeded to the estates, and proved himself a greedy landlord.
See Andrew Lang, Pickle the Spy (1897) and The Companions of Pickle (1898).
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