Elcho of the '45

Book excerpt: Elcho's Journal, written in Frnach during his exile, has lain largely negletced at Wemyss Castle until rescued by the late Hon Alics Wemyss. It is the last, as yet unpublished, key source for the history of the rising, and describes how Elcho was ensnared into Jacobitism, the course of the '45, including his famous row with the Prince after Culloden and his escape from Scotland. It offers a vivid picture of life in ancien regime Europe where he lived in some style until his death in 1787. By combining the insights offered by the Journal with Elcho's other writings and with a wide range of other source material, the author provides the most authentic picture yet available of a man who was at the centre of one of Scottish history's great adventures.