Margaret Nairne, 2nd Baroness Nairne, later Countess of Nairne, (1669 – 14 November 1747) was a Scottish noblewoman at the turn of the 18th century and active in the Jacobite cause for its duration. Her husband,

William Murray, 2nd Lord Nairne William Murray, 2nd Lord Nairne (''c.'' 1665 – 3 February 1726) was a Peerage of Scotland, Scottish peer and Jacobitism, Jacobite who fought in the Jacobite rising of 1715, Rising of 1715, after which he was Attainder, attainted and condemned t ...

, was condemned to death for his role in plans for a Scottish rebellion supported by neighbouring France; Lady Margaret travelled from Edinburgh to London to agitate in person for her husband's reprieve from execution, which was eventually successful.

Family

Margaret was born in Edinburgh in 1669, the only child of Margaret Graham and Robert Nairne, Lord Strathord and 1st

Lord Nairne Lord Nairne is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created by Charles II for Sir Robert Nairne of Strathord in 1681, which since 1995 is held by the Viscount Mersey. History Sir Robert Nairne of Strathord (c. 1620–1683), a supporter of Charl ...

. After her father's death in 1683 Margaret became Baroness Nairne in her own right for seven years. As was typical among aristocratic families of the time Margaret's engagement was arranged (or 'contracted'). Her first engagement was to Lord George Murray but this contract was nullified due to Lord George's ongoing poor health, and in 1690 Margaret married his brother William (b. 1664) instead. Because Margaret was sole heir to her family's title, upon their marriage her husband became the 2nd Lord Nairne and was elevated to the rank of earl. Margaret bore twelve children including John, later 3rd Lord Nairne. All but one of the children were staunch Jacobites; son Robert was killed at the

Battle of Culloden The Battle of Culloden took place on 16 April 1746, near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. A Jacobite army under Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force commanded by the Duke of Cumberland, thereby endi ...

(16 April 1746) and daughter Margaret imprisoned the same year for her active support of the rebellion.

Jacobite activity

The

Jacobite rising Jacobitism was a political ideology advocating the restoration of the senior line of the House of Stuart to the British throne. When James II of England chose exile after the November 1688 Glorious Revolution, the Parliament of England ruled ...

sought to restore the exiled

House of Stuart The House of Stuart, originally spelled Stewart, also known as the Stuart dynasty, was a dynasty, royal house of Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland and later Kingdom of Great Britain, Great ...

to the throne in England, Scotland and Ireland and the Nairnes were active participants in the rebellion. Margaret's husband and their eldest son, John, were captured at the Battle of Preston in November 1715 and taken to London on a charge of

High Treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its d ...

to await their fate; Lord Nairne was sent to the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

and John to

Newgate prison Newgate Prison was a prison at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey, just inside the City of London, England, originally at the site of Newgate, a gate in the Roman London Wall. Built in the 12th century and demolished in 1904, the pr ...

while Margaret immediately journeyed south to see them. A reprieve was finally granted by

George I George I or 1 may refer to: People * Patriarch George I of Alexandria (fl. 621–631) * George I of Constantinople (d. 686) * George of Beltan (d. 790) * George I of Abkhazia (ruled 872/3–878/9) * George I of Georgia (d. 1027) * Yuri Dolgoruk ...

and Lord Nairne was released in August 1717. The difficulties and dangers of the rising did not appear to dampen Margaret's commitment to the Jacobite cause, and upon Bonnie Prince Charlie's return to Scotland in 1745 she entertained him at Nairne House.

Letters

Correspondence written by Margaret and her husband to family and friends over the course of the first half of the eighteen century document both their personal and political concerns, including £5,000 of domestic repairs after a fire at the family home which had 'a window for every day of the year'. One series of letters written by Lady Margaret documents her journey to London to seek a royal audience in order to plead for her husband's release from the Tower where she lived with him for a time in 1716.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nairne 1669 births 1747 deaths Scottish Jacobites Daughters of barons Ladies of Parliament Lords of Parliament (pre-1707) Scottish noblewomen