Customer Reviews

Damn Rebel Bitches

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I found this book to be one of the great finds in recent years. Scottish women, be they common or noble, have always had a unique place in Scottish History. Unfortunately their story is often missing from the pages of Scottish history annals. Ms Criag has provided readers with a unique glimpse into the romantic period of the second Jacobite uprising from the women's point of view. The women were remarkably loyal to a man and cause doomed from the start. This is a must read if you want an historical approach that is scholarly in its content but entertaining in its delivery. This one should be in all Scottish historians' keeper shelves.

While Maggie Craig's book shows that women had more influence and participation in the '45 than you may have thought, her book itself delivers less than you should expect. Written from an entirely modern perspective, Craig takes the stance that these women of Scotland were the exception rather than the norm. She seems to believe that until her generation any woman who dared express an opinion or lobby for her political ideas was ruthlessly suppressed. Nothing could be further from the truth, as women of that time were very influential in political and social action, even if they didn't always do so from the frontlines. In failing to admit this Craig does her readers an injustice even greater than that which the English Parliament came up with to defraud the House of Stuart. Craig's book relies on stories and personal observations about a 'woman's place' that contrast strongly with what scholars of the era know. Scottish Clan hierarchy valued women and children as the future, and their position in the clan 'family' was respected and greatly acknowledged. True, English law at the time was very abusive of women's rights, but those ideas had not yet taken root north of the border, despite the Act of Union. Though it presents some interesting characters and events, I found this book unconvincing.

Also recommended: 'Lochiel of the '45' by John Gibson 'I Am Come Home' Treasure of Prince Charles Edward Stuart 'Scottish Highlanders' by MacKinnon 'British Kings & Queens' by Mike Ashley

This is a good book for the ladies of all of those kilt-wearing men who portray Jacobite soldiers in the '45 Rising. Extensive research is evident throughout. Women played a huge role in the Rising, from recruiting soldiers to gathering intelligence. This book explores the activities of some of the most fervent, yet overlooked, Jacobites: the women.

Good resource for adding depth to reenactment personae.

Damn Rebel Bitches has been around for nearly ten years but I only got hold of it this year and I'm so glad I did. It deals with what seems to me an unforgivable gap in the Jacobite research canon. I'm not a historian but the period fascinates me and I can't remember being so vividly confronted with the realities of the domestic and public lives of those involved before. The book brings its subjects into the spotlight and very much to life. The research is meticulous and it's a pleasure to find it combined with such an obvious writing talent (the two don't always go together). This is exciting, informative, funny, sad and above all very, very readable.