Damn' Rebel Bitches: The Women of the '45 [Hardcover]

Maggie Craig (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1998

Drawn from original documents and letters, this book aims to present an examination of the history of the last Jacobite Rising, telling the story of many of the women caught up in the turbulent events of 1745-46.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'a worthy tribute to all these unsung heroines ... a modern classic.'  The (Glasgow) Herald

'bold and argumentative.'  Scotland on Sunday

'a racily-written, well-researched and heart-warming account which also gives a detailed portrait of the social condition of the times.'  Scots Magazine --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Married with two children, Maggie Craig has been a medical secretary, a translator and a Scottish Tourist Guide. She is the author of Bare-Arsed Banditti, as well as several historical novels set in Glasgow and Edinburgh. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Mainstream; 1St Edition edition (March 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1851589627
• ISBN-13: 978-1851589623
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,330,389 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Maggie Craig is a Scottish writer and historian. A recognized authority on the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, she is the author of the ground-breaking and acclaimed Damn' Rebel Bitches: The Women of the '45. When her son asked for a book about the men too, she wrote Bare-Arsed Banditti: The Men of the '45. All of her books are meticulously researched but written in an accessible and entertaining style.

Her latest non-fiction book is When the Clyde Ran Red, a lively account of Glasgow and the West of Scotland in the days of Red Clydeside.

She is also the author of seven page-turning novels set in Glasgow and Edinburgh and is always fair chuffed when readers she meets at talks and events jokingly accuse her of having kept them up until two o'clock in the morning because they had to find out what happened next.

Her most recent novel is One Sweet Moment, a passionate and poignant tale of Edinburgh in the 1820s. This is now available as an ebook for Amazon Kindle.

Maggie is currently working on a novel of romantic suspense and adventure set in Edinburgh just before the Jacobite Rising of 1745.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful edition to Scottish Women's History, March 10, 2001

By 

Jody Allen (US) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Damn Rebel Bitches (Paperback)

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars More than you thought, less than expected, April 23, 2005

By 

Sanne Kaiser (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Damn Rebel Bitches (Paperback)

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

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't Mess with the Ladies..., January 3, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Damn Rebel Bitches (Paperback)

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.