The Jacobite Murders
Page 28
Henry Fielding hated hiding the fact that he was Jones’s father and therefore decided to immortalize the name of the son he loved by making him the hero of his next novel. Tom Jones was published in 1749 to great acclaim. It did not betray the true secret behind Jones’s birth. Nor did it contain anything about Lady Overbury, or Sarah Darr and the murders in Queen Square, or all that followed from those tragic events. Fielding did not wish to jeopardize anyone’s safety. He knew there were still Jacobites around who would have taken revenge for what had happened. Those who did feature in his invented tale had their names changed. Thus Sophia Westbrook became Sophia Western and Squire Woodforde became Squire Allworthy, whilst Burnett was transformed into a character called Blifal.
There was no happy ending for the Highlanders. The prince was right. The decision to retreat proved a disaster. It ended in the bloody and ruthless slaughter of his army on the field of Culloden on 16 April 1746. Such were the atrocities committed during and after the battle that the Hanoverian Duke of Cumberland earned himself the title of ‘Butcher’. Following this the order went out that the Scottish glens should also pay for their treason. Homes were burnt and lands confiscated, men were shot or hanged, women were raped, and thousands of cattle were driven south so that many more would starve. For five months the prince hid in the Highlands, protected by the loyalty of the people who still loved him. Though he eventually escaped to the Continent, he never recovered from what had happened and became an alcoholic. He died in 1788 leaving behind him no heir. Lord Murray also escaped but the prince always refused to see him, blaming him for the decision that had cost him the throne and so many their lives.
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Copyright
© G.M. Best 2013
First published in Great Britain 2013
This edition 2013
ISBN 978 0 7198 1196 8 (epub)
ISBN 978 0 7198 1197 5 (mobi)
ISBN 978 0 7198 1198 2 (pdf)
ISBN 978 0 7198 0877 7 (print)
Robert Hale Limited
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The right of G.M. Best to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988