In the 18th century shotgun weddings were not unusual, but in most cases it wasn't the bride that was holding the gun. So began the stormy marriage between Lord and Lady Grange, a marriage which was to end with Lady Grange's death on the Isle of Skye after 13 years in exile. The daughter of a convicted murderer, Lady Grange's behaviour, such as her fondness for drink, was so outrageous that her sudden disappearance from public life was not considered surprising. But few knew the true story of her disappearance. This book reveals, for the first time, how the unfortunate lady was violently kidnapped and transported to the remote islands off the west coast of Scotland, spending seven years on the island of St. Kilda's. Condemned to a very different lifestyle than she had enjoyed in Edinburgh, and baffled by the strange tongue of the Gaelic West, she still obstinately survived, finally dying in Skye in 1745.
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this fascinating account of one of the most beguiling characters in Scotland's history... Despite the unhappy ending, it s a stunning story and Margaret Macaulay has done it full justice --Trevor Royle, The Herald
Yet there s another story of human hardship in the island's history that's been much less analysed not one of evacuation but of abduction. Not of escape, but of exile. A story of political intrigue, betrayal and personal tragedy --The Sunday Post
a tale of such scandal and drama that it reads almost like a work of fiction --Catherine Salmond, Edinburgh Evening News
Yet there s another story of human hardship in the island's history that's been much less analysed not one of evacuation but of abduction. Not of escape, but of exile. A story of political intrigue, betrayal and personal tragedy --The Sunday Post
a tale of such scandal and drama that it reads almost like a work of fiction --Catherine Salmond, Edinburgh Evening News
About the Author
MARGARET MACAULAY was born in Campbeltown, Argyll, in 1934 and educated at Campbeltown Grammar School. She graduated from Glasgow University in 1956 with an M.A. Hons. in History. She worked on The Herald, as a freelance journalist, a teacher and as a bookseller. Lady Grange is her first book.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is a detective story trying to uncover the truth about who Lady Grange was, what happened to her and why. How did she end up being imprisoned on an extremely remote Scottish island for 7 years?
It will appeal to anyone with an interest in St Kilda, Scottish history, women's history or Jacobitism. Margaret Macaulay successfully captures the character of Lady Grange with warmth and wit as well as thorough historic research. You really begin to get a sense of what Edinburgh society in the early 18th century was like and just what an old boys network ran everything. When you understand Lady Grange's place in that society it is even more shocking that she gets gagged, has her teeth knocked out and is heaved onto the back of a horse and carted off into the night.
I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it. It is not an academic tome but it is thoroughly researched. In one of the appendices it gives the full text of one of the letters Lady Grange finally managed to get to her Edinburgh friends.
Yes I do know the author - she's my mum. But I would not recommend the book if I didn't think it was a good read.
It will appeal to anyone with an interest in St Kilda, Scottish history, women's history or Jacobitism. Margaret Macaulay successfully captures the character of Lady Grange with warmth and wit as well as thorough historic research. You really begin to get a sense of what Edinburgh society in the early 18th century was like and just what an old boys network ran everything. When you understand Lady Grange's place in that society it is even more shocking that she gets gagged, has her teeth knocked out and is heaved onto the back of a horse and carted off into the night.
I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it. It is not an academic tome but it is thoroughly researched. In one of the appendices it gives the full text of one of the letters Lady Grange finally managed to get to her Edinburgh friends.
Yes I do know the author - she's my mum. But I would not recommend the book if I didn't think it was a good read.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
St Kilda, Jacobite Conspiracies, Scandal - what more could you ask for?
21 July 2012
Format:Paperback
This brief, but very enjoyable, book presses all the right buttons. Any book with a St Kilda connection always attracts interest, and add to that a facinating story of a fiery woman in a male-dominated environment, with kidnap and imprisonment and Jacobite conspiracies and you can't go wrong. The book is well-researched and well-written and is the true story of Lady Grange (1677 - 1745) who reputedly with the help of a pistol forced her husband to marry her, was later kidnaped and imprisoned on St Kilda (partly because her instability could have put at risk some of the clan/society leaders in Scotland at the time, partly because her husband was having an affair with a London tea-shop owner)and died in Skye - forgotten and ignored by even her own children. On the way, the book offers fascinating insights into Scottish society at this time, including how the church in Scotland colluded in both her treatment and the destruction of her reputation (and the reputation of one of its own employees who supported her).
The book is organised into 29 brief chapters presenting the story chronologically, with some interesting appendices (including the full text of a letter which Lady Grange managed to send from St Kilda).
If you are interested in St Kilda, or in Scottish history at the time of the Jacobite risings, you will enjoy this book - I certainly did.
The book is organised into 29 brief chapters presenting the story chronologically, with some interesting appendices (including the full text of a letter which Lady Grange managed to send from St Kilda).
If you are interested in St Kilda, or in Scottish history at the time of the Jacobite risings, you will enjoy this book - I certainly did.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Anonymous
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Very interesting and enjoyable read. A radio programme on the subject ("An Outcast of the Islands - Lady Grange"), can be found on the "radioarchive".
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
The dark secrets of Scotland's past
This is a profound yet short book which should shock those set on establishing a new political system in Scotland.
The Prisioner of St. Read more
The Prisioner of St. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Patrick Mchugh
5.0 out of 5 stars
Engaging history
I first heard of this book before it was published. At that time, I was living in the Inner Hebrides, on the Isle of Gigha and met one of Margaret Macaulay's daughters. Read more
Published on 24 Jan 2011 by Taylor
5.0 out of 5 stars
CAPTIVATING
This is a fascinating book. I could not put it down. It did leave a lot of questions in my mind. I felt so sorry for Lady Grange but I am sure she was not without fault. Read more
Published on 31 Oct 2010 by fairyface
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book!
While I have not finished this book, it is lovely so far. An easy read and informational enough to make you want to know more, but does not burden down with a thousand tiny... Read more
Published on 13 July 2010 by A. Fraser
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