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Prince Charlie & Flora MacDonald set sail
"Speed bonny boat like a bird on a wing,
Onward the sailors cry.
Carry the lad that’s born to be King,
Over the sea to Skye.”
~ The Skye Boat Song, Sir Harold Boulton, 1884 lyrics to an existing air
Inspired by a portrait in the Fort William Museum, this tartan commemorates one of the most legendary moments in Jacobite history—June 27, 1746—the dramatic escape of Bonnie Prince Charlie after the Battle of Culloden, aided by the brave and resourceful Flora MacDonald.
Disguised as “Betty Burke,” an Irish spinning maid, the fugitive Prince departed the island of Benbecula in a small boat manned by six oarsmen, with Flora and a small party accompanying him. Rather than heading to the mainland, they sailed to the Isle of Skye, landing at Kilmuir at the place now called Rudha Phrionnsa—Prince’s Point.
After a tense night hidden in a cottage, the group traveled overland to Portree. There, Charles was able to arrange further passage—though not directly to Raasay, but ultimately continuing his escape through a series of island hops, eventually reaching France in September 1746.
Flora MacDonald (1722–1790), a member of the Macdonalds of Sleat, has been immortalized in story and song for her courageous act. Though her family supported the government during the 1745 Jacobite Rising, Flora later explained that she helped Charles Edward Stuart out of compassion rather than political loyalty. She secured travel permission from her stepfather—who was, ironically, the commander of the local militia—carefully concealing the Prince's identity and true purpose of the journey.
Following the escape, Flora was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London (not just taken to London) before being released in 1747 under the Act of Indemnity. Far from being reviled, she was widely admired for her dignity and bravery. It is reported that she even received a visit from Frederick, Prince of Wales.
Flora later married Allan MacDonald of Kingsburgh, and in 1774 the couple emigrated to North Carolina. Loyal to the British Crown during the American War of Independence, Allan served with the Loyalist forces, and the couple suffered the confiscation of their property. After the war, they returned to Scotland.
Her legacy lives on in music and dance: in 1884, Sir Harold Boulton penned The Skye Boat Song, a romantic ballad evoking her moonlit voyage with the Prince. Around the same period, the graceful Highland dance Flora MacDonald’s Fancy began appearing in programs—an enduring tribute to one of Scotland’s most beloved heroines. ❤️ 💙 💚 👑 🚣
On June 27, 1746, Flora MacDonald set sail with Bonnie Prince Charlie (the prince in disguise) to aid his escape from Scotland after the defeat of the Jacobites at the Battle of Culloden in 1746.
After his defeat at the battle of Culloden Moor in 1746, Prince Charles Edward Stuart was forced to flee for his life. After two months on the run he arrived at the island of South Uist where he met 24-year-old Flora. As both her step-father and her fiancée Allan MacDonald were in the Hanovarian army of King George II, she would have seemed an unlikely ally. However after some initial hesitation, she agreed to help the Prince escape.
She managed to get permission from her step-father, the commander of the local militia, to travel from Uist to the mainland, accompanied by two servants and a crew of six boatmen. The Prince was disguised as Betty Burke, an Irish spinning maid. They set sail in a small boat from Benbecula on 27th June 1746, not to the mainland but to Skye, landing in Kilmuir at what is today called Rudha Phrionnsa (Prince's Point).
After hiding overnight in a cottage, they made their way overland to Portree where the Prince was able to get a boat to the island of Raasay and from there, passage back to France. Charles is said to have presented Flora with a locket containing his portrait, supposedly saying, "I hope, madam, that we may meet in St James's yet." They never met again.
The part that Flora played in the escape of Bonnie Prince Charlie 'over the sea to Skye' is immortalised in the 'Skye Boat Song',
published in 1884:
“Speed bonny boat like a bird on a wing,
Onward the sailors cry.
Carry the lad that's born to be King,
Over the sea to Skye.”
Fictional portrayals of Flora MacDonald include:
Sir Walter Scott, Waverley (1814); an early historical novel of the Jacobite rebellion in which the hero must choose between two women, one of whom, Flora MacIvor, seems modeled on Flora MacDonald. This impression is strengthened by the use of Allan Ramsay's portrait of Flora Macdonald for the cover of the Penguin (2007) edition of the book.
Inglis Fletcher, The Scotswoman (1954) – a novel based on Flora MacDonald's life in North Carolina, during the American war of Independence.
Highlander: The Series – in the 3rd-season episode, "Take Back the Night", Ceirdwyn, an Immortal, is living under the name of "Flora MacDonald" when Bonnie Prince Charlie and his party stop there on their way to the coast, and the boat to take him from Scotland.
The Outlander series – the 6th book of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, "A Breath of Snow and Ashes", features an account of Flora MacDonald's arrival in the American colonies.
Interestingly, a newly discovered portrait of Flora MacDonald was found in 2015 in Florida, believed to be painted by the same portrait artist, Allan Ramsay. To learn more about this art find, click the portrait by Richard Wilson.