James Stewart of the Glen


James Stewart of the Glen, also known as James of the Glens, was a Scotsman who was wrongfully accused and hanged as an accessory to the Appin Murder. The Appin Murder is a case in which Colin Roy Campbell was killed. Campbell was a government factor of estates forfeited by pro-Jacobite clans following the Rising of 1745.

Execution

On November 8, 1752, as he climbed the gibbet, Seamus a' Ghlinne prayed:
While he was not afraid to die for his convictions, he lamented that people of the ages may think him capable of a horrid and barbarous murder.

Aftermath

After his execution, James' body was left hanging at the south end of the Ballachulish Ferry for eighteen months as a warning to other clans with rebellious intentions. Over those months, Stewart's body was beaten and battered by winds and rain. As it eventually deteriorated, the skeletal remains were held together with chains and wire.

Legacy

In popular culture

James of the Glen makes a cameo appearance in the novel Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson. Several accounts of the Appin Murder have published since 1752, the most recent being Culloden and the Last Clansman by Dr James Hunter. An editorial review of this novel follows:

Pardon

There is a movement afoot to gain a pardon for James of the Glen. In 2008 it was brought before the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, but was denied due to the case being so old it was not in the interest of justice. As of 2010 the application was with the Scottish Ministers.