Stuart Threipland (1716–1805), the son of Sir David Threipland, second baronet of Fingask Castle, was an ardent Jacobite. He obtained the Edinburgh MD degree in 1742, was admitted a fellow of the Edinburgh College of Physicians in 1744 and was elected its President in 1766. He accompanied “Bonnie” Prince Charles Edward Stuart during the Jacobite uprising of 1745 and went into exile shortly after the battle of Culloden in April 1746. He returned to Edinburgh under an Act of Indemnity in 1747. While he succeeded to the baronetcy after the death of his father in 1746, he was not technically allowed to use this title during his lifetime because his father's title and ancestral estates had been confiscated after the Battle of Sheriffmuir in 1715. He practised in Edinburgh for the rest of his life and outlived all of the other great Jacobite figures involved in the 1745 uprising.
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References
1.
CraigWSHistory of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific, 1976: pp. 645–6. For a recent mini-biography, see: Sir Stuart Threipland 1716–1805. In: PassmoreR. Fellows of Edinburgh's College of Physicians During the Scottish Enlightenment. Edinburgh: Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, 2001: pp. 51–3.
2.
See: The ministers of the respective parishes, under the superintendence of a Committee of the Society for the Benefit of the Sons and Daughters of the Clergy. The New Statistical Account of Scotland. Edinburgh: William Blackwood and Sons, 1845: vol. X (Perth), pp. 1164–5; Tomes J. Blue Guide: Scotland. London: E Benn Ltd, 1980: p. 241.
3.
For the most detailed biographical account of the early lineage of the Threipland family, and Fingask Castle, see: DewarPB, ed. Murray Threipland of Dale and Toftingall and Fingask. In: Burke's Landed Gentry of Great Britain Together with Members of the Titled and Non-titled Contemporary Establishment. The Kingdom of Scotland (19th edn). Wilmington, DE: Burke's Peerage and Gentry LLC, 2001: vol. I, p. 1332.
4.
GrayJ. History of the Royal Medical Society 1737–1937.Edinburgh: Edinbugh University Press, 1952: p. 25.
5.
FortescueJWA History of the British Army. London: Macmillan, 1899–1930 (13 vols): vol. II, p. 125.
6.
ChambersR. The Threiplands of Fingask: A Family Memoir. London and Edinburgh: W and R Chambers, 1880 (although according to the title page this volume was written in 1853): p. 41.
7.
See: GrayJ (op. cit. ref. 4): p. 26.
8.
Approximately £750,000, as £1 in 1780–9 is approximately equivalent to £62.50 as of February 2003. Information from Enquiries Office, Bank of England.
9.
ChambersR (op. cit. ref. 6): p. 59.
10.
ChambersR (op. cit. ref. 6): p. 63.
11.
ChambersR (op. cit. ref. 6): p. 121.
12.
ChambersR (op. cit. ref. 6): p. 122.
13.
ChambersR (op. cit. ref. 6): p. 69.
14.
See: DewarPB (op. cit. ref. 3): p. 1332. “Sir Patrick Murray Threipland, 5th and last baronet of Fingask Castle, born 26 May 1800, d.s.p. 1882, when the baronetcy became extinct, but the estates devolved upon his cousin.”.
15.
This was before the members of the Society elected annual Presidents. See: Laws of the Medical Society of Edinburgh. Edinburgh: printed for the Society, by Hay, Gall, and Co., 1823 (includes General List of the Members of the Medical Society of Edinburgh, 1823).
16.
Threipland donated two guineas to the subscription fund on 12 January 1779, and his Christian name was spelled “Stuart”. The majority of those who donated two guineas on 11 or 12 January 1779 were professors in the Faculty of Medicine. A total of £95 11s 0d was donated on these two days and was equivalent to £5,971 now, as £1 in 1770–9 is equivalent to £62.50 (as of February 2003). Information from Enquiries Office, Bank of England. See: GrayJ (op. cit. ref. 4): p. 26.
17.
Stuartus Threipland, Scoto-Brit. De Partu. See: List of the Graduates in Medicine in the University of Edinburgh, from MDCCV to MDCCCLXVI. Edinburgh: Neill & Co., 1867: p. 3.
18.
His Christian name is variously spelled in different places. It is equally relevant to note that his surname is also spelled in a number of ways. For example, it is spelled “Threpland” in Paton and “Threepland” in MacLeodPaton H. The Lyon in Mourning: Or a Collection of Speeches Letters Journals etc. Relative to the Affairs of Prince Charles Edward Stuart by the Rev. Robert Forbes, A.M. Bishop of Ross and Caithness 1746–1775.Edinburgh: University Press for the Scottish History Society, 1895: vol. I, p. 88; vol. II, pp. 379, 380; vol. III, p. 38. MacLeod W. A List of Persons Concerned in the Rebellion Transmitted to the Commissioners of Excise by the Several Supervisors in Scotland in Obedience to a General Letter of the 7th May 1746 and a Supplementary List with Evidences to Prove the Same. Edinburgh: University Press for the President of the Scottish History Society, 1890: p. 238. Similarly, in the transcribed typed copy of the College minutes, 1754–66 and 1777–1806, he is variously listed as “Dr Threipland”, “Sir Stewart Threepland” and “Sir Stuart Threipland”.
19.
See: WhittetMM. Medical resources of the Forty-five. Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness1964–6;44: 1–40, at p. 8.
20.
See: WhittetMM. Medical resources of the Forty-five. Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness1964–6;44: pp. 32–4.
21.
His father, John Lauder, had been elected Deacon of the Surgeons' Incorporation in 1714, and had been appointed by the town council to a committee to keep the peace during the 1715 rebellion. See: MassonAHB. Portraits, Paintings and Busts in the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Edinburgh: Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, 1995: p. 108.
22.
WhittetMM (op. cit. ref. 19): pp. 30–2.
23.
HowellHALThe story of the army surgeon and the care of the sick and wounded in the British army, from 1715 to 1748. Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps1914;22: part I, 320–4; part II, 455–71, at p. 464 and for observations on the 1745 rebellion 462–71, at p. 463. Several other publications are available which discuss the medical arrangements during the 1745 rebellion. Pringle J. Observations on the Diseases of the Army, in Camp and Garrison. In Three Parts. With an Appendix, Containing Some Papers of Experiments, Read at Several Meetings of the Royal Society. London: A Millar, D Wilson and T Payne, 1752: for information on the diseases of the campaigns in Great Britain between 1745 and 1746, pp. 48–65. MacNaughton WA. The medical heroes of the ‘forty-five. Caledonian Medical Journal 1899;3 (new series):82–93, 156–62, 208–13. Gordon-Taylor G. The medical and surgical aspects of the ‘forty-five (the Jacobite rising of 1745–1746). British Journal of Surgery 1945;33:1–16. Cantlie N. A History of the Army Medical Department. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone, 1974: vol. I, pp. 98–100.
24.
For the brutal treatment of the Jacobite prisoners by Cumberland's men, see: Campbell-MaclachlanAN. William Augustus Duke of Cumberland: Being a Sketch of His Military Life and Character, Chiefly as Exhibited in the General Orders of H.R.H. 1745–1747.London: Henry S King and Co., 1876: pp. 23–6.
25.
FortescueJW (op. cit. ref. 5): vol. II, p. 148. Despite these observations, Fortescue admitted that Cumberland's troops also took part in the “hunting of fugitives, the burning of villages, and the destruction of crops”.: p. 146.
26.
See: Scots Magazine, June 1745, cited by Campbell-Maclachlan AN (op. cit. ref. 24): p. 25.
27.
Forbes' papers, cited by Campbell-MaclachlanAN (Scots Magazine): pp. 25–6.
28.
See: PatonH (op. cit. ref. 18): vol. I, p. 135.
29.
Chambers may have been in error regarding the name of Stuart's eldest brother who was killed in the rebellion (see note 30 below), as MacLeod records that it was “Thomas Threepland [sic], son of Sir David of Fingask, who was a Captain in the Rebel army at the Battle of Preston, and killed there”. See: MacLeodW (op. cit. ref. 18): pp. 238–9. It is of interest that Sir Stuart's name does not appear in this list, although his name appears in the index to vol. III of Paton H (op. cit. ref. 18). Alternatively, MacLeod may have been in error in naming Stuart's eldest brother “Thomas” rather than “David”.
30.
ChambersR (op. cit. ref. 6): p. 43.
31.
He was wounded in both ankles at Culloden and was treated by Threipland. The wounds healed well, and only required to be kept clean with dry dressings applied to them when Threipland had to journey elsewhere. See: PatonH (op. cit. ref. 18): vol. II, p. 379.
32.
Approximately £1,294,000, as £1 in 1740–9 is approximately equivalent to £86.30 (as of February 2003). Information from Enquiries Office, Bank of England.
33.
ChambersR (op. cit. ref. 6): p. 46.
34.
WhittetMM (op. cit. ref. 19): p. 9. Lumisden was the brother-in-law of Robert Strange. (Information supplied by Ms Susanna Kerr, Curator, Scottish National Portrait Gallery.).
35.
CraigWS (op. cit. ref. 1): p. 1076.
36.
ChambersR (op. cit. ref. 6): p. 40.
37.
For a selection of other Jacobite toasts, see: ChambersR (op. cit. ref. 6): pp. 118–20.
38.
A pair of small oval portraits in oil of Sir Stuart Threipland and his first wife, Lady Janet Sinclair, signed by Delacour and dated 1765, were in the collection of Mr Mark Murray Threipland when Fleming's manuscript was published in 1962. As she died in about 1756, this portrait of Lady Sinclair must have been based on another and earlier portrait or image of her then in Sir Stuart's possession. See: FlemingJ. Enigma of a rococo artist. Country Life, 24 May 1962, p. 1225.
39.
ChambersR (op. cit. ref. 6): p. 51.
40.
For observations on the various houses in which he lived, in and around Edinburgh, see: ChambersR (op. cit. ref. 6): pp. 56–7.
41.
While he is always regarded as a French painter, he was christened at the French Huguenot church in Threadneedle Street, London, on 8 January 1710, in the presence of his father Salomon “De la Court” and his mother, Marie Magdalene. Illaria Bignamini has noted a “Dr De La Cott” at the Rose and Crown Club in London before 1742, and it appears likely that he received his early art education in one of the London academies. See: BignaminiI. Art institutions in London, 1689–1768. Walpole Society1991;54:57, footnote 23. (Information kindly supplied by Dr J Rock.).
42.
Only a single example of a portrait by Delacour is represented in the National Portrait Gallery in London. This is of Sir Thomas de Veil, JP. It is believed that the portrait was originally by Delacour, but the image they possess is a mezzotint copy by T Ryley, published in 1747.
43.
FlemingJ (op. cit. ref. 38).
44.
DelacourW. Books of Ornament. London, 1741–7 (information kindly supplied by Dr J Rock). The eighth and last volume in this series was published in 1747, although copies of the intervening volumes were not known to have survived until a letter was published in Country Life on 5 July 1962 indicating that a complete set of these volumes was in the possession of a Mr B Weinreb. This letter was written by Eileen Harris. See: HarrisE. Enigmatic artist. Country Life, 5 July 1962 (letter).
45.
FlemingJ (op. cit. ref. 38): p. 1224.
46.
Information supplied by Ms Deborah Hunter, Photographic and Licensing Manager, Scottish National Portrait Gallery.
47.
ComrieJ. History of Scottish Medicine (2nd edn). London: Baillière, Tindall and Cox, 1932: vol. II, pp. 442, 444.
48.
CraigWS (op. cit. ref. 1): plate 38, opposite p. 672.
49.
See: WalfordE. The Country Families of the United Kingdom. London: Chatto and Windus, 1885: p. 736 — “Murray-Threipland, William, Esq. of Fingask and Kinnaird Castles, Perthshire; and of Toftingall, Caithnesshire. He inherited the estates of his cousin-germain, Sir Patrick Murray-Threipland, Bart, (ext).” Note that in other sources the family name is indicated as Murray Threipland, without the intermediate hyphen. See, for example: WhittetMM (op. cit. ref. 19): p. 10; Dewar PB (op. cit. ref. 3): p. 1332.
50.
The correct term for this item is a Scottish Highland “targe”. It is usually of round wooden construction, covered with cowhide and decorated with brass studs.
51.
This painting, oil on canvas, measures 130 cm in height by 152.5 cm in width.
52.
Information supplied by Ms Susanna Kerr, Curator, Scottish National Portrait Gallery.
53.
This would be consistent with the decade when Delacour was in Edinburgh, from 1757 to 1767.
54.
See: Fingask Castle, Rait, by Perth. The Property of Mr. and Mrs. Mark Murray Threipland. Sale Catalogue. Glasgow: Christie's Scotland Ltd, 1993. Other items of a similar provenance belonging to the Threipland family were sold at a Christie's sale held in Glasgow on 12 June 1996. See: The Jacobites and Their Adversaries. Sale Catalogue. Glasgow: Christie's Scotland Ltd, 1996.
55.
See: ThinR. College Portraits: Being Biographical Sketches on Portraits in the Hall of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd, privately printed for the College, 1927.
56.
WhittetMM (op. cit. ref. 19): p. 10.
57.
ComrieJ (op. cit. ref. 47): vol. II, p. 446 (see figure on this page), 448; Craig WS (op. cit. ref. 1): p. 646. Doubt has recently been expressed by Historic Scotland as to the exact age of this travelling medicine chest, it being suggested that it is not as old as was thought formerly (information from Dr Iain Milne, librarian, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh).
58.
A well known Edinburgh surgeon who was extremely popular with both his colleagues and his patients. For a portrait see: ComrieJ (op. cit. ref. 47): vol. I, p. 302; also vol. I, pp. 328–9; vol. II, p. 481.
59.
For details, see the anonymous Culloden: The Swords and Sorrows. Edinburgh: National Trust for Scotland, 1996: p. 84. See also: GirdwoodRH. Medicines from Prince Charles Edward to Prince Charles. Edinburgh: Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, 1979: pp. 8–12 (for observations on Sir Stuart Threipland, see pp. 4–5; for observations on the Battle of Culloden, see pp. 6–7).
60.
His travelling chest is illustrated in Whittet, and measures 15 by 12 by 10 inches. See: WhittetMM. Historical aspects of Celtic medicine. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine1964;57:429–36 (figure 2, p. 433).
61.
See: transcribed typed copy of College minutes, 1754–66, meeting of 4 December 1766, p. 1244.
62.
College minutes, 1777–1806, p. 1668.
63.
MacNaughtonWA (op. cit. ref. 23): p. 212.
64.
See: Historical Sketch and Laws of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh From Its Institution to 1925. Edinburgh: printed for the Royal College of Physicians, 1925: p. 82. The Physician's Hall in George Street, Edinburgh, was designed by James Craig (1744–1795) in 1775 and demolished in 1844. See: PassmoreR (op. cit. ref. 1): pp. 6–9.
