WHAT’S THE STORY?

THE historic House of Dun in Angus is shortly to re-open after a comprehensive refurbishment and development programme, described by owners, the National Trust for Scotland (NTS), as a “major reimagining”.

The £714,000 House of Dun project was made possible thanks to the legacy of Dr Sheila Bain, members of the NTS Patrons’ Club, Angus Members’ Centre, and other generous donors who prefer to remain anonymous.

Set in 793 acres alongside the River Esk and the Montrose Basin, the project has created a heritage park which NTS hopes will become the “Culzean of the East”.

Improvements feature multi-sensory interpretations on subjects ranging from toys of the past and the Declaration of Arbroath to hidden Jacobite secrets and agriculture heritage, new cafes and shops.

The House of Dun will now also be the new permanent home of the Angus Folk Museum, which was amassed by Lady Maitland of Burnside in the first half of the 20th century.

Another innovation is costumed storytelling with staff bringing to life the stories of three real-life former residents of the mansion, aristocrat Violet Augusta Mary Frederica Kennedy-Erskine, house cook Isabella Peddie, and William Young, overseer of the estate, with theatre director Al Seed creating the storylines.

WHAT LINKS THE HOUSE OF DUN TO THE JACOBITES?

DESIGNED with Baroque extravagance by renowned architect William Adam for the 13th Laird, David Erskine, a judge of the Court of Session, it was built from 1732 to 1743 to replace the medieval tower house which had been home to the Erskine family since 1375.

Erskine was outwardly a supporter of the Hanoverian Government of King George II but bearing in mind the time when it was built, the House of Dun contains intriguing hints of his secret Jacobean loyalties.

The house is full of symbolism, with the plasterwork and decor containing symbols intrinsically tied to the Jacobite cause. Some are as obvious as a fleur-de-lys, representing France, and a thistle with a crown on top of it. Others are more subtle, such as hunting scenes – which were banned by the government to avoid gatherings of armed men but would have been recognised by Jacobites as a subtle nod to the restrictions Scotland was being placed under.

NTS trustee and historian, Professor Murray Pittock of Glasgow University, is very keen on the house and knows its Jacobite connections: “The elaborate plasterwork by Joseph Enzer in particular is clearly Jacobite, and the work of architect James Gibbs is very much down to the Jacobite architecture networks of the time.”

With part of its grounds on the Montrose Basin and Montrose Harbour not far away, the House of Dun could be said to be a witness to history, particularly the big “what if” moment of the Jacobite Rising.

WAS THERE REALLY A ‘WHAT IF’ MOMENT?

THERE were several, but one of the most intriguing started in nearby Montrose. In November 1745, Jacobite troops captured the Hanoverian government ship HMS Hazard in Montrose Harbour. The ship was then sailed to Dunkirk by the Jacobites and renamed Le Prince Charles. She returned to Scotland the following year under Captain Talbot, carrying around 160 French, Spanish, Irish and Scottish men to join the Jacobite cause, as well as arms, vital supplies and £13,000 in gold, which would amount to £2 million today – money to pay the soldiers and provide much-needed rations. Heading for Inverness she was chased by HMS Sheerness and though Talbot tried to outmanoeuvre Sheerness, Le Prince Charles was abandoned on March 26, 1746. Two other French ships, La Bellona and Le Mars, tried to rescue Bonnie Prince Charlie after Culloden but were forced to return home leaving their cargo of gold and ammunition – the legendary lost gold of the Jacobites.

What if those three ships had landed their gold, in particular, some time before Culloden on April 16, 1746? Bonnie Prince Charlie would have had money to properly feed, equip and pay his troops and hire new ones. This would have at least served as a morale boost for the Jacobites, who ultimately fell, exhausted and hungry, on the battlefield of Culloden.

WHAT DO MODERN EXPERTS SAY?

PITTOCK is not convinced the three ships and their cargo would have altered things. He said: “It might have been different, but basically it is a question of timing and logistics. They would have had money but would have needed to get a food supply. They based themselves at Inverness as the last burgh open to them, and though the gold would have been great, the Jacobites would have needed much more time to turn that gold into supplies

“The fiscal power of the British State was just too great for the Jacobites.”