6th Lord Balmerino and 3rd Lord Coupar
Arthur Elphinstone was a member of a family with the tradition of ‘fierce Episcopalian nationalism’. His father before him had been an opponent to the Act of Union in 1707, however Arthur wrestled with his beliefs and accepted (as many other Jacobite did) a commission under Queen Anne in Lord Shannon’s regiment. Fighting in the ’15 for the Hanoverians, he deserted to the Jacobites and on the eventual defeat of the uprising had to flee to Avignon where he appears as a Lieutenant Colonel in the refugee lists.
By the ’45 he had cemented his part within the Jacobites and joined Prince Charles Edward Stuart in October as an Honorary Colonel commanding forty horse in the Life Guards. He was present on the march south to England and was the first commander to take his troops into Derby. At Culloden he was at Prince Charles side and as the battle led to defeat, he helped Charles away from the field and to his eventual escape.
After the defeat, and against Lord Elcho’s advice, Balmerino gave himself up to the Hanoverian troops. His thinking behind this is unclear, as a nobleman so closely involved in the ’45 and in ’15 (and worse as a deserter to the Hanoverians). He was charged on 29 July with high treason and pled not guilty. He conducted his own defence and, unlike Kilmarnock and Cromarty, he did not request mercy.
He is perhaps best remembered, along with Kilmarnock, as the two voices which stood beside Prince Charles and defended the Hanoverian claims that Charles had ordered no quarter be given to Hanoverian prisoners or soldiers. Not only did Balmerino refute this in a public interview with Kilmarnock but also in his final moments from the gallows before his death. On the gallows he wore a plaid cap under his wig, showing his loyalty to Scotland to his final moments. He also handed the executioner, John Thrift, 3 guineas requesting he carry his work out professionally and swiftly. It however still took three blows to sever his head.
His final words upon the gallows of Tower Hill were a prayer. Adamant to the end, he finished his support for the cause in such staunch manner no doubt to his commitment could be levied,
“O Almighty God, I humbly beseech Thee to bless the King, The Prince, and Duke of York, and the dutiful branches of the Royal Family. Endue them the Holy Spirit, enrich them with them thy heavenly Grace, prosper them with all happiness and bring them to thine everlasting Goodness, all my benefactors and the faithful adherents to the Cause for which I am about to suffer…….. God preserve my friends, forgive my enemies, restore the King and have Mercy upon my Soul"
At the end of this prayer he immediately gave the signal for the executioner to complete his task.
