Jacobites’ hostages to fortune

THE doomed forces of Bonnie Prince Charlie paid a heavy enough price at Culloden for their bid to topple a king.

But the Jacobite army is thought to still owe Paisley a debt of more than £100,000 – the legacy of a 275-year-old fine it imposed on the town.

The dispute arose in 1745 when panicking residents loyal to the Hanoverian crown raised a local militia to defend themselves against the Jacobites.

An indignant Young Pretender issued Paisley Town Council with a £1,000 fine on December 29, 1745, and took hostage two of the town’s leading figures, bailies Matthew Kyle and William Park, to ensure that the debt was paid.

The fine was later reduced to £500 – providing it was paid in full by the following evening. It was only at the final hour that the townsfolk handed over the sum and a receipt from the prince’s secretary, John Murray of Broughton, was issued.

But unlike other towns that were fined by the Jacobites and later reimbursed, Paisley’s money has never been returned.

In 1749, Glasgow received £10,000 in recompense and the following year Dumfries was handed a £2,800 repayment, but every application Paisley made for reimbursement was refused. Experts estimate that the £500 fine would be worth more than £100,000 today – although it is less clear who would now be liable to pay the debt.

Paisley raised a court action in 1753 against Murray but he was relieved of any responsibility by an Act of Indemnity.

While it seems unlikely that Paisley will ever receive recompense, the tale will form a key part of a newly enlarged Jacobite display at the city’s museum following a £42million redevelopment. Paisley Museum is due to reopen in 2022 and is expected to attract more than 125,000 visitors a year.