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Enjoy this curated selection of theme-related dances for celebrations and holidays, or find a dance associated with a special calendar day, or EVEN your own birthday!
Flora MacDonald's Introduction to Bonnie Prince Charlie, by Alexander Johnston (1815–1891)
Jun 27
Bonnie Prince Charlie & Flora MacDonald's Escape to Skye
Flora's Fancy
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
🥸 Meet Betty Burke... possibly the least convincing maid in Scottish history.
She wasn't really Betty Burke at all.
She was the most hunted man in Britain.
Fancy that!
One of the many dance tributes inspired by the dramatic aftermath of the Jacobite Rising of 1745, this lively 3-couple country jig recalls the daring escape of Charles Edward Stuart, the Jacobite claimant known to his supporters as Bonnie Prince Charlie and to his Hanoverian opponents as "the Young Pretender." Disguised as Flora MacDonald's Irish maid, "Betty Burke," he crossed to the Isle of Skye under her protection, narrowly escaping capture.
Devised by members of the RSCDS Tucson Branch and the Seven Pipers Scottish Society C.D. class, the dance was inspired by ideas from the youngest dancer in the class, 10-year-old Katie Oftedahl, who suggested its title.
Flora MacDonald was a 24-year-old Highland woman from South Uist in the Outer Hebrides. Although her family included members on both sides of the Jacobite conflict and she herself had no active role in the rebellion, she agreed to help the fugitive Prince in what she later described as an act of simple humanity. Her courage transformed an ordinary island woman into one of Scotland's most enduring folk heroines.
After his defeat at the Battle of Culloden, the Prince became the most hunted man in Britain. Flora secured a government pass for herself, two servants, and an Irish spinning maid named "Betty Burke"—who was, in reality, the six-foot Charles Edward Stuart disguised in borrowed women's clothing. Contemporary accounts suggest that while the disguise was hardly flawless, it proved convincing enough to carry him past government patrols. Flora even advised her unusual travelling companion to walk more modestly and speak as little as possible, lest his height, stride, or voice betray him!
Their voyage across the often-turbulent waters to the Isle of Skye became one of Scotland's best-loved adventure stories. Battling rough seas and the constant danger of discovery, the little party successfully slipped through one of the most dramatic manhunts in British history. Once safely on Skye, "Betty Burke" was soon exchanged for Highland dress, and the Prince continued his escape. The extraordinary journey has since inspired songs, books, paintings, dances, and countless retellings for nearly three centuries. 🕺 💃 💙 💙 💙 🚣 👑 🥸
Flora's Fancy
June 27, 1746 marks the day Flora MacDonald helped Prince Charles Edward Stuart to escape Scotland following the Battle of Culloden.
During the Jacobite Risings, in June 1746, at the age of 24, Flora was living on the island of Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides when Bonnie Prince Charlie took refuge there after the Battle of Culloden. The prince's companion, a Captain Conn O'Neill of The Feeva, County Antrim, son of Captain Conn Modera of the O'Neills of Clannaboy, sought her assistance to help the prince escape capture. They were distant relatives and had met at the home of their mutual relative, Ambrose O'Neill of Ballybollan. The island was controlled by the Hanoverian government using a local militia, but the MacDonalds were secretly sympathetic with the Jacobite cause.
After some hesitation, Flora promised to help the prince escape the island. At a later period she told the Duke of Cumberland, son of George II and commander-in-chief in Scotland, that she acted from charity and would have helped the duke himself were he in defeat and in distress.
The commander of the local militia was her stepfather, Hugh MacDonald. The commander gave her a pass to the mainland for herself, a manservant, an Irish spinning maid, Betty Burke, and a boat's crew of six men. The prince was disguised as Betty Burke.
After a first repulse at Waternish, Skye, the party landed at Kilbride, Skye, within easy access of Monkstadt, the seat of Sir Alexander MacDonald. The prince was hidden in rocks while Flora MacDonald found help for him in the neighbourhood. It was arranged that he be taken to Portree, Skye and from there taken to Glam on the island of Raasay. The talk of the boatmen brought suspicion on Flora MacDonald, and she was arrested and brought to London for aiding the prince's escape. After a short imprisonment in the Tower of London, she was allowed to live outside of it, under the guard of a "messenger" or gaoler. When the Act of Indemnity was passed in 1747 she was released.
Her bravery and loyalty had gained her general sympathy, increased by her good manners and gentle character. Dr Johnson, who met her in 1773, the year before she moved to America, described her as "a woman of soft features, gentle manners, kind soul and elegant presence." He also paid the tribute that is engraved on her memorial at Kilmuir: "...a name that will be mentioned in history, and if courage and fidelity be virtues, mentioned with honour."
In 1774, she and her husband emigrated to North Carolina. During the American War of Independence Captain MacDonald served the British government in the 84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants).
She is also remembered through the Scottish Highland Dance, "Flora MacDonald's Fancy" choreographed in her honour, supposedly based on a dance she performed for Bonnie Prince Charlie.
For a video of the dance performed by members of the RSCDS in Tucson, Arizona, in 2015, see below.
For more about Flora MacDonald's life, click the painting below "Prince Charlie's Farewell to Flora MacDonald, 1746" by Irish artist George William Joy (1844-1925).
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
