James Bradshaw

James Bradshaw was born to "very substantial and reputable Parents" and had the benefit of a good education. His prospects only improved with the inheritance of his father's wealth, his marriage to the daughter of the well-to-do Mr Waggstaff of Manchester, and his success as a warehouseman in the rising linen trade. After the death of his wife and infant child, however, Bradshaw developed a reputation for drunkenness and volatility. In 1745 he threw in his lot with the Jacobites as a Captain in the Manchester Regiment and was active in recruiting, contributing his considerable funds to the upkeep of his company (Wedderburn, Genuine Account, pp. 9-10). While Bradshaw was allegedly a favourite with Charles Edward Stuart, he clashed with Colonel Francis Towneley (a relation through Bradshaw's mother: Oates, "Manchester Regiment," p. 135), even taunting the latter on the eve of Towneley's execution (Wedderburn, Genuine Account, p. 11). Due to personal conflict and perhaps also because he sensed the danger of staying at Carlisle (Old England, November 1, 1746), Bradshaw joined Elcho's Life Guards as a private soldier, leading to his capture at Culloden. At trial, Bradshaw presented an insanity defence, with reference not only to his late grief, but also to a history, from childhood, of depression, violence, and institutionalisation. The court found none of this sufficient to excuse his military commitment to the Jacobite cause (Wedderburn, Genuine Account, pp. 7-8). Prominent friends, family, and members of the trades community also weighed in on his behalf (NA SP 36/89/1/10; SP 36/89/3/13), one ally even attempting to arrange a jail break (NA TS 11/577/1880), all to no avail.