Copy of Letters and Orders anent burning Clesteron's House in Orkney, and how the said Letters and Orders came ever to appear. May 10. 1746.

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1394 (1394)
Saturday Afternoon, July 8th,
1749, Mr John Goodwillie cal-
led for me, &and delivered to
me a Copy of Letters and
Orders anent Burning Cles-
teron’s House in 1746, which
he had promised to procure
for my Lady Stewart.

Here follows an exact
Copy of Letters &and Orders
anent burning Clesteron’s
house in 1746.

Sir,

I have Just now received in-
telligence from John Riddoch Stew-
art Deputy of the Orkneys, that
twelve ✝ Persons disguised &and masked &and
in SailorsSailors' habit did last nightX cross
over from the main Land or Pomona
to the Island of the Shapinshire sup-
posed to be some Chiefs of the Rebel
Army who are designed to make their
Escape from the northern Isles of
Orkney to some Place beyond Sea I
hereby require &and direct you to take
under your Command the Boats be-
longing to his Majesty’s Ships, Sloops &and
✝ X
This was a downright &and manifest Fals-
hoodFalsehood, as I my selfmyself heard Clesteron &and My Lady
Stewart both declare in one &and yethe same Company.

Robert Forbes, A: M:
1395 (1395)
&and armed Vessels, Glasgow, Tryall
sloop, Salamander &and Happy Janet
armed Vessels &and to proceed to Al-
wick in the Island of Shapinshire
&and to take &and destroy any Person you
can find who have been in Rebel-
lion against His Majesty’s Person or
Government or their Abettors, and
likeways to destroy by Fire &cetc the
House of James ✝ Fea of Clesteron
in the said Island of Shapinshire
he being a notoriousX Rebel against
the present Government &and to do
all other Acts of Hostility to annoy
any traiteroustraitorous Persons and to pro-
ceed under the Direction of Mr
Doos according to Commodore
Smith’s Order.

Addressed to Captain Jeffereys
of His Majesty’s Ship Scarbo-
rough Orkneys.
Wrote on the Back thus
Westminster May 5th 1749.
This is the Copy of the Order
to which my Oath of this date
relates

|signed| ChaCharles Meader

Ja:Fraser Fraser J. P.

Sir

I have InclosedEnclosed you a Copy of a Letter

✝X
It is worth remarking here, that Clesteron was
[n]ot out wtwith the Prince, nor did he make any pub-
lickpublic Appearance at all.

1396 (1396)
Letter I received last Night, Captain
Haldane &and Captain Milbank was
then with me; I sent for Mr Doos
We all thought it proper to send our
Boats mann’dmanned &and armed, as it was
very thick Weather and could not
go to Sea; I gave the Command
of Boats to Captain Haldane, they
put off about Ten and returned
this Morning at Eight, they were
told at Mr Fea’s House that such
People as described was landed,
but they did not hear of their be-
ing come to that Island; as that
Fea is a Notorious RebellRebel Cap-
tains Haldane &and Milbank &and Mr Doos
with my Consent before they went
on that Duty, thought it our Duty to
destroy the said Fea’s house; which
would not only alarm the Country
but hinder the RebellsRebels from attempt-
ing to come this Way, which was
accordingly done by burning it to
the Ground, it is now a thick fog
&and Calm, we lyelie short, &and will sail
the first Opportunity &and join the Scar-
borough at Stromness, according to
Captain Jefferey’s Order, which I re-
ceived Yesterday Afternoon, So soon
as I join Captain Jeffereys, &and should
the Wind be out of the Way or Calm, I 1397 (1397)
I hope we shall be able to serve Sir
James Steward the same trick, had
Mr Doos been here before they would
all been demolished long before now;
it is a great Way by Water from
hence to Sir James’s House, but
little way from Stromness; I had
Account that Sir James Stewart
wants to take up two Men, which
he ordered on board a SpainishSpanish
Skip in January last as Pilots from
hence to Peterhead, who had Men,
Money &and Arms for the RebellsRebels, with
an Intent to send them out of
the Way or destroy them in some
Shape or other, that they may not
appear as Evidence against him,
should he be taken up; I have
wrote to Captain Jeffereys and
likewise to the Sheriff to ap-
prehend the said Men if possi-
ble &and put them on board any of
his Majesty’s Ships where they may
be found when wanted to condemn
the said Sir James, he is reckon-
ed a very cunning Man &and keeps
a sharp Look out, but I hope to
have him, or at least destroy what
he has, if time will permittpermit. I (1398)
I remain with great Respect

Sir
Your most obedient humble ServtServant
|Signed| J:John Loyde.
Glasgow Deer Sound
May the 10th
1746.

N: B: The Way that the preceed-
ingpreceding Letters &and Orders anent burn-
ing Clesteron’s house came ever
to appear, is as follows. Mr
Fea of Clesteron commenced a
Process before the Lords of Ses-
sion agtagainst those concerned in
the Burning of his House in 1746.
After attending several Sessions,
at last Clesteron, in the Summer
Session, 1749, made out a clear
Proof agtagainst those who burntburned []
his House, who, in their own De-
fence, did plead, that what
they did was by express Orders
from a SuperiourSuperior Officer; &and there-
fore that the said Orders were
sufficient to make out their Ex-
culpation. Accordingly the Defen-
dants were obliged to produce
the said Orders, or an authentic
Copy of them upon Oath, &and to lay
them before the Court of Session in 1399 (1399)
in Scotland; &and an authentic
Copy upon Oath (as above) was
at last transmitted from Lon-
don to EdrEdinburgh some time in Sum-
mer 1749.

The Letter (signed J:John Loyde)
was addressed to Commodore
Smith.


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