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History
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Flora MacDonald (1722-1790) Archaeologists recently excavated the small village of Arigh Mhuilinn, located about 1/4 of a mile north of Milton. The village is believed to have been the birthplace of the famed Scottish heroine, Flora MacDonald, who helped Bonnie Prince Charlie escape to Skye en route to France. After the last major campaign for Scottish independence was ended at the battle of Culloden in 1746, government troops scoured the country for the now destitute Prince. He eventually made it back to the Western Isles where he was disguised as Flora's Irish maidservant, Betty Burke. The two then sailed over the Minch to Skye. After a close encounter with government authorities, Bonny Prince Charlie was handed over to Jacobite sympathisers and was subsequently returned safely to France. However Flora's adventurous exploits would live on. She was sent to London after the war and was held under protective custody in the Tower of London until 1747. She was released after enough funds were raised by her supporters and returned to Edinburgh and then to Skye where she married and raised a family. She then emigrated with her family to North Carolina. Flora eventually returned to Skye while her husband and two sons fought in the American War of Independence. In 1790, she died in the village of Peingown, Skye, where some 3000 mourners are said to have attended her funeral. A memorial
cairn is a short walk from Milton |
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