The Prisoner of St Kilda: The True Story of the Unfortunate Lady Grange - Tapa dura

'this fascinating account of one of the most beguiling characters in Scotland's history... it's a stunning story and Margaret Macaulay has done it full justice.' --Trevor Royle, The Herald

In the 18th century shotgun weddings were not unusual, but in most cases it wasn't the bride that was holding the gun. So began the stormy marriage between Lord and Lady Grange, a marriage which was to end with Lady Grange's death on the Isle of Skye after 13 years in exile. The daughter of a convicted murderer, Lady Grange's behaviour, such as her fondness for drink, was so outrageous that her sudden disappearance from public life was not considered surprising. But few knew the true story of her disappearance. This book reveals, for the first time, how the unfortunate lady was violently kidnapped and transported to the remote islands off the west coast of Scotland, spending seven years on the island of St. Kilda's. Condemned to a very different lifestyle than she had enjoyed in Edinburgh, and baffled by the strange tongue of the Gaelic West, she still obstinately survived, finally dying in Skye in 1745 (although a funeral had already been held for her years before). More than a history of scandal and infamy, 'The Prisoner of St Kilda' gives a balanced account of both Lord and Lady Grange, their flaws and strengths, and of the role played by the powerful men who saw the unpredictable Lady Grange as a threat.