Clementina Walkinshaw
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Clementina Maria Sophia Walkinshaw (1720 – 27 November 1802) was the mistress of the Jacobite claimant
Charles Edward Stuart Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (31 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, making him the grandson of James VII and II, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, ...
. Born into a respectable Scottish family, Clementina began to live with the Prince in November 1752 and remained his mistress for eight years. Their child Charlotte was born in 1753. In 1760, the Prince's father,
James Francis Edward Stuart James Francis Edward Stuart (10 June 16881 January 1766), nicknamed the Old Pretender by Whigs (British political party), Whigs or the King over the Water by Jacobitism, Jacobites, was the House of Stuart claimant to the thrones of Ki ...
, helped her escape with her daughter to a convent and began to support her. After his death in 1766 she had an allowance from Charles's brother Henry, Cardinal Duke of York. Charlotte's father legitimised her in 1783, and the next year she joined him in Florence and looked after him until his death. Charlotte died unmarried in 1789, leaving Clementina 50,000 livres and an annuity, but Henry insisted on Clementina signing a "quittance" renouncing any further claim. Clementina Walkinshaw brought up her grandchildren (sired by Charlotte's lover, archbishop Ferdinand de Rohan) and lived until 1802, in her later years taking up residence in
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
.


Childhood

Clementina was the youngest of ten daughters of John Walkinshaw of Barrowfield and his wife Katherine Paterson, daughter of Sir Hugh Paterson, 1st Baronet. She grew up in
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, possibly born thence, and as such would have known Charles from a young age; indeed, she was said to have been the goddaughter of his mother Clementina Sobieska. The Walkinshaws were
Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark (; ), is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and registration county in the Central Lowlands and Southern Uplands of Scotland. The county is no l ...
gentry who owned the lands of Barrowfield and
Camlachie Camlachie (; ) is an area of Glasgow in Scotland, located in the East End of the city, between Dennistoun to the north, and Bridgeton to the south. Formerly a weaving village on the Camlachie Burn, it then developed as an important industrial s ...
, and her father had become a wealthy Glasgow merchant. However, he was a committed Jacobite who had fought for
James Francis Edward Stuart James Francis Edward Stuart (10 June 16881 January 1766), nicknamed the Old Pretender by Whigs (British political party), Whigs or the King over the Water by Jacobitism, Jacobites, was the House of Stuart claimant to the thrones of Ki ...
in the
rising of 1715 The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( ; or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts. At Braemar, Aberdeenshire, local landowner the Earl ...
, and had been captured at the
Battle of Sheriffmuir The Battle of Sheriffmuir (, ) was an engagement in 1715 at the height of the Jacobite rising of 1715, Jacobite rising in Scotland. The battlefield has been included in the Inventory of Historic Battlefields in Scotland and protected by Histor ...
, before escaping from
Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop an Intrusive rock, intrusive Crag and tail, crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill ge ...
and fleeing to Europe. Clementina was educated on the Continent, and later converted to
Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
. In 1746, she was living at the home of her uncle Sir Hugh Paterson at Bannockburn near
Stirling Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...
.


Relationship with Prince Charles Stuart

After the defeat of the Prince's rebellion at Culloden in April 1746, Charles fled Scotland for France. In 1752, he heard that Clementina, whom he had already met with her uncle, was at
Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...
and in some financial difficulties, so he sent 50 louis d'ors to help her and then dispatched Sir Henry Goring to entreat her to come to
Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...
and live with him as his mistress. Goring, who described Clementina as a "bad woman", complained of being used as "no better than a pimp", and shortly afterwards left Charles's employ. However, by November 1752, Clementina was living with Charles, and was to remain as his mistress for the following eight years. The couple moved to
Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...
where Charlotte, their only child, was born on 29 October 1753 and baptised into the Roman Catholic faith at the church of Sainte Marie-des-Fonts. Some contemporary accounts of British agents cite the birth of a baby boy and a second child. The relationship between the Prince and Clementina was disastrous. Charles was already a disillusioned, angry alcoholic when they began living together, and he became violent towards Clementina and insanely possessive of her, treating her as a "submissive whipping post". Often away from home on jaunts, he seldom referred to his daughter, and when he did, it was as "ye cheild". During a temporary move to Paris, the Prince's lieutenants record ugly public arguments between the two, and that his drunkenness and temper was damaging his reputation. By 1760, they were in
Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...
, and Clementina had had enough of his intoxication and their nomadic lifestyle. She contacted Charles's staunchly
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
father James Stuart ('the Old Pretender') and expressed a desire to secure a Catholic education for Charlotte and to retire to a convent. James agreed to pay her an annuity of 10,000
livres Livre may refer to: Currency * French livre, one of a number of obsolete units of currency of France * Livre tournois, one particular obsolete unit of currency of France * Livre parisis, another particular obsolete unit of currency of France * F ...
and, in July 1760, there is evidence to suggest he aided her escape from the watchful Charles, with the seven-year-old Charlotte, to the convent of the Nuns of the Visitation in Paris. She left a letter for Charles expressing her devotion to him but complaining she had to flee in fear of her life. A furious Charles circulated descriptions of them both, but it was to no avail.


Life with her daughter

For the next twelve years, Clementina and Charlotte continued to live in various French convents, supported by the 10,000
livre Livre may refer to: Currency * French livre, one of a number of obsolete units of currency of France * Livre tournois, one particular obsolete unit of currency of France * Livre parisis, another particular obsolete unit of currency of France * Fre ...
pension granted by James Stuart. Charles never forgave Clementina for depriving him of "ye cheild", and stubbornly refused to pay anything for their support. On 1 January 1766 James died, but Charles, now considering himself ''de jure'' Charles III of Scotland, England and Ireland, still refused to make any provision for the two, forcing Clementina, now styling herself as the Countess of Albestroff, to appeal to his brother Cardinal Henry Stuart for assistance. Henry gave them an allowance of 5,000 livres, but in return extracted a statement from Clementina that she had never been married to Charles – a statement she later tried to retract. This lower amount forced them to find cheaper lodgings in the convent of Notre Dame at
Meaux-en-Brie Meaux () is a Communes of France, commune on the river Marne (river), Marne in the Seine-et-Marne Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, Franc ...
. Towards the end of 1772, Clementina and Charlotte unexpectedly arrived in Rome to press their desperate cause in person. The trip had pushed Clementina further into debt. The Prince reacted angrily to their arrival, refusing even to see them, forcing their helpless return to France, from where Charlotte's pleading letters continued.


Later life

In 1783, Charlotte, Clementina’s daughter, finally became legitimised and was allowed to see her father. Charlotte, in need of money for her and Clementina, settled with her father in Florence as his caretaker. Charlotte left Clementina her children to take care of while Charlotte was in Florence. On 17 November 1789, Charlotte died unmarried at age 36 of
liver cancer Liver cancer, also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy, is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary in which the cancer starts in the liver, or it can be liver metastasis, or secondar ...
at Palazzo Vizzani Sanguinetti, a Renaissance palace located in Bologna. In Charlotte’s will, written three days before her death, stated that Clementina would be left 50,000 livres and an annuity of 15,000. However, Cardinal Henry Stuart would ‘release’ the money; he had only agreed to do so if Clementina would sign an quittance, renouncing any former claim upon the estate for both her and her descendants. Clementina Walkinshaw looked after her illegitimate grandchildren and lived until 1802, in her later years taking up residence in Switzerland and bringing up her grandson Roehenstart in the reformed faith. During the years of the French Revolution, his father paid for his education in Germany. On her death, she left him a substantial fortune.Peter Piniński, ''The Stuarts' Last Secret''
p. 187
/ref>


In culture

She is a minor character in the novel ''
Redgauntlet ''Redgauntlet'' (1824) is a historical novel by Sir Walter Scott, one of the Waverley novels, set primarily in Dumfriesshire, southwest Scotland, in 1765, and described by Magnus Magnusson (a point first made by Andrew Lang) as "in a sense, ...
'' (1824) by Sir
Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...
. Scottish singer-songwriter
Brian McNeill Brian McNeill (born 6 April 1950, Falkirk, Scotland) is a Scottish folk multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer and musical director. He was a founding member of Battlefield Band which combined traditional Celtic melodies and new m ...
composed the song "How the Foreign Winds Do Blaw" on his tenth studio album ''The Baltic tae Byzantium'' about Walkinshaw.


Notes


Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Walkinshaw, Clementina 1720 births 1802 deaths Clementina Mistresses of British royalty