The manuscript, watermarked 1827, was written by Peter Rose who lived circa 1764-1841, a cadet of a family which had a lease of Ardachy, Abertarff, 1726-1770. He spent his working life in the West Indies, retiring to Scotland 1824 or 1825. A cloth label on the inside front cover is inscribed ‘P. ROSE OF ROSE HALL’, and pencilled note on the flyleaf reads “Bd. At B’pool 1 Sep /36” (i.e. 1836?).

The contents are as follows.

(i) Contents list (folio ii);

(ii) Transcripts relating to Mary, Queen of Scots (folio 1 recto);

(iii) James I. ‘Quhaireas in ward, full oft I wold bewaile’, 24 lines. With introduction. Cf. folio 75 recto (folio 2 verso);

(iv) Lady L[ ]. “Valiant Johnnie’s marched away”, 14 lines. On her husband, Sir John L[ ] (folio 3 recto, line 6);

(v) Duncan Forbes. ‘When I this dawning did admire’, 20 lines. To his wife Mary, daughter of Hugh Rose of Kilravock (folio 3 verso);

(vi) Duncan Forbes. ‘A Chloris, could I now but sit’, 4 lines. To his wife Mary, daughter of Hugh Rose of Kilravock (bottom of folio 3 verso);

(vii) Transcripts from ‘Culloden Papers’ (London, 1815) (folio 4 recto);

(viii) Duncan Forbes' list of officers of independent companies to whom he had delivered commissions, 12 May 1746 (bottom of folio 19 recto);

(ix) More transcripts from ‘Culloden Papers’ (folio 20 recto);

(x) Account of the monument to the raising of the standard at Glenfinnan, with its inscription (folio 27 verso);

(xi) On the hospitableness of the lairds of Culloden (folio 28 recto);

(Folio 28 verso) blank;

(xii) ‘Far over yon hills of the Heather sae green’, 30 lines (folio 29 recto);

(xiii) Notes on antiquities of Fife, Thomas the Rhymer, Wallace’s statue at Dryburgh (folio 29 verso);

(xiv) On Duncan Forbes', George Washington’s and General Hawley’s opinions of Highland troops (middle of folio 31 recto);

(xv) More transcripts from ‘Culloden Papers’ (folio 31 verso);

(xvi) Articles of impeachment against Lord George Murray (folio 38 verso);

(xvii) Letter of Lord Lovat to the Duke of Cumberland, Fort William, dated 12 June 1746 (folio 39 verso);

(xviii) Lord George Murray’s battle orders to Prince Charles’s troops (middle of folio 40 recto);

(xix) On the qualities required of a young woman, entitled ‘A friend advice to a Young relation’. By Duncan Forbes. Continued folios 41 recto (foot), 41 verso (top) (folio 40 verso);

(xx) Further transcript from ‘Culloden Papers’ (folio 41 recto);

(xxi) On Duncan Forbes' and George Washington’s opinion of Highland troops, as at 31 recto (folio 41 verso);

(xxii) Letter of Lord Lovat to Lochiel, dated September 1745 (folio 42 recto);

(xxiii) Facsimiles of signatures in Duncan Forbes' correspondence (folio 42 verso);

(xxiv) “The news fra’ moudart cam’ yestreen”, 30 lines (folio 43 recto);

(xxv) “S evine a naiech ha due an s’douegh”, 20 lines. Gaelic version of above (folio 43 verso);

(xxvi) Flora McDonald. ‘Sleep on, my Prince, securely sleep let every doubt depart’, 4 lines (bottom of folio 43 verso);

(xxvii) Lord Byron. “The Clouds may pour down on Culloden’s red plain”, 7 lines. Elegy on Gillies McBane. “The particulars of Gillies McBane’s bravery was told to me by an eye witness (Duncan McCallum) besides the affectionate mention made of him by John Roy Steuart in his lamentation for Scotland &c.” Cf. folio 48 recto (folio 44 recto);

(xxviii) Miscellaneous historical notes (folio 45 recto). Peace to the Chieftains Soul who fell, 14 lines (folio 44 verso);

(xxix) Extracts from Walter Scott’s ‘Waverley’, volume 2, chapter 40 (folio 46 recto);

(xxx) ‘White was the rose in his gay bonnet’, 12 lines. ‘Carlisle yet …. By an unknown Lady...’ (folio 47 verso);

(xxxi) Recollections of the ’45 told to the writer: execution of prisoners at Carlisle; Gillies MacBean; Rout of Moy (folio 48 recto);

(xxxii) Reminiscences, mainly genealogical and on cattle-lifters, headed ‘Abstracts remarks & Information from some scraps of paper found by myself among my Uncle Hughs’ (folio 49 recto). Includes the following verse:

Gorry MacDonell. ‘Than a Frishalish suarach s aid cho four rish a clishnach’, 2 lines (bottom of folio 51 verso);

Mrs Fraser of Ardachy. ‘Han eil na Frishalish suarach sheat a shualcie na shiesee’, 2 lines. Answer to above (bottom of folio 51 verso);

‘Beigh Feol na Cuerach ear droch bhlas ear aster Michaldoche’, 5 stanzas. On Mac Mhaol-Domhnaich (‘an Caimbeulach Dubh’), a noted cattle-lifter (bottom of folio 52 verso);

Gorry MacDonell. “Na gagh a’ grantach umman mo gaugh a’Chrough do Ceil a Chuiman”, 2 lines (middle of folio 53 recto);

(xxxiii) ‘Theig Kilraick le chuite gaiskach’, 8 lines. With introduction (bottom of folio 53 recto);

(xxxiv) Memories of the writer’s maternal uncle, Captain Alexander Fraser, and of the Badenoch hunter James Leslie (folio 56 verso), “The black Sturk’s Story 1780” (a youthful exploit). Folio 58 recto, anecdotes about cattle-lifters and prophecy. Includes (folio 60 verso, line 9) a verse attributed to ‘Camerons: Sholc a houre shine creach na Rosach’, 4 lines (folio 53 verso);

(xxxv) Some instances of longevity (middle of folio 60 verso);

(xxxvi) ‘Culloden on thy swarthy brow’, 48 lines ‘Drummosie Moor’ (folio 61 recto);

(xxxvii) [Sir Walter Scott]. ‘There’s must on the mountain & night on the Vale’, 40 lines. Flora MacIvor’s song from Waverley. Completed at the bottom of folio 61 verso (folio 62 recto);

(xxxviii) “Th’a cheoach ear abhona th’a n oice s’o ghlean”, 12 lines. Translation of part of above (folio 62 verso);

(xxxix) On John Roy Stewart (folio 63 recto);

(xl) Notes on strengths of armies (Alexander II, ’15 Rebellion) (middle of folio 63 verso);

(xli) John Roy Stewart. “The Lord’s my targe I will be stout”, 24 lines. Cf. Mackechnie, ‘The poems of John Roy Stewart’, page 38 (folio 64 recto);

(xlii) John Roy Stewart. “Gur a mhore ‘m chues mhulad”, 32 lines. On Culloden. ‘The poems of John Roy Stewart’, page 18 (folio 64 verso);

(xliii) John Roy Stewart. ‘O gur mist a ear mo Chradh’, 11 stanzas. On Culloden. ‘The poems of John Roy Stewart’, page 24 (folio 65 recto);

(xliv) John Roy Stewart. “Nou’hre he’s shine aig a Phairke”, 4 quatrains + chorus. On Culloden (middle of folio 65 verso);

(xlv) John Roy Stewart. ‘Mille marbhask ear a gorac’, 16 lines. ‘Composed by John Roy Steuart when young on a visite to Cincardy’. A pencilled note underneath (same hand) adds ‘when going to Glenlyon’. ‘The poems of John Roy Stewart’, page 8 (folio 66 recto, line 5);

(xlvi) John Roy Stewart. “S’m m’heine aig struan s’m schee”, 18 lines. The poet’s prayer on dislocating his ankle when fleeing from Redcoats. ‘The poems of John Roy Stewart’, page 34. With introduction (folio 66 verso);

(xlvii) John Roy Stewart. ‘Shedar dhom bhie tougal orm’, 2 quatrains. Headed “On the same occation John Roy Steuart compos’d his own Strathspey &c” (folio 67 recto);

(xlviii) John Roy Stewart. “Gu’ bel misshe fho gruieman”, 2 stanzas. ‘His Song composed to his favourite the mother of his Son Charles Steuart who died an officer in Lord Loudon Campbells Regt’ (middle of folio 67 recto);

(xlix) John Roy Stewart. “A ‘fheir a’thulus do n aurd”, 8 lines. Mrs Barbara Fraser. “T’sorrie uam go n armadh”, 8 lines. Above these verses is the heading ‘After John Roy Steuart left Castle Dounie he settle in Athol at Faschole he carried his correspondence with Lord Lovat in the French language & with Mrs. Fraser Bruoch or Downie in the Gallic’. Below, in pencil (same hand) is ‘mo hoganach &c’ (folio 67 verso);

(l) On drowning of Iain Garbh Mac Gille Chaluim. “Mo veud ‘s mo bhron e Fer treach more”, 1 quatrain (folio 68);

(li) Mrs Barbara Fraser of Bruach. ‘Gu bheil mise gun tamth’, 18 lines. ‘By Barbara Bhan on her going to Auchnacloich’. Cf. Turner’s ‘Comhchruinneacha’, page 276 (folio 68 verso);

(lii) Mrs Barbara Fraser of Bruach. ‘S tric a ghargurge shieas me’, 40 lines. Cf. Turner’s ‘Comhchruinneacha’, page 311 (folio 69 recto);

(liii) ‘But ye whom social pleasure charms’, 1 stanza. “Engraved on the Silver hoop round Robert Burn’s punch Bowl” (middle of folio 69 verso);

(liv) ‘If to correct the follies of mankind, or’, 8 lines (bottom of folio 69 verso);

(lv) “Moch maduinn ear l’a luan’d”, 9 quatrains + chorus + introduction. Lament for Gregor Roy MacGregor of Glenstrae (died 1570). Cf. “Bàrdachd Ghàidhlig”, page 244 (folio 70 recto);

(lvi) “S’ mor bu bhinne bhi t’eisteachd”, 5 quatrains + chorus + English translation. ‘A Bhanarach dhonn a chruidh’ (folio 71 recto);

No text (folio 72);

(lvii) ‘Then each at once his faulchion drawn’, 64 lines. ‘The Combat of FitzJames & Roderick Dhu’ (Lochiel) (folio 73 recto);

(lviii) Anecdotes of ’45 and Prince Charles (folio 74 recto);

(lix) James I. ‘Quhaireas in ward full oft I wold bewaile’, 25 lines. Cf. folio 2 verso (middle of folio 75 recto);

(lx) “Peace to the Chieftain’s soul who fell”, 14 lines (middle of 75 verso);

(lxi) The Reverend Charles Wolfe. ‘Not a drum was heard not a funeral note’, 8 quatrains. ‘The burial of Sir John Moore’ (folio 76 recto);

(lxii) ‘There is a white stone placed upon yonder tomb’, 20 lines (folio 75 verso, line 5);

(lxiii) ‘Alone unaided on this foreign strand’, 53 lines. ‘To the memory of James Fraser of Belladrum who died in Berbice’ (folio 77 recto);

(lxiv) ‘How cruel is your tale young page’, 28 lines. ‘On hearing the death of William Fraser of Eskadale, in the East Indies’ (folio 78 recto);

(lxv) ‘Deposid here the Christian the just the good’, 8 lines. ‘At his seat Lodge Lane Liverpool on 6th Augt 1835 died Thomas Fraser aged 53 years’ (folio 78 verso);

(lxvi) ‘Far as we wander from our mountain home’, 40 lines. In praise of Robert Burns (folio 79 recto);

(lxvii) ‘It was in the Eighteen hundred year’, 96 lines. In praise of Sir Walter Scott (folio 80 recto);

(lxviii) Random notes, chiefly historical. Bottom of folio 82 verso, “This lightd belgic William O’er”, 6 lines. Middle of folio 83 recto, “I cumb’d Skeddaws lofty brow with mist enwreathd”, 1 quatrain (folio 82 verso);

(lxix) Legends of the Mackintoshes (folio 84 recto);

(lxx) More reminiscences, particularly on convalescing at Strathpeffer, 1806-1807 and 1824 (folio 87 recto);

(lxxi) Muster roll of Prince Charles' army, November 1745 (folio 93 verso);

(lxxii) Accounts of the battle of Falkirk by Hawley, Sheridan etc (folio 94 recto);

(lxxiii) Joseph Addison. ‘Remember, o my Friends, the Laws, the Rights’, 9 lines (middle of 97 verso);

(lxxiv) ‘Ill tides the land to hastening ills a pray’, 6 lines. With note on departure of Prince Charles, 19 September 1746 (bottom of folio 97 verso);

(lxxv) On Lord George Murray and Prince Charles (folio 98);

(lxxvi) Letter, Duke of Perth to Lord Ogilvie, Holyrood, 30 September 1745 (folio 99);

(Folio 100 verso) blank.

(lxxv) Account of death of Mary Fraser of Woodhouselee, 1568. With verse quotations (folio 101 recto);

(Folios 113 verso-121 verso) blank.