| dc.description | 'Born in 1696, in Invergurie Castle, two miles west of Peterhead, James Francis Edward Keith bore in his name the evidence of the family beliefs that were to force him and his elder brother into exile.Named after James Francis Edward Stuart, the Old Pretender, the second son of the 9th Earl Marischal was a Jacobite by birth and on the encouragement of his mother Lady Mary followed his elder brother George in a passionate pursuit of a cause to which his family were to lose everything. Keith spent his youth and childhood at Inverugie Castle. After the fall of the Jacobite cause his family was stripped of its power, land and title and was exiled to Paris in 1716. In 1717 he gained his first commission as Colonel of Horse. In the years that followed, Jacobite flutterings, failed invasions and an exile's search for fortune led Keith across Europe in a journey which eventually led him to Russia where he found favour with Empress Anna.' After several years, romantic demands of the Empress drove Keith to frustration and he switched sides by simply moving to Prussia and offering his services to Fredrick the Great. In 1751, due to a scandal at court Keith's mistress and mother to his children was exiled from Prussia by Fredrick. On Friday 13 October, 1757, Keith died at the Battle of Hochkirk when he was shot at close range by a Croat as he rallied his flagging troops. (Alastair Robertson, 'Significant Scots: James Keith', Daily Mail, Saturday, 8 January, 2000) Today there stands a statue of Keith in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire. It was a gift of Wilhelm I, king of Prussia, to the town in recognition of the great service by Keith to Fredrick the Great and the Prussian army. (www.scotsindependent.org) This painting is signed and dated by the artist. | en |
