EP 12 - Jacobite Golfers and Cold War Espionage

After the Battle of Culloden, a period of Cold War set in, lasting for the next two decades. The musket and cannon were replaced by espionage, propaganda, and psychological warfare, and the game of golf found itself in the midst of it all. The Hanoverian government, concerned about future Jacobite uprisings, targeted Scotland’s first golfing societies due to their close ties to Scottish freemasonry and the Royal Company of Archers. These golfers, including prominent figures like William Saint Clare, James Weems, and John Rattray, were under surveillance. Despite the government’s suspicions, the golfers posed little actual threat, but tensions remained high.

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Narrator: 00:07

Episode 12, Jacobite Golfers and Cold War Espionage. After the battle of Culloden, a period of cold war set in that lasted for the next 2 decades, the musket and cannon were replaced by espionage, propaganda and psychological warfare and the game of golf was right in the middle of it all. The Hanoverian government was very concerned about future Jacobite uprisings, and Scotland's 1st golfing societies were suspected accomplices. Their close ties to Scottish freemasonry and the Royal Company of Archers provided government agents all the evidence they needed to target the game of golf. The Scottish freemasons were predominantly catholic and closely aligned with the masonic community in France and the alliance between Scottish and French Jacobites was an ongoing threat to the British rule.

Narrator: 00:56

The royal company of archers had among its leaders many prominent Jacobites, and they took to wearing tartans as a not so subtle sign of support for the Stuart dynasty. If you were a freemason and a member of the royal company of archers, and your family had any ties to the Jacobites, then you were likely under surveillance, and that included many prominent golfers. William Saint Clare was Scotland's 1st grand master of the Scottish Freemasons and a member of the Royal Company of Archers. He was a founding member of the honourable company of Edinburgh Golfers, and also a 3 time captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of Saint Andrews. James Weems, the 5th Earl of Weems, also served as the Scottish grandmaster and was captain general of the royal company of archers during the Jacobite uprising of 17/45.

Narrator: 01:46

Weems was one of the 22 founding members of the royal and ancient golf club of Saint Andrews. Weems son, Francis Weems Charters, was also a founding member of the Royal and Ancient, a future grand master mason, and member of the royal company of archers. His older brother, David, was a key Jacobite military leader who escaped to France where he lived in exile. But like his father and brother, he was a Scottish freemason and member of the royal company of archers. The most famous Jacobite golfer of them all was John Ratri, who endorsed the original 13 rules of golf, and was later captured at the battle of Culloden and imprisoned at Inverness.

Narrator: 02:26

Like William Saint Claire, Ratray was a founding member of the honorable company of Edinburgh Golfers, and also a freemason and member of the royal company of archers. These men and their shared connections to the royal company of archers and Scottish freemasons, no doubt created the enduring bond between the honourable company of Edinburgh Golfers and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of Saint Andrews that lasts to this day. Upon its formation in 17/54, the Royal and Ancient sent one of their founding members to personally invite members of the honourable company to join in their first competition. The clubs ended up sharing many of the same members and they began holding private interclub competitions close to other golfers. These men and other Scottish golfers knew they were under surveillance.

Narrator: 03:13

Their mail was being intercepted, copied and sent to London for analysis, and a network of informants tracked their movements both on and off the golf course. It's understandable why the government would target these golfers, but in reality they posed little threat. Even the most loyal Jacobites were beginning to focus more on advancing Scotlands broader national interests and less on restoring the Stuart dynasty. But the Hanoverian government wasn't convinced, tensions remained high and advocating for Scottish rights could still be interpreted as a treasonous act. Scottish patriots, especially prominent golfers, had to adopt the cold war tactics being used against them.

Narrator: 03:54

Caddies were used as informants by both sides, and the golfers pubs were used to spread propaganda and misinformation. Each golfing society had its political factions, so golfers took to using secret markings stamped on their clubs to discreetly signify their loyalties. Some used the letter j and symbols like the thistle and crown as a signal to fellow Jacobites on the golf course. Other forms of symbolism, including the sunflower, oak tree and the butterfly. Butterflies symbolized transformation and hope, oak trees represented protection and endurance, and the sunflower represented consistency and resilience.

Narrator: 04:34

The early days of Scotland's oldest and most famous golfing societies reflected the post war tensions of the time. As Great Britain emerged from its civil war, espionage played out across the Scottish links, but by the late 18th century, the Jacobite threat began to subside and the cold war ended. Up next, Saint Andrews and the Ben Franklin strategy.