He risked his life in an attempt to overthrow the British king nearly 300 years ago.
But Bonnie Prince Charlie – the grandson of James II – only just survived an assassination attempt in January 1746, according to researchers.
Experts have found a 21mm-wide musket ball hole in his bedroom wall at Bannockburn House, near Stirling, Scotland.
The musket, an early type of gun with a long barrel, was fired by an unknown assailant – possibly an ally of the British king, George II.
Bonnie Prince Charlie led the Jacobite rising of 1745, the unsuccessful attempt to restore his father, James Stuart, to the British throne.
Prince Charles Edward Stuart – known as Bonnie Prince Charlie – was the grandson of the deposed Catholic King James VII of Scotland and II of England
Amidst the delicate plaster work and ancient wooden panelling, a musket ball hole (pictured) has been discovered – evidence of the assassination attempt, experts say
‘This astonishing find at Bannockburn House sheds new light on the story of Bonnie Prince Charlie and one of the most tumultuous episodes in Scottish and British history,’ said Stirling Council Leader, councilor Chris Kane.
Also known as ‘the Young Pretender’, Prince Charles Edward Stuart (1720-1788) was the grandson of the deposed Catholic King James VII of Scotland (and II of England).
In 1745, the ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’ led the Jacobite uprising – an attempt to restore his family to the British throne and overthrow King George II.
By December 1745, his forces retreated back to Scotland and Bonnie Prince Charlie, having fallen ill, was taken to Bannockburn House to recover.
He was nursed by the young niece of his host Sir Hugh Paterson, Clementine Walkinshaw, and romance blossomed between the two.
He stayed in a large bedroom on the first floor’s west wing – the location of the assassination attempt.
In January 1746, an unknown assassin fired a shot through the bedroom window with the musket, missing Bonnie Prince Charlie as he slept, researchers say.
Bannockburn House is a 17th Century A-listed mansion house, which has survived largely unchanged, apart from Victorian adaptations including an extension at the rear. The original part of the house was completed around 1675, although it’s believed to be built on an earlier building called Drummonds’ Hall
This is the bedroom on Bannockburn House’s first floor where Bonnie Prince Charlie slept as the assailant aimed a musket through the window, the experts say
The musket ball went through the panelling and made a crater in the plaster and stone behind it
Bannockburn House is a Category A listed building in the town of Bannockburn, near Stirling, Scotland
For centuries, the existence of this musket ball hole remained a tantalising legend passed down through the generations, its whereabouts shrouded in mystery.
Volunteers had been searching for the hole for years – but a ‘crucial lead’ was provided by an 89-year-old man whose aunt had been a servant at the house.
The man had told researchers that his aunt had taken great pride in looking after the bullet hole in the room in the 1950s.
Finally, in April this year, the hole was found under painted panelling that was put in the room in the 1880s, across from a window.
‘It was an exciting moment as I opened it,’ said Catherine Bradley, lead volunteer researcher at Bannockburn House.
‘I carefully lifted the panel and saw the splintered wood and I knew we’d found something very special.’
Professor Murray Pittock of the University of Glasgow with the hole, which measures just 2.1cm (0.8 inches) in width
The attempt on Charlie’s life was made with a musket, an early type of gun with a long barrel (file photo)
The team was aided by leading Jacobite historian Professor Murray Pittock at the University of Glasgow and Stirling Council archaeologist Dr Murray Cook who ‘confirmed the authenticity of the find’, according to a statement.
However, Professor Pittock told MailOnline that the existence of the hole is ‘not proof but corroboration’ – so they can’t completely rule out the possibility that the hole was made during some other event.
Long-term, the plan is to make the musket ball hole viewable for visitors to Bannockburn House.
The announcement comes on the 279th anniversary of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s arrival on Scottish soil to try to regain the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on behalf of his father, James Stuart (1688-1766).
James Stuart was Prince of Wales from July 1688 until, just months after his birth, when his Catholic father (James VII and II) was deposed and exiled in the Glorious Revolution of 1688.
Ultimately, campaigns to restore the Stuart monarchy to the British throne, including the Jacobite rising, were ill-fated.
WHAT WAS THE JACOBITE REBELLION of 1745-6?
The 1745 Jacobite Rebellion was a turning point in British history.
Believing the British throne to be his birthright, Charles Edward Stuart, aka the ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’, planned to invade Great Britain along with his Jacobite followers and remove the Hanoverian ‘usurper’ George II.
The Jacobites were encouraged and assisted by Britain’s enemies, in particular the French, who saw support for the Stuarts as a way of distracting Britain from its military campaigns overseas.
There was a series of revolts and major outbreaks in 1708, 1715 and 1719.
Charles launched the rebellion on 19 August 1745 at Glenfinnan in the Scottish Highlands and was successful in capturing Edinburgh.
The 1745 Jacobite Rebellion was a turning point in British history. Believing the British throne to be his birthright, Charles Edward Stuart, aka the ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’, planned to invade Great Britain along with his Jacobite followers
The Scots agreed at councils to invade England after Charles assured them of Jacobite support and a simultaneous French landing in Southern England.
But on reaching Derby, they decided to turn back as many felt thney had gone too far.
The invasion route had been selected to cross areas considered strongly Jacobite but the promised English support failed to materialise.
They were also now outnumbered and in danger of having their retreat cut off.
The decision was supported by the vast majority but caused an irretrievable split between Charles and his Scots supporters.
There was a series of revolts and major outbreaks in 1708, 1715 and 1719. Charles launched the rebellion on 19 August 1745 at Glenfinnan in the Scottish Highlands and was successful in capturing Edinburgh. Here, an impression of the uprising in 1716
The battle of Culloden ended in April and completely ended the Rebellion with significant backing for the Stuart cause.
Charles escaped to France and was unable to win support for another attempt to invade. he died in Rome in 1788.
Fran Caine, Assistant Events Manager at Historic Environment Scotland, said: ‘The Jacobite Risings form an important period in Scottish history.
‘Spanning around 60 years, these events shaped the Scotland, and in particular the Highlands, of today and their legacy is still visible in battlefields and defences – such as Fort George.
Fort George was built by the Government after the rebellion in a ‘strategic move to stop any further Risings by the Jacobites’.
