Pair of Duelling Pistols belonging to Bonnie Prince Charlie
These beautiful etchings of Prince Charles Edward Stuart’s Duelling Pistols are found in the catalogue from an exhibition of historical and personal relics. The catalogue was purchased by the 3rd Marquess of Bute and added to his collection. He was particularly interested in Scottish history and the history of the Stuart family and purchased both these and a sporran that belonged to Bonnie Prince Charlie items seen in the catalogue.
The Bute collection has several items related to the Jacobite rising of 1745. Some of these include historical tracts and pamphlets and surviving personal correspondences of Bonnie Prince Charlie, later obtained by the Bute Family.
Bute Archive Mount Stuart
The Bute Collection contains 25,000 rare books and artefacts in one of the UK’s foremost private collections. Housed in the magnificent Gothic revival mansion of Mount Stuart on the isle of Bute, it provides a glimpse into centuries of art and history reflecting the interests of successive generations of the Bute family. Visitors can view everything from works on theology and ornithology to porcelain and custom-made furniture. A recent find of global significance is a Shakespeare First Folio containing many of the Bard’s most familiar plays.