06/10/2026
We are excited to announce that a new Bonnie Prince Charlie -inspiried costume is calling Bannockburn House home!
Designed and created by Esther Pape, Costume student at The Northern School Of Art, and inspired by the enduring romance and tragedy of ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’ and the '46 Rising, this costume piece is a reimagining of what the famous figure might have worn on the battlefields of Culloden.
Esther drew inspiration from the different depictions of Bonnie Prince Charlie, amalgamating 18th – century fashion with her own creative response to his story of tragedy and hope. Passionate about historical accuracy, the piece is based on the fashions of the time and what Charles Edward Stuart likely would have worn. However, creative license allowed one significant departure from historical replication – the waistcoat's intricate surface design. For this piece, Esther used hand embroidery and beadwork to depict popular Jacobite symbolism.
The white rose – a powerful emblem of the Stuart claim – represents the prince’s hope to reclaim his exiled father’s throne. Additionally, the heart motif acknowledges Robert the Bruce and his connection to Bonnie Prince Charlie, and highlights their shared struggle for the crown.
The coat is made from Jacobite remnant tartan, by Peter MacDonald and The House of Edgar, and is trimmed with antique braid and lace from the early 1800s. This tartan is an exact reproduction of the one worn by the prince during the rebellion, which he later gifted to Lady Anne MacIntosh.
This costume piece is part of a university project and the complementary culmination of Esther's long-standing personal interest in Bonnie Prince Charlie, the lasting legacy of the Jacobite rebellion, and my passion for historical costume.
Thank you so much to Esther for giving us this beautiful piece! Come and see it here at Bannockburn House
