The Highland Society was founded in 1784 in an effort to improve the agricultural conditions, as well as the preservation of the language, poetry and music of the region. In 1787, the Society received a royal charter and became the Royal Highland Society of Scotland, and later became the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland. Significant members include the lawyer and novelist Henry Mackenzie, and the novelist, poet and historian, Sir Walter Scott.

In c.1788, the Adam office made a design for the Highland Society Seal and there are three surviving drawings in the Soane collection. This cataloguer has established that the design used in these drawings appears to originate from a medal of Prince Charles Edward Stuart, commonly referred to as ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’. The medal is thought to have been made by the medallist and engraver, Thomas Pingo (1692-1776) in c.1750 although there is no clear evidence of its circulation during that period.

The medal contains a portrait of Prince Charles on one side and on the other side is a scene with Prince Charles in Highland dress facing Scotia holding her shield and spear. Scotia stands in front of a unicorn on a pedestal adorned with the thistle, with a cornucopia at her feet. The background comprises a rugged landscape with ships in the distance and a castle behind Prince Charles. Below the scene is the motto ‘semper armis nunc et industria’ which roughly translates to ‘always with arms and now with diligence’.

It is thought that this medal was intended to be used as a propaganda tool for supporters of the Stuart cause, like other related medals including the more famous Oak Medal. The dyes for the design were made in c.1750, however Cochran-Patrick states that the rust marks in the coins that survive suggest that the coins were not struck until some years later. Cochran-Patrick also mentions a pair of dyes of ‘the Pretender’ sold in the Cotton sale (1790) for ‘a society’ - which might relate to this medal. There are two nineteenth-century copies in the British Museum and another in the Royal Collection.

In the Adam office designs, the scene has been flipped with Scotia and a figure, this time thought to be a generic person in traditional Highland dress. Some minor motifs have also been added including some cattle behind the Highlander. One of the drawings (SM Adam volume 54/7/272) includes the date ‘1788’ drawn roughly in the inscription border. This date would be appropriate considering the Royal Charter of 1787 but it is also interesting to consider that it might relate to the death of Prince Charles, who died in exile in 1788. The seal design does not appear to have been used by the Society, but the motto has remained in use as part of the Highland Society seal and medals.

Literature:
R. Cochran-Patrick, Catalogue of the medals of Scotland from the earliest period to the present time, 1884, p. 75; L. Forrer, Biographical Dictionary of Medallists, Volume IV, 1909, pp. 555-560; W. Spiers, Catalogue of the Drawings and Designs of Robert and James Adam in Sir John Soane’s Museum, 1979, p. 81; M. Snodin, ‘Adam Silver Reassessed’, The Burlington Magazine, Vol. 139, January 1997, pp. 17-25; The Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, online, [accessed 12 December 2023]

Louisa Catt, 2024