Dracula author s descendant reveals secret attempt to stop Union before it began thenational.scot - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thenational.scot Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Hamish MacPherson
Prince James Francis Edward Stuart, the Old Pretender . The son of King James II and Mary of Modena IT is a common claim on the part of Unionists that the Acts of Union were set in stone in 1707 – and to be fair, before they passed the Acts, neither the English or Scottish parliaments seriously contemplated that the Union was anything but permanent. That is why, as I have written, there is no right or mechanism in the Acts for Scotland to resile from the Union. The fact is, however, that the Union was fragile from the outset and only just survived at times until well into the 18th century.