The Mysterious Trunk of Prince Charles

AI depiction

The Montreal Herald — Monday, December 1, 1890

A basket covered with black leather, with brass handles and a brass clasp lock.

That is the description of a trunk reported in The Montreal Herald on December 1, 1890. Its last known location was the St. Andrew’s Society in Montreal, Quebec.

But the story behind this trunk may be far more extraordinary than its description suggests.

Its owner was Mr. Mackenzie, a mining engineer, who was descended from the family of Roderick Mackenzie — the son of a goldsmith who had served as a Jacobite officer in Prince Charles Edward Stuart’s army during the ’45.

According to stories of old, Roderick Mackenzie bore an extraordinary resemblance to Prince Charles — he was the spitting image of him.

And then came the moment when capture appeared imminent.

Roderick did the unthinkable: he took the place of the Prince, allowing Charles Edward Stuart to escape while Mackenzie lost his own life.

If this tradition is correct, what happened afterward becomes fascinating.

At some point, Prince Charles may have visited the Mackenzie family after the event, perhaps to offer his condolences and express his gratitude to the family of the man who had sacrificed himself for him.

And perhaps he left something behind.

A trunk.

Not an ordinary trunk, but one described as:

A basket covered with black leather, with brass handles and a brass clasp lock.

There is another possibility.

Perhaps Prince Charles sent the trunk to the Mackenzie family later, after he had reached safety in France — possibly along with a document bearing the signature of the Pope.

Whatever the true circumstances, one thing is certain from the 1890 record:

By December 1890, a trunk fitting this description was in Montreal, Quebec, in the possession of the St. Andrew’s Society.

Was this simply an old trunk?

Or could it have been a surviving object connected to one of the most dramatic episodes in Jacobite history?

The trail is 136 years old now.

So here's my question: should I try to find it?