07/17/2026
Were your ancestors part of this secret society?
In the years between the Glorious Revolution and the last Jacobite Rising of 1745-46, Jacobite supporters used engraved signet rings and seals as discreet expressions of loyalty to the exiled House of Stuart.
Open support for the Stuart cause could be dangerous so these items relied on symbolic imagery and carefully chosen mottos that appeared innocent to outsiders while conveying political meaning to fellow Jacobites. Several symbols recur throughout the seals:
* A white rose represented the exiled Stuart king, James Francis Edward Stuart ("The Old Pretender").
* One or two rosebuds signified his sons, Charles Edward Stuart ("Bonnie Prince Charlie") and Henry Benedict Stuart.
* The thistle reinforced the Stuarts' connection to Scotland and their claim to the Scottish throne.
Popular mottos included:
* Turno Tempus Erit (Latin: "For Turnus, there will come a time.") Taken from Virgil's Aeneid, the phrase implied that the Hanoverian regime would eventually face justice and that the Stuarts' cause would ultimately prevail.
* Redii (Latin: "I have returned") This along side a blooming white rose, two rosebuds, and a thistle, quietly proclaimed hope for the restoration of the Stuart monarchy.
* "The Rose That's Like the Snaw" A line from a Robert Burns poem referring to the white rose, long associated with the House of Stuart.
* Je Ne Change Que'n Mourant (French: "I do not change except in death.") This French motto, surrounding a leaf, declared unwavering loyalty. While not exclusively Jacobite, it was well suited to supporters who wished to express steadfast devotion.
