A belief in hereditary monarchy is, for the majority of the population in this country, something which is not questioned. A reading of history will, however, make us understand how the later Stuarts believed they had been cheated out of their inheritance. The fact that they were prepared to resort to armed rebellion in an attempt to regain what they believed was rightfully theirs is not difficult to appreciate. Supporters of their cause, the Jacobites, fell into two main camps, either those committed zealots who were prepared to risk all for the cause or the fireside club-goers who preferred to raise their richly engraved wine glasses to toast the 'King over the water' rather than raise their swords. It is these same drinking glasses, with their stories to tell of those turbulent times, which are the real subject of this fascinating and important book.