The official story of the American Revolution centres on taxes, representation and the political philosophy of Locke and the Enlightenment. These were real forces – but they do not tell the whole story. There ran alongside them a deeper current of fidelity: fidelity to legitimate authority, to the ancient constitution and, for many, to the Catholic Faith that had been persecuted under the new regime. That current began with Catholic soldiers in Ireland who would not serve a king installed by foreign invasion. It continued through the Scottish risings. It survived the destruction of the old Highland order. And it reached the American colonies in the memories, the education and the convictions of those who were scattered.