'A Great National Calamity': Sir William Pepperrell and Isaac Royall, Reluctant Loyalists

Abstract

This article is a case study of two reluctant Loyalists whose allegiance to Britain in the American Revolution disguises the complexity of their political position before the outbreak of war in 1775. William Pepperrell and Isaac Royall were elite colonists who represented the centre-ground in Massachusetts politics during the imperial crisis of 1765-74, and whose move toward Loyalism arose from their alienation from the Whigs who led the opposition to British colonial policies. A close reading of their predicament illuminates the situation of political moderates, who would have chosen to remain neutral during the ensuing conflict, had not circumstances and personal decisions determined their Loyalism.