Birthright: The True Story That Inspired "Kidnapped"
1,373 views · Published 8 July 2010 · 1:01:21 · Indexed 28 September 2026
Channel: Library of Congress · 2010 · Education
No saga of personal hardship so captivated the British public in the 18th century as did the turbulent life of James Annesley, the presumptive heir of five aristocratic titles and scion of the mighty house of Annesley. Kidnapped at 12 years of age by his uncle, "Jemmy" was shipped from Dublin to America in 1728 as an indentured servant. Only after 12 more years did he at last escape, returning to Ireland to bring his blood rival, the Earl of Anglesea, to justice in one of the epic trials of the century. This tale was the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's classic "Kidnapped," and the story is vividly recounted by A. Roger Ekirch. Speaker Biography: A. Roger Ekirch is a professor of history at Virginia Tech University
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