Warning! SPOILERS about Outlander season 7, episode 8 ahead.
Summary Outlander season 7 brings back the Jacobite Rebellion and its aftermath, with the Jacobite gold playing a significant role in the story. Rob Cameron kidnaps Jemmy in hopes of finding the Jacobite gold, which connects the calamity to the Battle of Culloden and the failed rebellion. The remnants of the Jacobite rebellion continue to impact Jamie and Claire in the colonies, with the connection to the Jacobite gold adding mystery to the storyline.
Despite the Jacobite Rebellion being primarily central to the story of Outlander seasons 1 through 3, many events of season 7 threw back to the Jacobite Rising of 1745 and its aftermath.
Finding a part of the Jacobite gold in 1770s North Carolina brought the rebellion back into Jamie Fraser's mind, especially as it connected to his Aunt Jocasta Cameron and the way she got her River Run fortune. However, the biggest consequence, which could have been entirely disconnected from the 1745 rebellion had it not involved the Jacobite gold, was Jemmy's kidnapping at the end of Outlander season 7, episode 7.Realizing the musket ball Jamie and Claire left them in Outlander season 7, episode 3 was actual gold, Roger briefly explained to Brianna how the Frenchman's gold promised by France in support of Bonnie Prince Charlie was the stuff of myth for many Scots.
Before proposing the fake sleepover that gave him the chance to kidnap Jemmy, Rob Cameron explained to Brianna and Roger that he was poor while his ex-wife's family wasn't, thus making his money problems evident. Still, Outlander season 7, episode 8 never let Rob explain what was behind his wish to get his hands on the Jacobite gold, making both reasons possible.
While his motivations might still be unknown, Outlander season 7 established that Rob decided to kidnap Jemmy after learning about the possibility of time travel and her knowing the location of the Frenchman's gold.
With the Jacobite gold not reaching the rebels before the Battle of Culloden, the treasure was basically useless to the cause, even if it was decided to be divided among the clans so that they could benefit from it even if the rebellion failed. The Jacobite gold was clearly the focus of Rob's interest, but he wasn't alone in that in Outlander season 7, even if he was the only one interested in it in 1980.Indeed, Outlander season 7, episode 3 revealed that the Jacobite gold wasn't lost; it was transported to North Carolina by some of the Scots who were loyal to Bonnie Prince Charlie and who moved to the colonies.
The Jacobite gold returned to the center of the action with Arch Bug and Mrs. Bug admitting to slowly stealing it from Jocasta's husband's tomb and stashing it at Jamie and Claire's house at Fraser's Ridge. Despite 30 years passing, the Bugs' interest in the Frenchman's gold never wavered, so much that Mrs. Bug even died to retrieve it, making Outlander season 7 highlight interest in the Jacobite gold in both timelines.Despite Jamie and Claire leaving Scotland in season 3 before returning in Outlander season 7's midseason finale, remnants of the Jacobite rebellion followed them to the colonies.
Indeed, many of the tenants of Fraser's Ridge were Highlanders trying to find luck abroad after backing the vanquished Prince Charles, and Tom Christie himself only reached North Carolina because he spent years at Ardsmuir Prison with Jamie following the Culloden defeat. Between the Scots disseminated throughout America only getting there because they supported Bonnie Prince Charlie and the connection to the Jacobite gold's mysteries, Outlander made the Jacobite rebellion echo throughout season 7, even if its action was at season 2's center.
