Curse of Scotland

A. Diamonds as the Ornamental Jewels of a Regnal Crown, imply no more in the above-nam'd Proverb than a mark of Royalty, for SCOTLAND'S Kings for many Ages, were observ'd, each Ninth to be a Tyrant, who by Civil Wars, and all the fatal consequences of intestine discord, plunging the Divided Kingdom into strange Disorders, gave occasion, in the course of time, to form the Proverb.

[5] James Mitchell's 1825 Scotsman's Library claimed that the expression originated from the Duke of Monmouth writing orders on such a card before the Battle of Bothwell Bridge (1679).

[8] A letter written in response to The Spectator's book review pointed out that the saying was established well before Culloden, and preferred the Pope Joan theory to other explanations.

The book dismisses the Culloden theory because of an earlier 1745 caricature of "the young chevalier attempting to lead a herd of bulls, laden with papal curses, excommunications &c., across the Tweed, with the Nine of Diamonds lying before them".

[18] "The Nine of Diamonds" is the title of a book about close-up magic, produced by a Scottish collective of magicians, which includes references to the myths and tales about the card.

[20] There is a theatrical superstition, sometimes called the Scottish curse, that speaking the name Macbeth in the theatre brings bad luck.

The nine of diamonds is sometimes referred to as the "Curse of Scotland"
Extract from British Apollo of 1708
James Gillray caricature of 1796 showing a 14 year old Georgiana Russell, Duchess of Bedford playing Pope Joan and holding the nine of diamonds
Arms of the Earl of Stair. The Dalrymple family arms - nine yellow lozenges on a blue cross - are in the first quarter .
St Andrew's Cross