[2] Most of the songs in the collection are Jacobite, and a minority are Whig.
A number of the songs were written or adapted by Robert Burns and scholars speculate as to how many of them were authored or at least substantially altered by Hogg himself.
The first volume was published in 1819 under the title The Jacobite Relics of Scotland; Being the Songs, Airs, and Legends, of the Adherents to the House of Stuart.
After being revived by Ewan MacColl, several of the songs included gained new popularity in the 20th century through performances by musicians such as The Corries, Steeleye Span and Eddi Reader, among others – most notably Ye Jacobites (#34), Cam Ye O'er Frae France (#53) and Such a Parcel of Rogues in a Nation (#36).
Hogg states that he believed that these were all of English origin