The failure of the 1719 Rising meant many Jacobites viewed the Stuart cause as hopeless and sought to return home. Pardoning them worked for the government, since it was clear the Highlands could not be governed without the co-operation of the clan chiefs. In addition, sales of confiscated property were either delayed by legal arguments or reduced by fictitious debts, with former rebels often aided in this process by their loyalist friends and neighbours. This built links of obligation and friendship between the two sides and explains the bitterness displayed after 1745 towards those like Lord George Murray, pardoned for their roles in 1715 and 1719.