Culloden Battlefield

Culloden Battlefield
Culloden Inverness-shire
National Trust for Scotland
The Old Leanach Farmhouse on the battlefield of Culloden
Grid reference:	NH740449
Location:	57°28’36"N, 4°6’10"W
Information
Website:	NTS – Culloden

The Culloden Battlefield, by Culloden in Inverness-shire, is the field on which the '45, the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, was brought to a bloody close on 16 April 1746. The battlefield is owned today by the National Trust for Scotland.

History

On 23 July Charles Edward Stuart, the Young Pretender, landed on Eriskay in the Outer Hebrides with a troop of French soldiers and claimed the crown on behalf of his father, James, son of the late deposed King James VII and II. Prince Charles cut quite a dash (if one ignored his French accent and manners) and he became known as "Bonnie Prince Charlie". At Glenfinnan he raised his standard and several of the Highland clans joined him, though the majority remained loyal to King George. The rebel army marched south swiftly and took Edinburgh, all but the Castle itself, then Carlisle, Preston and Derby. There they turned back upon receiving intelligence of a government force marching to oppose them (albeit that this was a false report).

The rebels withdrew to the Highlands, pursued by the army and at Culloden the Highland rebels faced the regular regiments commanded by William, Duke of Cumberland.

On 16 April 1746 at Culloden the armies met. The famous Highland charge was turned back by disciplined musket fire and the bayonet, and the slaughter was gruesome. The rebels were driven back, their retreat stopped by a farmer's wall, against which they were pressed and slain; the Lowland Scots of Cumberland's army displayed a ruthlessness which remains notorious in the Highlands. Of Cumberland's men, there were 50 dead, but up to 2,000 rebels.

The '45 Rebellion was to be the last Jacobite rebellion to assail these isles.

The field today

Memorial cairn

A monument stands on the battlefield, built in 1881.

Today, a visitor centre is located near the site of the battle, opened in December 2007, with the intention of preserving the battlefield in a condition similar to how it was on 16 April 1746. One difference is that it currently is covered in shrubs and heather while during the 18th century the area was used a common grazing ground, mainly for tenants of the Culloden estate.

Those visiting can walk the site by way of footpaths on the ground and can also enjoy a view from above on a raised platform. Possibly the most recognisable feature of the battlefield today is the 20-foot tall memorial cairn, erected by Duncan Forbes in 1881. In the same year Forbes also erected headstones to mark the mass graves of the clans.

The thatched roofed farmhouse of Leanach which stands today dates from about 1760; however, it stands on the same location as the turf-walled cottage that probably served as a field hospital for Government troops following the battle.

A stone, known as "The English Stone", is situated west of the Old Leanach cottage and is said to mark the burial place of the Government dead. West of this site lies another stone, erected by Forbes, marking the place where Alexander McGillivray of Dunmaglass's body was found after the battle. On the eastern side of the battlefield, a stone lies that is supposed to mark the spot where Cumberland directed the battle.

Currently, the battlefield has been inventoried and protected by Historic Scotland under the Historic Environment (Amendment) Act 2011.

Headstones to mark the mass graves of fallen Jacobites

Since 2001, the site of the battle has undergone topographic, geophysical, and metal detector surveys in addition to archaeological excavations. Interesting finds have been made in the areas where the fiercest fighting occurred on the Government left wing, particularly where Barrell's and Dejean's regiments stood. For example, pistol balls and pieces of shattered muskets have been uncovered here which indicate close quarters fighting, as pistols were only used at close range and the musket pieces appear to have been smashed by pistol/musket balls or heavy broadswords. Finds of musket balls appear to mirror the lines of men who stood and fought. Some balls appear to have been dropped without being fired, some missed their targets, and others are distorted from hitting human bodies. In some cases it has also been thought possible to identify whether the Jacobites or Government soldiers fired certain rounds, because the Jacobite forces are known to have used a large quantity of French muskets which fired a slightly smaller calibre shot than that of the British Army's Brown Bess. Analysis of the finds confirms that the Jacobites used muskets in greater numbers than has traditionally been thought. Not far from where the hand-to-hand fighting took place, fragments of mortar shells have also been found.

Though Forbes's headstones mark the graves of the Jacobites, the location of the graves of about fifty Government soldiers is unknown. The recent discovery of a 1752 silver Thaler, from the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, may however lead archaeologists to these graves. A geophysical survey, directly beneath the spot where the coin was found, seems to indicate the existence of a large rectangular burial pit. It is thought possible that the coin was dropped by a soldier who once served on the continent, while he visited the graves of his fallen comrades.

The land is owned by the National Trust for Scotland.