The Battle of Culloden - remembered

a portion of 'The Battle of Culloden' by Mark Churms

The Battle of Culloden Moor, the last pitched battle on Scottish soil, took place on this day in 1746. The Scottish army of Prince Charles Edward Stuart, the Jacobites, was defeated and slaughtered by the Duke of Cumberland's English forces. In less than an hour, the time it takes to walk around the battlefield, it was over.

The harsh and brutal measures introduced after the battle signaled the end of the way of life and culture of the Highland people of Scotland. After Culloden, many Clan Chiefs fled to Europe and many of their kinsmen fled to America. In the following years, the Scottish people were suppressed, bagpipes and the wearing of tartan were outlawed, and the jurisdiction of Clan Chiefs was ended.

Read more about this dark day in Scottish history at http://heritage.scotsman.com and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Culloden.

The Culloden Memorial Cairn

The memorial cairn was erected in 1881 by Duncan Forbes. It is 20' high by 18' in diameter, built of stones and soil from the battlefield, with a plaque inscribed:

THE BATTLE OF CULLODEN
WAS FOUGHT ON THIS MOOR
16th April 1746
---------------
THE GRAVES OF THE
GALLANT HIGHLANDERS
WHO FOUGHT FOR
SCOTLAND & PRINCE CHARLIE
ARE MARKED BY THE
NAMES OF THEIR CLANS

At the same time as he erected the cairn, Mr. Forbes also had slabs of stone placed on the spots where tradition noted the Highland dead were buried - in trenches and with their fellow Clansmen. Each headstone bears the name of the Clan, carved boldly on the front. Where Clansmen were buried indiscriminately, the inscription says "Mixed Clans." It is a haunting sight I will never forget.

Today, the National Trust for Scotland maintains the battlefield, the Culloden memorials, graves of the Clans, memorial cairn, Well of the Dead, and an exhibition of weapons and artifacts of the period.

The anniversary of the battle was marked today, 16 April 2007, by a piper playing on the battlefield for the duration of the battle - one hour. In that hour over 1,000 people lost their lives and a way of life was lost forever.

And now for a memorial freebie...

...a wee Jacobite rose brad. Click here to get it.

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Slainte! {Gaelic for Cheers!}