The Battle of Culloden

Well, on the death of Charles II, his brother, James, became James VII of Scotland/James II of England. But his reign was short-lived. Outwardly he was Anglican but he had Catholic sympathies. He tried to impose Catholicism on the United Kingdom. For this, he was deposed and exiled in 1688. He took his infant son, James Francis Stuart with him to live abroad. This infant would become Bonnie Prince Charlie’s father. But James VII also had 2 daughters. They were older, having been born to a previous wife. Mary was born in 1662 and Anne in 1665. Mary and Anne were raised as Protestants, while James Francis was Catholic. He was 26 years younger than his sister Mary. When James VII/II had been deposed, Mary, along with her husband William of Orange, were invited to come and rule together as joint monarchs. She ruled with her husband until she died in 1694.

Mary’s father James VII/II died in exile in 1701. In the same year, there had been an English Act of Parliament, insisting that all future monarchs were Protestant. Anne was next in line, their brother James Francis having been side-lined as he was Catholic. Her reign was taken up with foreign interests and internal wrangling between the English and Scottish Parliaments. The separate Parliaments joined together in 1707, largely due to some wealthy Scots making a very poor investment abroad, which left the country bankrupt.

The problem being…

On Anne’s death in 1714, the crown went to the next Protestant Stuart, her second cousin, who was Elector of Hanover at the time. He came to Britain and was crowned King George 1st. His grandmother had been Elizabeth, a sister of James VII/II. So he was a Stuart but through the female line. The house of Hanover was now on the throne of the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, James Francis was still very much alive and wanted to claim the throne.

There was a mood in some parts of the country where some powerful Catholic & Protestant families in Scotland, England and Ireland were thinking that a return to a Stuart on the throne would suit them better. They believed that James Francis was still the rightful heir and had a legitimate claim to be king.

The start of the Jacobite uprisings

The first Jacobite uprising began in Dundee, with Viscount Dundee (John Graham) in 1689. This was a year after James Francis’ father, James VII/II had been deposed. Government troops were sent north. They met at Killiecrankie, where the Jacobites won the battle, but Viscount Dundee was fatally wounded. Due to a lack of organisation, they didn’t capitalise on their success. This was an error that would repeat itself many times.

The government were now alerted to the possibility of further unrest, so a plan was drawn up to improve the infrastructure in Scotland. Roads, bridges and barracks were built for troops to access remote areas. It was also a show of strength. Garrisoned soldiers were in place, ready to respond quickly should the need arise.

Other rebellions broke out in 1715 and 1719 in support of James Francis Stuart. There were successes and defeats on both sides. Some clan chiefs who had supported the Jacobite cause had their lands confiscated and so were cautious of committing themselves again.

James Francis lost heart, and his son, Charles Edward Stuart, stepped forward to claim the throne for the Stuarts once again. He landed on the west coast of Scotland and at Glenfinnan & raised his royal standard in July 1745.

This army returned north, through the north of England at Carlisle and on to Glasgow, where they demanded supplies. The Jacobites still felt strong, receiving news of French reinforcements. They travelled to Stirling and kept moving north, back to their heartlands but, hungry, poorly equipped and tired, they were exhausted. They had been on the move for many months. The Government were now on full alert, taking this threat seriously. They hastened large numbers of troops north, led by the King’s son, the Duke of Cumberland. On the eve of battle, the Duke and his men camped at Nairn, North East of Culloden.

Photo Credit: Ben Thorburn

Prince Charles, meanwhile, had made a rash decision to spring a surprise attack on the Duke. It was the Duke’s birthday and he knew his men would be eating and drinking, in other words, distracted. Against the advice of his officers, Charles insisted that his men walk to Nairn at night. These men were hungry and tired. The ground was hard going and they were at the mercy of indecisive leadership. By the time the order was given to walk, they arrived as the sun was coming up: too late for a surprise attack. So they had to then return to the chosen place for the battle. Even this was argued out amongst Charles’ officers, some thinking it an advantageous site, others not.

The scene was set for the battle to come, the Battle of Culloden. Culloden was named after a house on the site where the Prince was staying. The moor itself is called Drummossie. Jacobite numbers were around 5,500 fighting men. The government side was nearer 7,500. The Duke had been planning and discussing strategy for weeks. The Prince didn’t have a plan – it seems he didn’t want to be dissuaded from engaging with the Duke and refused the advice to retreat to fight better another day.

The battle of Culloden lasted for under an hour. In that time, approximately 1250 Jacobites were dead, almost as many were wounded and 376 were taken prisoner (those who were professional soldiers or who were worth a ransom). The government troops lost 50 men while around 300 were wounded. There is some controversy as to what happened next. The Prince, watching at a distance, was said to be in shock. The orders were given to the Duke’s men that ‘no quarter shall be given. And so the slaughter began, 5 miles of blood and bodies as the cavalry finished off wounded men. These orders were not official though. It seems that someone had inserted the clause to slaughter all.

The repercussions were far-reaching. The wearing of tartan, the playing of bagpipes and speaking of Gaelic were all banned. This was an insensitive move, as the banning of tartan also applied to those clans who had fought for the government. Many bagpipe tunes, centuries in evolving, were lost forever. Gaelic culture was seen as ‘backwards’ and has only relatively recently reclaimed its rightful place as a rich, valuable expression of a way of life.

The Prince was, by all accounts, charismatic, handsome and flamboyant. Women of influence swooned and supported him. But charisma is no substitute for clear thinking and thorough planning. This was the last major battle fought on British Soil. It could be debated that the whole campaign was doomed from the beginning. Certainly, the horror of its blundering aftermath is what makes it such an important event and goes some way to explaining how a long shadow was cast. But with the reinstigation of the Scottish Parliament, this is a nation that has embraced its Highland culture and wants nothing more than to share it with the world.

Online

• NTS Culloden Learning Resource

Offline

• The Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre 
• Cùil Lodair. Culloden (2009) by Lyndsey Bowditch
• Rob Roy MacGregor: His Life and Times (1982) by WH Murray