Doomed eve of Battle of Culloden march by Jacobites to be re-enacted
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A fateful night march made by Jacobite soldiers on the eve of the Battle of Culloden is set to be re-enacted by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS).
A team from the cultural heritage body will retrace the steps taken by some of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s fatigued troops in a doomed effort to mount a surprise attack on British Government forces encamped near Nairn.
After becoming disoriented in the darkness, the Jacobites, already hungry and exhausted after reaching the moor, were forced to give up on the 12-mile march and return to camp.
The last great battle on British soil took place 277 years ago, with the Young Pretender’s army routed hours after the unsuccessful night march to bring the uprising to an end on 16 April 1746.
The Battle of Culloden brought the deaths of about 1,600 men, with the majority being of Jacobite allegiance.
The NTS will use its event on the anniversary of the night march to raise funds to help protect Culloden Battlefield, but with new housing developments encroaching in the area they fear it could be the last re-enactment of its kind.
A spokeswoman for NTS said: “We can mostly recreate the night march as the landscape till now has remained unchanged.
"However, new and proposed developments from the past 10 years are seriously endangering the wider battlefield landscape.
"Time is of the essence.
“Although others have recreated the night march in the past, they have not done so specifically looking at the effect of development on the landscape."
The team will draw on research carried out for a past retracing of the route, influenced by the work and knowledge of the late Culloden historian Prof Christopher Duffy.
The original costumed re-enactment on 15 April 2009 was thought to be the first made since the original failed quest on the eve of battle.
With only 12 of 20 taking part able to complete the 10-hour, 24-mile round trip, the re-enactment 14 years ago highlighted the grim difficulties faced by the Jacobites on the night.
Re-enactors and history enthusiasts joined battlefield archaeologist Dr Tony Pollard for the trek.
Dr Pollard said at the time that the re-enactment had shed light on the stamina and endurance of the marchers, as well as the damaging effect on morale aborting it would have had.
A JustGiving page has been created to enable members of the public to donate to the charity effort, with all funds going towards protecting the battlefield site.
The fundraising page states: "Action is needed now because the number of planning applications is likely to increase.
"A donation to Culloden's Fighting Fund will help us work towards a collaborative approach to managing the battlefield and protecting the site for future generations.
"As well as protecting the battlefield from developers, we also work hard to keep the landscape looking like it did at the time of the battle.
"It is a challenge native tree growth keeps wanting to take over and turn the boggy Highland moor into a woodland.
"We're committed to managing this in a sustainable way through conservation grazing and manual, non-chemical clearance."
