Culloden Battlefield, Scotland

Colin MacGregor Stevens at the gravestone for some of the highlanders killed at the Battle of Culloden and buried in mass graves.
16 April 1746 Colin MacGregor Stevens at the gravestone for some of the highlanders killed at the Battle of Culloden and buried in mass graves.

The Battle of Culloden, near Inverness, Scotland, 16 April 1746

Culloden is famous as the final battle in which Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Scottish troops were defeated by English troops. Many families which are descended from highlanders have, or believe that they have, ancestors who fought at Culloden. Ours is no exception.

Oddly the MacGregors, who were noted as being some of the fiercest fighters and loyal supportive clans of Bonnie Prince Charlie, do not appear prominently in this battle. The reason is that the fierce MacGregors were assigned to go off an a special dangerous mission just before the battle and thus missed the battle. There were however some MacGregors in Bonnie Prince Charlie’s inner circle however.

In simple terms, Bonnie Prince Charlie chose to fight the English on the field which the English had chosen. It favoured the English Army’s style of fighting. The highlanders fought best in close engagements when they could attack by surprise and both of these factors were absent in this battle. The defeat of the highlanders changed Scotland forever, and Bonnie Prince Charlie fled the country.

The National Trust for Scotland – Culloden

Education Scotland – Battle of Culloden

In 1964 BBC Docudrama “Culloden” It was on YouTube but by 2017 it no longer is, possibly because of Copyright.

Quote from YouTube “Culloden is a 1964 docudrama written and directed by Peter Watkins for BBC TV. It portrays the 1746 Battle of Culloden that resulted in the British Army’s destruction of the Scottish Jacobite rising of 1745 and, in the words of the narrator, “tore apart forever the clan system of the Scottish Highlands”. Described in its opening credits as “an account of one of the most mishandled and brutal battles ever fought in Britain”, Culloden was hailed as a breakthrough for its cinematography as well as its use of non-professional actors and its presentation of an historical event in the style of modern TV war reporting. The film was based on John Prebble’s study of the battle.”

Culloden Battlefield and Visitor Centre

Bonnie Prince Charlie's razor, MacGregor heirloom owned by Colin MacGregor Stevens.
Bonnie Prince Charlie’s razor, MacGregor heirloom owned by Colin MacGregor Stevens.

Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Razor

Culloden Battlefield Monument
Culloden Battlefield Monument

Photographs of Culloden Battlefield taken in April 2005 by Colin MacGregor Stevens. I feel that short of seeing the field full of re-enactors, this was the best way to see it, empty of tourists, raining, cold and miserable.