May 2019
Culloden Moor
06/05/19 22:28
A VISIT TO CULLODEN MOOR
On Monday 6th May we visited the site of the famous Battle of Culloden Moor. Together with Isla Crichton, Simon Pengelley and Ewen Honeyman, we drove north on a fine Spring morning. We were full of anticipation as none of us had seen the site since the National Trust made extensive improvements there several years ago.
The exhibition explains in great detail exactly what happened before, during and after this famous battle. There are many display cases showing the build up, the type of weapons used, and pictures of the fighting. The battle took place on 16th April 1746 and was the last pitched battle fought on British soil. It was a complete disaster for Bonnie Prince Charlie and his Jacobite army, as they were decisively defeated by the Government forces led by the Duke of Cumberland. It ended for ever the hopes of the Stuart dynasty to take back the throne from the Hanoverians.
The story is told of how Prince Charles Edward Stuart had made considerable headway before this date, how men from the Manchester Regiment joined his Jacobite forces, and they had even threatened London at one point. But that many mistakes were then made in the lead up to this vital battle, not least the confusion in the final day or two which left his army hungry and exhausted. Government forces on the other hand, made up of Scots, Welsh and Irish men as well as English, were well rested and fed, and what is more the terrain suited their type of warfare.
The battle lasted little more than an hour and left between 1500 and 2000 Jacobite men dead or wounded. By contrast only 300 men fighting for the Government were killed or wounded.
One of the best bits of the exhibition is a room where all 4 walls are large screens each one synchronised and showing a 3 minute film of how the battle went, and as you stand in the middle of this the noise and the horror of it is all around you. This is not quite as effective as Virtual Reality but very well done nevertheless.
Personally I found some of the lighting was poor, and failed to highlight the objects properly. But the day was informative and this site is well worth a visit.
Ann McIntosh
On Monday 6th May we visited the site of the famous Battle of Culloden Moor. Together with Isla Crichton, Simon Pengelley and Ewen Honeyman, we drove north on a fine Spring morning. We were full of anticipation as none of us had seen the site since the National Trust made extensive improvements there several years ago.
The exhibition explains in great detail exactly what happened before, during and after this famous battle. There are many display cases showing the build up, the type of weapons used, and pictures of the fighting. The battle took place on 16th April 1746 and was the last pitched battle fought on British soil. It was a complete disaster for Bonnie Prince Charlie and his Jacobite army, as they were decisively defeated by the Government forces led by the Duke of Cumberland. It ended for ever the hopes of the Stuart dynasty to take back the throne from the Hanoverians.
The story is told of how Prince Charles Edward Stuart had made considerable headway before this date, how men from the Manchester Regiment joined his Jacobite forces, and they had even threatened London at one point. But that many mistakes were then made in the lead up to this vital battle, not least the confusion in the final day or two which left his army hungry and exhausted. Government forces on the other hand, made up of Scots, Welsh and Irish men as well as English, were well rested and fed, and what is more the terrain suited their type of warfare.
The battle lasted little more than an hour and left between 1500 and 2000 Jacobite men dead or wounded. By contrast only 300 men fighting for the Government were killed or wounded.
One of the best bits of the exhibition is a room where all 4 walls are large screens each one synchronised and showing a 3 minute film of how the battle went, and as you stand in the middle of this the noise and the horror of it is all around you. This is not quite as effective as Virtual Reality but very well done nevertheless.
Personally I found some of the lighting was poor, and failed to highlight the objects properly. But the day was informative and this site is well worth a visit.
Ann McIntosh