Learning Scotland's history inspired us to go see the Culloden Battlefield today. Culloden is the sight where Prince Charlie, the son of the exiled King James VII of Scotland (James II of England), a Catholic, fought for his right to the throne. His Jacobite army (those who supported the old Stuart monarchy) was fighting against King William of England (a protestant), and this was the last hand-to-hand combat war fought on British soil. Many Scots who supported the English king fought against the Jacobites and Prince Charlie. The Jacobite uprising did not succeed, and Prince Charlie was forced to flee into hiding. Thus, the British kept control of Scotland. You may well remember us visiting Fort George that was built to prevent another Jacobite uprising.
It was on this battlefield that some of Jody's ancestors, the Macintoshes, fought bravely for the Jacobite army. The dead Jacobites were buried on Culloden in mass graves and marked with their clan names. The Macintoshes were largely represented on that day in 1746 with three mass graves for them. Jody and Abby are standing in front of one of the graves. I've included a picture of Jody's clan tartan. A memorial was later established for the Jacobite clans. It stands near the center of the battlefield.
On the way to the battlefield, we stopped at yet another castle, Brodie Castle. This was a fairly large castle that had to be rebuilt due to fire damage in 1645. Its interior is lavishly decorated with artifacts, furniture, and even toys. We enjoyed a walk through the shrub garden and a picnic lunch inside the timber fort on the playground. Abby loved the fort, and would love to have one like it in our backyard.
A neat feature of the battlefield visitor center is that they provided us with a GPS unit with headphones, so that we could walk the battlefield and listen to narration of the battle. We soon got a great feel for how the battle took place and its impact on Jacobite clans. This one battle determined the course of history for the entire nation of Scottish people, and most of the events following the battle were sad for the Jacobite supporters. Determined to eradicate any Jacobite support, the English Duke burned, pillaged, raped, and killed those who may have had any connection with the army. Seeing the battle dramatized on four walls around me in the theater and walking the grounds definitely left me feeling saddened; in a way, I thought the battle was such a waste of lives.
The day started out warm and sunny, but ended up very windy and cool on the battlefield.But it seems that every place here has a tea room, and the visitor center is no different. We enjoyed some hot chocolate after walking the grounds of the battlefield.
On the way to the battlefield, we stopped at yet another castle, Brodie Castle. This was a fairly large castle that had to be rebuilt due to fire damage in 1645. Its interior is lavishly decorated with artifacts, furniture, and even toys. We enjoyed a walk through the shrub garden and a picnic lunch inside the timber fort on the playground. Abby loved the fort, and would love to have one like it in our backyard.
We also saw a pictish stone at the entrance to the castle. This was actually found on a grave at a church. On the other side is a celtic cross. To find one in such excellent condition is rare, so we had to get a picture.
I hope this blog post hasn't bored you terribly with all the history and detail. If you're still reading this, I guess it hasn't. Thanks for continuing to read our blog. It means a lot to know that our friends and family are reading. Your comments are a great encouragement!
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