The Last Pitched Battle on British Soil and a Castle Built Long After Macbeth was (or wasn't) Thane of Cawdor
Setting the Scene
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| Scotland |
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| Moray |
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| Scotland |
I have over-complicated the map above by adding, as accurately as I could, the locations of several places much smaller than those marked by the publishers. Findochty has a
population around 1,000, Buckie is the local metropolis (it has a Tescos and
everything!), Elgin
is the main population centre of Moray district and Forres is where we stayed last year (Scotland ’21) with Norma and Wilson.
The Culloden Battlefield
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| Highland |
The battlefield car park is huge (I wonder what the combatants would have made of the concept of a ‘battlefield car park’?) and stuffed
with cars and tour buses.
The queue for the visitor centre was lengthy but the English and Scottish National Trusts allow free entry to each other’s members, so at
least we did not have to pay. Inside we had a coffee and then walked slowly
through the exhibition, arriving outside at the right time for the guided tour.
This was what we had come to see.
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| The Government front line, Culloden |
It does not look much, but this was the site of the last ever pitched battle on the island of Great Britain. Last ever? ‘Ever’ is a long time and who knows what the future holds; ‘for the foreseeable future’ is less of a hostage to fortune.
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| Duke of Cumberland by Joshua Reynolds |
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| Charles Edward Stuart Scot Nat Portrait Gallery |
The tour party, stragglers apart, is out of shot to the right. We were walking along the Government forces front line (now marked
by red flags) as it was in the morning of the battle.
How did it come about that on the 16th of April 1746, a morning of snow and hail, 7,000 Government troops under the command of the Duke of Cumberland, the youngest son of George II (King of Great Britain and Ireland) faced 5,000 men under the command of Charles Edward Stuart (AKA Bonny Prince Charlie) the grandson of James II and VII (late King of England, Scotland and Ireland)? (No two sources concur on the numbers on each side, but all agree the Jacobites were out-numbered)
Three Paragraphs of Condensed but Unavoidable History
In 1688 James II (of England) and VII (of Scotland) was removed from his thrones by the ‘Glorious
Revolution’. His could have survived being openly Catholic and might even have got away with being too interested
in ruling (the job of Parliament since the Civil War) but in 1688, his second wife gave birth to a son and heir, thus creating the danger of
a Catholic dynasty. this was the last straw and he was ousted in favour of Mary, his 26-year-old daughter from his first marriage
and a devout protestant.
James and his supporters (Jacobites) slunk off to Paris for a good long sulk. Both Queen Mary and her sister and successor Queen Anne
left no heirs, so the throne passed to their nearest protestant relative and George
of Hanover duly became King George I.
After the deposed James II died in 1701 his son plotted to make himself James III. He had an abortive go in 1717, and in 1745
with George II now King, he tried again. Feeling his age, he
sent his charismatic son Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) to do
the rebelling for him.
The 1745 Jacobite Uprising
Arriving from France to claim the throne for his father, the son of James II and wannabe James III, Charles Edward Stuart raised
his standard in the Scottish Highlands in August 1745. He gathered an army, marched
south and by October was in Edinburgh and had control of much of Scotland –
though Edinburgh and Stirling castles remained in Government hands.
Had he settled for Scotland, he might have
succeeded, but Charles believed himself son of the rightful heir to the throne of the whole
island of Great Britain, not just the northern third. The dynamic and charismatic
25-year-old persuaded his allies that English Jacobites would flock to his
banner while the French would stage a helpful invasion in southern England.
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| The 1745 Jacobite Uprising. Advance Edinburgh to Derby 280 miles (450 Km) in black Retreat Derby to Stirling 300 miles (480km), Stirling to Culloden 145 miles (239 km) in green |
Although the scion of a long-established Scottish dynasty, Charles had been born and brought up in Italy and had never before
visited the island he sought to rule; maybe he was out of touch. He marched south. Unencumbered by heavy weapons the
Jacobites moved fast and met little resistance. Crowds came out to see them,
but recruits were few and far between. On the 4th of December they reached
Derby, 280 miles from Edinburgh and only 130 from London, where they expected
to be joined by a force raised by Sir William Watkin Wynn. This force failed to
materialise and there was no sign of a supporting French invasion. General Wade
was moving south towards them, the Duke of Cumberland coming north, both were
moving slowly because they were encumbered with heavy weapons.
To avoid being crushed between these two millstones, Charles Stuart turned back. After an orderly retreat he laid siege to Stirling
Castle in January and beat off a relieving force. Although victorious he was
weakened, gave up the siege and retreated further north to Inverness.
He was followed by the Duke of Cumberland and his army. Cumberland reached Aberdeen in late February and waited for better
weather.
The Battle of Culloden
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| Culloden Moor |
On the 15th of April, the government forces were billeted near Nairn. They were comfortable, rested and celebrating their
commander’s birthday. Regular troops, they had spent the winter training for this day. Many had experienced battles in Europe,
where Britain, the Dutch Republic and Hanover were fighting France, Prussia and
Bavaria in the War of the Austrian succession (1740-8).
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| Another section of the Culloden Battlefield. Most of it probably looked like this in 1746 |
The Jacobites had spent much of the winter retreating north. Their army contained some regulars, mainly French and Irish units, but
many irregulars largely from Aberdeenshire and Perth following their clan
leaders as they had done for centuries. Running out of money and supplies, they
knew they would be out-numbered and out-gunned.
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| The Culloden Monument, erected in 1881 by Duncan Forbes in memory of the fallen Jacobites |
In desperation the Jacobites decided on a surprise night attack, a tactic that had won them the Battle of Prestonpans in September. They
did not set out on the long march to Nairn until after dark for fear that government
spies would spot their actions. For further security their leaders eschewed all
existing paths. Culloden to Nairn is hardly Scotland’s wildest countryside,
but it is not a walk in the park. Many became lost, there was confusion over
orders and in the end, there was no attack. Not all the ‘night raiders’ made it
back in time for the battle.
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| One of a number of stones erected by Duncan Forbes marking where the members of various clans, and 'the English' were buried. There is no evidence that the chosen sites mark any graves at all |
Battle lines were drawn up on the early morning of the 16th, but the kick-off was delayed until 1 pm by bad weather. It was soon
over. The Jacobite left became stuck in boggy ground, the right advanced more
quickly, but lost many men to the government artillery. In the centre, the
previously irresistible ‘Highland Charge’ was met for the first time by
professional soldiers with muskets and bayonets
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| There was a field hospital on this site at the edge of the battlefield, but this building is 19th century |
The Consequences
As defeat became rout Charles Edward Stuart was ushered away by his senior officers. His escape from the battlefield and later
from Scotland became the stuff of legend. He returned to Italy but when his
father died in 1766, he was not recognised as King of England, Scotland and
Ireland by the Pope, as his father had been. He descended into alcoholism and
died in 1788.
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| Franz of Bavaria by Deiter Stein1 |
The Duke of Cumberland became known as Butcher Cumberland after ordering his troops not take prisoners. His military career soon ran into
difficulties, he was forcibly retired and died in 1765 aged 44.
The Jacobite cause was finished for good. The
current Jacobite pretender to the British throne is 89-year-old Franz, Duke of
Bavaria (a courtesy title, only). He is also pretender to the Kingdom of
Bavaria but has lived a long and active life and never felt the need to press either claim.
There was brutal repression in the highlands, and the clan system was broken for good.
Controversy
Historians still discuss the conduct of the battle and its meaning. The view of the National Trust for Scotland, and this was emphasised by their battlefield guide and the story-teller we met last year at nearby Fort George is that it is a mistake to regard the battle as Scots v English. The Duke of Cumberland had two regular highland regiments in his army, and by some counts more Scots fought for the government forces than for the Jacobites.
It is more helpful to see the battle as Old v New. The Jacobites represent autocratic rule by a monarch who believed in his divine
right to rule, the government forces represent rule by an elected parliament
with a largely figurehead monarch. The franchise for parliamentary elections
was too restricted in 1746 for it to be described as ‘democracy’, but it was a
first step in that direction.
Lunch at the Cawdor Tavern
Just east of Culloden we stopped for lunch at the Cawdor Tavern. For all its charms, Scotland generally lacks the pretty
village pubs that can still be found fairly easily in England, (despite the
pandemic and our changing drinking habits driving so many out of business). There are some, though, and the Cawdor Tavern, with its flowery garden and large rhomboid bays, would be an asset to any village anywhere. I have no picture, and no excuse for it.
We popped in for lunch. Lynne went basic, choosing chips topped with melted smoked cheddar and haggis from the ‘light bites’.
Being more refined I enjoyed a nicely presented and well-made chicken liver paté
with apple jelly - a starter from the interesting main menu.
Cawdor Castle
As the names suggest it is a short trip from Cawdor Tavern to Cawdor Castle.
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| Cawdor Castle |
Let’s get Shakespeare out of the way first. The allied forces of Norway and Ireland, for some reason led by the Thane of Cawdor,
attempted to depose Duncan I. They were defeated in battle by Duncan’s army led
by Banquo and Macbeth who killed the Thane of Cawdor. Returning to Duncan’s Castle
(possibly in Forres) they crossed a ‘blasted heath’ (possibly Dava Moor) and met
three witches. The witches told Macbeth he will become Thane of Glamis, Thane of
Cawdor and King hereafter. The witches vanished and then Macbeth ran into his mate
Ross who told him that Duncan had already made him Thane of Cawdor. Part of the prophecy
had come true, so Macbeth hurried off to kill Duncan and claim the big prize.
Shakespeare never let the truth spoil a good story. The real Macbeth was a somewhat uppity Lord of Moray. In 1040 Duncan
I, King of Scotland (which then stretched south from the Moray Firth to the Tay
or sometimes as far as the Firth of Forth) set out to teach him a lesson. He was
killed in the ensuing fracas and Macbeth became king. His reign, 1040-57, was
largely peaceful but he was never Thane of Cawdor.
The central tower, dates from the 1370s. It
resembles Irish tower houses like Athenry or Aughnanure
or the Peel Towers of northern England, though larger and more elaborate. It
was built around a holly tree which still stands in a sort of basement to the
tower, just across from the drawbridge. I have no photograph of this either,
but if you can imagine a knobbly stick some 2m long you don’t need one.
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| Cawdor drawbridge |
The Interior
The current owner is the 26th Thane of Cawdor, who is also the '7th Earl of Cawdor, of Clan Campbell of Cawdor’.
For much of the year he lets any clown with a credit cart wander round his
house – we help pay for the extraordinarily expensive upkeep.
Inside the décor is rather later than 14th century. Some of the rooms feel a little cluttered, but the Earl has a sizeable
collection to show off.
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| Inside Cawdor Castle |
The prescribed route took us upstairs to the
Tapestry bedroom. In the late 17th century an owner blessed with money and taste was able to order Flemish tapestries made especially for this room…
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| The Tapestry bedroom, Cawdor Castle |
And then to a second bedroom…
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| Second bedroom, Cawdor Castle |
…before descending to a drawing room. Much later in design it almost looks cosy, a clever trick as large rooms with high
ceiling were very difficult to heat.
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| Drawing room, Cawdor Castle |
We passed through a small dining room with another ornate tapestry…
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| Small dining room, Cawdor Castle |
…before descending to the kitchen.
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| Kitchen, Cawdor Castle |
We shared our walk round with a large number of Americans from a cruise ship parked at Invergordon (what you mean, you don’t
park a ship?) There have been occasions (Tallinn, Dubrovnik) where large numbers
of cruisers have been a nuisance. Fortunately, the number brought to Cawdor made it feel like the house had a good crowd in without being overwhelmed.
The Gardens
Cawdor Castle also has several gardens which are worth a wander round.
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| Box hedges, Cawdor Castle Gardens |
They are all formal gardens,…
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| Is that a cardoon behind the ad hoc sprinkler? Cawdor Castle Gardens |
… but the styles vary.
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| Flowers in ranks like soldiers, Cawdor Castle Gardens |
The castle management know (or think they know) what American tourists want, so inevitably we eventually came across a piper.
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| There's always a piper, Cawdor Castle |
I don’t know what the plants think about this, but we thought it was time to go.
Back in Findochty
Just over an hour later we were back at our
borrowed cottage in delightful Findochty (pronounced Finechty).
We sat out the back for a G& T and then dined on half of the enormous fillet of halibut we bought yesterday at Eat Mair Fish
in Buckie. Gentle cooking is appropriate for such a fine, fresh fish; we
treated it with respect and happily reaped our reward.
Later, wee dram in hand (Tamnavulin, for those interested in these things), we returned briefly to our G & T bench as the light began
to fade and night became chilly. Sunset had been at 10 but by 10.30 there was
still light enough for a photograph.
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| Findochty Harbour after sunset |
If you watch the harbour entrance for a while you will, if you are lucky see a fishing boat or pleasure craft coming or going. If
you don’t watch it, concentrate on something else and then look up casually, you
stand a chance of seeing a pod of dolphins making their way up or down the Moray
Firth. There’s plenty out there, but to see them you must, apparently, catch them off-guard.
1 From Wikipedia, reproduced under CC Share-Alike 3.0
Part 1: Glasgow (1) Irn Bru, The Clyde and La Lanterna:
Part 2: Glasgow (2): A Walking Tour
Part 3: The Battle of Culloden and Cawdor Castle
Part 4: Fraserburgh and Portsoy
Part 5: Huntly and Fyvie
Part 6: Findochty, Portknockie and Cullen
Part 7: Stirling
Great history. One of my favourite periods.
ReplyDeleteThanks, David. Most all my history from there comes from Dorothy Dunnett, the Lymond Chronicle and King Hereafter.
ReplyDelete