INTRODUCTION
Today, Culloden Battlefield stands as a memorial and a testament to the famed battle that is remembered as the Scottish Highlanders’ last stand against British imperialism. Since 1881, the site has been home to the headstones which mark the final resting place of more than one thousand Jacobite soldiers who sacrificed their lives for a cause they felt was both just and their solemn duty to defend. These grave markers denote the names of the clans these soldiers represented, symbolically mourning both those who were lost and a way of life that would never again be seen in the Highlands of Scotland. In recent years, the National Trust for Scotland has made major restoration efforts so that those who visit Culloden today can experience it as it would have been on that fateful day in April 1746, when the Jacobite Rising came to its bloody end. In addition to the maintenance of the clan gravestones and other memorial markers, they also employ modern technology such as ground-penetrating radar to “better plot the course of the conflict.” Radar has also been used to identify previously unknown and unmarked burial pits.[1] This is, of course, all very interesting, but the real question to ask is why? Why would the National Trust for Scotland dedicate so much time and money to preserve a plot of land where the Scottish faced one of their most devastating battle losses in recent history? The answer, it can be argued, lies not in the desire to preserve historic landmarks, but rather in the desire to preserve and remember Scottish culture, a culture which was nearly obliterated in the aftermath of Culloden but which today is fiercely protected and celebrated, as seen in the restoration of Culloden Battlefield.
It would appear that Scottish culture flourishes today, not only in Scotland, but throughout many other parts of the world as well. Bagpipes, kilts, tartans—all these things we associate with Scotland as a whole. But, in truth, these cultural icons belong distinctly to the Scottish Highlands, not the entire Scottish nation. They descend from a culture that blends elements inherited from the ancient Celts, Picts, and Gaels to form something uniquely Scottish. And though Scottish culture is highly pervasive today, there was a time not too long ago when it faced possible extinction. History has shown that the Scots, particularly Highland Scots, are a very proud people, and fiercely independent at that. In some ways then, their chafing under British domination in the eighteenth century should come as no surprise. For more than half a century, beginning in 1689, skirmishes broke out across Scotland as those who supported the Catholic House of Stuart attempted to overthrow the ruling Lutheran House of Hanover. These skirmishes famously came to a head in 1745 during the final Jacobite Rising, which reached its violent climax on April 16, 1746, at the Battle of Culloden. Clearly, politics played an important part in this uprising. Yet, the Jacobite Rising of 1745 cannot and should not be examined in political isolation. Culture was a critical factor in the planning and execution of the rebellion. By examining the history, structure, and culture of the Highland clans who supported the rising, one gets a clearer picture of the rising itself and why a people would risk everything they held dear for a cause whose outcome was unclear. Additionally, the gravity of the devastation of the Highland Clearances, the period after Culloden in which the English hunted down Jacobite sympathizers, destroyed property, and brutally evicted Highlanders from their homes, becomes much greater. My paper examined the history of the Scottish clan system, including some clans which were major players in the Rising of ’45, analyzed the role culture played in the clans’ participation in the rebellion, and then reflected on the deconstruction of Scottish culture at the hands of the British in the rebellion’s aftermath.
[1] William H. McMichael, “Bloody Culloden, 1746,” Military History 31, no. 4 (2014): 70.
It would appear that Scottish culture flourishes today, not only in Scotland, but throughout many other parts of the world as well. Bagpipes, kilts, tartans—all these things we associate with Scotland as a whole. But, in truth, these cultural icons belong distinctly to the Scottish Highlands, not the entire Scottish nation. They descend from a culture that blends elements inherited from the ancient Celts, Picts, and Gaels to form something uniquely Scottish. And though Scottish culture is highly pervasive today, there was a time not too long ago when it faced possible extinction. History has shown that the Scots, particularly Highland Scots, are a very proud people, and fiercely independent at that. In some ways then, their chafing under British domination in the eighteenth century should come as no surprise. For more than half a century, beginning in 1689, skirmishes broke out across Scotland as those who supported the Catholic House of Stuart attempted to overthrow the ruling Lutheran House of Hanover. These skirmishes famously came to a head in 1745 during the final Jacobite Rising, which reached its violent climax on April 16, 1746, at the Battle of Culloden. Clearly, politics played an important part in this uprising. Yet, the Jacobite Rising of 1745 cannot and should not be examined in political isolation. Culture was a critical factor in the planning and execution of the rebellion. By examining the history, structure, and culture of the Highland clans who supported the rising, one gets a clearer picture of the rising itself and why a people would risk everything they held dear for a cause whose outcome was unclear. Additionally, the gravity of the devastation of the Highland Clearances, the period after Culloden in which the English hunted down Jacobite sympathizers, destroyed property, and brutally evicted Highlanders from their homes, becomes much greater. My paper examined the history of the Scottish clan system, including some clans which were major players in the Rising of ’45, analyzed the role culture played in the clans’ participation in the rebellion, and then reflected on the deconstruction of Scottish culture at the hands of the British in the rebellion’s aftermath.
[1] William H. McMichael, “Bloody Culloden, 1746,” Military History 31, no. 4 (2014): 70.