Archaeologists from the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) and the University of Glasgow are carrying out a new investigation on the battlefield of Culloden and are being supported by archaeology students and volunteers from RAF Lossiemouth and Kinloss Barracks in Moray.
The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the Jacobite Rising of 1745-46 and took place on 16 April 1746, on Drumossie Moor near Inverness. It resulted in a decisive victory for the Duke of Cumberland’s government forces over the Jacobite army of Charles Edward Stuart, also known as Bonnie Prince Charlie.
Methods that have been used in archaeological digs on the battlefield of Waterloo in Belgium are to be applied to the investigation at Culloden.
Derek Alexander, the Head of Archaeology at NTS, said: “It’s always exciting to be working at Culloden Battlefield and so many of the artefacts have great stories to tell.”
“Even small-scale pieces of fieldwork can contribute to a better understanding of how the battle unfolded.”
Professor Tony Pollard from the University of Glasgow said: “It’s been nearly 20 years since I’ve worked on the archaeology of Culloden.”
“It’s exciting to be back, and I’m looking forward to us applying archaeological techniques we’ve developed more recently at Waterloo, where, as we did at Culloden first time around, we have made a valuable contribution to our understanding of a battle which in its own bloody way made history.”
In April it was reported that archaeologists working at Culloden battlefield had uncovered a wide range of artefacts, including what is believed to be Donald Cameron of Lochiel’s shoe buckle.
