Hundreds of Jacobite projectiles unearthed in unexplored area of Culloden
New evidence from last battle fought on British mainland found in area that previously had yielded no discoveries
More than 100 projectiles including lead musket balls and cannon shot have been recovered from Culloden Battlefield.
The discoveries were made by a team of archaeologists and volunteers led by the National Trust for Scotland’s Head of Archaeology Derek Alexander and Glasgow University’s Professor Tony Pollard.
The battle, fought on 16 April 1746 near Inverness, saw the decisive defeat of the Jacobite army, led by Bonnie Prince Charlie by government forces commanded by the Duke of Cumberland.
The new findings, from an area of the battlefield that had not previously yielded any discoveries, is fresh evidence from the last battle fought on the British mainland.
The shot is thought to include material from a three-pound cannon ball fired by the Jacobite artillery.
Project leaders believe the artefacts provided evidence for one of the most dramatic episodes in a battle that from beginning to end probably lasted less than an hour.
Prof Pollard said: “We’ve only had time to make a rapid assessment of our results, but musket balls fired by Jacobite and government troops, including pistol balls fired by government dragoons, likely relate to one of the last actions in the battle.
“This fight took place between the initial battle lines, at a location where boggy ground slowed the Highland charge, and this in combination with heavy fire from Cumberland’s line helped to seal the fate of the Jacobite cause.
“As the Jacobites retreated, a battalion of Irish troops in French service, fighting with the Jacobites, made a brave stand against hundreds of mounted men from Cobham’s Dragoons and possibly Kingston’s Horse, advancing from the right of Cumberland’s line.”
The archeaologists believe they have recovered some of the shot fired from heavy pistols during this stage of the battle.
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Prof Pollard added: “The Irish troops, numbering about 150 men, under their commander Lieutenant-Colonel Walter Stapleton, blocked this advance and according to an account by Adjutant General John O’Sullivan, one of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s senior officers, fired volleys into the approaching cavalry.
‘Valiant action’
“The red-coated Irish Picquets then found cover behind the walls of Culloden Parks but their surrender, after suffering heavy casualties, with Stapleton among the dead, was the only alternative to total annihilation.
“Being regular troops in French service, they were treated as prisoners of war rather than rebels, but none-the-less they suffered the privations of confinement on a prison hulk in the Thames before being repatriated to France in early 1747.
“This valiant action helped thousands of Jacobites get away from the field, but it gets only brief mentions in most of the history books.”
Techniques including metal detector survey, trial trenching and test pitting were used to examine a portion of the battlefield that sat between government and Jacobite lines.
The area had previously failed to produce archaeological material, perhaps because of disturbances caused by 19th century forestation, which created acid soils, and tree clearance in more recent times. The area is also boggy, which has provided further challenges for archaeologists.
Mr Alexander said: “We are delighted with the results, especially as the ground we investigated didn’t appear to hold out a great deal of promise. Our volunteers did a fantastic job of enhancing our understanding of the battle and the battlefield as it exists today.
“This new evidence adds to earlier findings, which include the scatter of objects related to the hand-to-hand fighting on Cumberland’s left, to the south of the present site.”
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