This month saw the end of the Jacobite Rebellion and changes to laws of Scotland which greatly affected a way of life for many people. Although we have already written a piece regarding our family and the Jacobite cause , we felt the necessity to revisit the battle of Culloden, which took place on 16th April 1746, on its 79th anniversary.
Although driven on by a host of initial victories, this was not to last for the Jacobites, and the battle of Culloden remains one of the most infamous ever to take place on Scottish soil. Historians suggest that in just over an hour over 1000 Jacobites lay dead on the windswept and bleak Culloden Moor. This was to be the beginning of the end of the highland way of life as it was known.
The battle is often misconstrued as one between British Government Troops, and the Scots with a solid demarcation of Protestant against Catholic. This was not the case as there was a mix on both sides. It was however the last battle in over 100 years of civil wars that took place in Britain.
Culloden Moor is situated approximately 5 miles east of Inverness, an important town of the time, in the Highlands of Scotland. It was here, nearly 300 years ago that the hopes of Bonnie Prince Charlie and his largely Gaelic speaking followers to retake the throne, came to a sudden and drastic end.
The prince was off the Stuart bloodline with his claims through his grandfather, King James VII of Scotland and II of England, who fled into exile.
According to a piece in the Scotsman in 2023 on why the Jacobites lost the battle, they suggest that the wind and rain played their part as they fought against a professional army twice their size. However, it seems that the situation was stacked against them as the Government army were better equipped, better disciplined and had improved tactics while the Jacobites were exhausted after the surprise attack on the Duke of Cumberlands camp near Nairn, causing many Jacobites to miss the battle. They also had a lack of resources and support, a lack of coordination, lack of joined up leadership and bad communication.
The suggestion is that the losses on the Jacobite side, albeit still uncertain, are estimated around 1,500 to 2000, with only 50 from the government side. These numbers vary depending on the source.
The Aftermath
It was from the post battle that William Augustus the Duke of Cumberland, who led the Government forces, gained the title of the Butcher, and the Union Jack, in some quarters being called the Butcher’s Apron. He ordered the execution of all Jacobite prisoners with a further 3,500 arrested, imprisoned, executed or sent to penal colonies.
The British Government did not rest there, as they initiated a brutal campaign of repression against the Scots through the Highland Clearances. This has been called a pure act of ‘cultural vandalism’. It also saw the destruction and end to the highland way of life whose people were forced to conform to the laws of the land, new and old, making it a criminal offence to wear tartan, play the pipes or even speak Scottish Gaelic. It seems that at the start of the 1700’s 30% of Scots lived in the Highlands, which by the turn of the 20th century this had dropped to 8% due to the many evictions brought to bear by the landowners.
Overall, a total disaster and the sad end of the Stuart line to retake the throne. The prince himself fled to France with the help of Flora MacDonald, in late 1746. With his cause lost, and unable to accept it, he tried to rekindle support throughout catholic Europe but to no avail. Settling finally in Italy in 1766, he is romanticised in ballads and legends and remains a national hero to the people of Scotland. He died in exile without legitimate issue, in 1788.
Carruthers at Culloden
There are those who wrongly claim Carruthers were there in force but sadly the records do not confirm that. According to the muster role of the Jacobite Army, one William Carruthers was enlisted as a servant to Kilconnel in the Lifeguard Cavalry which was considered the elite unit at the time.
However, rather than covering himself in glory, he is listed as a deserter. Maybe he knew what as coming. The Balmerino’s Troop, of which William was part, was headed by Arthur Elphinstone, 6th Lord Balmerino one of the first to join Bonnie Prince Charlie.
As a renowned soldier and fervent Jacobite Balmerino’s dedication is reflected in the demeanour in which he carried himself to his execution after the battle. He remained totally unrepentant with his last words proudly spoken: “If I had a thousand lives, I would lay them all down in the same cause”.
Although our family were known supporters of the Jacobite cause, there are no other Carruthers listed in the Jacobite army, who were at Culloden.
