Scottish Parliament to recreate battle using two people and a conference room...

From The Scotsman comes a story so odd I almost thought it was made up...

It was a fierce and bloody conflict fought in the rain and sleet on open moorland and ended in a swift and ignominious defeat for Bonnie Prince Charlie.
The Battle of Culloden in 1746 was the final confrontation of the Jacobite Rising, currently the subject of an exhibition in the Scottish Parliament.

Parliament bosses decided to include a re-enactment of the battle as part of its St Andrew's Weekend activities.

But instead of windswept moorland, the parliament will move back the furniture in one of its committee rooms to make room for the battle action.

Instead of thousands of men lined up on either side, the focus of attention will be on two costumed performers hired for the day.

This weekend's re-enactment will see children and adults dressing up in Jacobite clothes and handling the weapons of the era.

The Battle of Culloden was the last pitched battle - where the two sides agree on a time and place for their fight - to take place on British soil.

True to that spirit, those wanting to take part in the modern version are being asked to turn up on Saturday or Sunday at 11.30am, 1pm, 3pm or 5pm. But instead of Culloden field outside Inverness, the battleground is Holyrood's committee room three.

The Battle of Culloden pitted Bonnie Prince Charlie's Jacobite forces against the Duke of Cumberland's army loyal to the British government. It was over within an hour. Up to 2000 Jacobites were killed or wounded, while the government side suffered 50 dead and 259 wounded.

It effectively put paid to the Jacobite cause and was soon followed by Bonnie Prince Charlie's flight from Scotland.

The parliament exhibition Rebels With A Cause, which runs until January 8, tells the diverse stories of the many Jacobites who sought refuge across the globe after the failure of the 1715 and 1745 risings.

Next weekend's activities also include a Jacobite quiz, traditional Jacobite music, storytelling and a St Andrew's Day debate.

Parliament sources said it had been decided to hold the re-enactment indoors rather than in the parliament grounds because of the risk of rain.

A parliament spokeswoman said: "The sessions are taking place in committee room three. The table will be moved, but there will be no cost with doing this as it is only getting moved to the back of the room. Therefore there are no transfer or storage costs incurred."