Carbisdale. Scotland's forgotten battlefield.

Culrain in the Highlands is a quiet place. There is a small train station which serves a magnificent castle-turned-youth-hostel and not much else. You probably won't find yourself driving through it, you have to drive to Culrain for a reason. 

It is along a single track road about three miles from Ardgay. Ardgay (pronounced Ardguy) isn't even on the main road north now that the Dornoch Firth Bridge takes the A9 traffic away from the Kyle of Sutherland.

As you come out of Culrain station or drive past it, you wouldn't realise that the trees in the small field right beside you are on top of what may or may not be an arrow-headed ravelin; if it is then it makes it one of the few battlefields in Britain with earthwork defences still visible.

If you looked along the small road heading towards the hills and woods in the distance you wouldn't realise that it bisects the battlefield which saw the final defeat of one of Scotland's most famous warriors.

There is nothing there to tell you this is the battlefield of Carbisdale; no plaque, no information board, no monument. Now I know we don't like defeats in Scotland (especially ones where it was Scot versus Scot) but surely we could do better than this. The Great Montrose saw his end at Carbisdale on 27th April 1650 and there is nothing there to let us know it.

Luckily for me I had a look at the detailed Inventory of Scottish Battlefields entry for Carbisdale before I went so I knew exactly where to go and what to look for. Anyone turning up without a copy of that would be left scratching their heads. 

I'll not go into detail of Montrose's 1650 campaign through the Far North and the battle itself because it is all in the Historic Scotland pdf above. Instead I'll give you some photographs of the battlefield. Surprisingly few are out there already.

Being the middle of summer it was absolutely chucking it down with rain when I visited so I pretty much stuck to the roads when taking them. 

I'll start with a panoramic view of the battlefield taken from outside the community hall. On the left side of the road are the fields where Montrose formed up his troops. The hills behind them would have been where the Ross and Munro contingents waited to see which way the battle turned. On the right of the road is where the Royalist troops ran towards the woods and where they were cut down by Strachan's mounted troops. 

 

Facing south from the road looking across the battlefield. It is a field and there's not much more to be said about it.

The woods north-west of Culrain. On the right are the slopes of Lamentation Hill. The Danish contingent of Montrose's army supposedly made a stand in front of this wood.

The ravelin? It is hard to make out in these photographs but the ridges in the ground in this field form a 'V' shape with the point under the trees. This small field is beside the road running alongside the railway station. This photograph is taken opposite the community hall facing south.

Another shot of the ravelin field. This is taken from beside the bridge which crosses the railway line facing west. This hopefully shows the 'V' more clearly on either side of the trees.

Behind the community hall. There is a ditch here seemingly. It was too overgrown and certainly too wet for the light shoes I was wearing for further investigation on the day I was there.

The Inventory of Historic Scottish Battlefields Consultation

From Historic Scotland's website: http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/battlefieldconsultation

The Inventory of Historic Battlefields Consultation

Through the Scottish Historic Environment Policy (SHEP) 2009, Scottish Ministers announced that Historic Scotland would prepare an Inventory of Historic Battlefields to identify and provide information on Scotland’s nationally important fields of conflict to aid in their future management, preservation and enjoyment. SHEP 2009 can be viewed at www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/shep-july-2009.pdf.

In March 2011, the Inventory of historic battlefields was launched, containing records for the first 17 battlefields identified as nationally important. Historic Scotland has now opened consultation for the second tranche of Inventory records, comprising a further 11 battlefields identified as being of national importance: you can view these reports at http://data.historic-scotland.gov.uk.

Research is currently taking place on a third tranche of sites, which will be subject to separate consultation in due course.

What is the Inventory of Historic Battlefields?

The Inventory identifies battlefields considered to be of national importance for the contribution they make to the archaeology and history of our nation. It includes our most significant and iconic battlefields, and provides information to aid their protection, management, interpretation and promotion. Selection criteria are set out in SHEP 2009 (Annex 5).

For each site there is a concise report describing the battlefield, the reasons for its inclusion and a map of its boundary. The Inventory map indicates the extent of the battlefield, defining the overall area considered to be of interest on the basis of research undertaken. At the end of each report, there is a list of key source material and references to aid further research and for educational use. An extended report is also available, which adds more detailed information to that in the concise report, where possible.

Further information about the Inventory can be found at www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/battlefields

The Battlefield of Culloden

I missed the 265th anniversary of the Battle of Culloden by a week, but I took some photographs whilst there, and have posted them on our facebook page. Since there are so many photographs about the battlefield I thought it would be worth putting down some of my impressions of Culloden. There is no need for me to go into details here about the battle, or the history behind the Jacobite and Government armies. This post is about the battlefield and visitor centre which is just a few miles east of Inverness.

You can easily find it just beside the B9006 from Inverness to Croy and there are plenty of brown tourist signs on the A9 and A96 directing you to the site, so I won't give directions. You can check the NTS website here to find it.

Part of the battlefield is in the care of the National Trust for Scotland. The B9006 bisects it and the northern part of the site is in private hands but there is more than enough of the site looked after by the NTS to justify a visit. It is sometimes called Drumossie Moor. Drumossie Moor extends over a lot of the high ground above the River Nairn but the battle was fought on the Culloden House Estate and this part of ground was known as Culloden Moor. It's not wrong to call it Drumossie Moor, it is just more correct to call it Culloden Moor.

I was last there about thirty years ago and it was a cold early spring morning when we turned up on a school trip. I don't remember the visit with much pleasure and it certainly didn't fire up any enthusiasm for studying the Jacobite Rebellions further. Luckily for visitors today there is a swanky new visitor centre. The field of battle itself is open 24x7 and there is no entrance fee, but for a first visit I would highly recommend paying to go into the visitor centre. I have to say it isn't cheap but we took advantage of a deal on a membership to the National Trust for Scotland to lessen the blow.

The visitor centre does a great job of covering the battle but it also goes into a lot of detail about the whole of the '45 Rebellion and also goes into the background of the Jacobites and Hanoverian succession from 1688.

There is a chronological path of Jacobite history for about 100 years from the flight of James II through to the death of Bonnie Prince Charlie. They have done it is a very interesting way. The corridor you follow is split into two. On the left hand side is the Jacobite viewpoint and on the right hand side is the government viewpoint. It is very clearly laid out and there are plenty of artefacts to look at and first-hand accounts from the time to read.

The one criticism I would have is that there is very little for children in the displays. I'm sure on a school trip they are well catered for but as a family it may be interesting for the adults but there is very little to interest the kids until you get to the last room. Actually I have two criticisms, you have to pay for parking too which is a bit much considering how much you are paying to get in. (NTS members get free parking)

The last room in the visitor centre has displays of the weapons used on the day. There are muskets and pistols which you can handle and also reconstructions of the artillery pieces. They also have plenty of broadswords, muskets and bayonets. It is a very sobering experience by this stage (and rightly so)

There are two excellent audio visual displays in the centre. There is the immersion theatre where four connected films are screened onto the four walls of the room. It places you slap bang in the middle of a reconstruction of the battle. I have not seen anything like it before and it really is very effective.

The other audio visual display is a large 'wargames table' screen which follows the battle from start to finish from a birds-eye view. It is very effective in showing the dispositions of all the troops on the field throughout the battle. It really helps when you then go out to the battlefield itself.

If you have paid to go to the visitor centre you can pick up an audio guide to use when going round the battlefield. This is very useful because not surprisingly the battlefield is a pretty flat field, and for a lot of it you are seeing the same thing.

When you leave the back door of the centre you can climb onto the roof of it to get a panoramic view of the battlefield. Like I said it is a field so I don't know how much you would get out of it. Much better to get onto the field itself to see the conditions the men fought in.

Fairly recent excavations by Glasgow University saw a redrawing of the battle lines and NTS have put in paths allowing you to walk along what would have been the Jacobite and Government Front lines. They have placed small pedestals along the lines at the place each regiment started the battle and the number of men in that regiment.

They also highlight the front lines by flying red flags along the Government lines and blue flags along the Jacobite lines.

The NTS is trying to return the field over to the condition it was on the day. It is a long task made difficult by all the changes that have taken place on the field over the years. The B9006 used to run right through the battlefield and a large portion of it was forestry up until recently. They have done a very good job returning part of it as fields, and part of it as heather-clad marsh. It was so marshy in some places in April 1746 that men on both sides commented on standing up to their knees in water whilst waiting for the battle to start.

The flags mark the starting positions of the armies but the best place to stand to work out where the highland charge started is at the corner of the Leanach enclosure. This was the point where right wing of the Jacobite Army launched their attack on the left wing of the Government Army, where the heaviest fighting took place and where there was the largest number of casualties on both sides.

By standing at the enclosure and looking at the red flags you can see how near the armies were but just by walking to the Government front line you can tell just how far the Highlanders had to charge under devastating close range redcoat musket and artillery fire.

Of all the places on the field and centre, my walk along the route of the Highlanders charge brought home to me what they faced on that April day over 265 years ago.

From the scene of the costliest charge it is only a short walk to the large cairn which marks the burial ground of the Jacobites. Around it lie their graves. They were buried beside the old road by the victors and you can still see the mounds of earth which mark the mass graves. In the late Victorian period the local landowner places rustic headstones on the Jacobite graves but no-one is convinced that the Clan gravestones mark actual clan graves. There is no doubt that the Jacobite dead lie there under those mounds but any body belonging to any clan regiment would have been dumped in the nearest grave in an effort to clear the dead off the field as quickly as possible.

There is no marker for the government dead. It has been mooted recently that they should be commemorated. These are the dead who fought and died facing a full blooded highland charge, and not the men who acted so brutally in the glens after Culloden so personally I don't see why they shouldn't be granted the same dignity in death as the highlanders they fought. It is a contentious subject though so I don't know if they will ever get a grave marker.

I'll end the tour on a lighter note. The visitor centre has a well-stocked shop and a cracking selection of books on Scottish military history. There is also a good café by the looks of it. I was staying just along the road so didn't use it so can't comment on taste / quality. What I can say is that the nearby Culloden Moor Inn is very good and we had an excellent meal in its nice restaurant with very friendly staff. Don't let the run down appearance from the B9006 fool you. This is a good place to eat and was very busy with locals on a Wednesday evening.

In my opinion Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre is well worth a visit, and if you have the time to visit nearby Fort George you can get 20% off in a linked ticket offer. (The same applies if you visit Fort George first - 20% off entry to the Culloden centre).

Muskets at Fort George

From today's BBC News.

Word that OTC students are to be armed with replica Brown Bess muskets for live firing experiments at the rifle ranges at Fort George.

Operation to replace lost Bannockburn trees swings into action

From today's BBC Scotland News website

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-13600926?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Bannockburn battle site trees felled in storm

An operation to replace 25 trees that were felled at Bannockburn's historic battle site in last week's storm is being mounted.

Historic Scotland said the winds, which reached 114 mph, caused significant damage to the battlefield area.

The organisation said trees at the site played an important role in evoking the landscape of the 14th Century battle.

The site, near Stirling, marks the 1314 victory of Robert the Bruce in the Wars of Independence.

Property manager Scott McMaster said: "This loss is very regrettable and we are already working to clear up the fallen trees and ensure that the public can access the grounds safely.

"Trees are an important part of the landscape at Bannockburn, playing an important role in Bruce's tactical plan which overcame Edward II and his army.

"We are already making plans to ensure that these trees are replaced."

Historic Scotland said trees that were recently planted as part of a £5m project to revamp the visitor experience at the centre were undamaged in the storm.

It said the planting was designed to create an area similar to the landscape at the time of the battle and to frame views to Stirling Castle.

Anthropologist calls for survey of Harlaw Battlefield

A news item from STV Aberdeen about the battlefield of Harlaw in Aberdeenshire. This year sees the 600th Anniversary of the battle.

An anthropologist at Aberdeen University is calling for a new investigation into one of Scotland’s most historically significant battles.

Little is known about the the Battle of Harlaw, which was fought by the Gaelic army of Donald of Islay and an army assembled by Alexander Stewart, Earl of Mar, and ended with no clear victor.

Dr Ian Russell, director of the Elphinstone Institute, wants advances in geophysical surveys to be used to examine the site as the 600th anniversary of the battle approaches.

The battle – which is said to have provided the impetus for the Scots and English languages to prosper at the expense of Gaelic - was fought two miles west of Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, north-west of the Harlaw Monument, and was a contest for the Earldom of Ross.

“The Battle of Harlaw is commemorated in ballad and legend as a major conflict between Highlanders and Lowlanders but we know little of the actual events of July 24, 1411,” Mr Russell said.

“Almost all we have to go on is the cultural legacy – no documentary evidence exists apart from the poems, songs and ballads written down many years after the time of the battle.

“We know that Harlaw was of great strategic importance at the time but we do not know the exact site of the battle or the numbers involved – Donald’s army was said to be 10,000 strong but modern historians think it was significantly smaller.

“The Battle of Harlaw is a fascinating bit of history from a very torrid time and we are sure that there is more which can be uncovered.

“We know it was very bloody but where were the dead buried? We would expect a geophysical survey to show up signs of potential burial pits. The ballad The Battle of Harlaw talks of 50,000 Highland men marching but what route did they take?

“We will bring together historians, genealogists, battlefield archaeologists and experts in heraldry, genealogy and cultural history for the Harlaw Remembered conference on June 9 at the Trinity Hall of the Seven Incorporated Trades. It would be wonderful to see a proper geophysical survey of the site undertaken.”

Geophysical surveys have been carried out at battlefields in the past including Culloden where they provided new insights into the last battle of the Jacobite risings.

Dumfries & Galloway Battlefield Guides

An article from the Dumfries and Galloway Standard about a new series of local battlefield guides:

As the centuries pass and ancient enemies long vanquished, the cold ground of a battlefield gives little away to the keen historian.

Dumfries and Galloway, so close to the coveted borders of England, Ireland and northern Scotland, has had its fair share of violence in the name of despots, dispute and desperation.

Invaded and counter-invaded for millennia, these lands have hosted the sites of many bloody skirmishes where clashing swords, pounding drums and the screams of the injured and dying could be heard for miles across the hills and forests.

Yet it is difficult to believe, when living and travelling in the now peaceful landscapes of Dumfries and Galloway, that so much blood had once been spilled.

Eastriggs author Stephen Maggs (pictured) has brought the region’s turbulent past to life in a series of books, the most recent being an account of the Battle of Sark on October 23, 1448, and the Battle of Dryfe Sands, December 6, 1593.

“I enjoy walking battlefields,” said Stephen, “but I get a little frustrated by a lack on information on them.

“I therefore decided to find out more by visiting local libraries (the staff at the Ewart Library in Dumfries are always a great help) and of course internet research.”

Forty-five-year-old Stephen, who is currently studying Higher Business Management at Dumfries and Galloway College, moved to Scotland from Worcestershire in 1989.

“I have always had an interest in the English Civil War, in particular the Scottish armies fighting alongside King Charles II’s royalist forces in 1650-1651.”

“In 2001, I led a campaign to erect a war memorial at Worcester near to burial pits containing the bodies of many Scottish soldiers killed in the Battle of Worcester in 1651.”

Stephen wrote a book listing the names of a few hundred Scots killed in the battle and has not stopped writing since.

Having always wanted to be an author, Stephen has had nine guides published and the current two are the first of six commissioned by Wigtown publishers GC Books.

He said: “I began writing about local battlefields and thought it would be good to see if a local publisher would be interested in them.

“I contacted GC Books via email and they were very keen.

“After reviewing my guides they asked if I’d like to write a series of six for them.

Dryfe Sands and Sark being the first two.

“Although these are less well known battles they were much more than minor skirmishes. The Battle of Dryfe Sands was Scotland's largest and bloodiest clan battle while the Battle of Sark was a great victory for the Scots and a humiliation for the English King, Henry VI,” Stephen explained.

Fought in 1448 between the Scots under Hugh Douglas and the English forces led by the powerful Percys, Earls of Northumberland, the Battle of Sark was brought about by a bitter and personal feud.

The victory put the Scots in a position of strength against the English for many years and led to such a rise in the power of the Clan Douglas that the Scottish throne came under threat.

The Battle of Dryfe Sands was also the result of a power struggle that had plagued the Borders for generations, this time between the Maxwells and the Johnstones.

In December 1593 the eighth Lord Maxwell decided to end the rivalry once and for all hoping to finally gain complete control of the Scottish West March, little knowing that his actions would lead to the biggest and bloodiest clan battle Scotland had ever known.

For his inspiration, Stephen walks the battlefields, tracing the footsteps of history to get a clearer picture of how they were lost and won and a ‘feel’ for the soldiers involved.

“I walk battlefields as often as I can,” he said. “This can be a great inspiration for it’s possible to see just what the soldiers saw when in battle: in many cases very little. In times of action soldiers really were very much alone, even though surrounded by hundreds of their comrades.”

Stephen then undertakes methodical research, trawling libraries and the internet as well as his own sources.

“I have around 1,500 books at home, on many military periods, which I get information from.”

For his knowledge on military tactics and strategy, Stephen has an unusual pastime.

He took up wargaming when at school in Worcestershire and now regularly writes articles and attends shows.

He said: “It is a fascinating hobby and helps one understand just how armies were formed and what tactics they used on the battlefield.”

Stephen puts his true inspiration for all things military down to his upbringing.

“My father was in the army when I was a child and I lived for a while on the military bases of Osnabruck and Beilefeld.

“He died in 1992 but will always be an inspiration to me.”

Stephen has already started three other guides: The Battle of Arkinholm, Langholm, 1455; The Fall of Dumfriesshire in 1651; and the well-known Battle of Solway Moss 1542.

“Once these guides are finished I will be writing a guide to Dumfriesshire’s castles, hill forts and motte and bailies etc, which could prove lengthy as the whole area is littered with them.”

“I would ultimately like to set up a local history shop to encourage battlefield tourism in Dumfriesshire,” he added.

The books Death of a King’s Man and Where True Valour is Only to be Seen are available from the GC Books’ website www.gcbooks.co.uk

Battle is on to commemorate Flodden on its 500th anniversary

From the Berwickshire News comes an article about plans to commemorate the 500th Anniversary of the Battle of Flodden.

Interest in the 500th anniversary celebrations of the Battle of Flodden in 2013 is beginning to grow and the group leading the project have organised a series of workshops to update people on progress so far and give them the opportunity to add their ideas.

Over the past few months interested groups on both sides of the England/Scotland border have been meeting to discuss raising the profile of the battle area near Branxton on the English side, resulting in plans for an eco-museum - a museum without walls which will connect the built, natural and cultural threads that are part of the Flodden story across Northumberland and the Scottish Borders.

This ‘eco-museum’ will link over 10 physical sites with strong associations with Flodden, including: Flodden Field (battlefield walks, interpretation, website); Norham Castle (besieged before the battle); Etal Castle (besieged/taken in 1513 complete with an exhibition of Border Warfare); Heatherslaw Corn Mill (mill working in 1513), Barmoor Castle (Surrey’s camp); Twizell Bridge (crucial river crossing point for English Army); Ladykirk Church (built by King James IV); Branxton Church (adjacent to the battle-site); Coldstream Museum; Coldstream Priory; Weetwood Bridge (river crossing point) and The Fletcher Monument in Selkirk (Selkirk monument erected in 1913 for the 400th anniversary).

EU Leader funding of £24,265 has been successfully applied for which will allow phase one of the project to get underway - establishing the web portal for the ‘Eco-museum’, signage for the initial sites connected with the battle, leaflets and other information led by project offices Chris Burgess and Jane Warcup.

The project team are also running a series of workshops to inform and encourage local people to get involved in this exciting venture and the quincentenary activities marking the Battle of Flodden in 2013.

The idea behind Flodden Eco Museum is to allow communities, projects, locations and events to retain their individual ownership but to be linked through a single brand, in this case the battle of Flodden and the 500th year commemoration in 2013.

A wide range of organisations from the public, private and voluntary sector (over 70) are already on board, such as the Coldstream 1513 Club, Coldstream Community Council etc and organisers are hoping to attract others who can offer their own perspective when it comes to marking this historical event, as part of a wider project.

The workshops scheduled to start next week will offer advice as to how this will work.

The events, which start at 5.30pm and finish around 7.30pm, will be held in locations across north Northumberland and the Borders:

Workshop dates: February 2, Glendale Gateway Trust, Wooler; February 9, Coldstream Community Centre, Coldstream; February 15, The Collingwood Arms, Cornhill on Tweed, (Cornhill/ Branxton); February 16, Black Bull, Lowick (Lowick/Ford/Barmoor); February 21, Salutation Inn, Shoreswood, Nr Norham (Duns/Ladykirk/Norham); February 22, County Hotel, Selkirk.

At each event project officers, Chris Burgess and Jane Warcup will be joined by other experts offering advice on a range of topics such as: eco-museums; funding sources; marketing and branding; interpretation and IT presentation on web portal (businesses, clubs and organisations); development workshop on new research (archaeology and history).

Coldstream & District History Society member James Bell has written a book on Flodden and has studied it for many years.

Explaining events and their historical importance he said: “The Battle of Flodden, or Branxton Moor as the English chroniclers called it, was the culmination of a short campaign by the Scots after their King, James 1V, declared war on England and its King, Henry VIII. The war became known as the Flodden war.

“At the Boroughmuir, the main Scots army were assembling, said by chroniclers of the time to number 100,000. This seems to be quite exaggerated, as the population of Scotland in 1513 was estimated to be only 500,000.

“Despite protestations from his Queen, James set off for the border, meeting the men of the Borders at Ellemford, just north of Duns.

“On August 21, James held his last Parliament on Scottish soil at Duns and on the 22nd, the Scottish army crossed the Tweed at Coldstream and Lennel.

“By invading England King James had broken the Treaty of Perpetual Peace.

“It is said King James got to within 10ft of Surrey before being killed by one of Surrey’s body guards, who fired an arrow through the King of Scots mouth.

“Around James fell almost the entire nobility of Scotland, and it is said, no household in Scotland did not feel the effects of Flodden. Darkness called a halt to the slaughter.

“Surrey berated his commanders for not winning the fight, however daylight revealed what was left of the Scots’ army had left the field, and the thousands of Scots’ dead, who had been stripped naked, littered the blood soaked ground.”

The Battle of Flodden proved a disaster for the Scots, as well as losing King James IV a whole generation of the country’s nobility was wiped out on Branxton Hill, September 9, 1513, when around 10,000 men lost their lives.

It hastened Scotland’s union with England, leaving the country exposed and leaderless.

Since the early 1950s the dead of both nations are remembered annually during the Flodden ride-out, the main event during Coldstream Civic Week when over 300 horses and riders follow the Coldstreamer and his right and left hand men across Coldstream Bridge and over to Flodden, where they lay a wreath at the Flodden memorial before galloping up Branxton Hill where it has become tradition for an oration to be given about the battle.

James Joicey of Ford & Etal Estates, has been heading the initiators group/steering group since 2008, and initial background work has been done by Peter Lewis, from Newcastle University’s International Centre for Cultural and Heritage Studies. Now they are widening the project out further as more individuals and groups express an interest in becoming involved.

A new documentary film about the Battle of Flodden is currently underway, as is the the acquisition of what will probably be the UK’s smallest Information Centre!

It is hoped to house the information centre in the old telephone box in Branxton. But while the telephone box may have a traditional appearance it will be high tech inside. The plan is that apps (computer software designed to help the user to perform singular or multiple related specific tasks) will be downloadable from internet access, givieng information about genealogical work and other activities.

Dr. David Caldwell from the National Museums of Scotland has indicated plans for an international conference on Flodden to be held in autumn 2011, possibly in Ford Castle.

Scotland's famous battlefields protected

From the BBC News website:

Historic Scotland has issued a list of the most important battle sites located around the country.

The first phase of the Inventory of Historic Battlefields contains a total of 17 different locations.

It includes sites in the Borders, Aberdeenshire, the Highlands, North Lanarkshire, Stirling and East Lothian.

The inventory aims to highlight the historic significance of the areas to planning authorities making decisions which could affect their landscape.

Historic Scotland said the list included the nation's "most significant and iconic battlefields".


* Alford (Aberdeenshire) 1645
* Harlaw (Aberdeenshire) 1411
* Dunbar II (East Lothian) 1650
* Pinkie (East Lothian) 1547
* Prestonpans (East Lothian) 1745
* Falkirk II (Falkirk) 1746
* Auldearn (Highland) 1645
* Culloden (Highland) 1746
* Glenshiel (Highland) 1719
* Kilsyth (North Lanarkshire) 1645
* Dupplin Moor (Perth and Kinross) 1332
* Killiecrankie (Perth and Kinross) 1689
* Ancrum Moor (Scottish Borders) 1545
* Philiphaugh (Scottish Borders) 1645
* Bannockburn (Stirling) 1314
* Sherriffmuir (Stirling) 1715
* Bothwell Bridge (South Lanarkshire) 1679


It also provides information to aid their protection, management, interpretation and promotion.

The public has until 11 February next year to comment on the inventory.

Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop said: "Many legendary battles took place in Scotland and the famous figures who fought in them, such as Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn and Bonnie Prince Charlie at Culloden, are known around the world.

"The Inventory of Historic Battlefields will help increase general awareness of historic battlefields throughout Scotland and the contribution they make to understanding our history and landscape."

She said the sites made a "distinctive contribution" to the "sense of place and history, both locally and nationally".

"They are a wonderful resource for education, helping us understand why significant events in our history unfolded as they did and provide a tangible link to some of the key figures of Scottish history," she added.

"Not only do battlefields form an important part of our sense of identity, they also have enormous potential for attracting tourists, as well as for general recreation, allowing visitors to experience the site of a dramatic historical event for themselves.

"We want to make sure that these important battlefields are looked after now and for future generations. "

Dr Tony Pollard, director of the centre for battlefield archaeology at Glasgow University, said compiling the inventory had been a "challenging but incredibly rewarding project".

"We have an incredible wealth of battlefields in Scotland and it is vital that we consider them alongside other elements of our cultural heritage," he said.

"It is important that people engage in this process and demonstrate their own feelings about what can be very fragile landscapes.

"We may not be able to preserve these sites in aspic but, more so than ever, in a restless world which places increasing demands on natural resources and space, they have much to teach us.

"What is needed is the desire to learn."

New Visitor Centre for the Battle of Bannockburn

A new, £5m state-of-the-art visitor centre at the site of the battle of Bannockburn will be built in time for the next year of Homecoming in 2014.

Historic Scotland and the National Trust for Scotland will work in partnership to deliver a "world class visitor attraction incorporating an immersive digital experience designed to transport visitors back to the fourteenth century battle".

Further details can be found on the Historic Scotland website.