The moor east of Inverness where the 1745 Jacobite Rising ended in a devastating defeat on 16 April 1746.
The last battle of the rising
On 16 April 1746 the Jacobite army of Charles Edward Stuart faced the Duke of Cumberland's government forces on Culloden Moor. Exhausted, short of food and deployed on difficult ground, the Jacobites were broken in a battle lasting less than an hour.
The National Trust for Scotland records about 1,500 Jacobite deaths and around 50 government deaths. Culloden ended the 1745 Rising as a military campaign, though Jacobite belief and commemoration continued long afterwards.
What followed
The aftermath extended far beyond the battlefield. Government troops pursued fugitives and the authorities imposed measures intended to break the military and social structures that had supported rebellion. Culloden should therefore be understood as both a battle and the beginning of a harsh political aftermath across the Highlands.
A battlefield and a place of burial
The visitor centre presents both Jacobite and government perspectives, with surviving objects and a battle theatre. Outside, clan markers, the memorial cairn and restored Leanach Cottage sit within a protected battlefield that is also a burial place. The landscape deserves the same care as a cemetery, not the atmosphere of a conventional attraction.
What to look for while you're here
- The sightlines across the moor from the Jacobite and government positions.
- The memorial cairn and clan markers, approached as grave memorials rather than props.
- Leanach Cottage and the contrast between the preserved field and the modern visitor centre.
Before you go
- Allow about two hours for the museum and battlefield; enthusiasts may need longer. The battlefield is open daily, while visitor-centre hours vary seasonally. Treat marked graves and the wider battlefield with respect.