ARCHAEOLOGISTS have begun an investigation at the site of the Battle of Culloden to apply new “techniques” developed recently at Waterloo to potentially unearth more discoveries.
The historic battle took place on April 16, 1746, at Culloden, near Inverness, where a Jacobite army loyal to Bonnie Prince Charlie was defeated by a British government force commanded by the Duke of Cumberland.
Around 1600 men died at the battle, 1500 of them Jacobites, which led to the ending of the Jacobite rising of 1745.
Now archaeologists from the University of Glasgow and the National Trust for Scotland (NTS), are being joined by archaeology students and volunteers from RAF Lossiemouth and Kinloss Barracks in an investigation of the Highland battlefield.
Experts who took part in archaeological digs at the site of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo will be applying new techniques they developed at the Belgium site in Culloden.
They said previous archaeological work has helped historians gain a better understanding of the “bloody” battle from one of Scotland’s most significant historical sites.
Archaeologist and battlefields expert Prof Tony Pollard, of the University of Glasgow, said: “It's been nearly 20 years since I’ve worked on the archaeology of Culloden.
“It’s exciting to be back, and I’m looking forward to us applying archaeological techniques we’ve developed more recently at Waterloo, where, as we did at Culloden first time around, we have made a valuable contribution to our understanding of a battle which in its own bloody way made history.”
Previous digs have uncovered a wide range of artefacts, including a shoe buckle believed to have belonged to a clan chieftain, Donald Cameron of Lochiel.
Artillery weaponry, like grapeshot and musket balls, have also been found at the battlefield in the past.
Lorne MacLeod, visitor services assistant at Culloden, discovered the first artefact of the dig on Monday, uncovering what is believed to be a button.
NTS manages a large area of the Highland battlefield and said areas such as the Field of the English would be investigated by metal detecting.
The excavation combines traditional archaeological methods, such as grid-based test pits, with modern techniques which experts hope will unearth more secrets into the battle.
NTS’s head of archaeological services, Derek Alexander, said: “It's always exciting to be working at Culloden Battlefield and so many of the artefacts have great stories to tell.
“Even small-scale pieces of fieldwork can contribute to a better understanding of how the battle unfolded.”
The trust said the dig would be conducted with great care and respect due to the battlefield being a designated war grave.
Alexander said: “It's always exciting to be working at Culloden Battlefield and so many of the artefacts have great stories to tell.
“Even small-scale pieces of fieldwork can contribute to a better understanding of how the battle unfolded. We are really looking forward to working with Professor Pollard again and to making use of the techniques he has developed and honed at Waterloo.”
