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23 Oct 2024

Archaeological dig at Culloden Battlefield

Written by Rachael MacRae
A line of people stand on Culloden Battlefield, by a tall red flag, posing for the camera. Digging work is taking place in the background.
Members of the dig team, from left to right: Derek Alexander, Ellen Fogel Walker, Tony Pollard, Christine McPherson and Gail Boardman
Armed with both traditional archaeology tools and cutting-edge technology, a team of experts and volunteers are peeling back layers of earth to reveal untold stories of the final clash of the Jacobite Rising in 1746.

Led by Derek Alexander (the National Trust for Scotland’s Head of Archaeological Services), in collaboration with the Trust’s team at Culloden and Tony Pollard (Professor of Conflict History and Archaeology at the University of Glasgow), this project aims to facilitate further understanding of the Battle of Culloden. Volunteers and archaeology experts from all over the world have joined the excavation, supporting the team. These include volunteers from RAF Lossiemouth and Kinloss Barracks, as well as archaeology students from as far away as North America.

This excavation combines traditional archaeological methods, such as grid-based test pits and metal detecting, with modern techniques to uncover more artefacts that could provide further insights into the battle. Areas such as the Field of the English will be targeted for metal detecting, using techniques applied during the excavation at the Battlefield of Waterloo, which maximised artefact recovery. Gary Craig will join the archaeologists on the project; he has led the detecting team for the charity Waterloo Uncovered since its inception in 2015.

A man in an orange high-vis vest kneels beside a freshly dug shallow square pit on Culloden Battlefield. He holds a wide trowel in one hand. The excavated soil is heaped onto a blue tarpaulin in the foreground. Other people wearing high-vis are in the background. A person wearing a yellow high-vis jacket kneels on a grassy field beside small mounds of earth, and waves an orange metal detecting device over a clump of soil. A long hand-held metal detector lies on the ground in the foreground. Two people wearing yellow high-vis jackets kneel either side of a shallow square pit and use trowels to investigate the contents of the earth within.

Ellen Fogel Walker, Estates & Conservation Manager at Culloden Battlefield, said: ‘Working with our archaeological team over the past four years has uncovered extensive knowledge of the battlefield and its role as a living landscape. Not only have we found material from the time of the battle, but also prehistoric and modern material, which shows the continual presence of people here, both before and after 1746.’

Quote
“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”
Derek Alexander
Head of Archaeological Services, National Trust for Scotland

Derek continued: ‘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.’

Lorne MacLeod, Visitor Services Assistant at Culloden, discovered the first artefact of the dig on Monday, which is believed to be a button. Previous digs have uncovered a wide range of artefacts, including a shoe buckle thought to have belonged to Donald Cameron of Lochiel; grapeshot; and musket balls, each telling a piece of the story in this historic battlefield.

A man wearing a yellow high-vis jacket and a Culloden beanie stands in a field, holding a metal detector in one hand. With the other, he holds out towards the camera a small metal object covered in soil. Another man looks on in the background. A close-up of a hand holding a small metal object covered in soil. In the background are piles of soil and a metal detector.

Professor Tony Pollard said: ‘It’s been nearly 20 years since I’ve worked on the archaeology of Culloden. We made some spectacular discoveries with metal detectors back them, and I’m delighted many of them are on display in the visitor centre.’

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“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.”
Professor Tony Pollard
University of Glasgow
A man wearing a yellow high-vis jacket and a black beanie hat uses a metal detector across an area of grass on Culloden Battlefield. Another man stands behind him, holding a spade.

The dig will respect the site’s solemn history. Culloden Battlefield is a designated war grave, and the Trust ensures all activities at this significant site are designed and carried out with great care and respect.

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