Fort William and West CoastGlenfinnan Monument
Although it was a minor skirmish in the Spean valley which heralded the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion, it was at Glenfinnan at the head of Loch Shiel that Prince Charles raised his standard and summond the clans to his cause. Over two thousand Highlanders rallied to him and his forces gained early spectacular successes: a Jacobite army won the battle of Prestonpans and invaded England as far as Derby before deciding to withdraw. It was pursued by professional English troops who crushed the rebellion at Culloden in 1746. Charles spent five months on the run, hidden by Flora MacDonald and others, before escaping to France where he died in 1788. The monument at Glenfinnan was erected seventy years after the rebellion. |