fao david and scotsmen and anyone else, a wee quiz

[gio67]

if this cottage could talk, what would it say, it witnessed a catastrophic but "if we can't be free we will die for our cause" attitude in scottish history,

where is it ?, i took this pic today and felt very proud and very moved to be a scotsman on this haunting field

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[Javelin]

whever I see old farmhouses I always think of the generations of children and families that called it home over the years. how many babies took their first steps. how many farmers relaxed their aches and pains inside. how many happy breakfasts were eaten before the work began. but I always come back to the little ones that played infront of the windows

[Birma]

Hi Gio67 - a nice picture of the cottage. Lovely colour and detail on the stone walls. I'm going to guess Culloden based on the "freedom for Scotsmen" statement, and doubting anything from the Bruce/Wallace era would have made it this far. Wasn't the '45 more about Government/Protestant/Lowland v. Pretender/Catholic/Highland, rather than the England v. Scotland view beloved by rubgy fans ?

[David Kilpatrick]

I don't know this scene, but it's thatched and therefore almost certainly an east coast lowland location; it's stone built, which was not the case with farm cottages or bothies before the mid-1700s (wood, mud and rubble but rarely any kind of quarried or dressed stone for buildings of this size). I've never visited Culloden Field but the alternative name of the battle was Drumossie Muir, so I've always thought it would be more a bog or moor, not a field. It's not Flodden Field which I know well enough (and is indeed a field); it does not look like Bannockburn, which I have only seen vaguely from the road. It is not Killiecrankie (and that was nothing to do with freedom) or Glencoe (ditto), both have very distincive topography.

All that leaves is the semi-mythical Harlaw and Haughs of Cromdale, Halidon Hill (I was there today and technically it is now in England); sure it's not Prestonpans, or the Gladsmuir predicted by Thomas the Rhymer, or Arthuret or any of the battles of the dark ages. And it's not Philiphaugh

I know most of my battles through ballad words, not through learning history. But I am surprised not have seen this as an illustration, if it's a featured building on a battle site.

David

[Greg Beetham]

Maybe gio67 is talking in general terms with the "If we can't be free we will die etc." and not related to a specific battle...although there is a large pile of rubble in the distance...hmm what if it was originally a castle that got destroyed in a battle and this present building was built using the remains (long ago of course)...so many battles throughout the history of Scotland v England it's a wonder anything is left standing.
Greg

ps. I like the pic, it oozes history.

[gio67]

top marks to birma and his knowledge of the history, absolutely spot on ,

its called "leanach cottage" and is right on the battlefield,and was there when the battle was fought

david , the field may have threw you off the scent, but it is officially culloden field at the culloden centre although the plaque contradicts this, good investigative reply though






your also right about the thatched roof david, , it is not thatched but a living roof of peat/grass and lichen growing on it, maybe you can see a bit clearer here

[Greg Beetham]

Wiki has an article on the battle of Culloden, but mentiones the Leanach cottage only briefly towards the end, saying that it was built in 1760 (14 years after the battle), but occupies the same spot of the original turf walled cottage, that most likely was used by the Govt. army as a field hospital after the battle...the mind boggles at the thought of the conditions in a field hospital back then....
Greg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Culloden

[David Kilpatrick]

I didn't look at wiki but it's no surprise that the original cottage is described as turf walled; a good reference for learning exactly how farm cottages were built seasonally can be found in the diaries and ledger books of the Spottiswoode estate. Get a job for the year at the hirings, first task - build your cottage or repair last year's hovel. Culloden seemed to be the only possibility. No doubt the lovely green grass has been cultivated over the years as a memorial park for visitors to the battlefield, it probably won't have looked like that at the time:

Drumossie Muir, Drumossie day,
A waeful day it was for me!
For there I lost my father dear,
My father dear and brothers three!

(The Lovely Lass of Inverness, from R A Smith, published 1820s - chorus - not a very well known song)

Googling Drumossie Muir I found this amusing bit of blog writing:

http://www.britishexpat.com/Clark-s-Cal ... 769.0.html

As far as I know Culloden has been an alternative name for the place and the battle right from the start.

David

[Dr. Harout]

Nice pictures and nice story. Thanks for sharing guys.