It was on April 16, 1746 that the last the battle on British soil took place on the windswept Culloden Moor. The brutal event saw some 1500 Scots slaughtered and, as it turned out, marked the end of the Jacobites (Scots fighting against the union of the crown with England).

In the months prior to the Battle of Culloden, the Jacobites had some success under Bonnie Prince Charlie, taking Edinburgh and marching deep into England. But the tide turned, forcing a northerly retreat as far as Culloden. Here, hungry and exhausted after a pointless all-night march; hopelessly outnumbered; and on ground unsuited to their style of fighting the Jacobites stood no chance. After the battle, as the English rampaged through much of Scotland, the clans were disarmed, forbidden from wearing tartan or playing bagpipes.