Culloden

The Battle of Culloden lasted barely an hour, but its effect on Britain’s history was profound. In this provocative study, Professor Murray Pittock revisits the last pitched battle ever fought on British soil. With a forensic mastery of written and archaeological sources, he recounts the events of 16 April 1746, when forces loyal to King George II crushed the predominantly Scottish troops of Prince Charles Edward Stuart on a moor outside Inverness. Pittock dispels many stubborn myths, such as the stereotype of sword-wielding Highlanders mown down by a ruthless, mechanised British army, and soberly assesses the brutal repression of the Highlanders that followed. This superb Folio Society edition augments Pittock’s battlefield photographs with 16 pages of colour images, from contemporary paintings, maps and cartoons to modern artworks inspired by the battle. Presented in a unique binding by series illustrator Geoff Grandfield, and incorporating three hand-drawn maps, Culloden is the most complete account of a battle that thwarted Jacobite ambitions to reclaim the throne, setting Great Britain on the path to becoming a major imperial power.