IT was the battle that neither side won and neither side lost, but the lack of victory for the Earl of Mar’s army of supporters of the exiled James Francis Edward Stuart effectively meant the end of the Jacobite uprising of 1715.
Next month will see the 300th anniversary of the Battle of Sheriffmuir on November 13, around which local events will take place to commemorate a conflict which, though not decisive on the day, played a huge part in British history in the early 18th century and was the subject of a Robert Burns poem, The Battle of Sherramuir.
Following the death of Queen Anne in 1714, King George I arrived from Hanover and began to crush the Tories who had held power under the late Queen.
The political upheaval led to those who still believed in the Stuarts’ right to the throne of Great Britain and Ireland, known as Jacobites, to petition the exiled James Stuart – the Old Pretender and son of the deposed King James II – to return from France and claim his throne.
In her recent TV documentary, The Stuarts in Exile, historian Dr Clare Jackson pointed out that, despite the Act of Union, not all Scots were fully reconciled to the House of Hanover and that England had forgotten George I would have to rule over more than one kingdom.
“The Act of Settlement stated that only a Protestant claimant could succeed Queen Anne on her death,” said Dr Jackson. “But in their haste to shut the door on Jacobite claims, English MPs had not paused to consider another of the Stuarts’ kingdoms – Scotland, the ancient homeland of the Stuart dynasty.
“As subjects of an independent kingdom with its own Parliament, Scots did not relish the English assumption that succession to the Scottish crown simply followed the dictates of English legislation.”
Dr Jackson said this was the main reason why the Act of Union was brought about, yet Jacobites did not accept that it ended the Stuart claim – “they saw it as an opportunity,” said Dr Jackson.
Though Jacobitism was strong in various parts of England such as the south-west, it was in Scotland that what Dr Jackson called “the often overlooked 1715 rebellion,” broke out. John Erskine, the 6th Earl of Mar, known as Bobbing John for his allegiance switches, raised the Stuart banner in Braemar in early September and at first the Jacobites enjoyed success, with the promise of James Stuart coming to lead them.
Mar soon had 10,000 troops at Perth, but the Hanoverian forces, led by John Campbell, Duke of Argyll, marched north and garrisoned Stirling.
The Jacobite army marched south and was met by Argyll’s forces at Sheriffmuir – where Argyll had chosen his ground well and was able to resist the famous Highland charge. In turn, the Jacobites overwhelmed Argyll’s advancing troops.
“As the day drew on,” said Dr Jackson, “exhaustion set in and both sides slowly began to retreat from the battlefield.”
At the same time, a Jacobite force in England surrendered after initial success at Preston.
“Sheriffmuir had descended into a farcical stalemate,” said Dr Jackson, “and the battle to take Scotland had resulted in a no-score draw.”
The result was famously recounted in an old song: “There’s some say that we wan, And some say that they wan/And some say that nane wan at a’ man/But one thing is sure that at Sheriffmuir/A battle was fought on that day man/And we ran and they ran, and they ran and we ran/And we ran and they ran awa’ man”.
Local commemorations include a Historic Battle by Bike on Sunday, starting in Dunblane.
Organisers from Stirling Cycle Hub say: “Our special 300-year anniversary ride for the Battle of Sheriffmuir follows the Jacobites and government forces from their camps, up Sheriffmuir and beyond, accompanied by our historian across 25 miles of scenic, rural roads, over steep hills and by rivers with brief stops to look, listen and lunch.”
The following Saturday will see a re-enactment of the start of the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion, again in Dunblane in the Cathedral Halls and Dunblane Museum, from 12 noon to 4pm.
Various clans will mark their part in the battle, but there is no official national commemoration, either by the Scottish Government or UK Government, of the battle which ended the rising of 1715.
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