Latest / The Story of Scotland: Clans, Crowns, and the Fight for Identity — Fexingo History / The Culloden Commemoration: Memory and Myth
Transcript
- Lucas: When we talk about the Battle of Culloden, we usually picture the mud and the muskets on Drumsossie Moor in April 1746. But the real story doesn't end when the smoke clears; it stretches out over the next two hundred years, into a long, complicated conversation about what that defeat actually meant for Scottish identity. Luna: It feels like the aftermath was just as violent as the battle itself. Lucas: In many ways, it was. The immediate military suppression was brutal, but the cultural erasure that followed—the banning of the Dress Act, the suppression of Gaelic—was designed to dismantle the very fabric of Highland society. For decades, the Jacobite cause was something you whispered about, if you dared to mention it at all. Luna: So for a long time, there was no public memory of it? Lucas: Exactly. It was a suppressed memory. You didn't see monuments or celebrations. Instead, you saw the slow transformation of the Highlands from a militarized zone into a pastoral landscape, largely through the Clearances. The people who had fought, or whose ancestors had fought, were often displaced by landlords who wanted sheep, not soldiers. Luna: That shift from warrior to tenant seems incredibly jarring. Lucas: It was devastating. But here is where the narrative takes a surprising turn in the early nineteenth century. As the fear of another rebellion faded, the British elite began to look back at the Highlands not as a threat, but as something exotic and romantic. This is where Sir Walter Scott comes in, fundamentally reshaping how the world saw Scotland. Luna: I always thought Scott was more of a novelist than a historian. Lucas: He was certainly a storyteller first, but his influence on historical perception was massive. He organized royal visits to Scotland, including King George IV’s trip in 1822. Scott convinced the King to wear tartan, effectively turning a banned garment of rebellion into a symbol of national unity. He sanitized the violence of the past and replaced it with pageantry. Luna: He basically reinvented the clan culture for tourists. Lucas: Precisely. He created a version of the Highlands that never existed—a harmonious, hierarchical society bound by loyalty to the chief. It ignored the harsh realities of the Clearances and the poverty of the crofters. But it gave Scots a sense of pride they hadn't felt since 1745. The tragedy of Culloden was being repackaged as a noble failure. Luna: It sounds like he turned a trauma into a brand. Lucas: In effect, yes. And this Victorian nostalgia continued well into the twentieth century. We see it in the way Bonnie Prince Charlie is portrayed—not as a failed claimant to a throne, but as a romantic figure of lost love and tragic destiny. The political stakes are erased, leaving only the emotional resonance of betrayal and exile. Luna: Does that romanticization hide too much of the actual suffering? Lucas: It definitely obscures it. If you focus only on the romance, you miss the fact that thousands of Highlanders died or left their homes. The 'summer of the clans' that Scott wrote about was actually a period of immense social collapse. But the romantic image is so powerful that it still dominates popular culture today. Luna: So we have two competing versions of history here. Lucas: Two major ones. There is the academic, evidence-based view of displacement and suppression, and then there is the folkloric view of heroic resistance and tragic beauty. Modern historians try to hold both, but it’s difficult because the emotional pull of the romantic narrative is so strong. Luna: I can see why people would prefer the romantic version. Lucas: It’s comforting. It gives meaning to the suffering. Without the myth of the noble savage or the chivalric warrior, the Clearances feel like pure greed and cruelty. With the myth, they become part of a larger, tragic story of national identity. It’s a coping mechanism for a collective trauma. Luna: That’s a heavy burden for a country to carry. Lucas: It is. And today, we see a new phase emerging. Younger generations are starting to question the Victorian myths. They are looking at the land ownership records, the names of the evicted families, and the linguistic erosion. The conversation is shifting from celebration to accountability. Luna: Is that causing friction within Scottish society right now? Lucas: Sometimes. Because for many, the symbols of the Jacobite rising are tied up with broader questions about independence and sovereignty. To critique the myth can feel like an attack on national pride. But others argue that true pride comes from facing the full truth, scars and all. Luna: It feels like the fight for identity isn't over yet. Lucas: Not even close. The Battle of Culloden was the end of one era, but the battle over how to remember it is still being fought. Every commemoration, every statue, every song adds another layer to the story. Luna: I wonder if we'll ever find a middle ground between the two narratives. Lucas: Maybe not a middle ground, but a fuller picture. One that honors the resilience of the people without glorifying the destruction they endured. It’s a delicate balance, but it’s necessary if we want to understand Scotland today. Luna: It must be hard to let go of the romantic stories. Lucas: Hard, but essential. History isn't just about remembering what we want to remember; it's about understanding what actually happened, and how it shaped us. Luna: Thanks for walking me through that complexity. Lucas: My pleasure. It’s a story that keeps evolving, and I’m glad we could dive into it together. Luna: It really changes how you see the tartan now. Lucas: And that’s the power of digging deeper. Let’s take a quick break to support the show, then we’ll keep going. Luna: I appreciate that you do this work. Lucas: If this kind of deep dive into the past resonates with you, consider supporting the podcast directly. Your contribution helps us keep these conversations ad-free and independent. You can find the link at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: It really does make a difference to the quality of the research. Lucas: Thank you for listening. Now, let’s return to the road after Culloden and the specific ways the landscape itself remembers the battle. Luna: I’m ready for the next part. Lucas: Good. Because while the Victorians built castles and museums, the actual site of the battle has been slowly reclaimed by nature and memory in ways that are quite striking. Luna: How so? Is it just a battlefield park now? Lucas: It’s more subtle than that. The moor itself has changed. The drainage works done after the battle to make it usable for agriculture have largely reverted. The peat bogs are returning, and the wind sounds the same as they did in 1746. Luna: That sounds almost eerie. Lucas: It is. And standing there, you realize how fragile human victories are against the landscape. The memorials are small, humble things compared to the grand statues in Edinburgh. Most are just stones placed by descendants who came to pay respects. Luna: Are there specific names carved into those stones? Lucas: Yes, many. Families who trace their lineage back to the fallen Jacobites come from around the world. Australia, New Zealand, Canada—all places where Highlanders were sent or chose to go. Their presence turns the moor into a global shrine of sorts. Luna: It’s fascinating how the diaspora kept the memory alive. Lucas: Absolutely. In some ways, the diaspora preserved the culture better than the homeland did during the height of suppression. They kept the songs, the prayers, and the stories alive, often in forms that were purer than what remained in the glens. Luna: So the story traveled with them. Lucas: It did. And now, as those communities reconnect with their roots, they are bringing back a more nuanced understanding of Culloden—one that acknowledges the pain without needing the romance. Luna: It feels like a healing process. Lucas: Perhaps. Or maybe just a maturing. We are learning to live with the history, rather than trying to overwrite it with pretty lies. Luna: That seems like the best outcome possible. Lucas: I hope so. It’s a long road, but one worth walking. Luna: Until next time. Lucas: Until next time. Keep your eyes open for the hidden stories.