BattlefieldsCumberland's pacification of the Highlands 1746
Jacobite Risings

Cumberland's pacification of the Highlands 1746

1746
Inverness-shire, Scotland
Also known as: Hanoverian pacification post-Culloden · Burning of the glens 1746
Era
Jacobite Risings
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
Inverness-shire, Scotland
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Jacobite remnants
Forces
Jacobite remnants c. 500–1,500.
VS
Victor
Government (Duke of Cumberland)
Forces
Government forces c. 10,000–15,000
Outcome
Systematic destruction of Jacobite clans and Highland society
The Battle

History & Significance

After Culloden, Cumberland's army conducted a systematic pacification of the Highlands that earned him the name "Butcher Cumberland." Government columns marched through the glens burning houses, seizing cattle, killing men found in arms and interning suspects. There were numerous minor skirmishes as Jacobite survivors defended themselves. The pacification combined with the subsequent Heritable Jurisdictions Act, Disarming Act and suppression of Highland dress destroyed the traditional clan system. Cumberland's methods shocked even some government supporters. In Scotland he is remembered as the Butcher; in England he was briefly celebrated as a hero.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Cumberland's pacification of the Highlands 1746

Dell Farm,burial mounds 350m NE of
Scheduled monument · ~4.9 miles
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