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Culloden Battlefield, Graves of the Clans, Cairn and Well of the Dead is a scheduled monument in Inverness-shire, Scotland, protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM967. The site comprises three interconnected memorial features that mark the graves and gathering places associated with the Highland Clans following the 1746 battle fought on these moorlands. The underlying geology of Middle Old Red Sandstone, formed during the Middle Devonian period, provides conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone deposits that underpin this historically significant landscape.
The Graves of the Clans represent individual burial grounds where clansmen were interred according to their kinship groups after the battle. The Cairn, a substantial stone monument, serves as a focal point for remembrance and reflects the commemorative traditions of the Highlands. The Well of the Dead, a water source within the battlefield, is documented in association with the immediate aftermath of conflict, and its presence speaks to the practical geography of the battlefield itself.
Together, these three elements form an integrated commemoration of the 1746 engagement and the communities directly affected. The moorland setting preserves the topography and spatial relationships significant to understanding how the Clans occupied and were remembered within this terrain. The scheduled monument status ensures the preservation of these graves, cairn and well as collectively important to Scotland's cultural heritage.
Culloden Battlefield, Graves of the Clans, Cairn and Well of the Dead is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM967. View the official record →
Culloden Battlefield, Graves of the Clans, Cairn and Well of the Dead is a scheduled monument in Inverness-shire, Scotland, protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM967.
Culloden Battlefield, Graves of the Clans, Cairn and Well of the Dead is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM967.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Culdoich, ring cairn 490m NW of (1.5 km), Culdoich, chambered cairn and standing stone 620m S of (2.5 km), Daltullich House, enclosure 245m NE of (2.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Culloden Battlefield, Graves of the Clans, Cairn and Well of the Dead's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Culloden Battlefield, Graves of the Clans, Cairn and Well of the Dead stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.