LISMORE - Pictou County will remember its Scottish history later this month as the 266th anniversary of a bitterly fought battle between the Scots and England is remembered.
The rising on April 16, 1746, was part of an attempt by the Jacobites, or the followers of James Edward Stuart, to return the Stuart dynasty to the throne of England.
Led by the Bonnie Prince Charlie, James's son, the rising began on August 19, 1745, at Glenfinnan, Scotland. With a few initial successes in a number of battles under their belts, the Jacobite army returned to Scotland after an invasion of England failed to obtain the expected support. The government forces, under the Duke of Cumberland, quickly defeated the Jacobite army, which began the large-scale exodus of Scots from their homeland to many corners of the world, including Pictou County.
The battle will be remembered on Saturday, April 21, at a cairn in Knoydart, Pictou County. To commemorate the battle and the subsequent migration of Scots to the shores of Nova Scotia, residents hold an annual memorial service at the cairn.
The cairn is built in memory of three survivors of the Culloden battle, John MacPherson and Angus and Hugh McDonald. The trio were only teenagers at the time of the battle of Culloden, but made their way to Nova Scotia between 1780 and 1820, and settled in the county. They were eventually buried near the area where the cairn still stands today. The cairn is located near Highway 245 on the Shore Road.
The trail goes through a wooded area and leads to the cairn in an open field overlooking the coast. The annual Culloden ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. A procession will start from the highway and lead to the cairn, with a reception and lunch to follow at the Lismore Hall.
