Bernera Barracks is in Glenelg in the

West Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. The barracks were constructed between 1717 and 1723 as part of a campaign by the British government to subdue the local population which had risen up in arms in the

Jacobite Rising of 1715 The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( gd, Bliadhna Sheumais ; or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts. At Braemar, Aberdeenshire ...

, and which would do so again in 1745. The barracks were designed by Andrews Jelfe and John Lambertus Romer of the Board of Ordnance, or possibly their predecessor James Smith, and built by Sir Patrick Strachan. Some of the stone used in the construction was taken from

Dun Telve Dun Telve ( gd, Dùn Teilbh) is an iron-age broch located about southeast of the village of Glenelg, Inverness-shire in the Highland Region of Scotland. It is one of the best preserved brochs in Scotland. Location Dun Telve () stands on the ...

and

Dun Troddan Dun Troddan ( gd, Dùn Trodan) is an iron-age broch located about southeast of the village of Glenelg, Highland, in Scotland. It is one of the best-preserved brochs in Scotland. Location Dun Troddan () stands on a level rock platform north of ...

, nearby iron-age brochs. The Government troops who were garrisoned here during the Jacobite uprisings were also intended to control the crossing to Skye. Following the 1715 rising, Glenelg was chosen along with Fort George, Fort Augustus and Fort William as one of four sites in the Highlands for military barracks. The barracks (and indeed the broch) are now in ruins, a state which they appear to have entered shortly after the withdrawal of troops in 1797. The barracks is protected as a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

Major William Caulfeild Major William Caulfeild was an officer in the British Army who is primarily known for his work supervising road and bridge construction in the Scottish Highlands in the 18th century. Early life He was born in Ireland, the son of the Hon. Toby Caul ...

engineered the

military road {{Use dmy dates, date=November 2019 The following is a list of military roads worldwide. Australia * Part of the A8 (Sydney) between Neutral Bay and Mosman * Military Road, part of Route 39, Melbourne * Military Road, off Wanneroo Road just nort ...

from

Fort Augustus Fort Augustus is a settlement in the parish of Boleskine and Abertarff, at the south-west end of Loch Ness, Scottish Highlands. The village has a population of around 646 (2001). Its economy is heavily reliant on tourism. History The Gaeli ...

to Bernera Barracks in 1755 but

Thomas Telford Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE, (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scot ...

’s commissioners remade it in the 1820s. It initially headed west through Inchnacardoch Forest climbing to a height of over before dropping into

Glen Moriston Glenmoriston or Glen Moriston ( gd, Gleann Moireasdan) is a river glen in the Scottish Highlands, that runs from Loch Ness, at the village of Invermoriston, westwards to Loch Cluanie, where it meets with Glen Shiel. The A887 and A87 roads pass thr ...

. It appears to have crossed the River Moriston somewhere near the confluence of the River Doe with the Moriston, and then taken a route somewhat to the north of the present day A887 road and A87 road north of Loch Cluanie. The road descended

Glen Shiel Glen Shiel ( gd, Gleann Seile; also known as Glenshiel) is a glen in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. The glen runs approximately 9 miles from south-east to north-west, from the Cluanie Inn (216 metres, 708 feet) at the western end of Loc ...

Ratagan Ratagan (Ràtagan in Scottish Gaelic) is a small hamlet on the southwestern shore of the sea loch, Loch Duich in Lochalsh, Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland. The Ratagan Youth Hostel is located along Loch Duich. ...

before rising over the Bealach Ratagain (Ratagan Pass) and into Glen More and thence to the barracks.

References

External links

{{Commons category-inline Barracks in Scotland Scheduled Ancient Monuments in Highland Ruins in Highland (council area)