The siege of Culloden House was part of 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 The House of Stuart, ori ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

The siege

After the Jacobites had seized

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...

, some of them marched to Culloden House which was held by the Forbes family who supported the British Government and laid siege to it. They were told by the laird's wife that if they approached within gun-shot of the house that she would show them that she had both the arms and ammunition to support the right and title of

George I of Great Britain George I (George Louis; ; 28 May 1660 – 11 June 1727) was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 and ruler of the Electorate of Hanover within the Holy Roman Empire from 23 January 1698 until his death in 1727. He was the first ...

. The house was besieged for seven weeks before it was relieved. Lady Forbes of Culloden and her servants managed to hold off a force of armed men. They were relieved with the assistance of

Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat (c. 1667 – 9 April 1747, London), nicknamed the Fox, was a Scottish Jacobitism, Jacobite and Scottish clan chief, Chief of Clan Fraser of Lovat, known for his feuding and changes of allegiance. In 1715, he ...

who dispersed the force from

Clan Chattan Clan Chattan ( gd, Na Catanaich or gd, Clann Chatain) is a unique confederation of Highland clans. The clan is distinctive in highland clan history in that it was acknowledged to be a community or confederation, of twelve separate Scottish cla ...

who controlled the area which in turn enabled him to gain the support of

John Gordon, 16th Earl of Sutherland John Gordon, 16th Earl of Sutherland (1661–1733) was a Scottish nobleman and army officer. He was the only son of George Gordon, 15th Earl of Sutherland (1633–1703), and his wife, Jean Wemmyss.

and John Forbes to give him freedom from arrest for treason. The men of the Clan Chattan having given up the siege joined the main Jacobite army under John Erskine, Earl of Mar at

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

on 5 October with 700 men. According to one source, during the siege a cannon shot had hit a tree and the falling timber killed one of the Jacobie rebels, with the tree subsequently being covered in a huge growth of ivy. During the siege of 1715, Culloden House was defended by Hugh Fraser whose brother, James Fraser of Foyers, laid siege to the house during the

Jacobite rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745, also known as the Forty-five Rebellion or simply the '45 ( gd, Bliadhna Theàrlaich, , ), was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Franci ...

The siege

References

See also