Memorial for men killed in major battle of Jacobite rising

The men who died in the first major encounter of the 1745 Jacobite rising are to be marked in a battlefield memorial for the first time.

Re-enactment of the Battle of Prestonpans at Greenhills, Prestonpans. PIC: Gordon Fraser.

The piece will remember those who lost their lives in the Battle of Prestonpans, fought on September 21 1745.

The battle, which lasted only 15 minutes, signalled the first significant contact between Bonnie Prince Charlie’s soldiers and British forces and ended in victory for the Jacobites.

Both sides will be remembered in the memorial, which has been designed in the style of two 18th century memorial sandstone slabs to represent the rival forces.

The British stone will feature the names of the regiments who fought on the day under a three pointed hat, or tricorn, the military headwear of the day.

The second stone in honour of the Jacobite forces will include the names of the clans who took part in the battle, with the names listed under a blue bonnet.

The memorial has been made by stonemason Molloy Gardner of Cockenzie.

Currently in storage, it will be revealed at a major event to mark the anniversary of the battle later this year.

The Battle of Prestonpans (1745) Heritage Trust, with support from EventScotland’s Scottish Clan Event Fund, will lead a procession through the town on Saturday, September 15.

Members of clans that fought for the Jacobite cause in the 1745 battle are expected to take part, alongside members of the British army and local children.

The procession will move from Meadowmill to Greenhills, where there will be a commemoration in honour of the estimated 450 men who died in the battle.