Culloden: Rare tartan worn at battle gifted to nation

The plaid was worn by soldier John Moir at the Battle of Culloden in 1746 and has now bee donated to the National Museum of Scotland. PIC: Creative Commons/Contributed.

A rare piece of tartan worn by a Jacobite fighter at the Battle of Culloden has been gifted to the nation.

The plaid was worn by soldier John Moir and has been donated to the National Museum of Scotland.

Dr Anna Groundwater, principal curator of Renaissance and Early Modern History at NMS, said it was a "wonderful addition" to the national collection.

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The plaid was donated by a descendant of the soldier.

Heather Turner, who lives in Cheshire, also gifted a carved oak pew panel, dated 1696, which originally came from a church at Logie Coldstone in Aberdeendeenshire.

“There are links to the Moir family and the Skeens of Tarland and I have spent many happy times in the north-east, including places like Stonehaven, so I thought it was important that the plaid and the oak panel were given back to Scotland.

“The museum has told me that they will look after the two pieces and make sure they are preserved for future generations, which means a lot to me and my family.

“They are available to view in the National Museum of Scotland archives and they will eventually go on display to the public in a gallery.”