They are the sites that hold the story of the forming of a nation as well as being the resting place of those on the side of both the victors and the defeated who gave their lives for their country.

Now a new fight to save the battlefields that are the key to Scotland's history is being waged and the first front set up in the shape of a trust to protect such sites that is to be made of experts and amateur enthusiasts.

The move was prompted by potential development at both Culloden and Prestonpans last year with campaigners saying the threat to the sites still exist.

Part of Culloden, site of the Jacobite Rising confrontation on April 16, 1746 and a war grave for thousands of soldiers, is at the centre of a development row, with Highland Council officials now proposing a larger conservation zone to tackle concerns over a controversial housing development.

It comes as the television series Outlander has prompted renewed international interest in Scotland's historic sites.

Fans of the series can are visiting locations that inspired the story of its characters Claire and Jamie such as Culloden Battlefield.

Re-enactment soldiers from across the centuries have gathered to launch of the Scottish Battlefields Trust, to protect and promote Scotland's rich battlefield heritage.

The trust has been formed by a broad group of volunteers who said battlefields should be valued and visited by a wide audience and preserved for future generations.

It is offering to represent any community, society or individual with an interest in Scotland's military history and is now recruiting members from across the country.

The trust re-enactors from a range of Scotland's living history societies gathered in Prestonpans to bring to life a timeline of soldiers in Scotland, from Romans to Redcoats, with armoured knights and civil war soldiers in between.

Trust co-founder and historian Arran Johnston said: "Behind every battlefield is a tourism business plan.

"There are some sites that we do not know what is there yet.

"Calls for an independent advocate for our battlefields emerged last year in a climate of deep anxiety over their future, when famous fields such as Culloden and Prestonpans came under serious threat.

"Now that trust has formed, it will work not only towards the protection of threatened heritage sites but also to encourage more interest and interpretation at sites across Scotland.

"We want to encourage local communities to take an active role in the future of their battlefields, so we can all see them as important cultural assets as well as historical landmarks."

History groups in the US have also been approached.

Mr Johnston added: "We've already been joined by archaeologists, historians, writers, battlefield representatives and interested individuals with a passion for Scotland's heritage. Societies can join as affiliated organisations.

"We are working closely with the UK-wide Battlefields Trust and seeking advice from similar organisations in countries like the USA, and are of course building strong relationship with relevant groups and communities within Scotland."

Scotland's often violent and controversial past is a favourite with writers and filmmakers, and the biggest battle scene shot in Scotland is to be in Dumfries and Galloway as setting for the Battle of Culloden for the new £6.5 million film and Bonnie Prince Charlie's subsequent flight to Skye.

Scottish tour companies have seen a surge in American visitors since television series Outlander became a hit in the United States, with the Borders-based Scottish Clans and Castles recording a 500 per cent in his company's Outlander tours.

Fans of the series can also visit the locations that inspired the story of Claire and Jamie such as Culloden Battlefield.