TODAY (November 13) marks the 300th anniversary of the battle of Sheriffmuir, when many will gather on the battlefield to commemorate that event, the 1,200 men who took part in the battle and, particularly, those who died and remain buried on the field.
It was a significant event in Britain's history and witnessed the appearance, in both armies, of some of the most remarkable men of the 18th century: George Drummond, six times Lord Provost of Edinburgh and the force behind many of that city's improvements, including the creation of the New Town; the 2nd Duke of Argyll, who had served with Marlborough; his younger brother, then the Earl of Islay, later the 3rd Duke, who was to become the “manager” of Scotland; Major General Alexander Gordon of Auchintoul, who had commanded in the army of Peter the Great; Alexander Robertson of Struan, the poet chief; James Keith, who was to command the armies of Russia and later Prussia, becoming Field Marshal to Frederick the Great; Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair, the giant among poets, and many more. The event attracted Burns later to produce one of his most colourful poems, a copy in his hand purchased by the National Library in recent times.
In spite of all this the battlefield of Sheriffmuir is in the process of being destroyed, first with the giant Beauly to Denny power line through the heart of the site, given the approval by Alex Salmond's government, and now the proposal to make the temporary access roads seven-eight metres wide, which supported the power line construction, permanent for the use of timber lorries and possibly other traffic, and the planting of more commercial forests on the site.
There is no organisation which has the authority to protect Scotland's battlefields and other historic sites. Historic Scotland (now joined with the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historic Monuments as Historic Environment Scotland) prepared an Inventory of battlefields, incluing those of significance where the site could be mapped) but it made clear that it would do nothing further to protect these sites except hope that local authorities and bodies like the Forestry Commission, faced with proposals, would be guided in their decision making by the Inventory.
Well-informed visitors from all parts of the world have been coming to Sheriffmuir and are disappointed at what they find, asking why no one looks after such an historic site. Surely it is time for this significant part of our history to be protected in the same way that historic buildings are preserved. This is true of Scotland's other battlefields and historic sites, also threatened with adverse developments. Unlike buildings of past centuries, once our historic landscape is gone we cannot restore it.
Virginia Wills,
Glentye, Sheriffmuir.
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