It was one of the most harrowing battles ever fought on British soil, with the flower of a generation cut down in the space of a few hours by the relentless guns of their government foes.

Now conservation charity the National Trust for Scotland has confirmed details of events to commemorate the Battle of Culloden this month. A programme of events at the site of the 1746 battle will run next week, Sunday April 17, to explore the battle, its tactics and its impact.

It will also look at the role of the physical landscape itself in shaping the battle, and the work the National Trust for Scotland is doing to conserve the battlefield.

Prince Charles Edward Stuart’s arrival in Scotland ignited the 1745 Jacobite uprising, which in turn reached a tragic conclusion on Culloden Moor on April 16,1746. The final confrontation of the Jacobite rebellion, it was the last large-scale pitched battle fought on British soil and, for many sources, the last battle of any sort fought in Great Britain.

It was also one of the most harrowing battles in British history. Jacobite supporters, seeking to restore the Stuart monarchy to the British throne, gathered on the moor to fight the Duke of Cumberland’s government troops. In less than one hour, around 1,600 men had been slain – 1,500 of them Jacobites. Painstaking work by archeologists using cutting-edge science has revealed the most detailed series of maps ever created of the historic clash.

Compiled using the latest Geographic Information Software and LIDAR (light detection and ranging) analysis, the maps provide an unrivalled insight into the topography of the site of the battle, and allows historians to consider the events in a whole new light.

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It shows the views which would have greeted the opposing soldiers’ eyes as the clash began, and also how the fight spread as the hours went on. The maps have been created by AOC Archaeology, and also include layers that show where archaeological excavations have happened over the years and the objects that have been found there.

The battlefield is under greater threat than ever from developments, and there will be interactive debate and discussion about how it can be better protected through Culloden 300, a Trust initiative which seeks to establish how people would like the site to look in 2046, 300 years after the battle.

The National Trust for Scotland’s Operations Manager for Culloden, Raoul Curtis-Machin said: “The Battle of Culloden was the culmination of a year of brutal conflict across Britain.

“So many people were affected and the events on the battlefield and their impacts echo still to this day, which is why so many people join in its commemoration.”

The Culloden Visitor Centre, which stands beside the battlefield, features artefacts from both sides of the battle and interactive displays that reveal the background to the conflict. It is both a monument and a guide to a pivotal day in history.

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Donations will enable the trust to continue to fight future development proposals that would encroach on the battlefield, ensuring it can protect this significant place for Scottish heritage.

Culloden Battlefield is regularly threatened by residential and commercial developments, and the trust has recently objected to three residential housing plans.

The charity also aims to educate children across Scotland and beyond about the importance of the Jacobite Rising and how Culloden changed the course of European history. It also helps care for the animals who graze the battlefield’s grasses to ensure the moor doesn’t become overgrown. A small herd of goats, ponies and Highland and Shetland cows keep the grass trim, just as they would have done years ago, ensuring the site looks as it did would have in the 18th-century.

Earlier this year plans to convert a Victorian steading at Culloden Battlefield into a family home were refused by Highland councillors – despite a pitched battle between conservation organisations. The ancient steading is within the Culloden Moor conservation area and the Inventory of Historic Battlefields areas.