National Trust for Scotland's reply

[D.W.Livingston]

I recieved a response from the National Trust and am including it here... it is not promising and I feel we need to continue our campaign. Any thoughts? --original message -- 20th September 2007 For the attention of Mr. David W. Livingston Dear Mr. Livingston Culloden Battlefield

[Kyle2 MacLea]

This was my response thus far. I am of course greatly disappointed with this response from NTS.

[D.W.Livingston]

http://www.clanmaclaren.de/news_e.html Memorial updated 17.07.2007 At the beginning of this year the National Trust for Scotland as trustee of the battlefield of Culloden have decided, after much lobbying by clan members, that the new battlefield marker at Culloden is to say "Appin Regiment: Stewarts of Appin and MacLarens" in memory of the joint fight for an independent Scotland. This is a victory for the clan and much credit is due to all the members of the various societies who put pressure on the NTS.

[Kyle2 MacLea]

Interesting that they don't claim in their Clan History to have been leaders of the Appin Regiment, just part of it: "The clan followed the prince from his victories at Prestonpans and Falkirk to the ill-fated Battle of Culloden in 1746. At the battle they were on the right of the line with the Appin regiment under Lord George Murray, brother of the Duke of Atholl. A Gaelic-speaking chieftain, the dashing and romantic Lord George led the Highlanders in one last great charge, which broke the Hanoverian front line, but this was not enough to win the day. Donald Maclaren was captured and carried off to Edinburgh. Balquhidder was ravaged by Hanoverian troops. Donald escaped while being taken to Carlisle for trial by hurling himself down a track which none of the redcoats dared to follow. He remained a fugitive in Balquhidder until the amnesty of 1757." Which makes me think it a little disingenuous to want recognition above and beyond for something that was true of many of the clans there. I am honestly curious if the MacLarens can somehow back up that they should be mentioned exclusively on a Culloden marker, and not the others of the Appin Regiment?

[D.W.Livingston]

I found a map made by the Surveyor John Finlayson of the battle. I don't see Maclaren listed anywhere on it. http://www.nls.uk/maps/military/record.cfm?id=401 So who knows.

[Kyle2 MacLea]

Here's another version of this description of the components of the Appin Regiment: http://books.google.com/books?id=FEoNAA ... t+Culloden You will note that the Maclarens are listed as commoners like everyone else other than the Stewarts. Other mentions of the regiment: http://books.google.com/books?id=n5tVTh ... MMCSyD_W6M I see no mention of Maclarens of note. This page gives a source for the list of dead/wounded of the Appin Regiment, under MacCormack: http://books.google.com/books?id=atOR0m ... A1-PA27,M1 Don't see a prominent mention of Maclarens here in context of the '45: http://books.google.com/books?id=LScAAA ... #PPA225,M1 This mentions the makeup of the Appin Regiment and specifically mentions the other clans, stipulating that the Maclarens were an important component, but also noting the other clans: http://books.google.com/books?id=Iy0BAA ... t+Culloden If you go a couple of pages through, you'll see reference to the Standard saved by Donald Livingstone. More when I find it. Kyle=

[Kyle2 MacLea]

If anything, this cements a closer bond between the MacColls and the Stewarts of Appin than anything, echoed by their staggering losses that day: http://books.google.com/books?id=U1cJAA ... #PPA199,M1 Kyle=

[Kyle2 MacLea]

This talks about the memorial in Appin and it having ORIGINALLY been at Culloden: http://books.google.com/books?id=loc5AA ... #PPA134,M1 Kyle=

[Kyle2 MacLea]

Some fought with Appin and some with Atholl: http://books.google.com/books?id=fdoDAA ... #PPA543,M1 Are they on the Atholl marker too, now? Kyle=

[Canadian Livingstone]

History or should I say historians do not seem to be on the side of Clan McLea. They are basically saying or accepting the notion fed to them by a historian that McLEas and the other clans were merely minor septs of the Stewarts of Appin or McLarens and this historian apparently decided long ago that the septs if infact they were, should not get fair acknowledgement at the battle site. One way to deal with an error is to correct the error and of course the other way is to just ignore it. I suspect the latter course will be taken because the former demands that a responsible person acknowledge that a mistake was made. regards, Donald