Prince's Cairn
Encyclopedia
The Prince's Cairn is a cairn
at Loch nan Uamh
in Lochaber
, Scotland.
On 19 September 1746, Charles Edward Stuart
arrived from "Cluny's Cage", that refuge on Ben Alder
, accompanied by Donald Cameron of Lochiel
, John Roy Stewart, and others. There they found L'Heureux, the French frigate that was to carry him to safety. All that day, the 19th, they embarked the refugees that were to accompany the Prince into exile, and on the 20th they sailed away from Scotland. The Prince never saw it again, except perhaps in his dreams which may have helped to mitigate the bitterness of his later life.
Loch nan Uamh is also the place where the Prince first set foot on mainland Great Britain on 25 July 1745 and the place from where Charles escaped to the Hebrides
after the Battle of Culloden
.
"On the evening of 26 April 1746 the Prince, Colonel John William O’Sullivan, Captain Felix O’Neil, Father Allan MacDonald, Donald MacLeod "The Faithful Palinurus", Ned Burke and several boatmen set out to sea from the shore of Loch nan Uamh. The weather was terrible and the boat began to fill with water. Even MacLeod who knew the seas well thought all was lost. The sailors prayed for deliverance, prompting the Prince to comment that while the clergyman who was with them ought to pray, the rest would be better employed bailing out the water. Next morning they struggled into a creek at Roisinis on the north-east point of Benbecula
.".
The cairn can be found just off the A830 road
, sometimes known as the Road to the Isles. (The nearest railway station is Beasdale
about 2.5 miles to the West.) The cairn was erected by the 1745 Association on 4 October 1956.
Cairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
at Loch nan Uamh
Sound of Arisaig
The Sound of Arisaig in Lochaber, Scotland, separates the Arisaig peninsula to the north from the Moidart peninsula to the south. At the eastern, landward end, the sound is divided by Ardnish into two sea lochs. Loch nan Uamh lies to the north of Ardnish, Loch Ailort to the south...
in Lochaber
Lochaber
District of Lochaber 1975 to 1996Highland council area shown as one of the council areas of ScotlandLochaber is one of the 16 ward management areas of the Highland Council of Scotland and one of eight former local government districts of the two-tier Highland region...
, Scotland.
On 19 September 1746, Charles Edward Stuart
Charles Edward Stuart
Prince Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Severino Maria Stuart commonly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie or The Young Pretender was the second Jacobite pretender to the thrones of Great Britain , and Ireland...
arrived from "Cluny's Cage", that refuge on Ben Alder
Ben Alder
Ben Alder is the highest mountain in the remote area of the Scottish Highlands between Loch Ericht and Glen Spean. The vast summit plateau is home of one of Britain's highest bodies of standing water, Lochan a' Garbh Coire. It is the 25th highest Munro, and due to its remote location, one of the...
, accompanied by Donald Cameron of Lochiel
Donald Cameron of Lochiel
Donald Cameron of Lochiel , was an influential Highland Clan Chief known for his magnanimous and gallant nature. His support of Charles Edward Stuart was instrumental in the Jacobite Rising of 1745...
, John Roy Stewart, and others. There they found L'Heureux, the French frigate that was to carry him to safety. All that day, the 19th, they embarked the refugees that were to accompany the Prince into exile, and on the 20th they sailed away from Scotland. The Prince never saw it again, except perhaps in his dreams which may have helped to mitigate the bitterness of his later life.
Hebrides
The Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. There are two main groups: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive...
after the Battle of Culloden
Battle of Culloden
The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Taking place on 16 April 1746, the battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, loyal to the British government...
.
"On the evening of 26 April 1746 the Prince, Colonel John William O’Sullivan, Captain Felix O’Neil, Father Allan MacDonald, Donald MacLeod "The Faithful Palinurus", Ned Burke and several boatmen set out to sea from the shore of Loch nan Uamh. The weather was terrible and the boat began to fill with water. Even MacLeod who knew the seas well thought all was lost. The sailors prayed for deliverance, prompting the Prince to comment that while the clergyman who was with them ought to pray, the rest would be better employed bailing out the water. Next morning they struggled into a creek at Roisinis on the north-east point of Benbecula
Benbecula
Benbecula is an island of the Outer Hebrides in the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Scotland. In the 2001 census it had a usually resident population of 1,249, with a sizable percentage of Roman Catholics. It forms part of the area administered by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar or the Western...
.".
The cairn can be found just off the A830 road
A830 road
The A830, sometimes known as the Road to the Isles , is a road in Lochaber, in the Highlands of Scotland, which connects the town of Fort William to the port of Mallaig....
, sometimes known as the Road to the Isles. (The nearest railway station is Beasdale
Beasdale railway station
Beasdale railway station is a railway station serving Glen Beasdale in the Highland region of Scotland. This station is on the West Highland Line.- History :...
about 2.5 miles to the West.) The cairn was erected by the 1745 Association on 4 October 1956.