ENGLAND/SCOTLAND. Battle of Culloden. 1746. Silver cast medal. 20.88 gm. 42 mm. The Duke of Cumberland on horseback, a sword in his outstretched right hand; WILL: DUKE CUMBERLAND around; BORN 15 AP 1721 in exergue / The battle scene; REBELLIONS JUSTLY REWARDED around; CULLODEN 16 AP 1746 in exergue. Woolf 55:7b. MI II: 612/276. Woolf 55:7a. Eimer 605. Extremely Fine; attractive medal with fascinating reverse detail that well depicts the battle; inked (museum?) number on obverse.

Culloden was the last battle of the Jacobite Rebellion on British soil, and it took place on April 16th, 1746 on Drummossie Moor above Inverness, Scotland. Initially, Charles marched his force of 6,000 men northward, having failed to find support in England, before setting up camp in Inverness. He decided to confront the superior and better equipped forces of the king, although this was against good advice. A strong army of King George II led by his son the Duke of Cumberland easily beat the armed forces of 'Bonny Prince Charlie.' The battle only lasted one hour, and the Jacobites who survived the battle were hunted down and killed, earning Cumberland the title 'Billy the Butcher.' Charles evaded capture by travelling disguised as an Irish maid, and went into exile in France for around 40 years. Culloden was the final confrontation of the Jacobite Rebellion, and ended the claim of the descendants of James II to the British throne. (Cf. lots 179-182).

History of the Jacobite Rebellion: The last Stuart monarch had been dead for three decades and the Hanoverians were on the British throne. James ("The Old Pretender"), son of James VII and Mary of Modena had been unsuccessful in an attempt to gain the throne in 1715 and install himself as James III. His son Charles ("Bonnie Prince Charlie") launched yet another effort to establish a Stuart ruler, landing on an island in the Hebrides in July 1745. He built an army of highlanders that was successful in taking over Edinburgh by September. But the English throne was the goal, and after some initial invasion successes the English responded by bringing the commander of the English army in Flanders back to England. The Duke of Cumberland, son of George II, led a dominant force north. Arriving in Aberdeen in late February, he led his army north and east and at Culloden, just east of Inverness, the two forces met. Superior leadership, forces, and weaponry brought about a devastating defeat of the Jacobite army.Cumberland followed his successful defense of England with persecutions and reprisals. This became the last of the long string of Scottish battles with the English, a bloody history marked by a long series of finely produced medals by the English marking the events. (Cf. lots 179-182)