Sherrifmuir, 13th November 1715.

On the 13th November 1715, two armies clashed at Sherrifmuir on the Ochils slopes near Dunblane in Perthshire, Scotland. One was led by John Erskine, 6th Earl of Mar, and bore the royal standard of James Stuart would be King of the British Isles. The other, the government and the new Hanoverian Kings army sent to stop a rebellion that aimed a restoration of the Stuart dynasty.

Mar, with his largely Scots Jacobite army, had swiftly taken control of Perth and most of the northern Highlands. After several skirmishes with Argyll's troops, he, Mar, was persuaded to lead his army south on the 10th, a movement that was reported to Argyll who swiftly moved his army to counter.

The scene was set, at Sherrifmuir the armies faced each other. Numbers were, depending on the source, some 8000 Jacobites versus Argylls 4000, giving Mar a two to one advantage.

Argyll, assembled his army uphill, with General Witham commanding his left. In response the Jacobite right and centre is said to have attacked this wing with such ferocity that the Hanoverian left fled, Witham himself rushing off to Stirling carrying tales of Argylls defeat. Unknown to him however, Argyll's right had smashed the Jacobite left forcing it back two miles. Nightfall put an end to the fighting leaving little change the lefts of both armies had been beaten while the right wings had proved victorious. However, in reality both armies had suffered for no gain, Argyll withdrew to Dunblane, while Mar retreated to Perth. From those positions, both sides proclaimed victory, but neither had actually won.

One has to wonder why Mar, still with a number advantage, did not continue the fight, many historians accuse him of losing interest. Whatever, Argyll won the propaganda war, with the Jacobites now proving so demoralised that even James Stuart's arrival in the December failed to arouse their spirits. The 1715 rebellion was over and he returned to France while his proud army disbanded.

(The map showing the OB, is from the 'Scot Wars' site.)

Lord Derwentwater's Farewell

Searching for information on the 1715 Jacobite uprising I found a folk music site on the web. One of the songs there tells the story of Lord Derwentwater, a Jacobite rebel who was executed after the surrender of Preston. The story goes that he wanted to fight his way out but was convinced that surrender was best, just goes to show that sometimes your first instinct is best. Anyway the song is just one of many on what is a interesting and absorbing site. www.contemplator.com

Why the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion?

The short answer is, I don't know why I suddenly developed a passion for this brief and disastrous series of events that have become known as the '15'. I've no connection to Scotland, and I'm not religious, so why does it appeal? Perhaps it's some kind of bizarre 'underdog' thing, maybe its.... I just don't know.
The route to it was arduous, first it was James II and Sedgemoor; then it developed into the 'Glorious Revolution'; then the wars of the 'League of Augsburg'; Marlborough and the WSS; until finally Sherrifmuir. A lot of it, I think, can be laid at the door of my having seen the Reiver figure range at 'Vapnatak' at York 2009. Having gone with the sole intention of seeing how their 1690's range had developed, I found myself transfixed by their '1715 Jacobite' range. The rest, as they say, is history.



The 1715 rebellion was an ill fated disaster. Queen Anne dies without issue, the protestant government, determined to continue a protestant succession, gives the crown to the Hanoverian George, who not only speaks no English but comes with a ready made following of family and hangers on. John Erskine, 6th Earl of Mar, considers himself ill served by the incoming monarch and changes his allegiance (hence his nickname, Bobbin John) and raises the Jacobite standard, declaring James Francis Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) King of England, Scotland and Ireland in his absence. With an army believed to have numbered some 12000, he quickly took control of Perth and most of the northern Highlands.
On the 13th November 1715, he faced a Loyalist (sometimes called Hanoverian) army commanded by John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll, at Sherrifmuir near Dunblane. Although outnumbered Argyll was able to hold and by nightfall both armies had suffered severe casualties, and although Mar still held a number advantage his refusal to risk his entire force allowed Argyll to withdraw. The ensuing chaos allowed both sides to claim victory, while in reality neither side had won. James Stuart landed at Peterhead on the 23rd of December, but by then the cause was, for the most part, lost. The army was disheartened and proved unresponsive to any attempts to rouse their earlier spirits.
Argyll, on the other hand, was fully charged up, his army had been reinforced and advanced north as the Jacobites withdrew first to Montrose, where James Stuart took a ship back to France, then Ruthven where it eventualy dispersed. As usual in these afairs the final 'bill' was paid by the ordinary men and women who had followed the Stuart star, something that the Scots (for the Jacobites were mostly Scots) would be fated to continue doing.

This has been a very potted overview (for which I apologise), I will endeavour to add further detail as I find it.

And the next one is...

I've been a little off track, but only a little. These are some of the Reiver 'Hanoverian' British in Bavarian guise. I know they are doing Bavarian figures, but I just wanted to see if I could try some spare Hanoverian British instead. I don't know if I'm convinced, but what the hey.

'Over the hills, and far away'

I saw this on the excellent 'Wars of Louis Quatorze' blog, and just had to put it here. It's not the rewritten version used in the 'Sharpe' series

Home again.

Been away for a weekend of ECW re-enacting, well in my case beer drinking and hanging about at the rear. However before I went I managed to finish Whiteman's (hooray, bases done) now is the time to start work on the next battalion Shannon's. However I might get further sidetracked by the SYW. I've had a quick flick through 'Die Kriegskunst', and I must say I'm very impressed, yet 'the proof of the pudding' or so they say.

Anyway here are some pictures of the finished Whiteman's, (hopefully) for your enjoyment.

Hmm, bases!

Basing, I hate basing. It seems that no matter how carefully I apply filler, I always end up getting some on the figure. The bigger the base + more figures = higher difficulty level. No wonder many people seem to prefer basing singly, after all no small gaps between figures that seem to defy eyesight and small implements. I've tried many different ways of basing, and I'm still trying to find a simple technique, so if any one has one please tell me.



Rant over. Despite working with gritted teeth and a curse held under breath, the bases for Wightman's are almost finished. Just the relatively easy bits left, painting and adding greenery etc.



Still considering SYW seriously, seems I've become addicted to tricornes. Sent for SYW rules, 'Die Kriegkunst' (try saying that without sniggering like a schoolboy after several beers), once they arrive and I've had a chance to look them over I'll let you know what I think.