During
the course of the Rising of 1745-1746, with Inverness becoming
one of the main Jacobite bases in the latter stages of the campaign,
the house's proximity to the town made it a natural choice of
residence for Charles Edward Stuart, (Bonnie Prince Charlie),
who spent several nights there, particularly the two nights immediately
before the battle of Culloden, fought on the then open moor just
to the east-southeast of the house. He used Forbes' own bedroom
for his own, and for many years a magnificent four-poster bed
was kept in the house, reputedly the one in which the Prince had
slept. It, along with many other family heirlooms, was disposed
of in the great sale of the house's contents in 1897, for the
then huge sum of £750,000 to pay for death duties. Today
a copy of the sale catalogue is on hand in the House and makes
fascinating reading, e.g., a Titian fetched only £35.00!
Duncan Forbes died shortly after the conclusion
of the '45 in 1747. It is to his grandson, Arthur, that we owe
the modern Culloden House. But the old stone house, standing in
it's fine gardens and surrounded by plantations of firs, one of
the first in the north, received one last eminent visitor, Colonel,
later General, Wolfe of Quebec fame. Wolfe had been present at
the battle of Culloden as a junior officer, and had returned to
Inverness in 1751 to garrison duty with his regiment.
Duncan's son John, the 6th Laird, then lived in
the house in stretched circumstances as his father's fortune advanced
in the cause of the House of Hanover was never fully repaid as
he advised the King not to take such harsh and punitive actions
against the Highlanders. To the man who was chiefly responsible
for keeping the King on the throne, this must have been heartbreaking
and a contributing factor in Duncan Forbes' death. But John Forbes'
wife made quite an impression on the young officer.
He later wrote to a friend after the Forbes' had
travelled south for the sake of Mrs. Forbes' health: "Do
you know Mrs. Forbes of Culloden? I have a particular respect
and esteem for that lady. She showed me a great deal of civility
while I lay in the North. If you are acquainted with her, pray
make my best compliments to her, and let me know how she is as
to her health..."
By careful living, John was able, slowly, to rebuild
the family's fortunes. These efforts were crowned when his son,
Arthur, married an English heiress, Miss Sarah Stratton, from
Kent. They had now the means to build a fine new house within
the framework of the old, which had lain semi-derelict for some
20 years after a fire in 1753 had partially destroyed it. It is
the youngest representation of a group of important Georgian buildings
in the area which includes Drakies, Culcabock and Balnain, the
latter being associated today with the study of Celtic and Highland
music and the young musicians that play at Culloden House today!
As well as a new house, new estate buildings also
went up, some of which still survive today, e.g., the octagonal
estate dovecot with 640 nesting boxes and coach house (recently
made up into apartments) still stands close to the house on the
approach drive. The dovecot would have provided fresh meat for
the winter and enlivened winter meals with succulent pigeon meat
Across the road stands the old estate barn and granary, now converted
to form a place of worship for a Church of Scotland congregation.
The kennels can be seen further up the hill as well as the remnants
of the old ice house.
Find out about the present
day Culloden House
Find out about the Battle
of Culloden, the last battle pitched on British Soil.
