Jacobite Standards of the ’45

The Jacobite Regimental Standards played an important role in the Rising of 1745. The regiments who rose for Prince Charles were newly formed – those that fought at Prestonpans had been in existence for only a month. They did not have a uniform and, contrary to some popular belief, there were no clan tartans at that time. So the Regimental Standard was the only unifying symbol of each regiment. Furthermore, during battle, it was a rallying point – soldiers caught up in the noise, the fury and fog of battle who didn’t know exactly where they were could find their way back to their comrades by following their Standards. However, if a regimental standard was captured or destroyed, it meant the regiment itself had been defeated. That is why, on June 4th 1746, the Jacobite standards captured at Culloden were ceremonially burnt at the Market Cross in Edinburgh. This talk is given by Robert Dennis, the leading authority on the Jacobite Standards, who has undertaken a personal mission to recreate each of th