The Battle of Sheriffmuir was an engagement on 13th November 1715 at Sheriffmuir to the east of Dunblane. at the height of the Jacobite rising in England and Scotland. Sheriffmuir was and is a remote elevated plateau of heathland lying between Stirling and Auchterarder on the north fringe of the Ochil Hills.
Although the kingdoms of Scotland and England had been united since 1707, not all Scots were happy with the marriage. In particular the Jacobites, supporters of the House of Stuart, sought to exploit the general unrest within Scottish society.
When in 1714 George I was proclaimed King of Great Britain and Ireland, John Erskine, Earl of Mar, began to raise a Jacobite army in an attempt to return James Francis Edward Stuart, the Old Pretender, to the throne. In response, a combined government force of Scottish and English regiments commanded by the Duke of Argyle was dispatched to confront the rebels.
Although the Jacobites greatly outnumbered those of the government by almost 2:1, Mar was not an experienced military commander. In contrast, the government army comprised well trained regular troops led by a seasoned commander.
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| Deployment Map. Source CoopersCottages.com / Scottish History |
The battle that followed was inconclusive with both sides leaving the field claiming victory.
The government Army was lead by John Campbell and consisted of some 6,00 regulars, whilst the Jacobite forces were about 12,000.
