It was the last pitched battle ever fought on British soil, with the final shot falling silent 275 years ago this week.
But though the violence of the Battle of Culloden has receded into the distant past, a struggle over the same ground remains alive today as heritage campaigners clash with developers keen on building on the land where armies of Jacobite and Government troops fought and died.
The National Trust for Scotland, which owns the core site of the battlefield, has launched a 'fighting fund' to raise money for its legal battles against private companies and landowners seeking to build piecemeal on other parts of the site.
The battlefield is threatened by the ongoing urban sprawl from nearby Inverness, and also other developments seeking to capitalise on its rugged natural beauty.
In the past decade more than a dozen planning applications, ranging from multi-house estates to building conversions and holiday villages, have gone before Highland Council with varying degrees of success.
But both the NTS and individual campaigners who have sprung up to help protect the site say that each development approved means another slice of history is lost forever.
A view of the battlefield
Raoul Curtis-Machin, Operations Manager at Culloden, said: “It is taking up an increasing amount of our time and resources. We’re not against development per se, but it’s becoming a battle for us.
“As we find out more about the battle and its history, we find that many (bits of the) development applications are on parts of the battlefield site which were fought upon intensely but have not yet been fully examined.
“It’s a threat to our heritage.”
He said that the battle of Culloden was greater than the myths of Jacobite versus the UK Government which had grown up around it, and that work remains ongoing to establish the true scope of the clash.
READ MORE: Campaigners fight for Culloden World Heritage status
Mr Curtis-Machin said: “It was the more than just a struggle between the Jacobites and the Government, or between Catholics and Protestants – it set Britian on its course to becoming an empire.
“It’s something which is still relevant today, that we see in the arguments over Brexit and vaccines. We are still living with the aftermath of the battle today."
New maps released on Saturday created with ground-breaking science that ironically spares the ground from being broken by using laser mapping, have provided the most detailed survey of the site ever created.
They show the wide-ranging deployment of troops on both sides and detail how archeological finds mark how the days fighting ebbed and flowed.
The battle saw the last stand of the 1745 Jacobite rebellion come crashing down against the forces of the British Government, with a doomed final charge by forces of Prince Charlie's clansman cut down en masse.
Stones and cairns still mark the ground where many of the highlanders fell, but these somber artefacts are now being overshadowed by the modern world as developments crowd in.
But the site remains a huge draw for tourists, particularly after the success of the Outlander TV programme, with more than 300,000 people visiting in the year before the pandemic.
Actor Sam Heughan in Outlander
Mr Machin said: “The houses can be seen from the middle of the view when you are standing at the cairn. It disturbs the sense of peace and the view that creates and the atmosphere of the site.
“When people come to visit, some regard it as just another battlefield. But that changes when they see the landscape and the stillness of the scene. It is a very atmospheric place, and I have seen people leave the battlefield in tears.”
The NTS fighting fund will allow people to contribute directly to the cost of opposing planning proposals at the site, and also pay towards educating children about the importance of the site.
READ MORE: Culloden battlefield planning application to go to Scottish Government
Scotland's national conservation charity is also calling on politicians currently campaigning in the 2021 election for the Scottish parliament to commit to giving the battlefield scheduled monument status, and give it the same protection as castles and standing stones, while a bid is underway to have it granted World Heritage status.
But for other campaigners, reform of the planning process - which can see the local authority overruled by the Scottish Government's planning reporter - is needed before the battle for Culloden will be over.
How the battle may have looked
George Kempik, of the Stop Culloden Development campaign, said: "Culloden is a site of National Importance, even international importance.
"A new stronger and transparent system needs put in place so that any planning application inside the inventory of the battlefield properly protects these places for posterity.
"Too much is still unknown. So much more is coming to light with new investigation procedures helping to understand these important places."
He added: "Our group exists because the organisations set up to protect these places in Scotland are failing."
The Scottish Government could not respond directly to The Herald's request for comment because of the ongoing election, but released a statement it had provided previously in response to a petition calling for the increased protection of Scottish battlefields.
It said: “The Scottish Government greatly values the contribution the historic environment makes to our culture and economy and recognise battlefields as an important part of our identity and culture.
"We consider our heritage has an important role to play in shaping our future, so we must ensure it is protected to benefit future generations. Our shared heritage defines who we are as a nation and is hugely inspirational, helping to create a powerful sense of place and providing a backdrop against which we live, work and have fun.
"We consider the significance of the local landscapes where momentous historical events took place are vital due to the data they may contain about the course of the battle through physical remains and artefacts still present today.
"It is also equally important we continue to recognise and respect our Battlefields as sites of remembrance, we are sensitive these sites all over Scotland are places where people fought and died and may have been buried.”
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