Battle lines drawn against pylons
On one side were the Jacobite forces, 10,000 troops led by the Earl of Mar, and on the other, the government forces under the Duke of Argyll, with about half that
number.
The battle was sparked when the Duke mobilised his forces from Stirling to block the road south to England, where Mar had decided to move his forces.
Despite their greater numbers, the rebels were eventually forced to retreat to Perth and the MacRaes, sited on the left flank of the Jacobite army, were left exposed
and, with no cavalry support, were effectively slaughtered.
Now the Clan MacRae Society claims the site of the battle, which has been marked with a memorial, is under threat from plans by Scottish and Southern Energy to build a
137-mile power transmission line of pylons from Beauly, near Inverness, to Denny, near Falkirk.
The company has promised to make a fully informed decision on the route of the line and Mr McRae has echoed calls for a public inquiry into the proposals.
“We’re not concerned with the pylon line itself, but its going to run directly through Sheriffmuir,” he said.
“The pylons will require foundations and that will mean digging huge holes right across the battlefield.
Many of the men who died here still lie here after almost 300 years and we don’t think it’s acceptable that they should be disturbed at this time for this reason.”
Mr McRae said battlefields in Scotland were not given the same level of protection as in England, a policy he hopes will also change.
About 100 MacRaes died in the battle, a considerable number for the small clan, which had its homeland in Kintail, Perthshire.
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