Once I was a clever boy learning the arts of Oxford... is a quotation from the verses written by Bishop Richard Fleming (c.1385-1431) for his tomb in Lincoln Cathedral. Fleming, the founder of Lincoln College in Oxford, is the subject of my research for a D. Phil., and, like me, a son of the West Riding. I have remarked in the past that I have a deeply meaningful on-going relationship with a dead fifteenth century bishop... it was Fleming who, in effect, enabled me to come to Oxford and to learn its arts, and for that I am immensely grateful.


Wednesday, 21 April 2021

Interpreting Culloden


In the wake of the 275th anniversary of the battle of Culloden I came across several relevant articles on the website of The Scotsman

The first is from 2016 and it is by Trevor Royle and based on a book he had written about the battle. In the article he concentrates on correcting misconceptions about the battle itself and in putting it into the correct historical context as to its legacy for the Hanoverian army. This ties in with the work of historians such as Christopher Duffy in recent years. The article can be read at Battle of Culloden: myths debunked

The second article is from 2019 and is about the period after the battle when Jacobites sought for some time to continue the fight or to harass government troops, and the period when the government mopped up opponents or sought to overaw them. It is based around the work of Murray Pittock and can be read at The Jacobites who fought on after Culloden

The third piece is from this year and concentrates on the work of Peter Pininski who asserts that he is a direct descendent of Prince Charles Edward. He believes that he is descended from one of the illegitimate daughters of Charlotte, Duchess of Albany and  Prince Charles Edward’s own illegitimate daughter. The story of the descent from Charlotte’s affair with Cardinal de Rohan is set out in a book referred to and the story summarised in another Scotsman article The Polish art historian who claims to be a blood relative of Bonnie Prince Charlie from two years ago. The material in this years article by Peter Pininski is a rebuttal of claims that the Prince neglected the interests of those who had fought for him. This ties in with other evidence of the Prince’s resolve to return to Scotland and to renew the struggle. This does indeed seem to have been his intention until the early 1750s. The article can be read at Bonnie Prince Charlie: My flawed ancestor who 'tried his absolute hardest' for Scotland


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