Which Scottish Clans Fought at Culloden? History, Loyalties & Legacy

The Battle of Culloden, fought on April 16, 1746, was the final confrontation of the Jacobite rising of 1745 and one of the most consequential events in Scottish history. Several Scottish clans fought on the Jacobite side in support of Prince Charles Edward Stuart, while others served in the government forces loyal to the Hanoverian crown. Some clans were internally divided, with different branches or individual families choosing opposite sides. Anyone researching their Scottish ancestry should approach clan allegiance at Culloden with care: bearing a particular surname does not mean every ancestor of that name fought on the same side, or fought at all. The reality of 1745–46 was shaped by land, leadership, religion, geography, and political calculation as much as by any simple notion of clan loyalty.

What Was the Battle of Culloden?

Culloden Moor, near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands, was the site of a battle that lasted less than an hour but left a lasting mark on Scotland. The Jacobite army, fighting to restore the House of Stuart to the British throne, faced a well-supplied government force under the Duke of Cumberland. Outnumbered, exhausted, and poorly positioned, the Jacobite forces were routed. Estimates suggest that between 1,500 and 2,000 Jacobites were killed during and immediately after the battle, with many more dying in the weeks that followed as government troops swept through the Highlands. The defeat effectively ended the Jacobite cause and set in motion a series of punitive measures that would transform Highland society over the following decades.

The clans who fought at Culloden did not do so as a single unified Highland force. The Jacobite army included men from across Scotland and beyond, and the decision to join the rising was rarely straightforward. Chiefs weighed their obligations to their tenants, their political alliances, their religious convictions, and the very real risk of forfeiture and ruin if the cause failed. Some joined enthusiastically; others were pressured; some sent men while privately hedging their bets. The government side similarly drew on clan networks, regional loyalties, and military obligation rather than any simple opposition to Highland culture.

Which Clans Fought for the Jacobites?

Among the clans most closely associated with the Jacobite cause at Culloden, Clan Cameron stands out as one of the most committed. Donald Cameron of Lochiel, known as the Gentle Lochiel, led a significant contingent of Cameron men to join the rising despite his own reservations about its prospects. The Camerons suffered heavily at Culloden and in the reprisals that followed. If you carry the Cameron name and want to explore the broader history of the clan, you can read more in our Clan Cameron history article.

Clan Fraser of Lovat also played a significant role, though the clan's involvement illustrates the complexity of Jacobite allegiance. Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat, was an aging and notoriously calculating political figure who ultimately supported the Jacobite cause, for which he was later executed. His son, the Master of Lovat, led Fraser men at Culloden. The regiment suffered serious losses on the field. For more on the Fraser name and its Highland roots, see our Clan Fraser history article.

Clan MacDonald, one of the largest and most storied of all Highland clans, contributed several regiments to the Jacobite army at Culloden. The MacDonalds of Clanranald, Glengarry, and Keppoch all sent men to fight. There is a long-standing tradition, disputed by some historians, that the MacDonalds were placed on the left flank of the Jacobite line rather than the right, which they considered their traditional position of honour, and that this contributed to their hesitation during the charge. Whatever the truth of that account, MacDonald casualties were significant. You can explore the wider history of this name in our Clan MacDonald history article.

Clan Stewart, or Stuart, had an obvious dynastic connection to the Jacobite cause, and several Stewart branches were represented in the Jacobite army. The Stewarts of Appin fought at Culloden and sustained heavy losses. The name Stewart carries a direct link to the royal House of Stuart, and the clan's involvement in the rising reflected both political loyalty and a sense of ancestral obligation. Our Clan Stewart history article covers the broader story of this name.

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Other clans with significant Jacobite presence at Culloden included the MacLachlans, whose chief Lachlan MacLachlan was killed during the battle while serving as an aide-de-camp to Prince Charles. The MacBeans, a sept associated with Clan Mackintosh, also fought on the Jacobite side, and Gillies MacBean became one of the battle's most celebrated figures for his reported last stand. The Chisholms of Strathglass sent men to the Jacobite army, and the clan suffered losses both on the field and in the subsequent reprisals. The MacKintoshes, led in the field by Lady Anne Mackintosh after her husband sided with the government, contributed a regiment to the Jacobite cause. The Robertsons of Struan, one of the oldest Highland clans, were committed Jacobites, and their chief Alexander Robertson had supported earlier Jacobite risings as well. You can read more about this clan in our Clan Robertson history article.

The MacLeans of Duart sent men to fight for the Jacobites, continuing a tradition of Stuart loyalty that stretched back through earlier risings. The MacKenzies, a powerful northern clan, had Jacobite sympathies in some branches, though the clan's overall involvement was complicated by internal divisions and the cautious stance of its leadership at the time.

Which Clans Supported the Government?

It is important to understand that not all Highland clans were Jacobite, and several fought actively on the government side at Culloden. Clan Campbell, the most powerful clan in the western Highlands and long aligned with the Hanoverian government, contributed men to the government forces. The Argyll Militia, drawn largely from Campbell country, played a role in the battle and its aftermath. The Campbells' opposition to the Jacobites was rooted in decades of political alignment and religious conviction, as well as longstanding rivalries with other Highland clans. Our Clan Campbell history article explores the broader story of this influential name.

Clan Munro was another Highland clan that supported the government. The Munros had a strong tradition of Protestant faith and government service, and several Munro men served in the regular army or militia on the Hanoverian side. You can read more about this clan's history in our Clan Munro history article. Similarly, Clan Sutherland and Clan Ross were broadly aligned with the government, reflecting the political and religious character of the far north of Scotland, where Presbyterianism and Hanoverian loyalty were more firmly established than in the Catholic or Episcopalian Highlands further south.

The Gordons present a more complicated picture. The Gordon chief at the time did not commit the clan formally to either side, and individual Gordons served in both armies. Some Gordon men fought for the Jacobites, while others served the government. This kind of internal division was not unusual, and it reflects the reality that clan allegiance in 1745–46 was rarely monolithic. Our Clan Gordon history article covers the full sweep of this name's story.

Were Some Clans Divided at Culloden?

Yes, and this is one of the most important points for anyone researching their family history in relation to Culloden. Several clans had members on both sides of the conflict, sometimes within the same family. The MacKintosh situation, where the chief served the government while his wife raised men for the Jacobites, is one of the most striking examples. The Murrays offer another: Lord George Murray was one of the most capable Jacobite commanders, while his brother the Duke of Atholl remained loyal to the government. The name Murray therefore appears on both sides of the conflict.

Clan allegiance in this period was shaped by a complex web of factors. A chief's personal religious convictions, his relationship with neighbouring clans, his debts, his political ambitions, and his assessment of which side was likely to win all played a role. Tenants and ordinary clansmen did not always have a free choice: some were pressured or compelled to follow their chief's decision regardless of their own views. Others slipped away before or after the battle. The historical record is incomplete, and many men who were present at Culloden left no written trace at all.

What Happened to the Clans After Culloden?

The aftermath of Culloden was severe. The government's response to the rising included military occupation of the Highlands, the execution or transportation of captured Jacobites, and a series of legislative measures designed to dismantle the traditional clan system. The Heritable Jurisdictions Act of 1746 stripped chiefs of their legal powers over their tenants. The Dress Act of the same year prohibited the wearing of Highland dress, including tartan, for a generation. The forfeiture of Jacobite estates removed the economic base of several clans entirely.

For clans that had fought on the Jacobite side, the consequences could be devastating. Lochiel lost his estates and died in exile in France. The Fraser lands were forfeited, though they were later restored. The MacLachlan chief was dead, and the clan's lands were seized. Many ordinary clansmen who survived the battle faced poverty, displacement, and the slow erosion of the Highland way of life that would accelerate through the later eighteenth and nineteenth centuries with the Clearances.

For clans that had supported the government, the immediate aftermath was less punishing, but the broader transformation of Highland society affected them too. The dismantling of the clan system changed the relationship between chiefs and their people across the Highlands, regardless of which side a clan had taken in 1746.

Why Culloden Still Matters in Scottish Family History

Culloden remains one of the most emotionally significant events in Scottish memory, and for many people with Scottish ancestry, it raises a natural question: was my family there? The honest answer is that it depends on the specific branch of your family, where they lived, who their chief was, and what choices were made in a period of genuine danger and uncertainty. Bearing a surname associated with a Jacobite clan does not mean your direct ancestors fought at Culloden. Equally, bearing a name associated with the government side does not mean your family opposed the Jacobite cause at every level.

What Culloden does offer is a window into the world your Scottish ancestors inhabited, a world of competing loyalties, political risk, and community bonds that shaped the surnames and family lines that many people carry today. Understanding the historical context of the clans involved helps to make sense of why Scottish families ended up where they did in the generations that followed, whether in the Highlands, the Lowlands, or across the Scottish diaspora in North America, Australia, and beyond.

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