New book charts battles of Bonnie Prince Charlie
THE curator of Battle of Prestonpans Jacobite Museum has launched his new book, which looks back at the battle career of Bonnie Prince Charlie.
The Battles of Bonnie Prince Charlie: The Young Chevalier at War, by Dr Arran Johnston, follows the prince over the battlefields of Prestonpans, Falkirk and Culloden, exploring the last Jacobite rising from the perspective of its “charismatic but controversial” leader.
It is published by Pen and Sword Books, publishers of a variety of military, aviation, maritime, local history and nostalgia books.
Dr Johnston was originally born in Derby, where he became fascinated by the story of the last Jacobite rising and its leader.
He moved to Scotland and graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2007, completing his doctorate at the University of the West of Scotland in 2018.
He is the consultant curator of the Battle of Prestonpans Jacobite Museum on the town’s High Street.
The museum, in Prestonpans’ Victorian Town Hall, tells the story of the Battle of Prestonpans with a scale model of the battlefield and a tapestry, and also hosts events on the history of the town.
Dr Johnston is also the founding director of the Scottish Battlefields Trust and is an active advocate for increased interpretation and protection of the nation’s battlefield heritage.
He is also well known for dressing up as the prince himself in the past,
The picture revealed is of a humane young man taking on a mission far greater than his experience had prepared him for
playing him in re-enactments of the Battle of Prestonpans.
Speaking of the book, Dr Johnston said: “This is the story of the last Jacobite rising and the charismatic but controversial prince who led it, presenting a human portrait of the Stuart prince through the words of those who served alongside him.
“The picture revealed is one of a humane and capable young man taking on a mission far greater than his experience had prepared him for, pushed to the limits of his abilities at a cost from which he never recovered.
“This book reveals the prince’s strengths and flaws as a commander, and the difficult relationships he had with the very people on whom his fortunes and reputation would depend.
“It is the story of how the prince
faced conflicts both on and off the battlefield, weathered challenges posed by friends as well as foes, and left a legacy which remains hotly contested to this day.”
The book is now available to buy.