Monday 20th September 1819
Monday 20th Sept Mr Laury and Dr MacDonald who attended Mama breakfasted with us; who being much better today we started at 1 o’clock from Inverness the gentleman lengthened their ride by going around to Fort George but Mama and myself went
straight to Nairn 18 miles the road lies close to the Murray Firth at the head of which stands Fort George, Castle Stuart apparently a ruin Culloden Heath where that memorable battle was fought where the only things we passed on the road Nairn is a pretty neat town the Inn is good
OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:
Dr MacDonald at Breakfast: Kristen Koster, in her article entitled A Primer on Regency Era Doctors, https://www.kristenkoster.com/primer-regency-era-doctors/ explains the social status enjoyed by physicians, thereby accounting for the presence of Dr MacDonald at the family Breakfast Table in Bennett’s Hotel:
During the Regency, physicians occupied the highest rung on the social ladder. Because of their extra schooling and lack of apprenticeship, physicians were considered gentleman. These men did not practice a trade and the profession avoided manual labor. Physicians simply diagnosed patients and wrote prescriptions, but they didn’t dispense drugs.
Physicians often received social invitations from the families they treated. They would dine with the families or spend the night as a guest. Other practitioners ate with the servants, if required. Although all three were doctors, surgeons and apothecaries were addressed as “Mister”, because only those who qualified as physicians could use the title of “Doctor”.
The print below illustrates a seated Physician with a stick as he talks to the patient - there was probably very little physical contact with the patient at the consultation.
c.1835: A young lady reclining, being attended by a physician. Lithograph, Paris, by de Lemercier, Benard et Cie. From The Wellcome Collection (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International) . https://wellcomecollection.org/works/m9pqnsm4
Fort George was built in the wake of the Battle of Culloden (1746) as a secure base for King George II’s army. It was designed by Lieutenant-General William Skinner and built by the Adam family of architects. Fort George took 22 years to complete, by which time the Jacobite threat had subsided. But it has served the British Army for the almost 250 years since. https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/fort-george/
2006: Fort George Following the defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie at Culloden, King George II built the ultimate defence against further unrest - Fort George. Photograph by Stephen Branley. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Stephen Branley and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fort_George_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1242152.jpg
THE VISIT BY THE COPLAND GENTLEMEN IS OF SIGNIFICANCE AS LUCY’S FATHER, ALEXANDER COPLAND, MADE HIS FORTUNE BUILDING MILITARY ESTABLISHMENTS DURING THE NAPOLEONIC WAR - See Lucy’s Father
The fortifications form an example of defence in depth. The main walls are stone-faced, in plan faceted and angled with projecting bastions and redoubts so that every wall face is covered by fire from guns sited on top of other walls. The walls are many yards wide and grassed over, on top of barrel-vaulted casemates which form underground bunkers designed to protect the entire garrison from artillery fire.
2005: Some of the defences at Fort George, Scotland. Showing the famous "Pepperpot" defences. Taken by Flaxton, the copyright holder of this work, and released into the public domain. From the English Wikipedia .https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fort_george_turret.jpg
2007: This is a rampart in Fort George, Highlands, by Akinom, the copyright holder of this work, and published it under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fort_George,_Highland-rampart.JPG
The approach to the fortress from the landward side is across a wide area of loose shingle which creates a protective barrier. Sloping grassy banks designed to absorb artillery shells all but hide the fort from view.
2008: Photograph of the sole surviving 64 pounder 64 cwt Mk I rifled muzzle-loading gun, mounted on a replica carriage. At the Duke of Cumberland's bastion at Fort George, Inverness, Scotland. Photograph by Ronnie Leask. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Ronnie Leask and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RML_64_pounder_64_cwt_Mk_I_gun_Fort_George_979165_cbfc8f8a-by-ronnie-leask.jpg
1992: 13-inch Sea Service (SS) Mortar at Fort George. Fort George was built after the '45 Rebellion. It was sited at the opposite end of the road from Fort William through the Great Glen. Photograph by Colin Smith. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Colin Smith and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mortar_at_Fort_George._-_geograph.org.uk_-_115142.jpg
The entrance is reached via a ravelin, a free-standing defensive structure incorporating a guardhouse and completely exposed to fire from the main fort, then by a raised wooden walkway, complete with drawbridge, bridging across a wide ditch set between heavily defended bastions. The ditch forms a wide killing ground openly exposed to gunfire from these walls.
2006: The Chapel at Fort George by John Clive Nicholson. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by John Clive Nicholson and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Chapel_at_Fort_George_-_geograph.org.uk_-_231979.jpg
2017: Fort George, Scotland by Pjt56, the copyright holder of this work, and published under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FortGeorge-pjt4.jpg
The barracks are still in use as a military establishment, but much of the site is open to the public (entrance charge). Historic Environment Scotland use part of one of the barracks to display reconstructions of life in the early days of the fort, and the Grand Magazine displays the Seafield Collection of Arms as well as forming a stage for actors recreating the lives and stories of soldiers in the 18th century.[12] The site received 71,906 visitors during 2018 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_George,_Highland
Nairn: King James VI of Scotland visited the town in 1589 and is said to have later remarked that the High Street was so long that the people at either end spoke different languages, Scots and Gaelic. The narrow-streeted fishertown surrounds a harbour built by Thomas Telford.
Nairn Harbour - Sunset over the marina in Nairn Harbour - by Valenta, the copyright holder, and licensed for reuse under the Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic Creative Commons Licence. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6056851
It was not until the 1860s that Nairn became a respectable and popular holiday town. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nairn
Moray Firth is a roughly triangular inlet (or firth) of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness. It is the largest firth in Scotland, stretching from Duncansby Head (near John o' Groats) in the north and Fraserburgh in the east, to Inverness and the Beauly Firth in the west. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moray_Firth
2006: South Kessock pier. Looking NNE across Beauly Firth; Ord Hill Fort in right background, by Iain Macaulay. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Iain Macaulay and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:South_Kessock_pier_-_geograph.org.uk_-_124266.jpg
Castle Stuart is a 17th century tower house. Completed in 1625, the castle initially flourished. It fell into disuse as the fortunes of the House of Stuart sank during the English Civil War and Charles I was executed.
Castle Stuart. N.W. Engraving by J.H. Le Keux after Robert William Billings published in 'The Baronial and Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Scotland' between 1847 - 52. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SECastleStuartNW15.jpg
The castle lay derelict for 300 years before being restored as a luxury hotel. https://web.archive.org/web/20091231051406/http://www.castlestuart.com/history.html
Culloden Moor: In the battle on April 16 1746 the last Scottish army was destroyed by the British army. Although they possessed numerous artillery pieces and fired more balls per man than the British they had no more than 200 mounted men; the British had almost four times as many.
The Battle of Culloden, 1746, oil on canvas, by David Morier, from the Royal Collection Trust. This is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional, public domain work of art which is in the public domain in its country of origin. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Battle_of_Culloden.jpg
Once the Jacobite front line failed to break the British front at more than one point, their reinforcements were readily disrupted by British cavalry and dragoons on the wings, and the ensuing disorder led to collapse.
2007: The Well of the Dead, Culloden Moor The commander of the Clan Chattan regiment, Alasdair MacGillivray of Dunmaglass, and many other Jacobite soldiers died here after engaging the left wing of the Hanoverian army. Photograph by Euan Nelson. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Euan Nelson and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Well_of_the_Dead,_Culloden_Moor_-_geograph.org.uk_-_494157.jpg
NEW MODERN INTERPRETATION: http://theconversation.com/culloden-why-truth-about-battle-for-britain-lay-hidden-for-three-centuries-62398
2005: A panorama of the battlefield of the Battle of Culloden. The battle was fought in 1746, between Jacobite forces and the British Army. On the left side of the photograph the flag shows the location of the Jacobite line, and on the right side of the photograph shows the location of the British Army line. Photograph by Auz, originally posted to Flickr as Culloden Battlefield. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Panorama_of_the_Battle_of_Culloden.jpg
Inn at Nairn – not located
Can you help us?
Inn at Nairn: We would love to know what inns were open in 1819. Lucy records that it is good.
Old Regency Prints, Pictures an Coaching maps: Do you have access to any prints or pictures showing what town and country would have looked like when Lucy travelled through? Any illustrations of what she would have seen in 1819 will enliven our research.
New Pictures: Do you have any modern pictures of the streets, buildings, gardens and views that would enable us to see the changes that two centuries have wrought?