Siege of Stirling Castle (1746)

Siege of Stirling Castle
Part of the Jacobite Rising of 1745
Stirling Castle as viewed from the town cemetery
Date January 18, 1746 – February 1, 1746 Location Stirling, Scotland Result British-Hanoverian Government victory
Belligerents
British-Hanoverian Government	Jacobite  France: French artillerymen
Commanders and leaders
General William Blakeney, 1st Baron Blakeney.	Charles Edward Stuart Mirabelle de Gordon

The Siege of Stirling Castle took place in Stirling, Scotland between 18 January 1746 and 1 February 1746, and was part of the Jacobite rising of 1745. The castle was defended by British-Hanoverian Government troops against the besieging Jacobites.

In September 1745, during the Jacobite rising of 1745, the advancing Jacobite army of Prince Charles Edward Stuart was heading towards Edinburgh, but in order to get there had to pass by Stirling Castle which was being held by British-Hanoverian forces under the command of Major General William Blakeney. On 14 September the Jacobites squeezed through the space between the extremity of the Touch Hills and the castle rock, bringing them within range of Blakeney’s artillery. Blakeney opened fire at the Jacobite’s white flag hoping to hit the Chevalier (Stuart) himself, but the bullet landed about twenty yards from him. He fired four times but without success, the cannon being only a 6-pounder and at a distance of a mile and a half. The people of Stirling then emerged to watch the Jacobites pass through St. Ninians on the far side of the narrows. The Prince and the Jacobites had at that time no intention of conflict with the Red coats in Stirling Castle and instead had their sights set firmly on Edinburgh.

By 26 December 1745 Prince Charles's army were in Glasgow, and they departed from there on 3 January 1746. Charles and his army arrived in the neighbourhood of Stirling on 4 January with Charles making his headquarters at Bannockburn House which was the seat of Sir Hugh Paterson, and where he also was able make a closer acquaintance with Paterson’s niece Clementina Walkinshaw. Charles's military priority was now to seize Stirling Castle which commanded the high-arched Stirling Bridge which was the lowest permanent crossing of the River Forth. A British-Hanoverian commander, James Ray, stated that by capturing Stirling Castle, firstly it would give the Jacobites a reputation abroad as it is a famous place, secondly that if they could have also fortified Perth then it might have secured them the country for the winter and thirdly that it would have afforded them the means of maintaining themselves along the coasts, which would have facilitated their supplies from abroad.

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