Battle of Falkirk Muir

Battle of Falkirk Muir
Part of Jacobite rising of 1745
Monument erected to commemorate the battle
Date 17 January 1746 Location Falkirk, Scotland, Great Britain 55°59′13″N 3°48′50″W / 55.987°N 3.814°W / 55.987; -3.814 Result Jacobite victory
Belligerents
Jacobites  France	Great Britain
Commanders and leaders
Charles Stuart John O' Sullivan George Murray John Drummond	Henry Hawley John Huske Francis Ligonier James Cholmondeley
Strength
8,000	7,000
Casualties and losses
130 killed and wounded	370 killed and wounded

The Battle of Falkirk Muir, or Battle of Falkirk, ^[a] took place near Falkirk, Scotland, on 17 January 1746 during the Jacobite rising of 1745. A narrow Jacobite victory, it had little impact on the campaign.

After their withdrawal from England in December 1745, the Jacobite army besieged Stirling Castle in early January. Lacking siege equipment, they made little progress and government forces under Henry Hawley advanced north from Edinburgh to relieve it. He reached Falkirk on 15 January but was taken by surprise when the Jacobites attacked late in the afternoon of 17 January.

Fought in failing light and heavy snow, Hawley's left wing was routed but his right held firm, and both sides believed themselves to have been defeated. As a result, the Jacobites failed to follow up their victory, allowing the government troops to regroup in Edinburgh. Hawley was replaced by Duke of Cumberland, who resumed the advance on 30 January, forcing the Jacobite army to withdraw to Inverness. The rebellion later ended at the Battle of Culloden in April.

The battlefield has been inventoried and protected by Historic Scotland under the Historic Environment (Amendment) Act 2011.^[1]

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