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Statue in the Highlands of Scotland
The
Glenfinnan Monument
is a
Category A listed
monument in
Glenfinnan
,
Lochaber
, erected in 1814 and dedicated to the
Scottish Highlanders
who fought in the
Jacobite Army
during the
Jacobite rising of 1745
.
[1]
By 1814,
Jacobitism
was no longer a political threat to the
House of Hanover
. Alexander Macdonald, a member of
Clan Macdonald of Clanranald
, ordered the construction of the tower to commemorate the Highlanders who fought on the side of
Charles Edward Stuart
during the rebellion. The tower, which is 59 ft (18 m) in height, was designed by Scottish architect
James Gillespie Graham
.
[2]
The tower's construction was funded partially by the wealth accrued from
slave plantations
in
Jamaica
owned by Macdonald's father, also named Alexander.
[3]
A statue of an unknown Highlander designed by
John Greenshields
, referred to at the point of commission as Stewart himself, was added in 1835.
[4]
The monument's location at Glenfinnan was made possible by a new road (now the
A830
), built by
Thomas Telford
and opened in 1812, between
Fort William
and
Arisaig
. Since 1938, the monument has been in the care of the
National Trust for Scotland
. The Trust has constructed a visitor centre, providing tickets, information, exhibitions, a shop, a cafe and toilets. In 2021, the Trust replaced a portrait of Stewart in the visitor centre with a display which detailed the links between the monument and slavery along with information on the ownership of slaves by Highland elites.
[5]
Gallery
[
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]
See also
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References
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