The core aims of Scottish Battlefields Trust were articulated in the Scottish National Battlefields Accord (2014). The Trust is a registered Scottish Charity (SC046078).
signing the accord, Prestonpans 2014
The Accord
" We, the undernoted, on this Twenty-Fourth Day of October, anno domini Two Thousand and Fourteen, at the Fourth Biennial National Battlefields Symposium, held near the site of Prince Charles Edward Stuart’s famous victory at the Battle of Prestonpans, hereby proclaim and undertake that:
All the Battlefields of Scotland…
shall forever bear witness to the struggles and sacrifices which have forged the Scottish nation and the character of its people. They shall be protected, preserved and interpreted for the enduring benefit of current and future generations.
These sites of battles, sieges and associated military structures and events, shall forever be afforded the utmost care and consideration as befits their significance to Scotland’s rich heritage. Without exception they shall be recorded and protected from diminishing, damaging, intrusive or insensitive development. And proper reverence and respect shall be accorded to the burial sites of the fallen of all sides in each such conflict.
The preservation of Scotland’s battlefields and associated sites shall be to the benefit of their local communities, by whom they should be regarded as valued aspects of the local, as well as the national, heritage. The wishes of all communities and organisations seeking to honour this Accord shall be sought out and respected.
Scotland has an indivisible duty of care for its battlefields, and a responsibility to ensure their protection, interpretation, and conservation. To this end, the undernoted signatories shall make their best endeavours to establish a Scottish Battlefields Trust, to facilitate and oversee the implementation of the aims and objectives outlined in this Accord. "
Signatories: Gordon Prestoungrange (Battle of Prestonpans 1745 Heritage Trust); Herbert Coutts (Battle of Prestonpans 1745 Heritage Trust); Arran Paul Johnston (Battle of Prestonpans 1745 Heritage Trust); Malcolm McVittie (The First Marquis of Montrose Society); John Nicholls MBE (The Fifteen: Northumbrian Jacobite Society); Elizabeth Nicholls (The Fifteen: Northumbrian Jacobite Society); Greta Anderson (Coastal Regeneration Alliance); Warwick Louth; Sharon Dabell; Karen Anderson; James Rattray (Soldiers of Killiecrankie); Christopher Duffy (Chairman, 1745 Association); Andrew Coulson (Pinkie Cleugh Battlefield Group); George Kempik (Group to Stop the Development at Culloden); Jim Roche; Clive Hallam-Baker (The Battlefields Trust and Remembering Flodden); Elaine Kempik (Group to Stop the Development at Culloden); Fiona Johnston; Carolyn Seggie (Group to Stop the Development at Culloden); Jenn Scott (The Stewart Society); Andrew Hillhouse; Adrian McDowell; Stephen Bunyan (East Lothian Antiquarian & Field Naturalists' Society); Gareth Jones (Battle of Prestonpans 1745 Heritage Trust).
Pinkie Battlefield Group's interpretation boards
The Scottish Battlefields Trust was established following a symposium in October 2014, which brought together a broad forum concerned by recent development threats to historic battlefields.
The gathering agreed and signed the Accord (left) which called for the creation of an independent body to represent Scotland's battlefields. The words of the Accord have been adopted as the Trust's guiding principles.
Our primary current objective is to continue creating a platform representative of as many Scottish battlefield sites and interest groups as possible.
We work to support and encourage the enhancement of our heritage, under three broad strategic actions:
Promotion: raising awareness, sharing information, and encourage the appropriate use of Scottish battlefields.
Interpretation: facilitating and supporting greater understanding of, interest in and access to Scottish battlefields through events, education and interpretation.
Protection: lobbying for more effective management of and greater protection for our battlefield assets, campaigning in aid of threatened sites, and opposing insensitive development and supporting appropriate enhancement.
To achieve our objectives, we need to demonstrate that Scottish battlefields are valued both locally and nationally, and that they are deserving of preservation. Building a strong base of support will help us to do so, so please consider joining us.
Membership of the Trust is open to all those who share our commitment to Scotland's battlefield heritage, and can be both individual memberships or society/institutional affiliations. Follow the link to find out more about each.
The Scottish Battlefields Trust is a registered Scottish Charity (SC046078), with the following charitable objects:
"The Company is being established pursuant to the Accord reached on October 24th 2014 by representatives of major battlefields across the nation, which Accord is provided as an Annexure to these Articles, with the following Charitable Object :
To advance the conservation of the nation 's battlefields, and to advance the understanding of why battles were fought thereon, through research and education, the arts and in all such manners as are proper for a Charity."