Pinkie
Cleugh Battlefield Group, based in Musselburgh, is one of the first
groups in the UK to receive a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) All Our
Stories grant, it was announced today. The Group has been given
£10,000 in support of an exciting project that will culminate in the
creation of a Battlefield Trail for the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
(1547), on the site of the biggest battle ever fought in Scotland, in
the open country between Inveresk and Wallyford.
All
Our Stories, a brand new small grant programme, launched earlier this
year in support of BBC Two’s The
Great British Story – has
been designed as an opportunity for everyone to get involved in their
heritage. With HLF funding and support, community groups will carry
out activities that help people explore, share and celebrate their
local heritage.
The
popular series presented by historian Michael Wood and supported by a
programme of BBC Learning activities and events got thousands of us
asking questions about our history and inspired us to look at our
history in a different way through the eyes of ordinary people.
The
programme and HLF All Our Stories has proved a real hit and now the
Pinkie Cleugh Battlefield Trail is one of hundreds of successful
projects around the UK to receive a grant. Pinkie Cleugh Battlefield
Group was set up as a collaborative venture by local heritage and
community organisations including Musselburgh Conservation Society,
the Old Musselburgh Club and Wallyford Community Council to ‘raise
the profile’ of this important but neglected battle.
Pinkie
Cleugh was the last battle fought between the separate kingdoms of
England and Scotland. It took place during the ‘Rough Wooings’,
Henry VIII’s attempt to coerce the Scots into agreement with the
betrothal of the infant Mary, Queen of Scots to Henry’s son, who
became the boy king Edward VI. The battle was a disastrous defeat for
the Scots, with over 10,000 men killed, but the longer term outcome
was the marriage of Mary not to Edward, but to the Dauphin of France.
Most of the battlefield remains as attractive open country, and the
Battlefield Group’s objective is to encourage and help the local
community and visitors to enjoy the rewarding experience of informed
interaction with this interesting and significant site.
TV
presenter and historian Michael Wood, said: “We British love our
history, and no wonder: few nations in the world, if any, have such
riches on their doorstep, and so much of it accessible to all of us.
It is really tremendous that the people of Musselburgh have been
inspired to get involved to tell their own story and to dig deeper
into their own past. It’s brilliant that so many people are being
given the chance to get involved through the All Our Stories grants.
Having travelled the length and breadth of the British Isles this
last year filming The Great British Story, I am certain that
fascinating and moving stories will be uncovered which will not only
bring to life the excitement of local history, but will illuminate
and enrich every community’s connection with the national
narrative.”
Commenting
on the award, PCBG vice-chairman Andrew Coulson said: “This grant
has come at just the right time for us. We have a great story to
tell, and an ideal location to set it. Support from HLF means that by
the next anniversary of the battle in September, the battlefield
trail will be open for visitors, and the local community, to enjoy.”
Colin
McLean, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund Scotland, said: “Clearly
the success of All Our Stories has reinforced the fact that we are
indeed a nation of story tellers and that we want to explore and dig
deeper into our past and discover more about what really matters to
us. This is exactly what the grant will do for the Pinkie Cleugh
Battlefield Group as they embark on a real journey of discovery.”
Earlier
this year, the importance of the battle – also known as the Battle
of Pinkie – was recognised by its inclusion as one of the first 17
sites on Historic Scotland’s Inventory of historically significant
battlefields. Full information about the battle and the site,
including detailed maps and plans, is available at:
and:
