Silver medal celebrating Jacobite defeat emerges at Munich auction

A silver medal on offer at Gorny & Mosch in Munich on March 9-10 commemorating the last pitched battle fought on the British mainland, Culloden, is estimated at €400.

A silver medal on offer at Gorny & Mosch in Munich on March 9-10 commemorates the last pitched battle fought on the British mainland.

A silver medal on offer at Gorny & Mosch in Munich on March 9-10 commemorating the last pitched battle fought on the British mainland, Culloden, is estimated at €400.

The Battle of Culloden, on April 16, 1746, was the final defeat of the Jacobite army and put an end to Charles Edward Stuart’s – better known as Bonnie Prince Charlie – hopes of overthrowing the House of Hanover and restoring the Stuarts to the British throne.

After numerous setbacks in the previous months, the Jacobites had withdrawn further and further north until the final confrontation near Inverness. The victorious army was led by William Augustus, the Duke of Cumberland and second son of King George II, who is portrayed on the front of the medal, wearing a breastplate. On the reverse he is shown as Hercules, trampling on Discord and raising Britannia.

The Latin inscription reads: ‘The rebels driven from England and defeated at Culloden, 16 April, 1746.’

The estimate is €400.