The Burning Of Strathearn: A Devastating Jacobite Retreat
Introduction: a story not of kings, but of ordinary people
High on the wall of Perth Museum’s Shop hangs a remarkable modern tapestry. At first glance, it looks almost like an illustrated storybook. But look closer, and it reveals something far darker. This is not a tale of royal triumph or battlefield glory. It is the story of working men and women, farmers, labourers, and families, whose homes were deliberately burned in the bitter winter of 1716.
How military decisions made in Perth led directly to hunger, homelessness, and suffering across Strathearn. It shows how ordinary people paid the price for a rebellion that ultimately failed.
December 1715 – The Jacobites occupy Perth
In December 1715, Jacobite forces entered Perth and took control of the town. They supported James Francis Edward Stuart, known as the Old Pretender, and hoped to restore him to the throne.
Perth became one of the most important Jacobite strongholds in Scotland. From here, leaders recruited soldiers and gathered supplies. Posters called for weapons, coal, grain, and horses. Plans made. Confidence is projected.
But the panels also show uncertainty. Some people believed in the Jacobite cause. Others were fearful or opposed. Like much of Scotland, Perth is deeply divided.
Behind the scenes, the situation was already fragile. Supplies were running low. Soldiers were deserting. Government forces under the Duke of Argyll were advancing.
January 1716 – Time for Plan B
By January 1716, Jacobite leaders knew they could not hold Perth. Faced with the advancing army, they made a desperate and devastating decision.
Gathered around a map, one leader gives the order:
“Everything along this line has to go.”
The plan was simple and brutal. Villages across Strathearn are burned to create a barrier. Without homes, food, or shelter, the advancing army would struggle to move through the region.
“Let’s do Crieff and Muthill too.”
On 24 January 1716, five hundred Jacobite soldiers marched out from Perth to carry out the order.
Five days of fire in the bitter winter
What followed was five days of deliberate destruction.
Village after village, burned. Auchterarder, Blackford, Muthill, Dunning, and others set alight. Homes, barns, and livelihoods were destroyed.
The tapestry shows the human reality behind the orders. One soldier stands inside a farmhouse and says quietly:
“Aye. Shame we have to burn it.”
Outside, families flee into the freezing winter. This was January in Scotland. Bitter cold. Snow on the ground. No shelter. No food.
Many people sought refuge in local churches. Others faced the open countryside, exposed to hunger and freezing temperatures. The tapestry records the scale of suffering clearly:
Hundreds of innocent people were left suffering in their wake.
By 29 January 1716, villages across Strathearn lay in ruins.
The bitter twist: retreat without victory
And then came the cruelest moment of all.
On 31 January 1716, just days after ordering the destruction, the Jacobite leaders abandoned Perth.
Soldiers who had burned homes to slow the enemy learned the campaign was over.
“Mission complete. That’ll slow Argyll down.”
The reply comes: “We’ve decided to retreat though.”
“Retreat?”
“Yes.”
“Without a fight?”
“Yes.”
The final question remains unanswered.
“So, why did we…?”
Jacobite leaders, including the Earl of Mar, fled to France, leaving behind ruined communities and homeless families.
5 days of violence
The true cost of rebellion
The burning of Strathearn did not save the Jacobite cause. It did not stop the government advance.
But it left lasting scars on the people who lived there.
Working men and women lost their homes. Families faced hunger and freezing cold. Communities built over generations were destroyed in days.
Today, Strathearn is peaceful. Its towns and villages show little sign of that terrible winter.
But this tapestry ensures the story is not forgotten.
It reminds us that history is not only shaped by kings and armies, but by the suffering of ordinary people caught in their path.
For more on the story I recommend this blog. https://www.scottishhistory.org/blog/jacobite-burning-strathearn/
For more wee wild adventures in Scotland
Why Perth Museum Is One of Scotland’s Best Free Museums
Damn Rebel Bitches: The Silenced Women of the Jacobite Rising