The battle at Clifton took place between a rearguard of Prince Charles Edward Stewart's Jacobite army as they retreated from Derby and elements of the Duke of Cumberland's Hanoverian forces that were in pursuit.
"The Battle of Clifton Moor is not as well documented as many of the battles fought in the 1745 rising. Some historians claim it as nothing but a skirmish. However in Jacobite terms it is every bit as important as Prestonpans or Falkirk. The ferocity of the “Highland Charge” once again proved its worth to the Prince’s army ... The victory of the Highland forces that night allowed the rest of the Prince’s army to cross the border to Scotland unmolested and saved many of the loyal men and women the possibility of having to give their lives up to “foreign soil”." See the downloadable PDF at: Crann Tara
The village has several sites worth visiting if you are interested in this piece of history.
1) The Rebel Tree. N54° 37.782 W002° 43.111
Twelve Jacobites were killed and a Captain Hamilton captured 'much wounded'. The dead are buried beneath The Rebel Tree on the southern edge of the village. A stone marks the place, and a new plaque.
"Here lie buried the men of the army of Prince Charles who fell at Clifton Moor 18 December 1745"
On 17th Dec 2006 a group of around 25 Scots travelled to Clifton to re-dedicate the site. New fencing and a plaque were installed and the area tidied. The flags and kilted visitors made a grand sight as they paraded through the village from the church, complete with piper. See: Crann Tara for pictures and an account of the day (scroll down).
The Rebel Tree can be found by going into Town End Croft, first right as you enter the village from the south. It is just south of the George & Dragon pub.
2) Grave marker, St Cuthbert's Church. N54° 38.166 W002° 43.600
During the action about a hundred government soldiers were wounded and killed, ten of whom were buried in the churchyard of St Cuthbert at the north end of the village. A marker records this fact and can be found just inside the gate, on the right. It was presented by The Queen's Royal Hussars in 2004.
3) Memorial, west side of A6. N54° 37.807 W002° 43.221
Just up from the pub, on the other side of the road is an odd memorial to the battle. Despite a lot of info on the web about the other memorials and the battle, I've not found any mention of this site.
It looks a little like a square well with a metal grating. A low wall with some seating contains a plaque to the battle. Standing on the grating, you can see steps leading down into a small space. On the grating are metal leaves. In the far left corner of the wall is a recess with another, more recent plaque commemorating the 250th anniversary of the battle. What this pit is about I don't know - any info gratefully received.
Other points
·The signs at the entrance have been updated and now include the reference to the last battle.
·The village also contains the 15th Century Clifton Hall, a fortified manor house which was home to the Clifton family for almost 600 years. It was plundered by the Jacobites before the Battle of Clifton according to English Heritage, who now look after the Hall.
·St Cuthbert's Church is built on a site which has probably contained a church for over a thousand years - tradition has it that this is one of the resting places of St Cuthbert's remains. It is well worth a visit.
The only services for refreshment are the pub and a hotel. Penrith and J40 of the M6 are just a couple of miles north. Take care on the main road as it is used by many heavy lorries. Before the motorway was built, the A6 was the principle route to Carlisle and Scotland.
Some links to more info are below:
Wikipedia Clifton Moor
Thomas Savage's account
Jacobites
Wikipedia info on the whole Jacobite era
Keys to the Past entry
Border Reivers
Thanks to Freya for her help in putting this waymark together.