Bonnie Prince Charlie comes back to Macclesfield!

Macclesfield Museums are inviting visitors to step back in time to 1745 and meet Bonnie Prince Charlie as he returns to the town in a special event on Saturday 6th June.

History will come to life at the Old Sunday School heritage centre when re-enactors explore the tale of Charles Edward Stuart’s arrival in the town 270 years ago. Visitors can meet the Prince himself, discover the lives of Highland clansmen and even handle Jacobite weapons.

The Jacobite uprising saw thousands of soldiers from Scotland march towards London in an attempt to take back the crown for the Stuart dynasty. “Bonnie Prince Charlie” and his army arrived in Macclesfield on 1 st December 1745.

They stayed two nights before heading off towards London, but when reaching Derby decided to call off their march and retreat. They were back in Macclesfield on 8th December. The uprising ended for good the following spring with Jacobite defeat at the Battle of Culloden.

Brocklehurst-Whiston silk manufacturers commemorated the visit of Bonnie Prince Charlie to the town in a special woven picture which they produced in 1954.

The living history takes place from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 6 th June and admission is free.

The special event is part of a series exploring 18th century Macclesfield. It celebrates the 300th anniversary of the birth of Charles Roe, the entrepreneur who transformed the town’s silk industry. His portrait has been placed on display at the Old Sunday School heritage centre on Roe Street.