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Scottish
Military Roads
There
were military roads in Scotland from Roman times, but they became
important after the 1715 Jacobite Rising, when a network of
roads was built by soldiers
under the command of General George Wade, with bridges built
by civilian contractors. These roads linked the Lowlands with
a series of forts and barracks designed to deter a further rising.
After the 1745 Rising the network was overhauled and much extended
by Major William Caulfelld. The military roads were designed
as strategic routes for marching troops to military objectives,
but many of them formed the basis of civilian routes through
the Highlands. After the Napoleonic Wars, roads for mainly military
purposes were built from Carlisle to Glasgow and Portpatrick,
for Ireland, and from east to west across Lanarkshire. The routes
of some military roads are still in use, but in many instances
the modern routes diverge from them, though their remains can
still be traced.
Return
to Scottish History
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