Lost Treasure: The Jacobite Gold of Loch Arkaig

Intended to finance a Scottish rebellion, is this Spanish gold lost in the Highlands?

Standing as one of the last great hopes for an independent Scotland, the Loch Arkaig treasure was the immense sum of Spanish gold sent to finance the Jacobite rebellion of Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745. Worth £10 million in modern currency, the gold was a war chest that could have broken up the United Kingdom in its very infancy, changing the path of history. In a tale of Highland romanticism, rebellion and betrayal, the gold was hunted by Jacobites and Redcoats alike, seemingly lost forever to the mists of the Scottish glens.

The tale begins with the Act of Union in 1707, whereby the kingdoms of Scotland and England would be united as one. It was hugely unpopular throughout Scotland, seen as an establishment betrayal with wealthy landowners being given privileges at the expense of the ordinary Scottish people. Discontent rose following famine and harsh taxation. The conditions, particularly amongst Catholics, led to support for a restoration of the Catholic monarchy deposed during the Glorious Revolution of 1688 which saw Catholic king James II replaced by his Protestant daughter Mary and her Dutch husband, William of Orange.