Falkirk or Paradise: The Battle of Falkirk Muir, 1746 [Paperback]

Geoff Bailey is well equipped to tackle such a momentous subject, and his undoubted scholarship never gets in the way of a good yarn. The book is a delight for the scholar and general reader alike. I found the book both authoritative and compelling, the illustrations and diagrams helpful, and the analysis incisive and stimulating. An absolute must for anyone interested in the history of Bonnie Prince Charlie and his tragic and misguided adventure to regain the British crown.

An excellent study of the lead up to the battle of Falkirk Muir, a clash between Government Forces and the Jacobite Army of the '45, with a vivid description of the battle and it's aftermath. The author is a local historian with a wealth of knowledge on Falkirk and its environs and this really helps when putting this important event into context within the Rebellion. Most books on the Jacobite Wars tend to give at best a fleeting mention to Falkirk Muir, but the author has concentrated on this one episode and gone into great detail on the forces involved, the battlesite and the effects on the local population and economy. The descriptions of the aftermath are particularly interesting as both sides attempted to claim victory and win the propaganda war. A welcome addition to my library on the '45.

An absolutely outstanding book by Geoff Bailey detailing the experience of the '45 for the people in the Falkirk/central belt area and a vivid account of the strange battle that occured on that rain-lashed hillside in 1746.

A very balanced account of the opposing armies and of the causes they fought for. Like Prebble's 'Culloden' this piece reads like a novel and the detail and emotion of the battle itself is clearly conveyed to the reader which keeps you gripped throughout. Having recently visited the battlefield (albeit in an unnecessary roundabout way which involved pushing a pram up a hillside for 45 minutes!) one is able to define what happened where on the field thanks to Bailey's excellent description and knowledge of the landscape. Bailey himself is from Falkirk and his local knowledge gives this book and edge and charm unique in texts about the '45.

Although this battle is one of the most unusual and confusing in all the Jacobite risings one is left in no doubt that this was a massive opportunity missed by the Prince's army. Many forget that this was essentially the same Hanoverian army that was victorious at Culloden minus two or three regiments. It was however matched in numbers and fought on a ground suited to the Highlanders, apart from the obvious barrier of the gorge. Again, rifts in the Jacobite command and a lack of clear direction from Charles Stuart in his failure to appoint a left-wing commander essentially denied his army an overwhelming and potentially history-changing victory and Bailey describes the consequences of this failure with superb analysis. More books like this, by authors local to area or battlefield concerned in the text are required rather than the commonly found books by writers who have barely visited the locations they write about yet feel qualified to do so and override others' opinions as a result.