The 'Jacobite Gold' at Loch Arkaig

When the Jacobite uprising broke out in 1745 the Spanish government sent a supply of money to help finance the cause. Known as the ‘Jacobite Gold’, the first batch was captured by the anti-Jacobite Clan Mackay, while the second arrived just a couple of weeks after the Jacobite defeat at Culloden and was deposited near Loch nan Uamh in Arisaig. It was then brought to Loch Arkaig and buried.

The whereabouts and fate of the gold becomes hazy after this point, with the secret of where it was hidden known only to a few trusted Jacobite supporters, some of whom were living as fugitives or imprisoned by the Hanoverian government. The gold ultimately became a cause of distrust and unrest amongst the remaining Jacobites, with those entrusted with the secret accused of theft and embezzlement. The last Jacobite to be executed, Dr Archibald Cameron, had travelled from France to Scotland in 1753 to try and find the money, before being captured by government troops.

The possibility remains that the gold is still buried in its original hiding place at Loch Arkaig. Clan Cameron records form the 1850s mention the discovery of French coins in the woods nearby. In 2005 West Highland Museum was given what purported to be a letter from 1746 with an eyewitness account of the treasure being buried, but this was found to be a fake. If the treasure is there, it is still to be discovered…

More information on visiting the area can be found here.