By 1814,
Jacobitism was no longer a political threat to the
House of Hanover. Alexander Macdonald, a member of
Clan Macdonald of Clanranald, ordered the construction of the tower to commemorate the Highlanders who fought on the side of
Charles Edward Stuart during the rebellion. Alexander's father had hosted Stuart for a night in 1745 on his travels. The monument's location at Glenfinnan was made possible by a new road (now the
A830), built by
Thomas Telford and opened in 1812, between
Fort William and
Arisaig. The tower's construction was funded partially by the wealth accrued from
slave plantations in
Jamaica owned by Macdonald's father, also named Alexander. A statue of an unknown Highlander designed by
John Greenshields, referred to at the point of commission as Stuart himself, was added in 1835.
The monument today Since 1938, the monument has been in the care of the
National Trust for Scotland. The Trust has constructed a visitor centre, providing tickets, information, exhibitions, a shop, a café and toilets. In 2021, the Trust replaced a portrait of Stuart in the visitor centre with a display which detailed the links between the monument and slavery along with information on the ownership of slaves by Highland elites. ==Gallery==