Like many regions of Scotland, Perth and Kinross has a significant corpus of post-medieval weapons and military equipment. These items are scattered across public and private collections and have received vastly varying degrees of study. The Black Watch Museum at Balhousie Castle, Perth Museum and Blair Castle all house notable military collections; Blair Castle has numerous weapons on display which were reputedly used at Culloden.
Information about the provenance of post-medieval military items can be problematic. However, comparative study of these artefacts could provide helpful insights into the military history of the region. More systematic analysis of the weapons and equipment already held in the region’s museums and private collections would be desirable. Given the popularity of military memorabilia, such research might be of interest to a broader audience than heritage professionals and academics.
The popularity of metal detecting means that stray finds of military equipment are likely to continue. Many of these items, such as musket balls, are at present not deemed of great significance. However, it is important that we continue to track and monitor these find-spots as seemingly ‘common’ objects can provide important clues about military activity, even on occasions leading to the identification of battlefields, and positions of troops (Ferguson 2013). The relatively extensive protection given to archaeological material by Scottish Treasure Trove legislation means that a degree of information about these stray finds is recorded, yet much more could be done to look at the broader patterns these seemingly isolated objects may reveal.