A lonely moor near Dunblane has become a battleground for the second time in history. In November 1715, the soil was thick with blood when Jacobite and Hanoverian forces suffered major casualties during the key battle of the second major Jacobite uprising at Sheriffmuir. A cairn by the roadside commemorates the Clan Macrae, which lost many men fighting for the Jacobite cause in a battle which proved indecisive.

Now, almost 300 years later, residents and historians are locked in a battle of words with Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) over a proposal to site 150-foot pylons across the historic site. An inquiry into the proposed Beauly-Denny line yesterday heard from historians who spoke about the threat to the battlefield. Historic Scotland has stated that it has no objection to the plan since earlier concerns about impact to the site have been addressed by SSE.

The row has brought the whole issue of battlefields, traditionally one of the most ignored areas of heritage despite their emotive histories, into the public eye.

Mairi Stewart, an environmental historian at the UHI Millennium Institute centre for history, says: "Battlefields are part of our heritage and I think we have to be careful about any developments that impinge on them." Stewart points out that the lack of written documentation or maps has made it difficult to identify some battle sites and therefore difficult to argue for their protection.

The battle of Mons Graupius is one of the earliest recorded battles in Scotland. Fought between the Caledonian Confederacy and the Roman Empire in 83 or 84AD, the site is unknown, although thought to be near Huntly in Aberdeenshire.

"We are more aware today about the value of the past because our lives are so busy and divorced from the kind of life that existed not that long ago," says Stewart. "We look to the past to feel closer to who we are and where we came from. It's the same reason for the huge interest in genealogy."

Dr Tony Pollard, director of the centre for battlefield archaeology at Glasgow University, admits that battlefield preservation is problematic. "Battlefields provide important evidence for what could be described as a dark part of our past which has for a long time been neglected and disregarded. It's only over recent years that its importance has been recognised," he says.

"With some exceptions, battles can represent events which people would rather forget, they're not pleasant events generally. In others, such as Bannockburn, there has been a huge desire to preserve them because they are related to national identity."

One of the issues with battlefields is their geography and the fact that they cover such vast areas. As our population has increased, the pressure on the ground has become even more drastic. "The majority of what we would call heritage sites tend to be nice and compact," says Pollard, "but a battlefield covers acres, sometimes miles, so they're very problematic as far as preservation goes. Many of these landscapes have been occupied for thousands of years before and hundreds of years after, with the battle itself a momentary blip."

As far as archaeology is concerned, battlefields only survive in the top soil, not as upstanding monuments. At present, the law only recognises upstanding remains in terms of preservation as a scheduled ancient monument.

The English Register of Historic Battlefields identifies 43 important sites, giving them a degree of protection. In October 2006, Historic Scotland began drawing up a similar register of battlefields. The final list, which could exceed 100, will be non-statutory but help pinpoint exact locations and provide local authorities with information when making planning decisions. At the moment, monuments such as cairns can be scheduled and protected.

"We need a pragmatic attitude but one that is aware that these sites are important and when we lose them in their entirety we lose them for good," says Pollard. "There are any number of sites that have been lost entirely under towns or industrial estates."

The Battle of Largs, which was fought partly at sea and then on land, is one such example. It was between King Haakon of Norway and Alexander III in 1263 and marked the beginning of the end of Norse control of large areas of Scotland, including the Highlands and Islands. The actual battlefield has almost certainly been built over but the event is marked in an exhibition at Vikingar in Largs.

Similarly, the bridge across the River Forth, which was the scene of the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297 no longer exists and its exact whereabouts are unclear. However, the Scots' camp at Abbey Craig is now the site of the Wallace Monument. The battle was part of the first War of Scottish Independence and was where William Wallace defeated English forces.

Lack of certainty over the exact spot where a battle took place has made it more difficult to argue the case for preservation. However, even later battle sites have struggled to fight off modern developments. The Battlefield of Dunbar, where Cromwell was victorious over royalist forces in 1650, has not escaped development despite being relatively recent. The A1 now goes through part of the site, while a cement works covers another part.

The Battle of Pinkie, near Musselburgh, was where the Scots under the Earl of Arran were defeated by the English under the Duke of Somerset in 1547. Parts of the site have already been developed and there is pressure for more housing.

Residents and historians are also fighting plans to turn the site of the Battle of Bothwell Bridge (1679) into a housing development. Bothwell Community Council and the Scottish Covenanter Memorials Association have argued that a visitors' attraction ought to mark the spot.

The Battle of Falkirk in 1298 is marked by a monument in the form of a fountain which was erected in the town's Victoria Park in 1912. There is some dispute as to the exact spot where Edward I led an army of 25,000 men to defeat a Scottish army under William Wallace. In October 2006, a proposal to plant trees on land called Red Brae received objections from those who argued that the land had been the site of the battle.

"The future of these sites relies partly in the interest shown by the local community and perhaps the recognition of them as earners of revenue as tourist sites," says Pollard. "The sites that we see with visitors' centres tend to be those which have been pushed to the forefront of national identity but those regarded as important in the past aren't necessarily the most important ones."

One battle site which has a strong local campaign behind it is Prestonpans in East Lothian, 12 miles from Edinburgh. The only indication of the battle of September 1745 is a cairn beside the roadside on the A198. It was here that the Jacobite forces had their first victory in the '45 Rising. Led by George Murray, the 2300-strong Jacobite army surprised and routed General Cope's forces, felling 800 men and taking 1500 captive. Last year, a campaign which counted actor Brian Cox among its members, was launched to raise £7.5m to create a permanent visitor centre at the battlefield.

Battlefields which are in private ownership, such as those owned by the National Trust for Scotland, tend to be more secure although they are by no means immune to pressures of development. Bannockburn was the site of Robert the Bruce's victory over the English army led by Edward II in 1314. A heritage centre tells of the background to the battle while the site itself has a statue of Bruce by Pilkington Jackson. The fact that there is no conclusive evidence for the exact site has caused problems. Six potential locations have been identified and include some which have been built over such as the site of Bannockburn High School. In 2004, there was much excitement when an arrowhead was found by archaeologists which could have been shot during the battle.

There was controversy earlier this year when people living near the site marked the anniversary of the battle with a march to prevent one of its most famous landmarks from being turned into a quarry. Gillies Hill, from where Robert the Bruce's men launched their ambush, is the subject of quarrying rights which were recently extended by Stirling Council until 2042.

One of the preservation success stories is Culloden moor, scene of the last major battle fought on mainland Britain. The battle took place on April 16, 1746 and ended Jacobite hopes of restoring the exiled Stuarts to the British throne. Lasting only 40 minutes, it saw Prince Charles Edward Stuart's army crushed by government forces led by the Duke of Cumberland. There are now 250,000 visitors every year to the site and 80,000 to the visitor centre.

Although not a battlefield, but the site of a massacre one snowy night in February 1692, Glencoe has become one of the most atmospheric places of historical note in Scotland. Acquired by the National Trust for Scotland in 1935, the area includes a visitor centre at Inverigan which has a shop and a viewing platform which attracts 180,000 visitors a year.

Being declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest has safeguarded future development at the wooded gorge of Killiecrankie where, on July 27, 1689, the Jacobite army led by Bonnie Dundee defeated government forces. The spot known as Soldier's Leap was where one government soldier leapt across the River Garry and there is now a visitor centre, shop and snack-bar.