The descendants of the Redcoats finally broke cover yesterday, and next month will once again face Jacobites on Culloden Moor.

The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) launched a global search in January for descendants of those who fought on that historic day in 1746. It was hoped they would help open the new £9m Culloden visitor centre on the anniversary of the battle on April 16.

However, while the NTS uncovered several families with Jacobite connections, by last week none with links to the government troops had come forward, despite having outnumbered them 9000 to 5000.

However, as yesterday's deadline approached, the NTS reported a last-minute flood of entries, including some from youngsters with Hanoverian connections and some from people descended from supporters of both the Jacobites and the government.

Thirty entrants, from California and Canada to England and Northern Ireland, sent in their family trees, many revealing interesting tales and more details of how far families spread after the battle.

The search also brought to light accounts of some interesting characters, such as Captain Alexander Grant who, after leading the Grants of Glenurquhart at Culloden, escaped to join the East India Company and went on to narrowly evade imprisonment in the Black Hole of Calcutta dungeon in 1756.

Entries also highlight families with divided allegiances such as William Boyd, the 3rd Earl of Kilmarnock, supporting the government against the 1715 Jacobite Rising and his son executed after joining the Jacobites at Culloden in 1746. Alexander Bennett, NTS Culloden project co-ordinator, said yesterday: "We're delighted with the response.

"It's particularly interesting to have received entries which illustrate that Scots fought on both sides and many families were divided by the conflict which had such a profound effect on Scottish history."

Entries to the competition will now be examined and validated by judges Dr Nick Barratt of BBC's Who Do You Think You Are? and George Dalgleish of the National Museums of Scotland.

The winners will be announced at the beginning of next month and invited to help open the new Culloden visitor centre on April 16.