Innholdsfortegnelse for November-December 2019 i History Scotland

Widely regarded as the finest residential example of Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson’s architectural vision and his interior designs, Holmwood house in Cathcart, Glasgow, has reopened to the public following a three-month project to recreate the property’s original stencilled paint schemes Completed in 1858, Holmwood house was created for paper magnate James Couper. National Trust for Scotland (NTS) took ownership more than a century later, in 1994, and in the course of renovation discovered Thomson’s original decorations surviving intact under layers of wallpaper and paint, applied over the years by the house’s former owners. The Trust began an extensive programme of research and investigation to uncover these original schemes and is re-creating the splendour of Holmwood as it was designed by Thomson. The highly colourful and intricate stencilled walls are rare examples…

In the heat of the second battle of the Marne in July 1918, Lance Corporal William Wilson of the Black Watch carried messages between his company and battalion headquarters. His route took him through woods and undergrowth saturated with gas, leaving his eyes scarred and his vision permanently impaired. As he waited with bandaged eyes to be evacuated, William may not have foreseen the battle for compensation he would face when he returned home. War pensions were a vital source of income for disabled ex-servicemen like William, but many struggled to meet the strict eligibility criteria set by the ministry of pensions, leaving men dissatisfied with their treatment by the state. In 1919, pension appeal tribunals were established to allow ex-servicemen and their dependants to challenge these decisions. National Records…

On 14 October 1881 Scotland witnessed Britain’s worst ever fishing disaster; a disaster that could have been avoided and a tragic event that was decades in the making. On that bright, sunny, almost windless morning, most of the fishing boats on Scotland’s North Sea coast had tied up at port. A storm was brewing – not just any storm, but a European cyclone with hurricane-force winds. The Eyemouth skippers, however, along with a number of fishermen from nearby ports, ignored the weather warnings and set out at the crack of dawn. By midday they were in the teeth of a severe storm for which their wooden boats were no match. By the time the storm abated, 26 of Eyemouth’s 46 fishing boats were lost, along with 189 fishermen, 129 of…

In this article, I want to take you on a little bit of a journey, a journey with a few Scottish migrants who chose to build their homes overseas. A journey of ongoing connections with Scotland, the old homeland. A journey of global Scotland. This journey, and the historical perspectives it entails, can tell us not only about the Scottish diaspora, but also goes some way towards explaining Scotland’s different attitudes towards both migration and the European Union in the context of Brexit. John Jack’s story Our journey begins in Dundee in 1828. That year, in October, John Jack was born. In 1854, he married Helen Matthew Whitson. The two soon started a family and later moved to Edinburgh. So their story was already one of migration – albeit it…

From 1878 until its closure in 1959, Maryhill barracks was a significant presence within the district and remains so even today, thanks to the survival of a significant part of the perimeter wall encircling the Wyndford housing estate. The choice of location was discussed over a long period and, after construction began, was protracted due to a serious dispute between the war office and the contractor. Conception Although troops had been stationed in Glasgow at times of civil unrest in the 18th century, there was no permanent presence until 1796. The revolution in France and a rising demand for political reform in certain parts of the United Kingdom, including Scotland, led to fears within government, both local and national, of possible civil unrest. This prompted pleas from the Glasgow magistrates,…

In Dufftown lies a hidden history gem in local guest house Tannochbrae. Tannochbrae is a place perhaps best associated with the fictional village introduced to us through A.J. Cronin’s short stories, Dr Finlay’s Casebook, where it was described as ‘a snug little village on the lochside’. Dufftown’s own Tannochbrae can be considered equally snug, welcoming and hospitable. Tannochbrae Guest House has a medical theme to it, as I found out when I met with its owners James and Louise, who were pleased to share the building’s history. First, we visited a tiny whisky bar which is a delight in itself, with historic whisky barrels and a great selection of whiskies. Behind the side door sits an old doctor’s consultation room, where ‘monkey shoulder’ was first diagnosed. This medical term is…

The online resource brings together library items, and plots records of archive items onto their corresponding locations in Scotland. Records of plans, maps, charts and drawings relating to Stevenson’s work in Scotland are included and these can be viewed by location through the website’s dynamic map interface. It is also possible to search for material about specific subjects, including bridges, harbours, canals and lighthouses. The Stevenson archive is one of National Library of Scotland’s most important collections, containing material from the firm created by lighthouse engineer Robert Stevenson, grandfather of author Robert Louis Stevenson. Established in the early 19th century, the company completed Scottish and international engineering projects until the 1950s. The resource was created by Rachel Dishington, an Arts & Humanities Research Council collaborative doctoral partnership PhD student at…

It was already known where Scotland’s finest and best-preserved medieval tunnel lies buried beneath Paisley town centre – but the centuries-old mystery of where it ended had never been solved until now. A team of volunteers led by GUARD archaeologists spent the summer excavating Paisley abbey’s drain and found a well-preserved 14th-century stone archway marking the exact point where the drain and its contents once flowed into the River Cart. They established that the tunnel, believed to be around 100m long, ends around 3m from the banks of the present-day river, which would have been wider and shallower at the time the drain was built. Trench 1 was located in the middle section of the medieval drain at a point where the medieval pointed arch of the drain meets a…

Above my dining room table suspended from an oak beam I have on display a length of polished and varnished wood, teardrop in shape, over two metres long and about 20cm in circumference. Despite its size it is so light it can be balanced on a child’s index finger. Visitors are often intrigued by the wooden ornament, which has no outward sign of its provenance. They are even more intrigued when I tell them that this piece of nondescript timber has a very special place in world aviation history. For without it the first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic, the centenary of which was celebrated on 15 June, might quite literally have not taken off. The object of such fascination is a replica of one of the wing struts used…

Malcom III, the vanquisher of MacBeth, came to the Scottish throne in 1058. The line he founded, variously known as the ‘Canmore’, ‘Dunkeld’ and ‘MacMalcolm’ dynasty, ruled Scotland until 1286, overseeing the country’s emergence as a mature high-medieval kingdom. But while enjoying a reputation for vigour and strength, the MacMalcolm kings did not rule unopposed. Resistance to their aggressive, expansionist policies was often widespread, particularly in outlying parts of Scotland, and probably their most formidable rival was another dynasty that, for more than a century, curated an alternative claim to the crown – the Meic Uilleims. The Meic Uilleim claim was rooted in the succession crisis precipitated by Malcolm III’s death in 1093. Although Malcolm’s eventual successors were three of his sons by his second wife, St Margaret – Kings…

While Scotland’s place within the UK is possibly the country’s biggest political issue today, in the 19th century things were different; there was no substantial movement arguing for independence. However, during the course of the century there was a clear shift in opinion regarding the value or relevance of Scottish culture or ‘Scottishness’, and we can illustrate that here, simply with reference to Scotland’s buildings. At the start of the 19th century, Scottish architecture was characterised by a fashion for classicism, and the continuing legacy of ideas brought from Europe which became popular from the late 17th century onwards. And yet, the idea of the Scottish castle – rendered obsolete by the classicists – was already being revived, notably at the 3rd duke of Argyll’s Inveraray castle, after 1743, and…

The declaration of Arbroath, as it is now known, has become famous far beyond the borders of Scotland as an eloquent and moving statement of national identity and a nation’s right to govern themselves without outside interference. Dated 6 April 1320, attention is again being turned to this medieval document as its 700th anniversary approaches, to provide a re-evaluation of its significance. How significant was it in 1320 and the following years and how significant is it today? A number of events will be taking place to mark the anniversary, amongst which will be an exhibition at Arbroath abbey, marking the culmination of the declaration of Arbroath family history project run by the Genealogical Studies postgraduate programme based in the Centre for Lifelong Learning at the University of Strathclyde in…

Make the most of the winter season with festive events around the country that aim to bring some light to cheer the gloom. Edinburgh castle is staging Castle of Light on dates through November and December, with visuals and light installations that bring history to life on the very walls where it was made. Nearby, Lauriston castle celebrates Christmas 1910-style on 15 December with a costumed performance showing how the castle’s family would have celebrated the festive season in Edwardian times. Walk through the castle and enjoy the drama and humour with carefully researched performances showing what life would have been like at Lauriston in the early 20th century. Oban Winter Festival sees townspeople and visitors come together to celebrate the winter months. Enjoy a ten-day (15-24 November) celebration of…

Tarradale Through Time, a project of the North of Scotland Archaeological Society, is currently excavating a possible Pictish barrow cemetery near Muir of Ord, a village nine miles east of Inverness. Previous aerial photography and geophysical survey suggested a range of surviving features below the plough soil. Excavation has now confirmed the presence of a number of barrows (burial mounds) and enclosures ranging in size from around eight metres across to over 40 metres. If confirmed to be Pictish, these barrows may be in the region of 1,400 years old, whilst other features on the site could potentially date much further back into the prehistoric period. Site director Steven Birch said: ‘We are looking at a large potentially Pictish barrow cemetery, where there also appears to be some earlier prehistoric…

O Scotland! Thee a double darkness mocks:Thy name is Skotia and thy teacher (k)nox!I doubt a modern ‘troll’ could match such erudite abuse. This is the only one of several such contemporary epigrams quoted without attribution by Geddes McGregor in his 1960 article ‘John Knox: The Thundering Scot’. It is otherwise Google-resistant. That great author ‘Anonymous’ looks the best bet, although a number of Scottish poets of the 16th and 17th century, notably John Leech, specialised in epigrams attacking churchmen. Several in English and Latin are quoted by Thomas McCrie in his The Life of John Knox (1831), who rather mysteriously says that ‘Batavian Youth’ were fond of scribbling such verses. Scotland: from the beginning Scotland had a long history before we glimpse the Caledonians and Scotti, much less discern…

The party having a picnic in the foreground includes Sir Walter Scott, the publisher Robert Cadell, Scott’s servant, and possibly Turner himself. They had stopped to admire this view looking towards Melrose over the River Tweed on their way to and from Smailholm tower. Turner had returned to the same spot to make the sketches which form the basis for this watercolour. The valley is bathed in the golden light of early evening, complemented by the lilac tones of the distant hills. The ruins of Melrose abbey are the only prominent structures of the pretty Borders town. The artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851) Born in Covent Garden, London, the son of a barber, Turner exhibited his earliest sketches in his father’s shop before studying at the Royal Academy Schools.…

When was the first time in your career that you made substantial use of archive material? At university I studied the history of philosophy of law – an incredibly wide-ranging topic. I wrote dissertations on subjects as diverse as the trial of the former SS chief Klaus Barbie in the 1980s, and South Africa’s ‘Truth and Reconciliation’ Commission at the end of apartheid, to the shifting nature of punishment and prisons over thousands of years. It was at this point that the archive bug bit hard. Research can be immersive and all-consuming – and often incredibly frustrating. But there is little to compare with the excitement of those moments when you finally find that elusive piece of archive material: that fragment, say, from a diary you’ve been hunting. You suddenly…