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Scottish History

Donald
The Tragedy of Mary Hamilton
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The well known ballad "Mary Hamilton", or "The Fower Maries" is a sixteenth century song about Mary Hamilton awaiting execution and telling the story of her downfall. Mary was a lady-in-waiting to a Q...
Donald
The Fyrish Monument
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On a hill overlooking the Cromarty Firth is a striking, most un-highland monument. It is a replica of the gates of Negapatam, a port in Madras (now Chennai) in South East India. Negapatam was origin...
Donald
The Gordons at Otterburn
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On the 5th of August, 1388, the Battle of Otterburn took place. This was a skirmish between Scotland's James, 2nd Earl of Douglas, and England's Henry "Hotspur" Percy, the son of the Earl of Northum...
Donald
History of Kilts Worn in Battle
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There is no documentation for the kilts we know today before 1575. There are many kilt like clothing that is worn with armour, like that a Roman soldier would wear. Or The Leine Croich or belted saffr...
Donald
Royal Middleton Roots
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Gordon Casely, a heritage consultant in Aberdeen, has inadvertently discovered that Prince William was a direct descendant of a 17th century Middleton from the small town of Luthermuir in south Aberd...
Donald
World's First Colour Photo of Tartan Ribbon
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This picture of tartan ribbon is pretty unique as it is world's first ever colour photograph. The three colour method, which is the basis of virtually all practical colour processes, was suggested by...
Amanda Moffet
St Brigid's Cross on Arran
While traveling around Arran we visited Lamlash, a very pretty seaside village on the east coast of the island. Outside their parish church stands an unusual carved cross. The weathered carving sho...
Topics: Arran
Amanda Moffet
Murder on Goatfell, Arran
In 1889 the body of Edwin Robert Rose was discovered on Arran's famous mountain Goatfell. The corpse had been hidden beside a boulder, behind a wall of rocks. His head had been smashed in. Edwin ...
Topics: Arran, Murder
Amanda Moffet
The man who escaped a hanging, a tale from Arran
While camping on the Isle of Arran we visited Brodick Castle which is on the east coast of the island. A castle owned mainly by the Hamiltons, it was used recently as a hunting lodge. In front of th...
Topics: Arran, Hamilton
Amanda Moffet
Lochranza Castle
Lochranza Castle on Arran was built in the 13th century. It passed to the Stewarts of Menteith and became a royal castle when Robert Stewart became King in 1371. In the 1450s the Tower House was...
Amanda Moffet
The Witches of Logie
This weekend we have been staying at the lovely Witches Craig campsite, just a stones throw (well maybe a few throws) away from The Wallace Monument at Abbey Craig. Next to the campsite are the remain...
Amanda Moffet
New Bannockburn Heritage Centre for 2014
This is an artists impression of what the site will look like when the centre is opened for the 700th anniversary of the battle of Bannockburn in 2014. The Heritage Centre is currently a rather dre...
Topics: Bannockburn, battles
Nadine Lee
Highland Clearances Influence Composer
Robert Aitken's new soundtrack 'Kildonan' A new soundtrack by a Scottish composer has been influenced by the infamous Highland Clearances of the 18th and 19th Centuries. Kildonan, the latest work by...
Nadine Lee
Scotland's Greatest Gift - Penicillin
Sir Alexander Fleming, FRSE, FRS, FRCS(Eng)6 August 1881 – 11 March 1955 On a sunny morning in September 1928, Scottish biologist Sir Alexander Fleming accidentally made one of the most important me...
Nadine Lee
From Norway with Love
The Nidelva River, with Nidaros Cathedral in the background. Trondheim, Norway. When asked to give the name of his nearest mainline rail station on a Parliamentary expenses questionnaire, former lib...