Innholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2025 i History Scotland

Volume 25, Number 51  Spring 2025 Writing this editor’s letter is a difficult task. The spring 2025 issue of History Scotland is the magazine’s last – after a quarter of a century sharing cutting edge research in Scottish history, the magazine is closing. I want to take this opportunity, therefore, to thank all our contributors, readers and subscribers for supporting us over the last 25 years. I am enormously proud of the work we have done together to promote public discussion of Scotland’s past. History Scotland was founded in 2001 to bring Scottish history to a wider audience and whilst the magazine is closing, we will continue to bring you the latest news, views, and research via our popular webinars and email newsletter. There remains a massive public interest in…

National Records of Scotland and the Scottish Council on Archives have partnered with The National Archives, Welsh Government, Archives and Records Council Wales and Public Record Office of Northern Ireland to create an annual survey of the archive sector for the whole of the UK Find out more about the survey at: www.scottisharchives.org.uk A recently broadcast episode of the BBC programme Repair Shop on the Road featured Historic Environment Scotland’s conservation blacksmith, Stacey Hibberd, and blacksmith craft fellow, Jameel Kouara, as they showed Repair Shop specialists what it takes to conserve a centuries-old weathervane. The work involved climbing to the top of the 12th-century cathedral’s spire and using a variety of techniques back at their workshop to assess the weathervane and bring it back to its former glory. HMP Barlinnie,…

In recent decades, historians have assessed and reassessed James VI more than any other Scottish ruler, with the possible exception of his mother Mary I (r. 1542-67). Yet while scholarship on Mary has struggled to escape numerous problematic straitjackets and clichés, work on James has been more varied and less hidebound by fixed ideas about his role and personality, in spite of some enduring clichés of his own, notably that he was ‘the wisest fool in Christendom’. One reason for this is his remarkably long reign, spanning nearly 58 years from July 1567 until March 1625. Indeed, at the time of his death, his was the longest reign of any monarch in Britain, and it still stands as the fourth longest. There is so much more that can be said…

Painted portraiture became a dominant mode of displaying royal authority in the early modern period. Official portraits could be utilised as visual embodiments of a monarch’s real power and prerogative. They were typically displayed in royal residences or presented to favourites at home or foreign powers abroad. The royal court was the centre of political life as courtiers, councillors and foreign ambassadors would all assemble in the hopes of winning an audience with the monarch. In the galleries and chambers of these palaces and castles, such people of influence could look upon portraits of monarchs, past and present. The eyes in these portraits would meet their gaze and invite closer inspection. The educated viewer could ‘read’ the sitter’s clothing, props, settings and stance for encoded narratives and meanings, often lost…

King James VI & I sits majestically in full monarchical regalia and red coronation robes on an upholstered and gilded throne. His imperial crown is stuffed with red velvet, and the golden chain of the order of the garter is draped prominently around his shoulders and chest, English roses alternating with knotted bows. Today, his hands are empty, but previously his sovereign authority had been signalled by a sceptre in his right hand, and an orb in the now damaged left. He is the consummate figure of kingship, sculpted out of painted wood in the seventeenth century, standing about 25 centimetres tall. James would have liked this three-dimensional depiction of his majesty in all its glory, a version of his kingship that post-dates his succession to the English throne. That…

Fimilly Tree plus JOIN DR SOPHIE KAY FOR A 4-WEEK ONLINE FAMILY HISTORY COURSE, featuring webinars, group discussions and a digital workbook. The course is aimed at family historians who wish to improve their search skills, to help them search in a more methodical manner with greater research success. Learn a research approach that will maximise your chances of research success - even when tackling challenging family history problems. Session 1 (Tuesday 29 Apr. 7.30-9pm): Search Superpowers Session 2 (Tuesday 6 May. 7.30-9pm): Mapping Magic Session 3 (Tuesday 13 May. 7.30-9pm): Evidence Expeditions  Session 4 (Tuesday 20 May. 7.30-9pm): Sibling Serendipity All the sessions will be presented live and the video recordings will be made available within 24 hours of the live session. The recordings will remain available to you…

The William Wallace statue at Bemersyde has undergone essential restoration work following a £3,210 grant from the Fallago Environment Fund and additional local contributions. The 31ft monument, a defining feature of the Scottish borders since 1814, has had its weathered claymore restored to ensure the lasting presence of this tribute to Sir William Wallace. ‘The statue of William Wallace has stood proudly overlooking the rolling Borders countryside for over two centuries and is a much-loved landmark,’ said Gareth Baird, chair of the Fallago Environment Fund. ‘We are delighted that funds generated by the Fallago Rig windfarm have helped safeguard such an important part of our region’s heritage’. The monument, sculpted from local sandstone by John Smith of Darnick, predates the William Wallace Monument in Stirling by over 50 years. Commissioned…

James Maitland Balfour was born on 5 January 1820 to James Balfour and Lady Eleanor Maitland. Balfour senior made his fortune working as a contractor for the East India Company, and, later, dealing in military materials, provisions for the navy, and the building of railways. He married Lady Eleanor Maitland, daughter of James Maitland, 8th earl of Lauderdale, and purchased the Whittingehame estate in East Lothian. It was there that their eldest son, James, was born. Balfour was a rather gawky schoolboy, but matured into a ‘handsome, dashing and athletic young man’. Educated at Eton and Cambridge, he was then sent to London to learn about business and investment. It was there, moving in the same social circles, that he fell in love with Lady Blanche Mary Harriet Gascoyne Cecil.…

In 1603, James VI of Scotland inherited the kingdoms of England and Ireland from Elizabeth I and, for the first time, Scotland and England shared a ruler under a composite monarchy. Marked by James’s peaceful and celebratory progress south, his smooth accession was unaffected by the fact that Elizabeth had never declared James, or indeed anyone, as her successor during her lifetime or in her will. Yet during Elizabeth’s reign there were several factors which made contemporaries believe James’s succession to be far from inevitable. For one, James was not the only contender for the English throne. Other identified candidates included James’s first cousin on his father’s side, Lady Arabella Stewart; both Edward and Thomas Seymour, who were descended from Henry VII and the English Suffolk line; and Isabella Clara…

HES has awarded £21,000 to Wessex Archaeology and Dendrochronicle to carry out further research of the Sanday Wreck, an intact section of shipwreck timbers uncovered on Sand o’Erraby earlier this year. The funding will support in-depth analysis of the wreck including dating, reporting and archiving to help shed light on this discovery. Senior Marine Archaeologist from Wessex Archaeology, Ben Saunders said: ‘The opportunity to complete dendrochronological dating and further research on this incredible piece of Orkney’s history is extremely exciting. It could allow us to identify the ship and its origin, adding to our understanding of the complex maritime connections within the North Sea. We look forward to working with researchers in Sanday and at Dendrochronicle to write a new part of the island’s story’. Find out more at: www.wessexarch.co.uk…

In spring 2007 I sat down with my grandfather, Matthew ‘Bing’ Baillie, to interview him for an oral history project. He was from a Scottish Gypsy-Traveller family and I grew up hearing his many fascinating stories; of summers spent going round the horse fairs of the Scottish borders and north of England, then, later, of his struggles to earn a living from hawking rugs and carpets. By the time I interviewed him, he was 93 years old so it felt important to capture his memories before it was too late. The process was not easy. In addition to his age, he was as deaf as a post, had a patchy memory and, to my frustration, the family raconteur suddenly became shy once I hit the record button on the tape…

Explore a selection of digital history guides in the History Scotland store: https://scot.sh/hsdownload Edited by Dr Louise Heren reviews@historyscotland.com Painting, playing, collecting, displaying Mary … Mary McGonigal meets the queen of Scots through time The Afterlife of Mary, Queen of Scots Ed. Steven J. Reid Edinburgh University Press, (2024) pp.374 E-book (PDF) £95.00 ISBN: 978-13995 2355 4 …any historian who wants to make a little money for a change will do well to turn his attention to Mary – at least there is that temptation to which I, among others, have succumbed. One might put it shortly – ‘There’s money in Mary’. Catriona Macdonald notes these stark words of Sir Gordon Donaldson (1913-93), former William Fraser Professor of Scottish History and Palaeography at the University of Edinburgh, in chapter 8 of The…

We don’t have to tell you, times are tough and this means that, sadly, the magazine in your hand will be the last issue of History Scotland. This isn’t a decision that has been taken lightly and we’re sure you are as disappointed as we are. Over more than a decade, the team behind the magazine have been proud to bring you the very best coverage of Scottish history, heritage and archaeology. But the demands on the magazine industry, including rising costs and changing reading habits, mean this format is no longer viable. If you have remaining issues on your subscription, our team will be in touch shortly with details of your options. But this is not the end for History Scotland. The magazine was founded to bring Scottish history…