William Gordon Burn Murdoch (1862-1939)

History SCOTLAND

Welcome to the May/June issue of History Scotland,

Early Scottish Silver exhibition to tour

A major exhibition produced by National Museums Scotland will tour the country during 2018, with the support of the museum’s research partner The Glenmorangie Company

‘Ground-breaking’ research will explore land use after the Clearances

‘Ground-breaking’ research will explore land use after

Abbey strand buildings to be transformed

Historic buildings which form part of the palace of Holyroodhouse complex are to be transformed into a new learning centre

500 Years of Scottish Women

Explore more than five centuries of remarkable Scottish

Commemorating Cambrai

Neil McLennan shares stories gathered during a trip to France and Flanders with his father to commemorate World War I and Scottish connections on the Western Front

Giovanni Battista Piranesi’s Vedute di Roma

Alison Burke presents a unique selection of Piranesi prints which portray the faded splendour of 18th-century Rome, at a time when it was home to the exiled Stuart court

CHARLES RENNIE MACKINTOSH Making the Glasgow Style

Alice Brown introduces a new, temporay exhibition at Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum which presents the legacy of Charles Rennie Mackintosh through a variety of mediums including stained glass, mosaic, metalwork and textiles

ONLINE RESEARCH

We continue our series on online research with a round-up

BARE BOARDS AND SCOTCH CARPETS Neatness and comfort in the 18th-century home

Vanessa Habib explores the history of the Scotch carpet, produced by Scottish handloom weavers for more than two centuries, which has carpeted both humble and grand houses, from Edinburgh to London

THE LOSS ON ISLAY’S SHORES

In the centenary year of two World War I maritime disasters which took place off the coast of Islay, Les Wilson tells the story of how out of adversity, bonds between this Hebridean island and the United States of America were forged which endure to this day

To what extent did Robert the Bruce play a significant role in helping Scotland gain independence?

In his winning entry in the Scottish History Network School Essay Prize, Conlan McPherson discusses the role of Robert the Bruce in helping secure Scotland’s victory in the Wars of Independence.

The Howff Dundee’s City of the Dead

We report on a community project to investigate a 400-year-old burial ground which is home to a number of rare gravestones

THE GREAT FAMINE OF 1623

Kevin Hall explores the causes and consequences of a major but overlooked 17th-century famine, whose impact on Scotland may well have been even more devastating than that associated with the more famous dearth of the 1690s

THE SOUTHERN CROSSCIRCUMNAVIGATION

David I. Hutchison tells the exhilarating but ultimately tragic story of David Guthrie Dunn and his ambitious quest to circumnavigate the globe during the early 1930s in the small Clyde-built yacht, Southern Cross

REFUGEES WELCOME HERE Caring for Belgian refugees in Scotland during the First World War

Jacqueline Jenkinson uncovers the fascinating story of how Scotland, and Glasgow in particular, responded to the influx of Belgian refugees during the First World War, thousands of whom came to Britain in order to escape German occupation of their homeland

WHERE WAS SELKIRK ABBEY?

Responding to a previous feature in History Scotland, Lindsay Neil sifts the difficult and fragmentary evidence in an effort to recover the lost location of 12th-century Selkirk abbey, Scotland’s first Benedictine monastery

The Hallmarking Archive of the Incorporation of Goldsmiths of Edinburgh

Elspeth Morrison and Matthew Shelley introduce an archive which contains the biographies of more than 7,000 goldsmiths, mint workers and apprentices who, over the centuries, have produced finely-crafted and highly-prized gold objects

Spotlight on… Monifieth Local History Society

Established in 2000, this local history society exists

Street directories

In his latest genealogy guide, Ken Nisbet explains how to use street directories for exploring the lives of our ancestors

In the next issue ofhistory SCOTLAND

A major six-part series featuring new research on the

The Free Chruch’s birth certificate, 1843

Dr Tristram Clarke spotlights a document which marks a dramatic event in history when the Church of Scotland was torn apart following the ‘ten years’ conflict’

An influential historian

Laura Stewart examines the first full study of Robert Baillie’s life and career which seeks to the understand the man whose writings have proved vital to studies of covenanted Scotland

Exploring Glasgow’s past

Michael Meighan delves into a volume which draws attention to Glasgow’s complex history, and how that history has shaped its importance to Scotland’s – and Britain’s – future

Land o’ Cakes

Liz Trevethick enjoys a new study of life in Aberdeenshire from the 18th century onwards, with a particular focus on a 1913 cookery book from Huntly and the local families that led to its creation

Walks and talks

A new season of history and archaeology outdoor events begins as we enter the summer months, with events including history tours, guided walks and an archaeological dig

Canaletto and the Art of Venice

Canaletto & the Art of Venice presents a spectacular

The James I Charterhouse Project

Paul Wilson, a project leader on the James I Charterhouse Project, talks to History Scotland about this new initiative, which is focusing archaeological, historical and technological research onto the city of Perth, to give a unique insight into the precariousness and richness of life at the heart of this medieval town