Global Scotland in the age of Brexit

FROM THE EDITOR

Welcome to the last History Scotland of 2019, packed

MEET THE CONTRIBUTORS

Barry Baldwin is Emeritus Professor of Classics at

1,400-YEAR-OLD BURIAL GROUND DISCOVERED NEAR MUIR OF ORD

Archaeologists working on the Tarradale Through Time project have discovered burial mounds that appear to point to the discovery of a large potentially Pictish barrow cemetery, with earlier prehistoric activity

Hidden interior design gems revealed at Holmwood House

Widely regarded as the finest residential example of

NEW STEVENSON MAP RESOURCE

More than 2,000 items documenting the progress of Scottish engineering over the centuries are now accessible through a new map resource launched by National Library of Scotland

Changes at National Museum of Scotland

Dr Gordon Rintoul CBE, Director, National Museums Scotland, has announced that he will be stepping down in March 2020 after eighteen years in the role

From rebellion to romantic appreciation: the wearing of tartan following the Act of Proscription

Dr Rosie Waine charts the use of tartan following the repeal of the Act of Proscription, as the plaid was rehabilitated from its earlier associations with rebellion to become a popular and patriotic fashion fabric in Britain

A PLACE IN AVIATION HISTORY

Guthrie Ewing McGruer tells the remarkable tale of his grandfather’s role in the success of the first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic, a century ago this summer

The Eyemouth Disaster

The Eyemouth fishing disaster of 1881 took place as a result of a storm of epic proportions, but the weather was not entirely to blame; economic forces were also at work, writes David Wibberley

CLYDEBANK BLITZ

The devastation caused by the Clydebank blitz in the second world war is an all too familiar tale for those who lived in the town and nearby Glasgow, but what is less well known is how the town coped in the aftermath of the bombing. Paul Hamilton shares the stories of some of those affected

‘UNIONIST NATIONALISM’ AND ARCHITECTURE

Dr Clarisse Godard Desmarest and Dr Aonghus MacKechnie demonstrate how changing fashions in architecture can be used to trace the national mood and Scotland’s changing political situation within the United Kingdom through the 19th century

Was your ancestor a signatory of the Declaration of Arbroath?

As we approach the 700th anniversary of the declaration of Arbroath, Graham S Holton and Alasdair F Macdonald showcase a project that is combining documentary and genetic genealogy evidence to tell the stories of those who signed the declaration and to explore the lives of both their ancestors and descendants

Centuries-old mystery of PAISLEY ABBEY MEDIEVAL TUNNEL is revealed

Archaeologists have solved a centuries-old mystery of where the end of a well-preserved medieval tunnel that lies beneath Paisley town centre is located

BANDITS OF THE 17TH CENTURY: The Mackintosh- MacGregor gang

Dr Allan Kennedy tells the bloody story of one of the most notorious outlaw gangs in 17th-century Scotland, a group whose criminal activities throughout the eastern highlands shocked contemporary observers and earned its leaders lasting infamy

SOME EARLY VIEWS OF SCOTLAND

Professor Barry Baldwin takes a sweeping journey through European views of Scotland from the classical period up to the later middle ages, discovering priceless nuggets of information about early Scots in a wide range of Roman and Greek sources, as well as in the colourful musings of a 15th-century pope

THE MARYHILL BARRACKS CONTROVERSY

William B. Black explores the protracted dispute between the war office and its contractor over the construction of a new infantry barracks at Maryhill in the 1870s, showing that the debate over using private expertise in public building projects is by no means a new one

GRAVEYARDS OF HOPES?

Project cataloguers Lynn Bruce and Olivia Howarth explore the reality for returning ex-servicemen and their families after the Great War through the Scottish World War I Pension Appeal Tribunal Papers, held by National Records of Scotland

THE MEIC UILLEIM RISINGS

History Scotland’s consultant editor, Dr Allan Kennedy, looks at the Meic Uilleims, a family of pretenders to the Scottish throne who, styling themselves champions of Gaelic Scotland, repeatedly challenged the MacMalcolm kings in the late 12th and early 13th centuries

In the next issue of history SCOTLAND

Vol 20.1 Jan/Feb 2020 On sale: 14 Dec 2019

CHRONICLING THE CABRACH

In his latest hidden history tour, Neil McLennan visits the Cabrach in north east Scotland to see the work being done to preserve the unique history of this wild landscape, once a centre for illicit whisky distilling and smuggling

BOOKREVIEWS

The violent north?

Exploring unvoiced questions

Louise Heren explores a thought-provoking account of how Scottish sex lives have been judged and policed over the last century

DIARY DATES

Make the most of the winter season with festive events

SIR WALTER SCOTT AT MELROSE

Sir Walter Scott at Melrose by Joseph Mallord William Turner captures the novelist enjoying an evening picnic overlooking the ruins of Melrose abbey

Spotlight on…

Friends of Robert Burns Birthplace Museum

Learning opportunities

As thoughts turn to the coming winter months, Ken Nisbet of the Scottish Genealogy Society offers some suggestions for expanding your family history knowledge

AN EDINBURGH TEA MERCHANT IN CHINA

Annie Tindley introduces a volume of letters and papers that tells the story of everyday life for merchants in the early years of free trade between Britain and China, demonstrating what it was like to live and work in the treaty ports during this fast-changing era

FINAL WORD

Historian, writer and broadcaster James Crawford talks to History Scotland about his new role as 2019-20 ambassador for the Explore Your Archive campaign

Call and Response: The University of Glasgow & Slavery

Members of the public are invited to react and respond to a new exhibition at the University of Glasgow that features a selection of items with links to slavery – many of which might not at first glance seem to be related to the slave trade