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Editorial
Online publication covering Scottish history, heritage and archaeology. Featuring articles, reviews, latest book releases, places to visit, events and more. mail@scottishhistory.org
News
HES to develop Risk Register to tackle heritage skills crisis
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is collaborating with the Institute of Conservation (Icon) and various partners to establish a new risk register aimed at identifying traditional building and heritage skills that are in danger of...
News
HES begins conservation work at Caerlaverock Castle
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) announced on 24 February that conservation works have begun at Caerlaverock Castle in Dumfries and Galloway. HES stated that the castle grounds, exhibition and visitor centre will remain open while...
News
Auchindoun Castle reopens to the public
The 15th-century Auchindoun Castle in Moray has once again opened its doors to the public after undergoing high-level masonry inspections and necessary repairs.
The High-Level Masonry Programme has emerged from continuous risk evaluations and sample...
News
Views sought on new Royal Oak memorial
Community leaders in Orkney are seeking opinions regarding a proposed memorial complex dedicated to one of the most significant tragedies of the Royal Navy in the 20th Century. The sinking of the battleship HMS...
Resources
Lowland Clearances
The Lowland Clearances (1760s–1830s) emerged as a significant consequence of the Scottish Agricultural Revolution, which transformed the longstanding agricultural practices that had been prevalent in Lowland Scotland during the seventeenth century.
A considerable number of...
News
NTS launches Storm Éowyn appeal
The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) has launched an appeal to help support emergency work that is needed to deal with the destruction caused by Storm Éowyn at dozens of NTS sites across the...
Resources
Highland Clearances
The Highland Clearances, often incorrectly linked to the aftermath of the Jacobite Rising of 1745, saw Scottish landlords and clan chiefs forcibly remove a considerable number of their tenants from the Scottish Highlands and...
Scottish History Books
Not A Foot Back
Amidst the rapid advance of Nazi forces through France and Belgium in May 1940, one battalion stood firm against overwhelming odds. The 2nd Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers, though significantly outnumbered and outgunned, demonstrated unparalleled...
Events
Exhibition celebrating Scotland from the sky opens at Fort George
An exhibition titled 'Celebrating Scotland’s Landscapes' opened at Fort George, near Inverness, on 17 January and offers a unique perspective of Scotland by presenting aerial imagery from the National Collection of Aerial Photography (NCAP)....
News
HES begins high-level masonry inspections at Dunfermline Abbey
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has announced that high-level masonry inspections to review the historic fabric at Dunfermline Abbey and Palace have begun.
Given the extensive size of the site, specialized teams are employing various techniques...
Scottish History Books
Scotland’s Contribution to Naval and Military Medicine and Surgery
From the early 18th century, Scotland became a significant producer of medical graduates, many of whom served in the armed forces. This book details the contributions of these physicians to military and naval medicine...
Scottish History Blog
New Edinburgh History of Scotland
The New Edinburgh History of Scotland consists of ten volumes that examine the evolution of Scotland as a political entity from its earliest days to contemporary times. Each volume integrates a chronological narrative with...
News
HES awards funding for new research on the Sanday Wreck
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has allocated £21,000 to Wessex Archaeology and Dendrochronicle for the purpose of conducting further investigations into the Sanday Wreck, a well-preserved section of shipwreck timbers that was uncovered on Sand...
News
New display of the Lewis chess pieces at the National Museum of Scotland
The famous Lewis chess pieces are now on display from a new perspective at the National Museum of Scotland.
As some of the most recognized objects in Scotland's most popular visitor attraction, ten of...
News
Bannockburn proposals deemed to be ’unacceptable’
A professional report commissioned by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) reveals that a planning submission was made to Stirling Council for a horse-trotting track on the site of the historic Bannockburn Battlefield and...
News
Bronze Age Peebles Hoard acquired by National Museums Scotland
One of the most significant hoards ever found in Scotland has been acquired by National Museums Scotland.
The Bronze Age Peebles Hoard was discovered in the Scottish Borders by a metal detectorist in 2020....
News
Rare Roman armour goes on display at the National Museum of Scotland
An incredibly rare piece of Roman armour, which was recently reconstructed from dozens of fragments, is now being displayed in its entirety for the first time in Scotland.
The brass arm guard, dating back...
Scottish History Books
The Men of the North
The North Britons represent one of the lesser-known groups among the early medieval inhabitants of Scotland. Similar to the Picts and Vikings, they significantly influenced the development of Scottish history during the first millennium...
Scottish History Books
The Makers of Scotland
In the first millennium AD, the northern part of Britain transformed into the country we now know as Scotland.
This transformation was a gradual process marked by social and political changes driven by powerful...
Scottish History Books
Domination and Lordship
Part of the New Edinburgh History of Scotland, this volume focuses on the period usually known as the 'Making of the Kingdom' or the 'Anglo-Norman' era in Scottish history. It aims to strike a...
Scottish History Books
Strathclyde and the Anglo-Saxons in the Viking Age
This book explores the historical relationship between the kingdom of Strathclyde and Anglo-Saxon England during the Viking period from the ninth to eleventh centuries AD.
It focuses on the North Britons or 'Cumbrians', an...
News
Conservation work begins at Kisimul Castle
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has announced that essential conservation work has begun at Kisimul Castle, Barra, with the aim of addressing concerns related to the concrete and its reinforcement bars, which shifted during the...
Scottish History Books
Fairlie’s Secret War
During the Second World War, the Royal Navy’s vitally important Anti-submarine Experimental Establishment was secretly moved from Portland in Dorset to the Ayrshire village of Fairlie, to escape German bombing on the south coast....
News
Pictish ring discovered at Burghead Fort
A "remarkable" Pictish ring with an intricate setting has been discovered at Burghead Fort by a volunteer during a dig led by the University of Aberdeen.
The kite-shaped ring with a garnet or red glass...
Scottish History Books
The Lighthouse Stevensons
An exciting new edition of Bella Bathurst’s epic story of Robert Louis Stevenson’s ancestors and the building of the Scottish coastal lighthouses against impossible odds.
‘Whenever I smell salt water, I know that I am...
News
Buildings at Risk Register to be suspended following review
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has published a review of the Buildings at Risk Register (BARR), the register of historic buildings at risk in Scotland which is currently maintained by HES.
HES engaged Harlow Consultancy to...
News
New reports highlight the strength and contribution of Scotland’s historic environment
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has released a set of reports providing insights into Scotland’s historic environment sector and a framework to help drive its contribution to Scotland’s economy, communities, and net zero ambitions.
The...
News
HES seeks the public’s help following heritage crime at Kilwinning Abbey
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is asking the public for help after a heritage crime occurred at Kilwinning Abbey in Ayrshire.
A 13th-century pier, which supports the arched entrance to the abbey's southwest tower, was damaged....
News
Galloway Hoard urn originated in Iran
Experts have revealed that a lidded urn which was part of the Galloway Hoard discovered in 2014 originated in modern-day Iran
The silver vessel was still wrapped in ancient textiles and was found to contain...
Scottish History Books
The Battle of Largs
Over the last seven hundred and sixty years, tales about the Battle of Largs have been many and varied.
From the very first Norse Saga to famous Scottish Historians it is a story that has...
Events
Siege on the Forth event returns to Blackness Castle
Historic Scotland's 'Siege on the Forth' event is set to return to Blackness Castle on Saturday 7 September and Sunday 8 September. This historic landmark, famously referred to as the 'ship that never sailed,'...
On this day in Scottish History
21 August
21 August 1689: At the battle of Dunkeld the Jacobites under the command of Brigadier-General Alexander Cannon attacked a Scottish government force of Cameronians, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel William Cleland, in and around the town...
Events
Meet Scottish poet Robert Fergusson on the 250th Anniversary of his death
The Real Mary King’s Close, one of Edinburgh’s most iconic historic sites, is proud to announce an exciting new experience as part of its 2024 calendar: Meet the Poet: Robert Fergusson. This special event...
On this day in Scottish History
19 August
19 August 1745: The Jacobite standard was raised at Glenfinnan at the head of Loch Shiel in Lochaber, marking the beginning of the Jacobite Rising of 1745.
News
Dallas Dhu Distillery to reopen as a working distillery
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has announced that the Dallas Dhu distillery in Moray Speyside will reopen as a working distillery.
Aceo Distillers Company Limited (Aceo) will be taking over the management of the distillery...
Scottish History Books
Old Ways New Roads
Old Ways New Roads draws on the output of key travellers – from soldiers, surveyors and scholars to artists, writers and leisure tourists – to consider the connections between the military occupation of 18th-century...
On this day in Scottish History
19 May
19 May 1746: Captain John Fergusson of the Furnace and Captain Robert Duff of the Terror anchored in Loch nan Uamh and put ashore 120 sailors and Argyllshire militia to burn the house of...
On this day in Scottish History
18 May
18 May 1689: At Dalcomera, where the River Spean meets the River Lochy in Lochaber, James VII and II's highland army mustered under the command of John Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee. It marked...
On this day in Scottish History
17 May
17 May 1654: While campaigning in Perthshire during the Earl of Glencairn's Rising, General George Monck issued orders from Cardross House ordering woodland near Aberfoyle to be cut down as it was giving "great...
On this day in Scottish History
16 May
16 May 1689: In the first military engagement of the Jacobite Rising of 1689, Scottish government forces attacked around 300 Jacobites on Loup Hill at the western end of West Loch Tarbert in northern...