Why is the image of a lion so prevalent in Scottish Clan heraldry? Why would a beast that was never native to Scotland feature so heavily? The image of the lion in art and culture dates back to pre history and cave paintings. Our ancient ancestors who’s story began in Africa would have admired these […]
We have just returned from two amazing weeks spent in Barcelona, Spain. We enjoyed the comfort of a family home during our stay and on our return were welcomed back to our home with a bottle of wine and a box of chocolates, our house all neat and tidy (not like we normally leave it […]
Recently I was reading an article on James VI of Scotland, Who became James I after the Union of the Crowns. I was reminded of a piece I had read some time ago by an Anglo Welsh historian called James Howell. Howell was possibly the first ever professional English language writer and grew up around […]
We are just back from a trip to Iceland, don’t travel abroad much so was quite wide eyed with the relatively new experience. As the plane approached Iceland we could see hot springs spouting up from the volcanic landscape. The plane comes into land. We are in Iceland – the airport greets us with massive […]
16th century Scotland was a dangerous place for those in the higher echelons of society. Apart from the likelihood of dying on the battlefield or being murdered as the result of a local feud, it was not uncommon to fall foul of the executioner’s axe. Death by execution was quite a common occurrence and was […]
The Most Ancient and Noble Order of the Thistle is one of the oldest orders in the United Kingdom; its conference is in the personal gift of the sovereign and not under advice from her government; and has a very exclusive and limited membership. Earlier this month a new knight was added: Prince William, Earl […]
Until relatively recently rural Scotland was dominated by a narrow clique of aristocrats and landowners; some of whom with titles, deeds and rights stretching back centuries. Often living in castles and mansion houses, these men owned vast tracts of land, counted in the hundreds of thousands of acres; dominated the local political environment and controlled […]
In June 1912 a flotilla of small boats sailed away from the tiny island of Mingulay, the boats carried a handful of crofters and their families and marked the end of over a thousand years of island history. The island of Mingulay forms part of the Bishop Islands, a small collection of islands that lie […]
While doing a little bit of research the other day I came across the story of a very interesting Scottish character Arthur Furguson. Here is his story: One sunny morning in 1923 a wealthy American tourist from Iowa was standing in Trafalgar Square gazing with admiration at Nelsons Column. A very well dressed and polite […]
Disney and Pixar are about to release a blockbuster animation that’s set in Scotland entitled ‘Brave’. But if a recent trailer that was released on Youtube is anything to go by it looks like they might need to do a wee bit more research or run the risk of having more than a few angry […]
