Scottish Journey     

You can’t turn back the clock, but you can combine the best from our more natural past with modern technology to shape the future. Its also clear that the best way forward to a sustainable future; combines a careful choice of old and new.

Did you know?...

In 1 May 1707 Scotland joined in a political union with the Kingdom of England to create a United Kingdom of Great Britain. The Kingdom of Scotland was an independent state from 843 until 1707.

Many Scots still write “Scottish”, and not “British”, in passports and hotel guest-register books.

In 1894 the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, established the international rules of golf which are still updated and amended here in agreement with the United State Golf Association. It was at St. Andrews that the prototype of what subsequently became the conventional 18-hole course was first laid out: a 9-hole course played in reverse on the return journey. Practised in Scotland since 1457, golf steadily gained in popularity; during the reign of James II it was banned as a distraction from the noble sport of archery. 

Did you know that Aberdeenshire alone had no less than three universities towards the close of the 16^th century? There was one at Fraserburgh, plus King’s and Marischal Colleges in Aberdeen itself. This was at a time when the whole of England had only two universities, namely Oxford and Cambridge.

The Scots have always been adventurers. Soldiers and merchants travelled in Europe from the very early days of the Scots nation. Then, when ships became large enough to undertake longer voyages, Scots left their homeland and became entrepreneurs and explorers, as well as simply colonists, all over the globe…

Down through the ages, the Scots have been providers of useful and influential historic breakthroughs. As a nation of inventors (penicillin, television, chloroform, the steam engine, logarithms, etc to name a few) we have given the world major practical creations.  

                       Dinna remove ancient landmarks fae oor fathers.

                           A wee keek back keeps ye on the right path.

                                   Read old books fae folks long awa'.

wildcats are the UK ’s only native cat species and they were once widespread throughout the British Isles. Now found only in remote areas of Scotland, there are an estimated 400 left in the wild, making it one of our most endangered mammals. (The survey is being run by Cairngormas National Park).

The south of Scotland is one of the few areas in which red squirrels still survive. To try to stop grey squirrels getting into this red squirrel stronghold, the organization Red Squirrels in South Scotland has been creating safe havens in the area’s woodlands. The initiative has involved the monitoring of grey squirrels encroaching on the area. It’s well known that the greys  push out the reds as they compete aggressively for food, and there is the more urgent threat that greys carry a pox virus which is fatal to reds. (Scottish Field June 2008).

 In 1848 Sir James Clark, Queen Victoria’s personal physician, had recommended the dry air of the Scottish mountains as a remedy for the rheumatism which already afflicted the young queen. 

Did you know that the first qualified doctors in the English-speaking world appeared in the early 16^th century from Aberdeen University?

In 1566, Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to James VI, who came to unite the two countries

  – England and Scotland -

Black was a very common wedding dress colour in the past. Jean Armour wore a black silk dress to marry national bard Robert burns in 1778.

The Scottish King James IV, who was crowned at scone in 1488, spoke eight languages fluently, namely English, Gaelic, Latin, French, German, Flemish, Italian, and Spanish. He was also the last monarch to speak Gaelic. 

The first Gaelic Translations of the Bible were instigated at Carnasserie by Bishop Carswell. The language Struggles to survive in Mid Argyll.

It is a remarkable fact that Argyll, in which Cowal lies, actually has a longer coastline than the whole of France; such are its twists and turns, its inlets and its lochs.

Did you know that the first book to have been printed in Scotland, a work by Chaucer, went on sale on April 4, 1508?

The firing of the one o’clock gun from the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle originated from a request by the Leith Dock Commission in 1861 to locate a time ball on top of the Nelson Monument (which was visible from the docks). Punctually every day since then (except in wartimes and on Sundays) an audible signal has boomed out across the city and simultaneously the time ball has dropped down its pole on the monument, enabling mariners of old to check their chronometers and nowadays making tourists jump visibly as they stroll along Princes Street al lunchtime.  

One of the greatest joys for any Scot is to share with the world our nation’s beauty and diversity. Scotland is a nation with its feet firmly planted in Europe, but with its mind open to the world.                              

     Alex Salmond / Scottish National Party / first elected as a member of parliament in 1987

In 1928 the forerunner of what became the Scottish National Party (SNP) was formed. In 1974, campaigning with the slogan ‘It’s Scotland’s Oil’, a reference to the rich North Sea finds, it saw support translated into 11 seats – a high point – though this figure was reduce to three during the 1980s.

We’re not really a small country, we have a mere 5 people birling around a landmass not much smaller than the space England shoe-horns 50 million into. If we ironed out our crinkly west coast, it would stretch a few thousand miles. We count castles and islands in hundreds, revenue from oil and whisky in billions – though most is pumped straight past us. Mean we certainly aren’t; there is genuine warmth in that gentle Scottish greeting, Come awa’ in.’

                 Dorothy-Grace Elder.

Did you know that the first Italians to settle in Scotland were from the Crociari region in southern Lazio and they sold -Guess what - Ice Cream!  

The number of centenarians living in Scotland has reached a record high, according to figures released recently.

The register General estimated that there were 710 people aged 100 or over in the country last year, up from just 560 in 2002.

The overwhelming number of Centenarians were female, the figures showed, with women accounting for nearly 90 per cent of all those living into an 11^th decade.

On 24 June 1314, Robert the Bruce exacts a humiliating defeat on the English army of Edward II at the Battle of Bannockburn, an act that eventually led to Scotland‘s independence from England. 

Did you know that the Bank of England was founded by Scotsman William Paterson who proposed a loan of 1.2 millions to the government?

The introduction of paper money:

John Law (1671-1729), was a great Scottish innovator. He is widely credited as having introduced paper money to the French economy. In 1700 (or thereabouts) he put his proposals to the Scottish parliament, but perhaps his ideas were too radical for the financial brains of the times. Law’s proposals were rejected, but before he left Scotland he published his book, Money and Trade considered, with a Proposal for Supplying the Nation with Money (1705).  Law’s ideas – that the French economy would be turned around through increased credit and the introduction of paper money – were understandably appealing to the beleaguered French duke, and in 1716 the Banque Gẻnẻrale was created. Laws bank was a great success. The capital was divided into shares, with banknotes promising to pay the bearer the value specified on the date of issue. By 1717 the banknotes were accepted as a means of paying taxes, and the following year Law’s bank became the Banque Royale, the notes now guaranteed by the King.

Brits are often labelled as a nation of dog-lovers. Yet in the past 30 years the number of domestic cats kept as pets has doubled.

William Wallace’s most famous victory was at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297, where, within sight of the

, Wallace’s men fell upon and defeated the opposing forces while they attempted to cross the narrow bridge.

Robert Bruce came from an old Norman family (de Brus refers to a Normandy place-name, and is often anglicised as the Bruce), and, like other Scots nobles, he played his part in the complex politics of English court life. His grandfather had been one of the original 13 claimants to the Scottish throne. He was crowned King of Scotland in 1307 and initiated a seven-year military campaign, which ended at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 with a Scots victory. Thereafter, though Scotland and England were certainly not at peace, Scotland won almost 400 years of independence.

Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-87) was queen for only seven years but played her part in a large-scale drama involving the royal houses of Scotland, France and England. Since her death more than 400 years ago, she has become perhaps the best-known figure in Scotland’s history. Mary’s father, King James V, died a week after hearing of his daughter’s birth.

Scots played an important role in the movement for the Slave trade’s abolition. Soon after the founding of the Society of the Abolition of Slavery in London in 1787, Scottish committees were being formed and Scots were campaigning hard for the end of slavery. Part of that campaign involved inviting a freed slave, Olaudah Equiano, to come to Scotland and address public meetings during the course of several weeks in 1792.  

During World War II, the Clyde still had the capacity to build 2,000 ships, repair more than 23,000 and convert hundreds more. To put it another way, the workforce built or repaired 13 ships every day for five years.

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Author: Bill Mneimneh ... Your Views!

Scottish Heritage:

The first King of a united Scotland is widely held to have been Kenneth MacAlpin, who united the Scots and Picts to become King of Scotland (as we know it) in 843 AD 

In the ancient times, the River Tay, was an important centre of royal and ecclesiastical power.

The Royal Centre and monastery was where the kings of Scotland, including MacBeth and Robert the Bruce, were crowned.

I am for Scotland that makes her own decisions, a Sovereign state that will be a voice in Europe and around the world.

              Sean Connery 

If Scotland forgets Burns, then history will forget Scotland.     

JS Blackie  (19^th Century).

Burns first attempt at romantic verse, was the love song Handsome Nell or O once I lov’d a bonnie lass, was written for Nellie Kirkpatrick, who worked with him during harvest time. In 1775 he was sent to Kirkoswald to finish his education, and met Peggy Thomson, with whom he became infatuated and to whom he dedicated the songs “ I dream’d I lay and Now westlin’ winds. Burns died in July 1796 at the age of 37.

Scotland has a rich portfolio of poetry from the verses of Sir Richard Maitland, Robert Fergusson and Gavin Dunbar in the 16^th century to the more contemporary examples of Norman McCaig, George Mackay Brown, Edwin Morgan and Alistair Reid.

Poets, by the very nature of their talent are a breed apart, yet a breed within.

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Here’s a bottle and an honest man!

What wad ye wish for mair, man?

                       Robert Burns

The ploughman poet that became

The toast of Edinburgh, Scotland and ultimately the world. He cared deeply about the lower orders in his society.)

We are blessed in Scotland with an array of ingredients that are the envy of the rest of Europe. Not just for their unquestionable quality, but for their astonishing diversity, from our seas, rivers and lochs, we enjoy lobsters, langoustines, oysters, crabs and magnificent fish, most notably, of course, the wild salmon (and consequently, smoked salmon too).

When you go to the supermarket or Small stores, don’t just grab the nearest bag of potatoes or slab of cheese – look for the Scottish Provenance: there are hundreds of Scottish produced lines in our shops nowadays. Scotland has some of the best natural produce and most skilled food and drink producers in the world. Products that stand for quality, for beautiful unspoilt landscapes, clean air, pure water and all the traditions of good, honest husbandry.

Only clean oot yer ear wi'yer elbow

One of Britain’s oldest and most distinctive breeds, with long thick hair and wide sweeping horns, Highlanders are also the hardiest domestic cattle in the world, capable of surviving harsh weather and poor grazing.

Three languages are spoken in Scotland: Gaelic, (Lowland) Scots, and English. All Gaels are bilingual. Gaelic was once the principal language over much of Scotland.

Scotland, for Queen Victoria, was love at first sight. Advised that the dry air of the Scottish mountains would do wonders for her rheumatism, she made her first visit to this neglected outpost of her reign in 1842, and instantly fell for its charms

      Silver 17th Century Suit

          The Scott Monument
 

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