News: February/March 2007

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Scotland's Rural Past Project

Vounteers are required in many regions of Scotland to take part in an important project to record and research the numerous abandoned settlements. Volunteers joining the project will have the opportunity to do historical research, and learn valuable new techniques and skills with which to explore historic rural settlements. See Full News Story

Programme of events to mark the Tercentenary of the Anglo-Scottish union 1707 at the University of Edinburgh

Debating the Union of 1707
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
6.00pm
McEwan Hall, Bristo Square

Speakers:
Dr Karin Bowie, University of Glasgow
Prof Allan Macinnes, University of Aberdeen
Dr Alex Murdoch, University of Edinburgh
Prof Chris Whatley, University of Dundee
Prof Christopher Smout, Historiographer Royal in Scotland, Chair.

_______

Union and Empire: Good for Scotland?
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
McEwan Hall, Bristo Square
6.00pm

Speakers:
Professor Tom Devine, University of Edinburg
h Dr Richard Holloway, Chairman, Creative Scotland, Chair

_______

The death of Unionism? Nationalism and Devolution since ca 1960
Tuesday, 13 March, 2007
6.00 pm

McEwan Hall, Bristo Square

Speakers:
Prof. Bill Miller, University of Glasgow
Dr Tam Dalyell, Former Rector, University of Edinburgh,
Chair
Contact details: you can book online at www.ed.ac.uk

_______

Where stands the Union now?
Tuesday, 17 April, 2007
Assembly Hall
6.00 pm

Speakers:
Professor John Curtice, University of Strathclyde
Professor Charlie Jeffery, University of Edinburgh
Mr Allan Massie, Author and Commentator
Harry Reid, Journalist and Author
Dr Magnus Linklater, Journalist and Author, Chair

Contact details: you can book online at www.ed.ac.uk

CALL FOR PAPERS

Inexhaustible Abundance?
Environmental History, Educators and Sustainable Development

University of Stirling, 23-24 March 2007.

The terms 'sustainability' and 'sustainable development' are currently two of the most contentious global issues in relation to energy issues. Although it has been recognised that current energy trends are unsustainable, little agreement has been reached about how present energy consumption can be satisfied without compromising the power requirements of future generations. In spring 2007 the Centre for Environmental History at the University of Stirling, jointly with the Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for History, Classics & Archaeology, will host a conference which will bring together many of the parties who have either experience of, or interest in, these topics. The conference will be held over 2 days and the overarching themes, involving keynote speakers, invited papers, and discussion will be the development of research, teaching and dissemination in the field of environmental history and sustainable development.

If you are interested either in offering a paper or in receiving further information about the conference please contact:

Dr Alasdair Ross, Environmental History Research Centre
University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA

E-mail: alasdair.ross@stir.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 1786 466250 Fax: +44 (0) 1786 466251

HIGHLAND 2007

2007 is the Year of Highland Culture with thousands of cultural and heritage events to be held throughout the year. There will be several major exhibitions, a conference and summer school

Fonn's Duthchas: Land and Legacy is a special touring exhibition designed to celebrate Highland 2007. Drawn from the collections of National Museums Scotland, National Library of Scotland and National Galleries of Scotland, the exhibition uses iconic objects, paintings and manuscripts to highlight a rich and diverse Highland culture. Unusual objects will be on display such as a sporran with concealed pistols which would be fired to ward off attackers. The latter item was viewed by Sir Walter Scott and inspired him to allocate such an exploding sporran to his hero Rob Roy:

The exhibition looks at the Highlands and Islands today as well as exploring clans, war, religion, land issues, music and language. The exhibition opens at Inverness Museum and Art Gallery on the 13 January and travel to, Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery in Glasgow, the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh and the Museum nan Eilean in Stornoway.

A smaller satellite exhibition - Duthchas, Legacy, will tour six further venues throughout the Highlands and Islands during 2007 showcasing the work of artists who take inspiration from their Highland surroundings.

Exhibitions on George Bain and the Celtic Art Revival

Groam House Museum, Rosemarkie has planned an exciting exhibition programme that will celebrate both the Year of Highland Culture and the life and work of George Bain

George Bain - Highland Homecoming, brings together selected items from the museum’s own collection of Bain’s works with previously unseen items to a variety of Highland Galleries.

Reflecting the ancient influences that informed Bain’s Mastery of Celtic Art, Groam House Museum will also host a year long exhibition of his work - Theory into Practice: George Bain and the Celtic Art Revival - amidst the Museum’s collection of sculptured Pictish stones and accompanied by decorated metalwork and jewellery objects, specially loaned by the National Museums of Scotland.

Exhibition Dates
Swanson Gallery, Thurso 24th Feb – 24th March 2007

St. Fergus Gallery, Wick 31st March - 21st April 2007

Iona Gallery, Kingussie 28th April - 26th May 2007

Groam House Museum 1st May 2007 – 2008

Glenurquhart Community
School, Drumnadrochit 2nd June - 22nd September

Timespan, Helmsdale 29th September – (TBC)

For further information please
http://www.groamhouse.org.uk

NEW WEBSITES

New Medieval Scottish history website

There is a new website for people interested in medieval Scottish history, hosted by the University of Glasgow’s new Centre for Scottish and Celtic Studies. Just point your browser to

http://www.arts.gla.ac.uk/scottish studies/charters/index.htm,

which is the new online home of the Syllabus of Scottish Cartularies series, a long-running project of the Scottish Medievalists. The ‘Syllabus’ is a guide to one of medieval Scotland’s most important resources - its charters. You can now download the handlists that accompany the cartularies of Glasgow, St Andrews, Kelso, Paisley, Holyrood, and several others, for free. Also online is Norman Shead’s new handlist of all episcopal charters in Scotland up to circa 1250, and these will soon be joined by Elsa Hamilton’s Calendar of the Charters of the Earls of Dunbar, and Matthew Hammond’s list of private charters. You will also find a useful page of links to nearly 100 websites of interest, including libraries and archives, online tools, societies and organisations, as well as research projects and journals. Any feedback on this site is welcome and should be sent to: m.hammond@history.arts.gla.ac.uk

NAS launches new education website

http://www.scottisharchiveforschools.org

Recently the National Archives of Scotland launched its new education website Scottish Archives for Schools (SAfS) Designed for use in primary and secondary schools, the SAfS website contains on-line resources, details of SAfS publications and the educational workshop programme for 2007. In addition to resources on the Wars of Independence and the Union of the Crowns, the latest resource, 'Leaving it all behind: the impact of war on servicemen, their families and society', was made available in November 2006. It addresses the ethics of war, drawing on the wills and correspondence of servicemen from WW1 and WW2.

Suffragette Exhibition

The suffragette movement in Scotland will be the focus of an exhibition at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh this winter.

“If I can’t vote, I don’t count “ will look at how women in Scotland gained support for their campaign for the vote, and the sense of achievement when the law was finally changed.

The free exhibition opens on 15 December and will run until 9 March 2007, and can be seen in the main hall of the Holyrood building, at the foot of Edinburgh's Royal Mile.

The women’s suffrage movement in Scotland was diverse. By 1914, there were organisations across the country, from Shetland to Kirkcudbright.

Among the events reflected in the exhibition is the march by women from Edinburgh to London in October 1912. An estimated 10,000 spectators gathered at the start of the march. The secretary of the Scottish Council of the Women's Freedom League, Anna Munro (pictured right) was one of those who walked the whole route, while many women joined for sections of the march.

As well as rare archive materials, documents and objects sourced from the National Museums of Scotland and the National Archives of Scotland, the display will also feature present day video interviews with a cross section of MSPs on the subject of women’s rights.

Curator of the Scottish Screen Archive Wins Bafta

The archival community has received great recognition from the film and television industry following the recent BAFTA success of one of its own.

Janet McBain, Curator of the Scottish Screen Archive, has won the award for Outstanding Achievement in Film at the Lloyds TSB BAFTA Scotland Awards 2006, which took place in November 2006

Highlighted for the Archive Awareness campaign, McBain’s win represents a great boost to the archive sector.

The Scottish Screen Archive is a unique and widely used collection of over 32, 000 films and videocassettes. Scotland’s rich screen heritage includes everything from documentary, industrial and educational films to shorts, promotional and amateur footage.

http://www.scottish-screen.com

Archive Awareness is an ongoing campaign aiming to reveal the treasures of the nation’s archives. Throughout autumn there are hundreds of events taking place in archives across the UK and Ireland as part of this year’s Archive Awareness Campaign. To find out what is going on in your local archive visit

http://www.archiveawareness.com

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