In 1779 a daring plan was hatched by American revolutionary commanders to invade the port town of Leith. The proposed ‘invasion’ formed part of an audacious campaign to take the fight to British shores as the American Revolution raged across the Atlantic. And it would be led by John Paul Jones, the Scottish-born ‘Father of … More John Paul Jones and the American ‘Invasion’ of Leith
As the saying goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day”, and the successive campaigns to control the Italian peninsula lasted several centuries. In its formative years as a republic, Rome expanded locally but its greatest weakness came in the form of natural defences. With few natural obstacles surrounding the city, an approaching enemy force could … More Rome: Origins of the Empire, Part Three
In November 1666, an army of Covenanter rebels was defeated by government troops in the Pentland Hills in what came to be known as the Battle of Rullion Green. While believed to be a small engagement, the clash occurred during a spontaneous rebellion, known as the ‘Pentland Rising’, in response to repressive policies against Presbyterian … More The Covenanter Uprising Crushed in the Pentland Hills
The life and story of Mary Queen of Scots verges on legendary. Love affairs, deceit, conspiracy, war and turmoil – it’s a tale steeped in romanticism and intrigue, and one that was made for Hollywood. Reigning amidst a period of social upheaval and religious unrest, Mary Queen of Scots is often remembered for the manner … More Five Facts About Mary Queen of Scots
When King George IV landed in Leith in August 1822, his arrival marked the first visit of a monarch to Scotland since the reign of Charles II in 1651. And his visit was very well timed. … More The Royal Publicity Tour that Reignited Scotland’s National Identity
From across the sea they came. The arrival of Norsemen on our shores heralded the beginning of a new, bloody era in British history. … More Land of Hope and Glory: Vikings and Saxon England
For the majority of Scottish monarchs, the end of their reign was marked by death. The reign of Constantine II is somewhat of an outlier in this sense, ending when the king abdicated to become a monk. … More Constantine II: The Scottish King Who Became a Monk
In September 1736, John Porteous, Captain of Edinburgh’s City Guard, was lynched by an angry mob of local residents. Overpowered and taken from the Tolbooth prison, Captain Porteous was dragged through the streets of the Old Town to the Grassmarket, where he was eventually hanged. This gruesome incident marked the climax of what came to … More The Story of the Edinburgh Lawman Lynched by an Angry Mob
The Quintinshill rail disaster in 1915 claimed more than 220 lives, including 216 soldiers from ‘Leith’s Own’ 7th Royal Scots. … More The WW1 Rail Disaster that Devastated the Community of Leith
On 2nd March 1938, Scottish woman Jessie Jordan was arrested on charges of espionage. An inconspicuous hairdresser living in Dundee, it would transpire that Jordan was in fact a spy for German military intelligence service, the Abwehr. Jordan’s arrest had wide-reaching implications, not least for British intelligence services, and led to the exposure of a … More The Story of Jessie Jordan, a Dundee Hairdresser Exposed as a German Spy