John Paul Jones and the American ‘Invasion’ of Leith

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

Rome: Origins of the Empire, Part Three

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

The Covenanter Uprising Crushed in the Pentland Hills

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 Story of the Edinburgh Lawman Lynched by an Angry Mob

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 Story of Jessie Jordan, a Dundee Hairdresser Exposed as a German Spy

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