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
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
Fought on the 17th January 1746, the Battle of Falkirk Muir marked an impressive victory for the Jacobite cause, but one that would have little impact on the eventual outcome of the conflict. … More The Battle of Falkirk Muir: A ‘Hollow Victory’ for the Jacobite Cause
The Massacre of Tranent started as a protest against the conscription of working-class Scottish men but quickly boiled over into violence. … More The Massacre of Tranent: When Defiant Miners Faced British Dragoons
The island of Inchkeith boasts a peculiar and chequered history. During both world wars, this craggy outcrop in the Firth of Forth formed part of a defensive network which protected shipping and kept watch for elusive German U-boats. Featuring bunkers, artillery positions and anti-aircraft guns, the island was a fortress and would likely have been … More The Bizarre Inchkeith Language Experiment Commissioned by King James IV
On 31st January 1918, Royal Navy vessels sailing from Rosyth meandered their way through thick fog toward the North Sea.
While the battlegroup passed the Isle of May, five disastrous collisions occurred which sank two British submarines and caused damage to three more. … More Tragedy at Sea: The ‘Battle’ of May Island, 1918
Earlier this month I spent a weekend much like any other during this past year and half, meandering around Edinburgh and exploring its many nooks and crannies. On this occasion, I found myself in Portobello, located in the north east of Edinburgh on the coast. While walking along the beach I recalled seeing peculiar photographs … More Fire in the Skies Above: The Battle of the River Forth, 1939
Scottish history is rich, vibrant and littered with colourful tales of bravery, deceit, violence and lust. It is no surprise that George RR Martin drew some inspiration from it.
There are many tales from Scotland’s past that aren’t immortalised in fantasy fiction, however, yet they are every bit as brutal and harrowing. … More Fact or Fiction? 5 of the Darkest Events in Scottish History
Every year on 5th November, the skies above Britain are awash with colour as thousands of fireworks let out their brief, explosive bursts of light. Bonfires burn and Brits young and old recall the rhyme, “Remember, remember, the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and plot”. The Gunpowder Plot reads like your quintessential Hollywood blockbuster; a … More Kings, Queens & Treacherous Schemes: The Gunpowder Plot
On the 26th October 1859, one of the fiercest storms of the 19th century raged in the Irish Sea, leaving behind a trail of destruction stretching from Devon to the west coast of Scotland. The Royal Charter Storm, also known as the Great Storm of 1859, claimed the lives of more than 800 people, twice … More The Royal Charter Storm: The Storm That Transformed Weather Forecasting