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A busy year - so far!

3/10/2016

I am very conscious that the site has not been updated much recently. The very positive explanation is that I have been very busy.

The year started out with a big research programme for Historic Environment Scotland on Linlithgow Palace - concentrating on how it was used rather than on structure. And there were certainly some interesting findings.

Then came another palace - this time Falkland for the National Trust for Scotland - and that has just gone in. Some new material there too - especially for the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Both those will actually be used in connection with other, ongoing studies - it's when it is all put together that things get really interesting.

And meanwhile (lectures through the summer to one side) I have been asked to write 'a chapter' on farming in the Stirling area 1500 to 1750. The greatest difficulty about that is squeezing the vast mass of diverse information into the space allowed. Especially when, as I started to ponder it, I was tempted to go back to the Archives and have dug up yet more information - some of which is forcing me to revise some of the old ideas.

Of course, not use whatever just regurgitating the old ideas, what we have known for years. So, 'a challenge' - as they say!

And there will be another update, fairly soon. Some new 'news' to announce. Perhaps next week?

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Bannockburn 2014

11/5/2016

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Just when you thought it was safe to raise your head, here it comes again!

The seven hundredth anniversary of the battle in 2014 resulted in a good deal of noise - and some real, concrete research.

I was pleased to be involved in some of that, specifically work on the landscapes of the battle working with Dr Richard Tipping of Stirling University and others.

The results of our labours - most visibly manifest in the 'Battle Map' over which the mock battle is now fought at the new Bannockburn Heritage Centre - have now appeared in the form of a chapter in a newly published book.

Richard Tipping, Aden Beresford, Gordon Cook, Derek Hamilton, John G. Harrison, Jason Jordan, Paul Ledger, Dmitri Mauquoy, John McArthur, Stuart Morrison, Danny Paterson, Nicola Russell and David Smith, 2016. 'Landscape Dynamics and Climate Change as Agents at the Battle of Bannockburn' 111-128, in M. Penman (ed) 2016, Bannockburn, 1314-2014: Battle & Legacy, Proceedings of the 2014 Stirling Conference, Shaun Tyas, Donington.

One of the things which struck me at the time - and strikes even more forcibly now - is that the battle was not just the events on the two days in 1314 nor just the political and military consequences which flowed directly from those two days. It continues to have cultural significance to this day. That is one of the aspects which is brought out in the book, with chapters ranging across topics such as the significance of Stirling Castle in the battle, recruitment to the English army and the continuing memorialisation of the battle both at the 'site' and in books and publications.

This, as you would expect, is a serious academic tome (and costs £35 though it should soon be available in libraries). Let's hope that it's ideas get into wider circulation and begin to inform some of the more 'popular' histories and tales about the battle!

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History Scotland Article

17/4/2016

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It's been a long time since the last blog post - and the excuse must be the best one, that I have been very busy indeed. In fact, with a major job taking up the first three months of the year, and another one waiting to follow on its heels, there has been little breathing space.
But, some time ago, I was asked to write a piece about the Stirling Castle Palace Project. And, as I had some new 'thoughts' on sixteenth century Scots court protocol, I agreed.

The piece is now 'out' in History Scotland Magazine - an important vehicle for communicating with a general interest audience. So, if the relationship of politics, culture and architecture are 'your thing', take a look at John G Harrison, 'Some aspects of royal life in 16th century Scotland', History Scotland, Volume 16 (3) May/ June 2016.

I just re-read it - and it's surprisingly interesting!

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'With Thy Towers High'; The Archaeology of Stirling Castle and Palace

13/11/2015

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Lunch in Edinburgh today with my old friend Dennis who presents me with my brand-new copy of this new volume. It covers the excavations and survey work at the castle over the period 1992-2011. It puts them into the context of the changing story of the castle itself, its parts and landscapes; and it relates them to the uses of the castle, particularly as a royal residence and a later fortress.
It is a specialist publication, with chapters on a range of technical aspects. But it is very nicely produced (by Historic Scotland) and astonishingly modestly-priced.

Gordon Ewart & Dennis Gallagher, 2015. 'With Thy Towers High': The Archaeology of Stirling Castle and Palace, Historic Scotland, Archaeology Report no 9, Edinburgh.

You can get all the details here.

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Scottish Vernacular Buildings Group Conference in Stirling on 3 Oct

18/9/2015

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I have been a member of this Group for 'longer than I care to remember'. This year, for the first time in a long time, the AGM and Conference are in Stirling. The theme is 'building materials' and I will be speaking on the building materials of early-modern Stirling.
It's to be held in Cowane's Hospital (beside the kirk). I gather that there are still a few places left so, though the formal period is past, you might still be able to book. Find all the details and the booking form here.

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Broad Street, Stirling

9/8/2015

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Today, I opened volume 38 of Vernacular Building, the annual journal of the Scottish Vernacular Building Group. The first thing to catch my eye was a familiar drawing on the front cover of houses which used to stand on Stirling's Broad Street, till demolished in the 1920s.

On opening the volume I found an interesting article by John R Hume entitled 'Houses in Broad Street, Stirling' pp. 99-115.

The article is a 'must read' for anyone interested in the Scots urban vernacular and particularly, of course, for myself, who have written about parts of this row of houses in the past (indeed, John cites one of my papers).

Most of these houses, sad to say,were demolished in the 1920s, though some facades etc remain further up the street.

John says;
"Even in its altered state, the north side of Broad Street is one of the finest ensembles of burgh buildings in Scotland and the photographs suggest that before the 1924 demolitions it could claim to be the very finest, both in terms of the quality and interest of the individual buildings and of the ensemble as a whole."

This is not a judgement I am likely to dispute!

I wish I could be confident that such destruction was safely in the past. But, with the demolition of Forthside House just a few years ago and the creation of intrusive 'hard standing' on a green field right below Stirling Castle, such confidence would be misplaced!

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Forth Naturalist and Historian - new online material

5/8/2015

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The Forth Naturalist and Historian has been publishing important information about the history, wildlife and archaeology of the Stirling area since 1976.
A few years ago, many of the old volumes were scanned and put online for free, in word-searchable format.
Now, thanks to generous grants from The Mercers' Company and The Marc Fitch Fund, the balance (except for the last few volumes) have also been launched.
At the same time, two larger and more general volumes have been published;
The Stirling Region (edited by Timms) (1976) and
Central Scotland, Land, Wildlife, People (edited Corbett and Dix)
You can now download all this material from the FNH website

http://www.fnh.stir.ac.uk/journal/back_issues/index.php

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The mythical Battle of Airthrey

28/9/2014

Over the years, I have tried to reply to hundreds of enquiries, from professionals and others, about a range of Scots historical topics. Sometimes I am stopped in the street, sometimes people write or email or phone. I try to be helpful and clear and most people appreciate that. But a few, a very few ...

My reply to a telephone enquiry about the Battle of Airthrey was more or less as is set out here, though without the references, of course. To my surprise I now hear, via another enquiry, that I am credited with supporting the idea that such a battle took place. That is far from the truth.

The Battle of Airthrey is a myth. There is no reason to believe that such a battle took place. And, even if there was a battle between the Picts and the Scots around the year 840 AD, it was not the decisive event which gave rise to modern Scotland.

You can read some of the evidence here and get further detail via the references. The story could be amplified - but more evidence will not make the battle more real.

Note that this story is about myth-making, not about 9th century Scotland!

Vernacular Buildings - a new publication

26/8/2014

It was whilst working on the landscapes of the Battle of Bannockburn that I discovered a document, in the National Records of Scotland, which described the buildings of the Bannockburn estate in the early eighteenth century.

The document was compiled following the forfeiture of Sir Hugh Paterson of Bannockburn for his involvement in the 1715 Jacobite rising. As such, it is one of many surveys of forfeited estates at the time - but seems to be the only one which has such a detailed description.

Most (though not all) of the buildings are described as being built of stone and mud, most were thatched with straw and in some cases further structural details are given.

It was immediately obvious that, with around 100 buildings described, it was an important document, joining earlier hints of the importance of clay build in the Stirling area.

My paper on this topic has just appeared as 'Clay and the Buildings of the Bannockburn Estate in 1716' Vernacular Building, volume 37, 73-86. I have also included a brief outline of the economic developments of the immediate area at the time of the survey, including the development of new markets and fairs and the existence of coal, lime and stone workings; these are crucial parts of the context of the buildings themselves.

It is particularly gratifying to see it appear in a volume commemorating the work of the late Sandy Fenton, whose work on vernacular buildings in general (and clay build in particular) was so important.

Stirling's Early-Modern Gardens

17/11/2013

Saturday 16th Nov was the annual Forth Naturalist and Historian Conference. This year, with the focus on wildlife, it drew the biggest audience for several years. But the focus was also on change, particularly over the last 40 years or so, since the journal Forth Naturalist and Historian, began to appear. And, in that sense, all the papers were historical. I found it fascinating to see detailed examples of how human activities impact in such different ways on a wide variety of taxa and species.

The event also saw the launch of Volume 36 of Forth Naturalist and Historian which includes a paper I have intended to write for years on Stirling's early-modern gardeners and their gardens.

It starts by discussing what gardens (very valuable assets in the 17th and 18th centuries) can reveal about the development of the town plan. But most of the paper is devoted to the produce - fruit and vegetables, salads, herbs and such important incidentals as honey and wax from bees; and there were also flowers so that, though most gardens were utilitarian, there was also an element of delight.

Perhaps surprisingly, many of the best-documented gardens were commercial enterprises run by 'market gardeners' who probably managed several gardens at the same time.

Of course, the journal includes many other papers, including Digney and Jones on the recent survey work at the King's Knot. the history of botanical discoveries at Ben Lawers and an interesting item on prehistoric pottery found in the King's Park earlier this year; there are also some intriguing looking wildlife papers.

It usually takes a week or two for copies of the journal (£10) to be distributed to the University bookshop and the Smith Museum. For details see the website; http://www.fnh.stir.ac.uk/journal/index.php

Gravestone of John Simpson, gardener, one of those discussed in the paper.

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John G Harrison is a historian, working on a wide range of topics related to Scottish history, from architecture to wildlife. Take a scroll through the site to find out more. And feel free to contact John or to comment via the blog.

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