Scottish History

The crew of the lighthouse ship Hesperus found Flannan Isles deserted on 26 December 1900, its three lightkeepers vanished without a trace. What could have happened to them? Our archivists looked into our records to find out 👇 bit.ly/NRSFlannanIsles

Fokker F.XXIIs of No. 1 Air Observer and Navigation School getting loaded at Prestwick, Ayrshire. The aircraft were used to drop food supplies to army camps in southwest Scotland which were cut off by snow drifts during the severe winter of 1939-40.

On 24 December 1724, Westmeath-born Major-General George Wade, MP for Bath, was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Scotland following his investigation and intelligence report on the situation in the Highlands. He took over from Lieutenant-General George Carpenter.

23 December 1745: Government highlanders commanded by Norman MacLeod of Dunvegan were defeated by a numerically superior Jacobite force led by Lord Lewis Gordon at Inverurie. Gordon's Jacobite force was predominantly lowlanders along with regular soldiers from the Royal Ecossais.

The University of Aberdeen Archaeology Department’s efforts to unveil the history of the Picts have earned them a place on the shortlist for a highly esteemed book award and will see their work showcased in two upcoming television series scottishhistory.org/news/universit…

Historic Environment Scotland has been allocated grant in aid funding of £74.2 million as part of the Scottish Government’s 2024-2025 Budget, an increase of £1.5 million compared to the previous year’s budget. scottishhistory.org/news/historic-…

The National Trust for Scotland has announced that construction work on the new Glencoe Greenway will begin this winter. The path will allow locals and visitors to walk, cycle, or wheel into the heart of the glen avoiding the verge of the A82 trunk road. scottishhistory.org/news/nts-begin…

20 December 1745: The Earl of Loudoun dispatched a force of pro-Hanoverian highlanders from Inverness under Norman MacLeod of Dunvegan, George Munro of Culcairn, and James Grant of Grant to confront Lord Lewis Gordon and his Jacobite forces at Aberdeen.

@MikeCarpenter17 @NTS_archaeology Will be for mobility scooters as well 👍

Strathyre in Winter 1938. 📷 Local & Family History Collection, AK Bell Library #ExploreYourArchive

RMS Empress of Britain arriving at Greenock on 17 December 1939 with the first Canadian soldiers to arrive in Britain. The vessel was one of four liners of Canadian troop convoy TC.1. In the background is the battlecruiser HMS Hood that escorted TC.1.

#OnThisDay in 1820, Henry Bell's pioneering paddle steamer The Comet was wrecked in choppy waters off Craignish Point, Argyll and Bute. Our latest blog tells the story of this signficant little ship, which we recently designated as a scheduled monument. blog.historicenvironment.scot/2023/12/henry-…

Five of Scotland's most 'groundbreaking' archaeological discoveries in 2023 news.stv.tv/scotland/five-…

Taigh-òsta an Rìgh, Gleann Comhann, c1950an / Kingshouse Hotel, Glen Coe, c1950s [source: @HighlandFolk]

On this crisp December morning, we share with you 'Old Greenock of Bygone Days' by Patrick Downie (1854-1945).

Royal Letter King James VI of Scotland sent this letter to George Ross of Balnagown in Dec. 1598. A Danish ship had beached close to Tain. The locals had stolen the goods, and the King demanded the Chief bring those responsible to justice.

A train stuck in a snowdrift between #Dingwall and #Foulis, December 1906 [photo: F.W. Urquhart; source: Highland Railway Society]

In early December 1745, the Earl of Loudoun marched from Inverness with a force of pro-Hanoverian highlanders to relieve Fort Augustus which was blockaded by the Jacobites. By December, Loudoun commanded around 1,300 pro-Hanoverian clansmen raised by Duncan Forbes of Culloden.