On this day in 1999, the reconvened Scottish Parliament was officially opened.
After a devolution referendum showed resounding support for the reconvening of the Scottish parliament, plans were put into motion for the creation of such a body. The parliament would sit in the Church of Scotland Assembly Hall in Edinburgh. Elections were held on May 1 1999 and the first sitting of the body took place on May 12 of that year. The official opening on July 1 saw the Queen transfer full constitutional powers to Edinburgh.
This date in July 1731 saw the birth of Admiral Adam Duncan, the Scottish sailor.
A native of Dundee, Duncan was born into a mercantile family but left home at fifteen to become a midshipman in the navy. Duncan went on to command 'HMS Blenheim' at the relief of Gibraltar in October 1782, but his greatest moment was the victory over the Dutch at the battle of Camperdown in 1797.
Camperdown was a disaster for the Dutch, with their fleet being crushed and their commander, Admiral de Winther, being captured. Duncan returned to great acclaim and was awarded the title of Viscount Duncan of Camperdown.
On this day in 1884 Allan Pinkerton, the Scottish-born detective, died.
The son of a Glasgow policeman, Pinkerton trained as a cooper before emigrating to the USA in 1842. Rumour has it that he fled for fear of imminent arrest. After serving as a sheriff in Chicago, he set up the Pinkerton detective agency. He was responsible for guarding Abraham Lincoln and saved him from assassination in 1861. Pinkerton also served as chief of US Secret Service during the American Civil War.
The Pinkerton company logo was "We Never Sleep", and emblazoned above the logo on the company headquarters was a huge black and white eye, which gave rise to the expression private eye. _________________ FOA BOB -
On 2 July 1903 Scottish Conservative policitian, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, was born.
The aristocrat, who entered No.10 from the Lords and lasted less than a year, was the last Premier to "emerge" from a mysterious system of consultations dubbed the 'Magic Circle'. His appointment, on the advice of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan from his hospital bed, caused a furore. Two leading Tories refused to serve in his administration and he later scrapped the appointment process, introducing leadership election ballots. He was the only man since the Marquess of Salisbury in 1895 to become Premier from the House of Lords. He resigned his six peerages just four days later and, after a by-election, returned to the Commons as MP for Kinross and West Perthshire. His short-lived period of office lasted less than a year from October 1963 to October 1964, spanning the period of the assassination of US President, John F.Kennedy. Following his resignation, he took the title, Lord Home of the Hirsel.
On this day in 1938 Sir John Burnett, the renowned Scottish architect, died. His most famous commissions include the Royal Institute of Fine Arts; the Alhambra, and the Athenaeum, all in Glasgow, and the the North front of the British Museum, the Institute of Chemistry, and the extenstion to Selfridges, all in London. _________________ FOA BOB -
On this day in 1728 Robert Adam, the Scottish architect, furniture and interior designer, was born.
Adam is regarded as a leading exponent of the neoclassical revival in the latter part of the 18th Century. As equally well-regarded for the interior designs of his buildings as the exteriors, the Old Quad of the University of Edinburgh is a good example of his work in Scotland.
Billy Liddell
On 3 July 2001 Billy Liddell, the Scottish international footballer, died.
During his career with Liverpool during the 1940-50s he scored 229 times in 537 games for the club. He also played for Scotland 28 times and was one of only two players who appeared in the Great Britain side that faced a team from the rest of Europe in both 1947 and 1955, the other being Stanley Matthews.
On 3 July 1883, the Clyde shipyards suffered their worst accident when the SS Daphne capsized at her launch.
The packet steamer had been built by the Linthouse yard of Alexander Stephen and Sons and immediately sank into the River Clyde, taking the lives of the 195 workmen on board. It was later discovered that the 460-ton ship had little stability when it was launched, and rolled over forty-five degrees, taking huge amounts of water through a large deck opening. _________________ FOA BOB -
On 5 July 1530 Border reiver, John Armstrong of Gilnockie, and 50 of his men were hanged for blackmail by James V.
Armstrong was a well-known laird in the Borders area, and although a frequent marauder in England, he is not known to have attacked in Scotland. However, his wealth and power in a troublesome region brought the resentment of James V. Armstrong was tricked into attending a royal hunt only to be seized on his arrival. He faced the king, and volubly remonstrated with him that he had "asked grace at a graceless face".
Legend has it that the trees at Carnlanrig, where Armstrong and his followers were hanged, withered, and none have grown there since. _________________ FOA BOB -
On 6 July 1747 Scottish naval figure, John Paul Jones, was born.
He was born John Paul in a small, white-washed cottage at Arbigland near Kirkbean, Kircudbrightshire. Regarded as the founder of the American navy, Jones became an American national hero during the War of Independence. As captain of the "Bonhomme Richard", on 23 September 1779, he scored one of America's greatest sea victories against Britain when he attacked a Baltic merchant fleet protected by the British warships, "HMS Serapis" and "HMS Countess of Scarborough". When he was asked "Do you ask for quarter?", he made his famous reply, "I have not yet begun to fight!". He was victorious but his ship sank two days later.
In later life he was appointed a Rear-Admiral in the Russian navy, although he was later relieved of his post after a quarrel with Catherine the Great's lover, Potemkin. _________________ FOA BOB -
On this day in 1814 the novel "Waverley", by Sir Walter Scott, was published.
Waverley was Scott's first novel, and written mainly as a way of proving himself a superior literary talent to Byron. Although it was published anonymously as a safety net against its failure, it was an open secret who the author was. Scott needn't have worried: the book was a runaway success and Scott became regarded as the leading author in Europe. _________________ FOA BOB -
On this day in 1867 Queens Park Football Club was formed, the first senior club in Scotland.
The club dominated the early days of Scottish football, supplying all 11 players to the first ever Scottish international side. With the advent of professionalism, the club determined to retain its amateur status and as a result slid down the leagues. Nicknamed the Spiders, Queen's Park are still the only amateur team in the Scottish senior football set-up, and still play their games at Hampden Park, Glasgow, the home of the Scottish national side. _________________ FOA BOB -
On 10 July 1989 Glasgow Rangers signed Maurice Johnston.
One of the last bastions of Scottish Protestant sectarianism, Rangers shocked many of its supporters when the club, under manager Graeme Souness, signed Maurice Johnston from the French club, Nantes, for £1.5m. Johnston had not only played for arch-rivals Celtic, but was the first well-known Roman Catholic player to sign for Rangers in modern times. _________________ FOA BOB -
On 11 July 1274 Robert the Bruce was born in Turnberry Castle, Ayrshire.
The heir of the Earl of Carrick, Bruce's father was one of Scotland's leading nobles and his grandfather was one of the leading contenders to the throne left empty by the death of Margaret of Norway. After the death of William Wallace, Bruce led the campaign to regain Scottish independence, culminating in his stunning victory at the Battle of Bannockburn in June 1314. _________________ FOA BOB -
On July 12 1803 Rev Thomas Guthrie, founder of the Ragged Schools, was born.
After founding a savings bank at his first parish in Angus, Guthrie, shocked by the poverty surrounding his new charge in Edinburgh's old town, founded a "Ragged School", a privately funded school intended to give the poor a good education on Protestant lines. This model was succesfully copied across the country and provided the basis for the state industrial schools. Guthrie was also active during the Disruption, becoming a leading light in the new Free Church and serving as its moderator in 1862. _________________ FOA BOB -
On this day in 1249 Alexander III, King of Scots, was crowned at Scone.
Crowned at the age of eight, Alexander ruled Scotland for 35 years. His reign became known as "The Golden Age" as it was a largely peaceful and prosperous time for the Scots, with only a minor conflict with Norway over the Inner Hebrides to mar it. The end to his reign was a disaster for the nation, however, as he died without issue, and the subsequent infighting amongst the nobility led to English overlordship. _________________ FOA BOB -
On 15 July 1914 Gavin Maxwell, the Scottish novelist and naturalist, was born.
Maxwell was born into a family of minor aristocracy and grew up in rural Wigtownshire, where he acquired a lifelong love of nature. During the war, Maxwell served as a Commando instructor on Arisaig, which fired a love for the Highlands. Following the war he turned to writing, after the failure of a basking shark fishery. He is best known as the author of 'Ring of Bright Water', a touching tale of his attempts to establish an otter sanctuary in Sandaig. _________________ FOA BOB -
On 16 July 1832 31 Shetland "sixerns" and a total of 105 crewmen were lost in a storm.
The event is still remembered as "The Bad Day". A London Distress Fund was set up and raised the sum of £3000. The money was raised for the dependants of the crofter-fishermen lost. The crew of one boat did manage a lucky escape from the storm as they were picked up by a passing American sloop. However, the Captain of the American vessel refused to alter his course to Philadelphia and so, despite passing close to Orkney, the survivors had to cross the Atlantic and endure a further six months away from home before returning. _________________ FOA BOB -
On July 17 1790 economist, Adam Smith, died in Edinburgh.
Regarded as the father of the science of Economics and author of the pioneering work, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of The Wealth of Nations, Smith was a leading exponenent of free-market economics, arguing that the "invisible hand" of self-interest guides the most efficient use of resources in an economy, and that unbridled market forces would bring about a balanced society.
On 17 July 1695 the Bank of Scotland was established under an Act of the Scottish Parliament.
Fittingly, it was a Scot, William Paterson, who founded the Bank of England, since it was an Englishman, John Holland, who was largely responsible for the foundation of the Bank of Scotland. Holland was a successful merchant in the City of London, and was responsible for drawing up the Constitution of the bank and the Act which was passed into the Statute Book. He also served as the Bank's first Governor. _________________ FOA BOB -
On 18 July 1593 King James VI was taken prisoner by the Earl of Bothwell at Holyrood.
The king remained as Bothwell's prisoner throughout July and August, as Bothwell enjoyed the support of Elizabeth of England. However, once James had managed to extricate himself from Bothwell's clutches, he determined to exact revenge, issuing a strong rebuke to Elizabeth for supporting his rival and crushing Bothwell's forces on the field of battle.
Jim Watt
July 18 1948 saw the birth of Jim Watt, Scottish boxer.
After a successful amateur career, Watt turned professional in 1968 and quickly rose to the top of the lightweight division before adding British and European titles to his collection during the 1970s. The pinnacle of his career came when he became world lightweight champion between 1979 and 1981. On his retiral Watt had won 38 of his 48 professional bouts. _________________ FOA BOB -
On 19 July 1896 AJ Cronin, the Scottish novelist, was born.
Cronin is most fondly remembered as the creator of the hugely popular character, Dr.Finlay. He also achieved acclaim as the author of the novels, The Keys to the Kingdom, The Stars Look Down and The Citadel.
The 19 July 1333 saw the Battle of Halidon Hill at Berwick, where an English army, led by Edward III and Edward Balliol, defeated the Scots forces under the command of Sir Archibald Douglas.
The defeat was mainly down to the English archers who devastated the Scottish ranks, inflicting terrible losses, including six earls, 70 barons and over 500 knights. _________________ FOA BOB -
Burns was aged only 37 at his death. The cause of death appears to have been heart failure, probably brought on by the hard physical work done in his youth. His widow, Jean Armour, gave birth to a son on the day of her husband's funeral. However, Maxwell, named after Burns's doctor, died in infancy. _________________ FOA BOB -
King Edward I of England defeated the Scots under Sir William Wallace. The defeat caused Wallace, the "Guardian of Scotland", to leave the country in self-imposed exile while the English continued to exercise overlordship.
On 22 July 1793 Alexander MacKenzie, the Stornoway-born explorer, reached the Pacific Ocean from Canada by land in the first crossing of the North American continent.
Mackenzie marked his triumph by carving the words, "Alex Mackenzie from Canada by Land 22 July 1793", on a rock.
On this day in 1902 Marion Wilberforce, the pioneering Scottish aviatrix, was born.
One of the first eight women pilots to be recruited by the Air Transport Auxiliary in 1940, her job was to fly new aircraft from the factories to the squadrons. This work was originally done by men, generally pilots who were not fully fit for operational flying and who were nicknamed "Ancient and Tattered Airmen". The women were nicknamed "Atagirls".
In order to do the job the women had to overcome the deeply ingrained sexual prejudices of men in politics and the armed forces. _________________ FOA BOB -
On July 23 1637 Jenny Geddes threw a stool at the Dean of St. Giles Cathedral, sparking the movement to the Covenant.
Geddes was objecting to the use of the new prayer book authorised by Charles I, her immortal words being "Dost thou say Mass in my lug?" There is a lot of doubt as to the veracity of the story, although it is true that the prayer book, as with all of Charles' attempts to introduce Episcopacy ino Scotland, made him hugely unpopular and led to the signing of the National Covenant in 1638. _________________ FOA BOB -
On this day in 2002 George Bruce, the Scottish poet, broadcaster and critic, died at the age of 93.
Bruce was one of the poets of the Scottish literary renaissance, initiated by Hugh MacDiarmid in the 1920s, which brought to prominence Sorley Maclean, Norman MacCaig, George Mackay Brown, Hamish Henderson and Iain Crichton Smith. He became well-known as the producer of Counterpoint, Scotland's first television arts programme.
In 1970 he left the BBC, becoming Glasgow University's first fellow in creative writing. As well as publishing poetry and anthologies, he was for 12 years a theatre and literary critic for The Sunday Times.
Over a period of 60 years he was to publish eight books of poetry in both English and Scots; he also edited six anthologies of poetry, and seven books on Scottish art and culture.
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