Stories of Scotland

Battle of the Braes: A Fight For Crofters’ Rights

With the 140th Anniversary of the Battle of the Braes, Jenny and Annie set out to try to understand this crucial fight for land reform in Scotland. 
We look back to March 1882, when crofters of the Braes area of Skye tried to petition Lord MacDonald to let them have common grazing on the hill of Ben Lee. Lord MacDonald refuses this request, condemning the future of this crofting community into further poverty.  
Standing up for their rights, the crofters protest through a rent strike. This leads to the Battle of the Braes on 19th April 1882, a violent moment in Scotland’s complicated history with land. 
We consider how land is at the heart of economic and cultural survival for the Highlands and Islands communities, and why we should never forget the Battle of the Braes. 
You can support Stories of Scotland on Patreon! www.patreon.com/storiesofscotland
With thanks to Iona Fyfe for recording the song ‘Battle o the Braes.’
Find Iona Fyfe at https://ionafyfe.com/ 
This is the second episode of our new series, Radical Mountain Women, funded by the Royal Society of Literature. Some of the music you heard in this episode was beautifully played by Nicky Murray and Chloe Rodgers.
References:
Andy Wightman, The Poor Had No Lawyers: Who Owns Scotland and How They Got It, Birlinn, Edinburgh, 2015
‘Battle o the Braes,’ Brechin Advertiser, May 1882
Crofting Commission: https://www.crofting.scotland.gov.uk/
Ewen A. Cameron and Andrew Newby, ‘Alas, Skyemen are imitating the Irish’: A note on Alexander Nicolson's ‘Little Leaflet’ concerning the Crofters' Agitation.The Innes Review, 2004
‘Furious Attack On and By the Police,’ Dundee Courier, April 1882
James R Coul, Crofters’ Common Grazings in Scotland, The Agricultural History Review, British Agricultural History Society, 1968
John MacGrath, The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black Black Oil, Bloomsbury, 2017
Màiri Mhòr Nan Òran, Òran Beinn Lì, 1887
‘The Land Agitation in Skye,’ Inverness Courier, April 1882
‘The Revolt in Skye: Furious Fighting Between the Police and the People, Painful Scenes, Arrests of Crofters,’ Dundee Evening Telegraph, April 1882
We used digital transcripts of the Napier Commission documents, available here: https://www.uhi.ac.uk/en/research-enterprise/cultural/centre-for-history/research/research-alliances/the-napier-commission/

Salisbury Crags: Climbing in the Haar

In this episode, Annie and Jenny continue their exploration of the women found in the margins of the Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal. It’s Edinburgh in the early 1900s, and a climbing expedition up the Salisbury Crags is derailed when the public notice that there are women climbing alongside the men. Determined, the women keep climbing, but are forced to the edges of the day.
This is the beginnings of The Scottish Ladies Climbing Club, founded by Jane Inglis Clark. Jane was the definition of trailblazing and believed that everyone, regardless of gender, deserved to explore the outdoors.
The geologic significance of the Salisbury Crags as well as the ancient mythology swirling around Arthur’s seat are uncovered in this trip to Auld Reekie.
This is the second episode of our new series, Radical Mountain Women, funded by the Royal Society of Literature, and is inspired by the writing of the Scottish Mountaineering Journal. Some of the music you heard in this episode was beautifully played by Nicky Murray and Chloe Rodgers.
You can support Stories of Scotland on Patreon! www.patreon.com/storiesofscotland
References:
Karen Stockham, ‘It went down into the very form and fabric of myself: Women’s Mountaineering Life-Writing 1808-1960,’ PhD Thesis, University of Exeter, 2012
National Library of Scotland, ‘Aiming High: About Jane Inglis Clark,’ https://reveal.nls.uk/aiming-high/about-jane-inglis-clark/
William Inglis Clark, ‘Some Climbs on the Salisbury Crags,’ Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal, Vol.6, Edinburgh, 1900

Bonus: Interview with Jennifer Morag Henderson

Slightly frog-throated Annie and Jenny interview Highland author Jennifer Morag Henderson about her new book, Daughters of the North.
Daughters of the North explores the life of Jean Gordon, from the Far North of Scotland who lived from 1546 to 1629. We learn of the Far North of Scotland during the reign of Mary Queen of Scots, the industries of Sutherland, and some intrigues of the Early Modern court. We share a love of archives, historical research, and the falconry display of Dunrobin Castle.
Content warning: this episode contains some sensitive discussions of death and sexual violence, listener discretion is advised.
You can support Stories of Scotland on Patreon! www.patreon.com/storiesofscotland 

Beinn Sgritheall: Mountain of Scree

Join Jenny and Annie as they climb uphill on the West Coast of Scotland to explore the beautiful Beinn Sgritheall. We look at legends of the Glenelg brochs, Dun Telve and Dun Troddan, which reveal ancient folklore of giants, feasting women, revenge, and a very bad hair day. 
We adventure up the beautiful Scottish rural mountain of Beinn Sgritheall, and spend some time thinking about why hillwalking is so enthralling. 
This is the first episode of our new series, Radical Mountain Women, funded by the Royal Society of Literature, inspired by the writing of the Scottish Mountaineering Journal.
You can support Stories of Scotland on Patreon! www.patreon.com/storiesofscotland 
References:
Dun Telve, Dun Troddan and Dun Grugaigon Canmore, The National Record of the Historic Environment: https://canmore.org.uk/site/11798/dun-telve, https://canmore.org.uk/site/11797/dun-troddan, https://canmore.org.uk/site/11772/dun-grugaig-glenelg
Caithness Broch Project: https://www.thebrochproject.co.uk/
NatureScot: History of Scotland’s woodlands: https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/land-and-sea-management/managing-land/forests-and-woodlands/history-scotlands-woodlands 
Ordnance Survey Maps at the National Library of Scotland: https://maps.nls.uk/os/
Stuart Piggott, Scotland Before History, Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1958
Thomas Murchison, ‘Glenelg, Inverness-Shire: Notes on a Parish History,’ Transactions of the Gaelic Society for Inverness, 1942-1950
William Douglas, ‘Ben Screel,’ Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal, Vol. 1, Edinburgh, 1891

Bonus: Interview with Sue Lawrence

Jenny interviews marvellous author Sue Lawrence and we learn about the women, castle and ghost that inspired her new book, The Green Lady. Jenny and Sue discuss Fyvie Castle in the 16th century and question how early modern women could try to gain control of their own lives. Sue, who has written multiple Scottish cookbooks gives us a cheeky variation of a Scottish classic recipe, Cullen skink at the end of this episode!

Border Reivers: Outlaws on the Edge

Are the Scottish Borders a rebel stronghold? Join Annie and Jenny as they examine the often-overlooked stories of the Border Reivers: the families of raiding, plundering, land-burning, outlaws. 
Jenny explores her ancestry roots in the Scottish Borders, to discover she comes from a family of bloodthirsty brigands. We look at Border clans, curses and, calamities as we unpick the ballad of Johnnie Armstrong. 
This episode is sponsored by Scotland Shop. If you are tempted to check out some of Scotland Shop’s beautiful tartan garments and fabrics, please follow this link to Scotland Shop. https://hubs.ly/H0-0fjl0
You can support Stories of Scotland on Patreon! www.patreon.com/storiesofscotland 
References:
Alistair Moffat, The Reivers, Birlinn, Edinburgh, 2008.
‘Johnny Armstrong’ broadside ballad, National Library of Scotland Collections: digital.nls.uk/english-ballads/archive/74893315
John Veitch, The Tweed, and Other Poems, James MacLehose, Glasgow, 1875.
Katherine Anne Groundwater, The Middle March of the Scottish Borders, 1573 to 1625, University of Edinburgh: era.ed.ac.uk/handle/1842/24651 
‘The Ballad Poetry of Scotland,’ Alloa Advertiser, Feb 1879.
Claire Etty, Tudor Revolution? Royal control of the Anglo-Scottish border, 1483-1530, Durham University: etheses.dur.ac.uk/1283/ 
Walter Scott, Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, James Ballantyne, Kelso, 1802.

Merlin of the Tweed: Lowland Legends & Geologic Journeys

Jenny and Annie learn about the geology of the Scottish Lowlands, and travel as a wee grain of sand through half a billion years of geologic movement, ending up within the River Tweed. In more recent history, we unravel Arthurian legends to explore the story of Merlin, the wizard of the wilds. A real cornucopia of Celtic mythologies and folklore. This episode is sponsored by Scotland Shop. If you are tempted to check out some of Scotland Shop’s beautiful tartan garments and fabrics, please follow this link to Scotland Shop. https://hubs.ly/H0-0fjl0You can support Stories of Scotland on Patreon! www.patreon.com/storiesofscotlandReferences:Alexander Pennecuik, A Geographical, Historical Description of the Shire of Tweeddale, Edinburgh, 1715.Francis H. Groome (ed.), Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland, Edinburgh, 1901.H. L. D. Ward, Lailoken (or Merlin Silvester), Romania, Vol. 22, No 88.‘How Tweed Got Its Name: Homespuns that have been famous for a thousand years,’ Dundee Evening Telegraph, August 1940. J. S. Blackie, Merlin and Kentigern, Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, 1885. J. S. P. Tatlock, Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Vita Merlini, A Journal of Mediaeval Studies, Vol. XVIII, July 1943.Lauchlan MacLeanWatt, Scottish Life and Poetry, James Nisbet & Co., London, 1912. ‘Merlin’s Grave,’ Peeblesshire Advertiser and County Newspaper, January 1992.‘Merlin’s Mysterious Death: His Last Resting Place,’ Cambria Daily Leader, July 1890.‘Obituary: The Tramp Poet,’ Aberdeen Press and Journal, August 1925.Walter Scott, J. W. Lake, The Poetical Works of Sir Walter Scott, J. Crissy, Philadelphia, 1835.

Bonus: Christmas Crimes!

Join Annie and Jenny as they get in the festive mood and journey back to the Yuletide crimes of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The reformation resulted in the banning of many celebrations, including yuletide festivities. Those caught celebrating were brought before the Kirk Sessions, and this resulted in strangely detailed records of the celebratory practices of the time. Guising and cross-dressing, dancing, eating goose, and baking bread were all punishable by law, listen in to find out more about each tradition.This episode is sponsored by Scotland Shop. If you are tempted to check out some of Scotland Shop’s beautiful tartan garments and fabrics, please follow this link to Scotland Shop. https://hubs.ly/H0-0fjl0You can support Stories of Scotland on Patreon! www.patreon.com/storiesofscotland References:Barbara Hector, Is Hogmanay Dying Out? Not in Rural Scotland, Aberdeen Press and Journal, December 1932.Dictionaries of the Scots Language: https://dsl.ac.uk/Digitised Kirk Session Minutes, National Records of Scotland: https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk Margo Todd, Profane Pastime and the Reformed Community: The Persistence of Popular Festivities in Early Modern Scotland, Journal of British Studies, 2000.Margo Todd, The Culture of Protestantism in Early Modern Scotland, 2002.Robert Crammond, The History of the Sufferings of the Church of Scotland from the Restoration to the Revolution, Vol 1, Blackie, Fullarton & Co., 1828.William Crammond, Steven Ree (ed), The records of Elgin, 1234-1800, The New Spalding Club, Aberdeen, 1903.

Tartan Folklore: Scottish Stories of Plaids & Patterns

Annie and Jenny share some lighthearted folklore on the theme of tartans and plaids! Tartan eels, ghosts and fairies: this is a jolly voyage into rich Scottish mythology. This episode is sponsored by Scotland Shop. If you are tempted to check out some of Scotland Shop’s beautiful tartan garments and fabrics, please follow this link to Scotland Shop. https://hubs.ly/H0-0fjl0You can support Stories of Scotland on Patreon! www.patreon.com/storiesofscotlandListen out for the Scots words 'burn' meaning stream and 'bairn' meaning child!References:Donald MacMartin (contributor), Hamish Henderson (Fieldworker), SA1965.159, The School of Scottish Studies Archives, University of Edinburgh, (https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/42141)‘Ghost Story of a Hooded Maiden in Argyllshire,’ Dundee Evening Telegraph, September 1910Mary Cirsty Fleming (contributor), Ian Paterson (Fieldworker), SA1973.122, The School of Scottish Studies Archives, University of Edinburgh, (https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/42141)Mary Cirsty Fleming (contributor), Ian Paterson (Fieldworker), SA1976.172, The School of Scottish Studies Archives, University of Edinburgh, (https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/66029)‘Treasure Trove at Falkirk, Burgh Man Unearths Vase of Roman Coins,’ Falkirk Herald, August 1933‘The Smugglers of the Border,’ Leith Burghs Pilot, August 1875William Scott, ‘Fairy Bells,’ Southern Reporter, March 1924W. W. Gibbons, ‘Folklore and Legends of Scotland,’ London, 1889

Bonus: Interview with Diana Gabaldon

Do you want to know the secrets of the bees? So do we! In this bonus episode, Jenny and Annie speak to author Diana Gabaldon known for her bestselling Outlander series of novels. We are celebrating the highly-anticipated release of Go Tell the Bees That I am Gone on November 23rd 2021. Diana discusses her interest and research into Scottish heritage, culture, and folklore. This episode is sponsored by Scotland Shop. If you are tempted to check out some of Scotland Shop’s beautiful tartan garments and fabrics, please follow this link to Scotland Shop. https://hubs.ly/H0-0fjl0You can support Stories of Scotland on Patreon! www.patreon.com/storiesofscotlandReferences:Bygone Bee-Keeping, Alloa Advertiser - Saturday 05 December 1874.Edith Sellers, Superstition without rhyme or reason, The Queen (London Newspaper), September 1899.Old Bridal Customs, Dundee Courier, January 1950.Serving Bees at a Funeral, Drogheda Journal, or Meath & Louth Advertiser, September 1826.William Sharp, The winged destiny: studies in the spiritual history of the Gael, 1910.