Tour Scotland Video John Cowan Stained Glass Window St. John's Kirk Perth

Tour Scotland travel video of the John Cowan Stained Glass Memorial Window in St. John's Kirk on ancestry, genealogy, history visit and trip to Perth, Perthshire, Scotland. This window, the work of Herbert Hendrie, was the gift of Mrs Annie Cowan, in memory of her husband John.

This surname, widespread in Scotland and Ulster, Ireland, is an Anglicized form of the old Gaelic MacEoghain or MacEoin. The Gaelic prefix " mac " means " son of ", plus the personal name Eoghan from the old Celtic " Ouen ", meaning well born, but believed to derive ultimately from the Greek " Eugenious ", " born lucky " or " well born ". In Ireland Eugene replaced Eoin, the old Irish form of John, and the various patronymic forms of the name include MacOwen, MacCown, MacCone, MacKeown. The forms Cowan, Cowen and Kewon resulted from the subsequent loss of the " Mac " prefix. In 1582 one, John Cowan was Chancellor of Christ church, Waterford, and in 1639 Cowan's Hospital in Stirling was founded by John Cowan, a merchant there. On June 29th 1643 Marionne Cowan and George Mwir were married in Ochiltree, Ayrshire. On May 8th 1846 Pat Cowan, a merchant, aged 21 years, embarked from Liverpool on the " Rochester " bound for New York, America. He was a famine immigrant to that city. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Elizabeth Cowan, marriage to Edward Humphery, which was dated November 12th 1580, London, England, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1.


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Tour Scotland Video John Ritchie Stained Glass Window St. John's Kirk Perth

Tour Scotland travel ideo of the John Ritchie Stained Glass Memorial Window in St. John's Kirk, on ancestry, genealogy, family history visit ant trip to Perth, Perthshire. This window, the work of Herbert Hendrie was the gift of Mrs Ritchie, in memory of her husband, John Ritchie, Sheriff Clerk in Perth, who died in 1923.

Recorded as MacRitchie, McRitchie, Riche, Richie, and Ritchie, this surname is of early medieval English and Scottish origin. It is a diminutive of Richard, the popular Germanic personal name composed of the elements " ric ", meaning power, and " hard ", brave or strong. The surname as MacRitchie is mainly found in the Highlands, and more usually without " Mac " in Southern Scotland and the English border counties. Early examples include Duncan Richie, a kings messenger in Perth in 1505, John Riche who witnessed an instrument of sasine in Brechin in the same year, and Robert McRichie also known as Makryche, of Glenshee in 1571, whilst Duncan Riche was the king's sheriff of Inverness in 1512. William Ritchie founded the Scotsman newspaper in 1817, and Alexander Ritchie was an Edinburgh artist of repute in the early half of the last century.

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Tour Scotland Video Neil Gow Stained Glass Window St. John's Kirk Perth

Tour Scotland travel of the Neil Gow Stained Glass Memorial Window in St. John's Kirk, on ancestry, genealogy, family history visit and trip to Perth, Perthshire. The window is known as the Neil Gow Stained Glass Window given that it was the gift of Neil Gow, of Perth, in memory of his parents. Niel Gow, born 1727, died 1807, was the most famous Scottish fiddler and travelling dance instructor of the eighteenth century. Gow is a surname of Scottish or Gaelic origins. The origination is the Gaelic word gobha meaning an iron worker or smith, and is usually found as MacGowan or McGowan. The Gow's are regarded as being part of the Clan Chattan. Examples of early surname recordings taken from the charters and registers include Alexander Gowansoun, who it is recorded was hanged in Dundee in 1578, although for what crime is not known, and Michael Gow who was arrested in Perth in 1595 for raiding. Agnes Gowlett was christened at Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex, England, on March 12th 1621, whilst Colin Gowin of Isle of Tiree, was denounced as a rebel in 1695.


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Tour Scotland Video Black Watch Stained Glass Window Perth

Tour Scotland travel video of the Black Watch Stained Glass Memorial Window on ancestry, genealogy, history visit and trip to St. John's Kirk, Perth, Perthshire, Scotland. In memory of the Regiment’s fallen in the Second World War and was unveiled by the Queen Mother, Colonel-in-Chief of the Regiment, in 1955. It was designed by William Wilson.

The 1st Battalion landed in France in September 1939 as part of the 153rd Brigade in the 51st Highland Division for service with the British Expeditionary Force and was captured at St Valery-en-Caux. It was reformed from reserve units of the 9th Highland Division in August 1942 and moved to North Africa where it fought at the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942 and then took part in the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943. It also took part in the Normandy landings in June 1944, the Battle for Caen later that month and the Battle of the Falaise Pocket in August 1944. It later saw action at the Battle of the Bulge in January 1945, Battle of the Reichswald in February 1945 and the crossing of the Rhine in March 1945.

The 2nd Battalion was serving in Palestine from where it was sent to East Africa in August 1940 and saw action during the Italian conquest of British Somaliland. It was sent to Crete, as part of the 14th Brigade in the 8th Division, and took part in the Battle of Heraklion in May 1941. It moved to North Africa in October 1941 and took part in the break out from Tobruk in November 1941.

The 4th Battalion landed in France in September 1939 as part of the 153rd Brigade in the 51st (Highland) Division for service with the British Expeditionary Force and then took part in the Dunkirk evacuation in June 1940.

The 5th Battalion landed in North Africa as part of the 153rd Brigade in the 51st (Highland) Division and fought at the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942. It also took part in the Normandy landings, while attached to the 3rd Parachute Brigade, in June 1944 and saw action at the Battle for Caen followed by the Battle of Bréville later that month. It saw combat again at the Battle of the Falaise Pocket in August 1944 and the Battle of the Bulge in January 1945.

The 6th Battalion landed in France in September 1939 as part of the 154th Brigade in the 51st (Highland) Division for service with the British Expeditionary Force and then took part in the Dunkirk evacuation in June 1940. It moved to North Africa in Spring 1943 and then on to Italy in September 1943 where it took part in the Battle of Monte Cassino in Spring 1944.

The 7th Battalion landed in North Africa as part of the 154th Brigade in the 51st (Highland) Division and fought at the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942. It also took part in the Normandy landings in June 1944, the Battle for Caen later that month and the Battle of the Falaise Pocket in August 1944. It later saw action at the Battle of the Bulge in January 1945.


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Tour Scotland Photograph Rain Clouds North Queensferry Fife

Tour Scotland photograph of rain clouds over North Queensferry, Fife, Scotland. This Scottish village takes its name from Saint Margaret of Scotland, the wife of King Malcolm III of Scotland, who is said to have established the village to ensure there would be regular ferry crossings across the Firth of Forth for the benefit of pilgrims travelling to St Andrews. Margaret is said to have regularly used the ferry crossing, when travelling between the then capital Dunfermline, and her chapel in Edinburgh Castle: St Margaret's Chapel. From around this time, the crossing became known as the Queen's Ferry. The last ever commercial ferry crossing of the Queen's Ferry left Hawes Pier, South Queensferry on the evening of 3rd September 1964, and docked at North Queensferry shortly after. The very next day, HM The Queen opened the new Forth Road Bridge, and 800 years continual use of the Queen's Ferry were finally brought to a close.



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