Old Photograph Castle Wemyss Scotland

Old photograph of Castle Wemyss, Wemyss Bay, Scotland. The now ruined castle stood high on Wemyss Point, overlooking the Firth of Clyde where it heads south towards the North Channel of the Irish Sea. It was built around 1850 for Charles Wilsone Brown, a property developer who had plans to develop the land around Wemyss Bay, and who by 1855 had increased the number of villas from four to thirty six. Wilsone Brown sold the mansion to Sir John Burns, later Baron Inverclyde, in 1860. Burns commissioned the architect Robert William Billings to remodel the house in the Scottish baronial style. Castle Wemyss became a fashionable destination for many well known visitors, including Lord Shaftesbury, Anthony Trollope, General Sherman, Henry Morton Stanley, Peter II of Yugoslavia, Emperor Haile Selassie and members of the British Royal Family. The house remained in the Burns family until the death of Alan, 4th Baron Inverclyde in 1957. None of his family were able to afford the cost of maintaining such a large property, but it was not until 1984 that it was finally demolished.



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Old Photograph Cottage Munlochy Scotland

Old photograph of a crofters cottage at Munlochy, Scotland. A small Scottish village, in northern Scotland, lying at the head of Munlochy Bay. There are few early records of a settlement, but it seems likely that Munlochy expanded in the 1760s due to quarry workers extracting stone nearby to build Fort George on the far side of the Moray Firth.


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Old Photograph Tomnavoulin Scotland

Old photograph of a cottage and the William Stuart shop in Tomnavoulin in Moray, Scotland. Tomnavoulin, meaning ' mill on the hill ' in Gaelic, is a small village on the eastern banks of the River Livet, and is probably best known today for the Tamnavoulin Whisky distillery. The origins the old family name Stuart can be found within medieval Scotland. While the patronymic and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the name of the father and mother respectively, are the most common form of a hereditary surname in Scotland, occupational surnames also emerged during the late Middle Ages. Many people, such as the Stuart family, adopted the name of their occupation as their surname. However, an occupational name did not become a hereditary surname until the office or type of employment became hereditary. The surname Stuart was an occupational name for a steward, the official in charge of a noble household and its treasury. One common alternate spelling of the name is a result of the influence of Mary, Queen of Scots, who was educated in France, and consequently spelled the name Steuart or Stuart.



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Old Photograph Huntingtower Castle Scotland

Old photograph of Huntingtower Castle, by Perth, Perthshire, Scotland. Huntingtower Castle once known as Ruthven Castle or the Palace of Ruthven is situated about 3 miles from the centre of Perth, on the main road to Crieff. The Castle was built in stages from the 15th century by the Clan Ruthven family and was known for several hundred years as the Palace of Ruthven. In the summer of 1582, the castle was occupied by the 4th Lord Ruthven, who was also the 1st Earl of Gowrie, and his family. Gowrie was involved in a plot to kidnap the young King James VI, son of Mary, Queen of Scots. During 1582 Gowrie and his associates seized the young king and held him prisoner for 10 months. This kidnapping is known as the 'Raid of Ruthven' and the Protestant conspirators behind it hoped to gain power through controlling the king. James eventually escaped and actually forgave Gowrie, but after a second abortive attempt by Gowrie and others to overthrow him, Gowrie was finally executed and his property, including Huntingtower, was forfeited to the crown. The Castle and lands were restored to the Ruthven family in 1586. However in 1600, the brothers John and Alexander Ruthven were implicated in another plot to kill King James VI and were executed. This time, the king was less merciful: as well as seizing the estates, he abolished the name of Ruthven and decreed that any successors would be ineligible to hold titles or lands. Thus the House of Ruthven ceased to exist and by royal proclamation the castle was renamed Huntingtower. The Castle remained in the possession of the crown until 1643 when it was given to the family of Murray of Tullibardine, from whom the Dukes of Atholl and Mansfield are descended. John Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl resided in the Castle, where his wife Lady Mary Ross bore a son 7 February 1717. The Castle began to be neglected and after Lady Mary died in 1767, it was abandoned as a place of residence except by farm labourers. Today, the Castle can be visited by the public and is sometimes used as a venue for marriage ceremonies.

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Old Photograph St John's Kirk Perth Scotland

Old photograph of St John's Kirk, Perth, Perthshire, Scotland. St John's Kirk is the oldest standing building in Perth, and one of the most important parish churches in Scotland. It was first mentioned in 1126, and has played a central part in the life of the burgh. The original building was completed by 1241, when the Kirk was dedicated by the Bishop of St Andrews, but it has undergone many alterations since then.



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