Old Photograph Wallace Hall Academy Scotland

Old photograph of Wallace Hall Academy in Closeburn, South of Thornhill which is located north of Dumfries, Scotland. The original Wallace Hall was founded by John Wallace, a merchant in Glasgow and a native of Closeburn, who left £1.600 for the purpose of erecting the Academy in 1723. The deed specifies distinctly the object he had in view: " To teach the whole children of the united parish of Closeburn and Dalgarno that shall be put to learn English, Latin, Greek, writing, and arithmetic, or such of these as the scholars or their parents shall desire, and that gratis, without any fee or reward other than is hereby provided for him, excepting any gratuity that the parents of the children may, out of their own good will, think fit to give him."



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Old Photograph Bishop Hill Scotland

Old photograph of Bishop Hill from cottages in Lochgelly, Fife, Scotland. Lochgelly, a town in West Fife. It is separated from Cowdenbeath by the village of Lumphinnans. From the 1830s until the 1960s Lochgelly was a mining town. An area of Lochgelly was known as the Happy Lands, or Happy Valley. The town is served by Lochgelly railway station on the line between Edinburgh and Markinch. The town derives its name from the nearby body of water, Loch Gelly. The name comes from the Gaelic Loch Gheallaidh which, loosely translated, means Shining Waters or Loch of Brightness. Blog post of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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Old Photograph Union Terrace Gardens Aberdeen Scotland

Old photograph of people in Union Terrace Gardens in Aberdeen, Scotland. The sunken gardens opened to the public in 1879. The traditional industries in Aberdeen were fishing, paper making, shipbuilding, and textiles. Blog post of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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Old Photograph Horses And Coaches Loch Katrine Scotland

Old photograph of horses, coaches and tourists on the road by Loch Katrine, Trossachs, Scotland. This Scottish loch has always been a popular destination for tourists and day visitors from Glasgow and other nearby towns. The loch derives its name from the term cateran from the Gaelic ceathairne, meaning cattle thief. Historically this referred to a band of fighting men of a clan; hence the term applied to marauders or cattle-lifters, the most notorious of whom was Rob Roy MacGregor who was born at Glengyle House at the northern end of the Loch. It is the fictional setting of Sir Walter Scott's poem The Lady of the Lake. Blog post of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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Old Photograph Colquhoun Arms Hotel Luss Scotland

Old photograph of the Colquhoun Arms Hotel in Luss by Loch Lomond, Scotland. The lands of the Clan Colquhoun were on the shores of Loch Lomond. During the reign of Alexander II of Scotland, Umphredus de Kilpatrick received from Malduin, Earl of Lennox, the estates of Colquhoun, Auchentorily and Dumbuck. The Clan Colquhoun chief's early stronghold was at Dunglass Castle, which is perched on a rocky promontory by the River Clyde. Dunglass was also close to the royal Dumbarton Castle, of which later chiefs of Clan Colquhoun were appointed governors and keepers. The chief's title was that of the Barony of Luss which came to the Colquhouns when Sir Robert of Colquhoun married the heiress of the Lord of Luss in about 1368. The Clan Colquhoun lands were particularly vulnerable to clan raids due to their strategic nature. In 1603 Alasdair MacGregor, of Clan MacGregor marched into Colquhoun territory with a force of over four hundred men. The chief of Clan Colquhoun had been granted a royal commission to suppress the MacGregors. Colquhoun assembled a force of five hundred foot and three hundred horse and advanced to Glen Fruin to repel the Highland raiders. MacGregor split his force in two and while the main MacGregor force and the Colquhouns engaged in combat the second MacGregor force attacked the Colquhouns from the rear. The Colquhouns were driven into the Moss of Auchingaich where their cavalry was useless and over two hundred Colquhouns were killed. At the end of the eighteenth century the chiefs of the two clans met and shook hands on the very site of the former slaughter.


In 1625 Sir John Colquhoun of Luss was created a Baronet of Nova Scotia. However in 1632 he was accused of absconding with his wife's sister, Lady Catherine Graham, daughter of the Earl of Montrose. He was accused of using sorcery and witchcraft and perhaps wisely he did not return to answer these charges. He became a fugitive and his estates were forfeited. Sir John's eldest son recovered the estates in 1646.

In 1703 Sir Humphrey Colquhoun, fifth Baronet represented Dunbartonshire in the last Scottish Parliament. He strongly opposed the Treaty of Union. He died without male issue and the title passed to his daughter's husband, James Grant of Pluscardine. However when Pluscardine's elder brother died he re-assumed the name of Grant. He was the ancestor of the Earls of Seafield and Barons of Strathspey, on whom the baronetcy devolved. The estate was succeeded to by Sir James Grant Colquhoun who was the fourth son of James Grant and Ann Colquhoun. He built the mansion of Rossdhu which remains the seat of the chiefs of Clan Colquhoun.





All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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