Old Photograph Bessy Bell and Mary Gray Grave Almondbank Perthshire Scotland

Old photograph of the Bessy Bell and Mary Gray grave near Almondbank by Perth, Perthshire, Scotland. Bessy Bell and Mary Gray are " twa bonnie lassies ", the subject of one of the Child Ballads. The girls were supplied with food by a lad in love with both of them; the lad caught the plague and gave it to them, and all three sickened and died. Two similar hills near Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, were named after Bessy Bell and Mary Gray by Scottish immigrants who came to Ireland to make their passage to America. Sliabh Troim, mountain of elder, is the original Irish name of Bessy Bell. Also recorded as Sliab Toad. There also exist twin hills in Staunton, Virginia, USA, which were also named after the girls by Scottish immigrants. Two adjacent volcanic cones in the Auckland Volcanic Field, New Zealand, Otara Hill and Green Hill, were referred to by 19th century European settlers as Bessy Bell and Mary Gray. History Blog post of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to travel and 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 James Watt Statue Greenock Scotland

Old photograph of the James Watt statue in Greenock by Glasgow, Scotland. The approximate location of James Watt's birth in Greenock is commemorated by a statue. Several locations and street names in Greenock recall him, most notably the Watt Memorial Library, which was begun in 1816 with Watt's donation of scientific books, and developed as part of the Watt Institution by his son, which ultimately became the James Watt College. Taken over by the local authority in 1974, the library now also houses the local history collection and archives of Inverclyde, and is dominated by a large seated statue in the vestibule. History Blog post of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to travel and 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 Lady Alice Park Greenock Scotland

Old photograph of Lady Alice Park in Greenock by Glasgow, Scotland. The park is named after Lady Alice Shaw Stewart, whose husband, Sir Michael Hugh Shaw Stewart, gave six acres of ground on Inverkip Road to Greenock Corporation in 1908 to create a recreation facility for local children, and, at the same time, provide relief work during high unemployment. Work began in October, and at times employed up to 128 men on the site. The Lady Alice Park was opened on 27 May 1910 by Lady Alice. History Blog post of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to travel and visit one day.



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

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Old Photographs Bridge Street Dunkeld Perthshire Scotland

Old photograph of cars and people on Bridge Street in Dunkeld, Perthshire, Scotland. History Blog post of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to travel and 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 Heughfield Road Bridge of Earn Perthshire Scotland

Old photograph of a house and cottages on Heughfield Road in Bridge of Earn by Perth, Perthshire, Scotland. History Blog post of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to travel and visit one day.



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

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.