Old Photograph Sir James Shaw Monument Kilmarnock Scotland

Old photograph of the Sir James Shaw monument in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland. Sir James Shaw, 1st Baronet, born on 26 August 1764, in Riccarton, Kilmarnock, became Lord Mayor of London, England in 1805. From humble beginnings in a farming family in Ayrshire, he became a successful merchant and politician; he was a relation of the poet Robert Burns and used his wealth to support Burns's orphaned children. As Lord Mayor of London, he led the funeral procession of Lord Nelson in 1806, having established his right to do so and was created baronet twice, in 1809 and 1813. While later Chamberlain of London, he almost lost his own fortune due to injudicious investments, and died, exonerated, in 1843. Shaw was created Baronet, of Kilmarnock, in the County of Ayr by King George III in 1809, and re-created in 1813 by a second patent to include a future interest for his nephew. As such, he was appointed a Member of Parliament for London until 1818, but thereafter sat as an alderman until he resigned in May 1843. In 1831 he was also appointed Chamberlain of London, and was almost ruined as he inadvertently invested £40,000, then a huge sum, of city funds in fake Exchequer bills. On discovering his error, he began to liquidate all his property to repay the sum, but was cleared by a commission of enquiry. Shaw resigned all his positions in 1843 due to long term illness and died some six months later on 22 October. 1843. Shaw was unmarried, and normally his baronetcy would have become extinct on his death, but because of the second patent, the title passed to his nephew, John Shaw.



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Old Photograph Commercial Hotel Sandhead Scotland

Old photograph of the Commercial Hotel in Sandhead village located seven miles South of Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The old main road, named " Main Street ", runs through the village, but the A716 now bypasses it with a narrow and twisting carriageway. The village developed as a strip village with a smithy and a school by 1850, and the nearby bay was used for landing lime and later coal. The village school is situated above the village, and a little north of this is Balgreggan Motte which stands above the A716. The Motte was the first in a line of early castles along the eastern shore of the Rhins. The top was used by the Royal Observer Corps during the Second World War as a lookout point, but in earlier times the castle was made of wood and was inevitably burned to the ground by marauding forces. The village is located nearby to RAF West Freugh.



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Old Photograph Badenoch Hotel Newtonmore Scotland

Old photograph of the Badenoch Hotel in Newtonmore, Scotland. The village is only a few miles from a location that is claimed to be the exact geographical centre of Scotland. Newtonmore railway station is managed by Abellio ScotRail and is on the Highland Main Line. Newtonmore has been bypassed by the A9 since 1979. Newtonmore calls itself the Walking Centre of Scotland, referring both to its geographical location and to the great walking opportunities locally, like the Wildcat Trail. An extension to the Speyside Way could soon add Newtonmore to a Long Distance Route and it will become the new end to this trail.



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Tour Scotland Video Of Old Photographs Of Oban

Tour Scotland wee video of old photographs of Oban, Argyllshire, Scotland. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day. The site where Oban now stands has been used by humans since at least mesolithic times, as evidenced by archaeological remains of cave dwellers found in the town Just outside the town stands Dunollie Castle, on a site that overlooks the main entrance to the bay and has been fortified since the 7th century. The modern town of Oban grew up around the distillery which was founded there in 1794, and the town was raised to a burgh of barony in 1811 by royal charter Sir Walter Scott visited the area in 1814, the year in which he published his poem The Lord of the Isles, and interest in the poem brought many new visitors to the town. The arrival of the railways in the 1880s brought further prosperity to local industry and giving new energy to tourism.

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

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Old Photograph Dryfe Water Scotland

Old photograph of Dryfe Water, a river about 18 miles in length which flows into the River Annan near Lockerbie, Scotland. The river starts on the southern slopes of Loch Fell, near Moffat, and then flows along a narrow valley to the Annan. Dryfe Water gives its name to the parish, Dryfesdale, and the common Scottish surname, Drysdale. A second name is the much less common surname Dryfe, or Drife. The meaning of the word Dryfe is unknown. It may be from the Old Norse, Anglo Saxon or Brittonic languages which were all used at different times in Dumfriesshire.



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