Tour Scotland short 4K travel video clip, with Scottish music, of the Sir Wyville Thomson of Bonsyde stained glass window, in the Apse of St Michael's Parish Church on ancestry, genealogy, family history visit and trip to Linlithgow, West Lothian, Britain, United Kingdom. Charles Wyville Thomson was born at Bonsyde, in Linlithgow, West Lothian, on 5 March 1830, the son of Andrew Thomson, a surgeon in the service of the East India Company, and his wife Sarah Ann Drummond Smith. He was baptised Wyville Thomas Charles Thomson, but changed his name formally upon being knighted in 1876. He was educated under Charles Chalmers at Merchiston Castle School, then from 1845 studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh graduating with an MD. However, his focus turned from medicine to natural science, and he joined the Botanical Society of Edinburgh in 1847, and soon after became secretary to the Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh. In 1850 he was attending the botany class of John Hutton Balfour at the University. In 1850 he was appointed lecturer of botany, and in 1851 professor of botany, at the University of Aberdeen. In 1853 he became a professor of natural history in Queen's College, Cork, Ireland, succeeding Professor Hincks. A year later he was nominated to the chair of mineralogy and geology at the Queen's University of Belfast. In 1855 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, his proposer being his former tutor, John Hutton Balfour. He served as the society's vice president from 1877 to 1882. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London, England, in 1869. In 1860 was transferred to the chair of natural history at the same institution. In 1868 he assumed the duties of professor of botany at the Royal College of Science, Dublin, and finally in 1870 he received the natural history chair at the University of Edinburgh. Here he taught Arthur Conan Doyle. Thomson is remembered for his studies of the biological conditions of the deep seas. Being interested in crinoids, and prompted by the results of the dredgings of Michael Sars in the deep sea off the Norwegian coasts, he persuaded the Royal Navy to grant him use of HMS Lightning and HMS Porcupine for deep sea dredging expeditions in the summers of 1868 and 1869. They showed that animal life existed down to depths of 650 fathoms (1200 m), that all marine invertebrate groups are present at this depth, and that deep-sea temperatures are not as constant as had been supposed, but vary considerably, and indicate oceanic circulation. These results were described in The Depths of the Sea, which he published in 1873. The remarkable hydrographic and zoological results which Thomson had demonstrated, in addition to the growing demands of ocean telegraphy, soon led to the Royal Navy to grant use of HMS Challenger for a global expedition. Wyville Thomson was selected as chief scientist, and the ship sailed on 23 December 1872. The Challenger expedition was deemed a great success, and on his return Thomson received a number of academic honours, as well as a knighthood. In 1877 he published in two volumes The Voyage of the Challenger The Atlantic, a preliminary account of the results of the voyage. He spent the next two years working on administrative duties connected with the publication of the full monograph of the voyage. Thomson had a highly strung mentality, and his health was generally poor throughout his life. He found dealing with publishers in the course of completing the full reports of the voyage to be enormously stressful. In 1879 he ceased to perform his university duties, gave up overseeing the reports of the expedition in 1881, after publishing the introduction to the zoological series in 1880, then took to his bed and died a broken man at Bonsyde on 10 March 1882. Thomson's friend and colleague Sir John Murray took over the publication of the reports; they eventually spanned 50 volumes, the last of which was issued in 1895. Thomson is commemorated in the stained glass window above the altar in St. Michael's Parish Church, Linlithgow and his headstone is in the churchyard. In addition the Wyville Thomson Ridge in the North Atlantic Ocean is named after him. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day. Find things to see and do in Scotland where you are always welcome.
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Tour Scotland photographs and videos from my tours of Scotland. Photography and videography, both old and new, from beautiful Scotland, Scottish castles, seascapes, rivers, islands, landscapes, standing stones, lochs and glens.
Interior With Music Of St Michael's Parish Church On History Visit To Linlithgow Scotland
Tour Scotland 4K travel video, with Scottish music, of the interior of St Michael's Parish Church on ancestry history visit and trip to Linlithgow, Britain, United Kingdom. St. Michael's Parish Church is one of the largest burgh churches in the Church of Scotland. It is one of two parishes serving the West Lothian county town of Linlithgow, the other being St. Ninian's Craigmailen. St Michael is the town's patron saint; the town's motto is " St Michael is kinde to strangers. " King David I of Scotland granted a charter for the establishment of the church in 1138. The church was built on the site of an older church and was consecrated in 1242. Following a fire in 1424, most of the present building dates from the mid 15th century, with extensive restorations in the 19th century. Being adjacent to Linlithgow Palace, the church was much favoured as a place of worship by Scottish Kings and Queens. Mary Queen of Scots was born in Linlithgow Palace on 8 December 1542 and was baptised in St Michael’s Church. Following the Reformation, the interior of the church was reordered. Some traces of pre-Reformation artefacts can still be detected. In 1646, Oliver Cromwell's troops stabled their horses within the nave. Following the departure of the troops considerable restoration was required.. Linlithgow is located in the north east of West Lothian, close to the border with Stirlingshire. It lies 20 miles west of Edinburgh along the main railway route to Glasgow. Before the construction of the M8 & M9 motorways and the opening of the Forth Road Bridge, the town lay on the main road from Edinburgh to Stirling, Perth, Perthshire, and Inverness in the Highlands, while the canal system linked the burgh to Edinburgh and Glasgow. The nearby village of Blackness once served as the Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day. Find things to see and do in Scotland where you are always welcome. burgh's port. Linlithgow is overlooked by its local hill, Cockleroi.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
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Blackbird On Winter Saturday Visit To My Cottage Garden Scone Perth Perthshire Scotland
Tour Scotland short Winter Saturday 4K wildlife nature camera travel video clip of the sight and sounds of a male Blackbird eating on an afternoon visit and trip to my cottage garden in Scone by Perth, Perthshire, Britain, United Kingdom. As the name suggests, male blackbirds are entirely black in colour. Males have a bright yellow bill and distinctive yellow eye ring. This widespread bird is a common visitor to United Kingdom gardens, and has adapted well to suburban areas, it’s often possible to get quite close. It can also be found in woodland and grassland areas, but you’re much less likely to see it on areas of higher ground and in some parts of Scotland, Common and widespread across Britain, the blackbird population is currently stable, although it has seen periods of decline in the past. One of the biggest threats is lack of food availability, particularly when the weather is dry. Leaving mealworms and ground feeder mix out on bird tables and planting bushes that attract caterpillars to your garden are great ways to help blackbirds. If you were to believe various myths and folktales, you’d find this solitary, territorial bird to be imbued with evil and supernatural powers. Welsh poet R. S. Thomas observed that there was “ a suggestion of dark Places ” about the blackbird that was at odds with its beautiful song. In the story of the life of Saint Benedict, the Devil was said to have come to tempt the saint in the form of a blackbird. The English nursery rhyme “ Sing a Song of Sixpence ” involves blackbirds “ baked in a pie ” which reanimate and sing when the pie is opened. One then flies out and pecks off the nose of a maid. Exposure to nature not only makes you feel better emotionally, it contributes to your physical wellbeing. By the meteorological calendar, the first day of Winter is always 1st December in Scotland; ending on 28th of February. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day. Find things to see and do in Scotland where you are always welcome
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
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Grey Squirrel On Winter Saturday Visit To My Cottage Garden Scone Perth Perthshire Scotland
Tour Scotland short 4K Winter Saturday wildlife camera nature travel video clip of the sight and sounds of a Grey squirrel eating peanuts on an afternoon visit and trip to my cottage garden in Scone by Perth, Perthshire, Britain, United Kingdom. As its name suggests, this squirrel typically has a grey coat with white undersides, though the coat colour can also be quite brown at times. Grey squirrels are mainly herbivorous, eating acorns, hazel nuts, berries, fungi, buds and shoots, and even bark. The grey squirrel was introduced to Great Britain in the middle of the 19th century. There is now an estimated population of 2 million making them much more common than the native red squirrel. They arrived in England from North America and are now one of Britain's most well known and frequently seen mammals, with an estimated population of 2 million. Being in nature, or even viewing scenes of nature, reduces anger, fear, and stress and increases pleasant feelings. Exposure to nature not only makes you feel better emotionally, it contributes to your physical wellbeing. By the meteorological calendar, the first day of Winter is always 1st December in Scotland; ending on 28th of February. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day. Find things to see and do in Scotland where you are always welcome
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs
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Robin Bird On Winter Saturday Visit To My Cottage Garden Scone Perth Perthshire Scotland
Tour Scotland short 4K Winter Saturday wildlife camera nature travel video clip of the sight and sounds of a Robin bird eating on a visit and trip to my cottage garden in Scone by Perth, Perthshire, Britain, United Kingdom. With its bright red breast it is familiar visitor to my garden. Being in nature, or even viewing scenes of nature, reduces anger, fear, and stress and increases pleasant feelings. Exposure to nature not only makes you feel better emotionally, it contributes to your physical wellbeing. By the meteorological calendar, the first day of Winter is always 1st December in Scotland; ending on 28th of February. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day. Find things to see and do in Scotland where you are always welcome
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs
View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs
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