Short Drive Along Shore Street With Music On History Visit To Pittenweem East Neuk Of Fife Scotland

Tour Scotland short 4K Winter travel video clip, with Scottish music, of road trip drive along Shore Street on ancestry, genealogy, family history visit to the old fishing village of Pittenweem, East Neuk of Fife, Britain, United Kingdom. Pittenweem was founded as a fishing village around an early Christian religious settlement, it was granted the status of a Royal Burgh by King James V in 1541, giving it the right to self government and the right to trade with other countries in return for paying taxes to the crown. By 1587 Pittenween ranked as the twelfth richest town in Scotland. The Cook family had its foundations as burgesses in the royal burgh of Pittenweem. The family founder John was probably born in Pittenweem around 1620, the son of a Pittenweem burgess. He became a merchant burgess himself in 1648, shortly after his marriage to Christian Stevenson whose family was also part of Pittenweem’s privileged ruling elite: John was well positioned at the pinnacle of the burgh power structure by virtue of his own family connections, his status as a merchant burgess rather than a craftsman and because he had married the daughter of a merchant burgess. As John came to manhood, Pittenweem’s comfortable prosperity came to an abrupt end with the depredations of the Covenanting movement and the Civil War. The Fife burghs supported the Covenanters, and the battle of Kilsyth in August 1645, won by the Royalists under Montrose, proved particularly calamitous for Pittenweem. The burgh was ‘left destitute of men’ with no means ‘for helping the present indigencie of fourty-nine widows and ane one hundred fatherless children’ as well as an unquantified loss of single men. The burgh also suffered heavy material losses to its economic infrastructure with six ships either wrecked or being sold at considerably less than their real value because all the masters and crews were dead. John probably made his money in the relative boom years of the 1670s so that by the time of his death, aged about sixty five, in March 1685, he was comfortably off. Two of John’s sons, James and Thomas, continued their father’s occupation as merchant skippers. James, like his father, was always associated with Pittenweem, while Thomas lived and operated out of Elie, marrying a daughter of Alexander Gillespie, an Elie skipper. Thomas and his father-in-law certainly had a close working relationship. In April 1684 Alexander took salt on the James of Elie to Danzig and three years later, Thomas himself was master of the same ship. It is possible that the relationship had evolved from one of master and apprentice. James also represented Pittenweem in Parliament in 1685 and 1686 and such a public office required James to sign the controversial Test Act of 1681, confirming that he accepted that the monarch was absolute even in matters of religion. The Cook brothers were supportive of the Revolution settlement of 1689. The Act in favour of some noblemen and gentlemen in the shire of Fife’ of May 1689 recorded peacekeeping proposals involving the raising fighting men and named amongst others Captain Aitchison and Captain Cook in Pittenweem, and Thomas Cook in Elie as ‘empowered’ to raise such a force. In 1695 James’s business appeared to have undergone a major strategic shift when he may have sold his shipping interests, probably reduced his trading in goods and concentrated on acting as a moneylender. Whereas aspects of John and his merchant skipper sons James and Thomas typified East Neuk business folk of the period, Robert, the middle surviving son, presented a somewhat different figure. As far as is known, Robert was the first family member to enter the professions and whether Robert’s training as an advocate was a farsighted business move of his father’s or an expression of Robert’s personal preferences and aptitudes, will never be known. There might also have been limited room in the family business for apprentice skippers and an element of a desire for upward social mobility and business diversification. The Pittenweem witches were five Scottish women accused of witchcraft in the small fishing village of Pittenweem in Fife on the east coast of Scotland in 1704. Another two women and a man were named as accomplices. Accusations made by a teenage boy, Patrick Morton, against a local woman, Beatrix Layng, led to the death in prison of Thomas Brown, and, in January 1705, the murder of Janet Cornfoot by a lynch mob in the village. 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. When driving on Scottish roads in Scotland slow down and enjoy the trip All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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Winter Viewpoint With Music On History Visit To Pittenweem East Neuk Of Fife Scotland

Tour Scotland 4K Winter travel video, with Scottish music, of the view from the scenic viewpoint at West Braes on ancestry, genealogy, family history visit and trip to the old fishing village of Pittenweem, coast of East Neuk of Fife, Britain, United Kingdom. The white houses with red roofs illustrate the classic East Neuk building style, influenced by trade with the Low Countries, Belgium and the Netherlands. The East Neuk offered natural trading ports for Dutch and Belgian captains as they sailed up past the east coast of England. These ships brought red pantiles as ballast, and the locals soon found them to be excellent roofing material. In 1779 John Paul Jones, founder of the American Navy, anchored half a mile off Pittenweem in the USS Bonhomme Richard. Jones bombarded Anstruther, but did not attack Pittenweem. However he made off with the town's pilot who had sailed out to meet Jones' squadron. The surname hughes was numerous amongst the fishermen recorded in 19th century censuses for Pittenweem, Fife, Scotland. A twentieth century oral tradition in at least one Hughes branch held that the family fished from Pittenweem for hundreds of years. Jessie Bell Elder was born in 1882 in Pittenweem, Fife, Scotland, she married David Brown Beatson on 3 Aprill 1905 in Edinburgh. She died on 19 May 1957, in Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland aged about 75. Ian Stewart was born at Kirklatch, Pittenweem, in 1938 was to follow a very different path from the local fishermen. He went on to become a founding member, then road manager, of the Rolling Stones, before his sudden death in 1985. The Fife Coastal walking Path is a Scottish long distance walking footpath that runs from Kincardine to Newburgh. It runs for 117 miles along the coastline of Fife and passes through many seaside towns and villages including Pittenweem. The path would take around one week to walk completely from end to end. 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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Winter Road Trip Drive With Music On History Visit To Cathedral In Dunblane Scotland

Tour Scotland 4K Winter travel video, with Scottish accordion music, of an afternoon road trip drive, North on the M9 motorway on ancestry, genealogy, family history visit to the Cathedral in Dunblane, a town in the council area of Stirling, Britain, United Kingdom. The Cathedral was once the seat of the bishops of Dunblane, also sometimes called of Strathearn, until the abolition of bishops after the Scottish Reformation. There are remains of the vaults of the episcopal palace to the south of the cathedral. Technically, it is no longer a cathedral, as there are no bishops in the Church of Scotland, which is a Presbyterian denomination. William Chisholme, the last Catholic bishop of Dunblane in 1561, later became bishop of Vaison in France. The cathedral contains the graves of Margaret Drummond of Stobhall, a mistress of King James IV of Scotland and her two sisters, all said to have been poisoned. If you are about to drive on the motorway for the first time, you might be feeling a little daunted. But contrary to many people’s beliefs, motorways are actually the safest roads to drive on. It’s the speed you’re travelling at which can make all the difference between safe and unsafe motorway driving. The speed limit for cars on the motorway is 70mph but motorway speed limits can change several times on one stretch of road, particularly in the event of roadworks or an accident. So be observant and look out for signs indicating speed limit changes and warning signs, used in the event of adverse weather, congestion or accidents. You should only overtake if you’re sure it’s safe to do so. It’s crucial to judge the speed of the cars around you carefully and to check that the lane you’ll be moving into is clear in front and behind you. Don’t forget to check your blind spot and to signal in plenty of time. When you leave a motorway, observe the interchange signs and ensure you’re in the correct lane in plenty of time. The countdown markers which appear before a motorway exit tell you how far away the exit is, with each bar representing 100 yards. If you hog lanes or tailgate on the motorway you could be faced with an on the spot fine of £100 and 3 points on your driving licence. On approaching a roundabout take notice and act on all the information available to you, including traffic signs, traffic lights and lane markings which direct you into the correct lane. Decide as early as possible which exit you need to take. Give priority to traffic approaching from your right, unless directed otherwise by signs, road markings or traffic lights. 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. When driving on Scottish roads in Scotland slow down and enjoy the trip All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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Small Birds And Squirrel On Morning Visit To My Cottage Garden Scone By Perth Perthshire Scotland

Tour Scotland short 4K Winter Friday wildlife nature camera travel video clip of the sight and sounds of small birds and a Grey Squirrel spotted on a morning visit and trip to my cottage garden in Scone by Perth, Perthshire, Britain, United Kingdom. Survival for birds can be challenging at any time of year, but in particular during the colder Autumn and Winter months. Small birds especially struggle due to having a large surface area and comparably small volume. This means they lose heat to their surroundings very quickly and must eat a lot of food to replace the energy lost. The ground during winter is too hard for birds to dig for worms, and caterpillars, aphids, beetles and grubs stay well-hidden, hibernating in thick vegetation. These factors combined with the limited hours of light in which birds can actively search for food can cause them to be very vulnerable during winter. But with a little helping hand from us, many more birds can survive the cold. Grey squirrels are mainly herbivorous, eating acorns, hazel nuts, berries, fungi, buds and shoots, and even bark. Squirrel movement decreases significantly in the winter months, with some squirrel species even hibernating during this time. 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 All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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Blackbirds And Small Birds On Winter Thursday Visit Cottage Garden Scone Perth Perthshire Scotland

Tour Scotland 4K Winter Thursday wildlife nature camera travel video of the sight and sounds of Blackbirds and small birds eating on a morning 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 cold and dry. 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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