Old Photograph Robin Gray's Cottage Scotland

Old photograph of the Cottage of Robin Gray near Elie, East Neuk of Fife, Scotland. This was the Scottish cottage made famous in a ballad by Lady Anne Lindsay. The ballad is is a sentimental tale of a young Scottish girl forced to marry an elderly gentleman for financial reasons when her lover is thought to have been lost at sea. The lover returns to claim his betrothed but discovers that she intends to remain loyal to her kind but aged husband. Lady Anne Barnard, born 12th December 1750, at Balcarres House, died 6th of May 1825, was the eldest daughter of James Lindsay, 5th Earl of Balcarres. She was author of the ballad Auld Robin Gray and an accomplished travel writer, artist and socialite of the period. Her five year residence in Cape Town, South Africa, although brief, had a significant impact on the cultural and social life of the time. Reverend William Leeves revealed in 1812 that Auld Robin Gray had been written by her in 1772, and set to music by him. It was published anonymously in 1783, Lady Anne only acknowledging the authorship of the words two years before her death in a letter to Sir Walter Scott.



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Old Photograph Lochwinnoch Scotland

Old photograph of Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire near Glasgow, Scotland. In 1795, there were nine mills located in Lochwinnoch and the village was developed mainly to accommodate the workers. This Scottish village was largely a planned community, rather than one evolving over time. Furniture makers also established in the village in the 19th century, and Lochwinnoch made furniture was to be found on the great Clyde built liners such as the Lusitania, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth and even the RMS Titanic. It is now chiefly a residential dormitory village serving nearby urban centres such as Glasgow and Paisley


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Old Photograph Cairndow Scotland

Old photograph of cottage and hotel in Cairndow, Scotland. This Scottish village is located between the A83 road and the head of Loch Fyne. The area's history can be traced to the 16th century, when it was an important center for fishing and farming. For generations, most of the land and houses in the parish of Kilmorich, which includes Cairndow, were owned by the Ardkinglas Estate.


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Old Photograph Drummore Scotland

Old photograph of cottages in Drummore, Wigtownshire, Scotland. This Scottish village is located where the Kildonan Burn runs out to the sea, a few miles north of the Mull of Galloway. It is the most southerly in Scotland, and further south than the English cities of Durham and Carlisle.



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Old Photographs Dornoch Scotland

Old photograph of Dornoch, Scotland. The name Dornoch is derived from the Gaelic for pebbly place, suggesting that the area contained pebbles the size of a fist, dorn, which could therefore be used as weapons. Dornoch has the thirteenth century Dornoch Cathedral, the Old Town Jail, and the previous Bishop's Palace which is now the well known hotel, Dornoch Castle and a notable golf course, the Royal Dornoch Golf Club.



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Old Photograph Gordon Scotland

Old photograph of the railway station in Gordon, Berwickshire, Scotland. The first Gordon on record is Richard of Gordon, previously of Swinton, said to have been the grandson of a famous knight who slew some monstrous animal in the Merse during the time of King Malcolm III of Scotland. This Richard was Lord of the Barony of Gordon in the Merse. The name is said to derive from the Gaelic ' Gor Dun' meaning great fort. The de Gordons held the lairdship of Gordon for over two centuries and were thought to have built a castle at the former hamlet of Huntly just to the north; they still held lands up to the 18th century. The Gordon family are the ancestors of the Dukes of Richmond and Gordon and of the Marquis of Huntly.



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Old Photographs Denny Scotland

Old photograph of the railway station in Denny located West of Falkirk, Scotland. Formerly in the county of Stirlingshire. It is situated 7 miles west of Falkirk, and 6 miles north east of Cumbernauld, adjacent to both the M80 and M876 motorways. Denny is separated from neighbouring village Dunipace by the River Carron. Until the early 1980s, Denny was a centre for heavy industry, including several iron foundries, brickworks, a coal mine and paper mills. Thomas Bain was born in Denny on December 14, 1834. He was a Canadian parliamentarian. He was the son of Walter Bain, and migrated to Canada with his family when he was three years old. They settled on a bush farm in Wentworth County near Hamilton, Ontario. He was elected to the County Council in the 1860s and became Warden. He was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 1872 federal election as a Liberal. He was re-elected on six subsequent occasions, serving as a Member of Parliament for 28 years before retiring in 1900. In the House, he usually spoke on agricultural issues, and became Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Colonization in 1896. In 1874, he married Helen Weir. When the Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons, James David Edgar, died unexpectedly in July 1899, Wilfrid Laurier asked Bain to become the new Speaker for the remainder of Egar's term. Bain served as Speaker until the House was dissolved for the 1900 election in which he did not run. After retiring from politics, Bain became President of the Landed Banking and Loan Company and the Malcolm and Souter Furniture Company. He died in Dundas, on January 18, 1915, Ontario at age 80. Carl William Dunn Kirkwood was born on 30 April 1929 in Denny. He was the son of iron jobbing moulder William Kirkwood and his wife Ellen. He completed his schooling in Scotland and then served in the British Army in Malaya and Singapore from 1946 to 1948. He worked as a jobbing moulder, in Australia in 1955. He was soon active both in the Moulders' Union and the Labor Party's Preston branch. In 1970 he was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly as the member for Preston. He became spokesman on local government immediately, adding lands from 1976 to 1977 and dropping his front bench role entirely in 1981. Kirkwood retired in 1988. The railway station opened in 1850 on the Caledonian railway branch line from Larbert, and closed to passengers in the 1930’s although it was still used as a freight line until the 1960’s. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day.



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Old Photograph Railway Station Davidson's Mains Scotland

Old photograph of a steam train locomotive in the railway station in Davidson's Mains by Cramond, Edinburgh, Scotland. The railway station is now closed and the village is currently served by three bus routes to Edinburgh.


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Old Photograph Knock Distillery Scotland

Old photograph of Knock Distillery, Banffshire, Scotland. This Scottish Whisky Distillery was founded in 1893 by John Morrison, who bought the land from the Duke of Fife to produce whisky for Haig's after several springs on the southern slope of Knock Hill were discovered. The site was also chosen for its proximity to the Knock Station on the Banff branch line of the Great North of Scotland Railway between Aberdeen and Elgin. Not only was the new location convenient to the railway but it was also within a few miles of a district noted both for its barley and inexhaustible source of excellent peat.



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Old Photographs Letham Fife Scotland

Old photograph of weavers cottages in Letham, Fife, Scotland. A small Scottish village located just off the A92, around five miles from Cupar.

Old photograph of Letham, Fife, Scotland.

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Old Photograph The Trinity Temple Scotland

Old photograph of The Trinity Temple, Carinish, North Uist, Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Trinity Temple or Teampall na Trionad are the ruins of a 13th century church. It was thought to have been founded by Beathag, the daughter of the warrior Somerled. After being rebuilt around 1350 to 1390 by Ami Nic Ruari, wife of John, Lord of the Isles, it was enlarged in the 16th century, and restored in the 19th century, after it was destroyed as a result of the reformation.



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Old Photographs Kinnesswood Scotland

Old photograph of cottages, houses and people in Kinnesswood, Perthshire, Scotland. This Scottish village was the birthplace in 1746 of the poet Michael Bruce who was born into a weaver's family and is remembered for his nature poetry in poems such as Ode To The Cuckoo which Edmund Burke described as “ the most beautiful lyric in our language. ” Bruce died from consumption at the early age of 21.





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Old Photograph Scotlandwell Scotland

Old photograph of horses and carts, houses and people in Scotlandwell, Perthshire, Scotland. This Scottish village is one of the great historic sites of old Kinross-shire. Named Fons Scotiae by the Romans who passed this way nearly 2,000 years ago, the curative waters that bubble up through the sandy ground were used by Red Friars who maintained a hospital in the village between 1250 and 1587. Thousands of pilgrims came to Scotlandwell to take the water, the most famous perhaps being King Robert the Bruce who is alleged to have found a cure for leprosy here.




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Old Photographs Strathmiglo Scotland

Old photograph of cottages and houses in Strathmiglo, Fife, Scotland. This Scottish village is sometimes thought to have belonged to the Mormaers of Fife in early times. Before 1350 it had become the centre of the shire of Strathmigloshire. It became a burgh of barony in the 16th century, by which time it belonged to the Scotts of Balwearie. Prior to the Reformation it was the site of a Collegiate church. The economic life of the burgh in early times was linked to nearby Falkland Palace. In the 18th and 19th centuries the textile industry was important, as was boot-making in the 20th. The tollbooth of 1734 is a prominent landmark and there is a Pictish stone by the cemetery. Country music legend Johnny Cash traced his ancestry back to this area of Scotland. The clan Cash originated in this area and streets in Strathmiglo and Falkland still carry the name Cash, as do Easter Cash, Wester Cash and Cash Farms.





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Old Photographs Gateside Scotland

Old photograph of cottages and people in Gateside, Fife, Scotland. The River Eden runs through this Scottish village, which flows to St Andrews and then into the North Sea. The nearest large city is Perth, although Edinburgh is only half an hour away by car.





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Old Photograph Kames Scotland

Old photograph of cottages in Kames by Tighnabruaich, Kyles of Bute, Argyll, Scotland. This Scottish village is just an hour and a half west of Glasgow.

Old Photograph Levenhall Links Scotland

Old photograph of of golfers on Levenhall Links, Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland. The Royal Musselburgh Golf Club originated at Levenhall Links before moving to Prestongrange House. Levenhall Links are now one of the most popular sites for birdwatching in the vicinity of Edinburgh. The ash lagoons have provided a roost site for gulls, shorebirds and terns; while the seawall provides excellent views of the flocks of sea ducks such as Common Eider, Velvet Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser, Long-tailed Duck and Common Goldeneye. Many rare visitors have been seen over the years including Wilson's Phalarope, Western Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Franklin's Gull and Citrine Wagtail. It has hosted three terns which had their first occurrences for Scotland here; namely Forster's Tern, Lesser Crested Tern and Royal Tern. It is also the most regular site in Scotland for the Mediterranean Gull.



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Tour Scotland Video Harvesting Barley Strathearn Perthshire

Tour Scotland travel video of harvesting barley on history visit and trip to Strathearn, just South of Comrie, Highland Perthshire. Malt whisky is whisky made from a fermented mash consisting of malted barley. Barley, Hordeum vulgare, a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 13,000 years ago. Barley has also been used as animal fodder, as a source of fermentable material for beer and certain distilled whisky beverages, and as a component of various health foods. It is used in soups and stews, and in barley bread of various cultures. Barley grains are commonly made into malt in a traditional and ancient method of preparation.

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Old Photograph Canty Bay Scotland

Old photograph of cottages and house by Canty Bay, East Lothian, Scotland. This former fishing hamlet has been immortalised by William McGonagall in his poem Beautiful North Berwick and its surroundings. The Canty Bay Inn offered hospitality to the many tourists who came to see the Bass Rock.



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Old Photograph Maxton Scotland

Old photograph of cottages in Maxton located just South of St Boswells in the Borders, Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland, made a charter to John St.Clair, his valet, of the lands of Maxton, Roxburghshire, around 1326, one of the witnesses being Robert de Lauder, Justiciar of Lothian.



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Old Photograph Denbeath Scotland

Old photograph of buildings, shops and people in Denbeath by Buckhaven, Fife, Scotland.



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Old Photographs Tower of Lethendy Scotland

Old photograph of the Tower of Lethendy by Meikleour in Perthshire, Scotland. A Scottish tower house of three storeys and a garret, dating from 1570, and built for Sir David Herring as a hunting lodge.




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Old Photograph Kindrogan House Scotland

Old photograph of Kindrogan House near Enochdhu a small village located West of Kirkmichael, Perthshire, Scotland. Kindrogan Estate was anciently the property of the Robertson and Reid families. Later it was owned by the Small Keir family, passing by marriage from the Small's of Dirnanean and then through the marriage of Jane Amelia Keir to Captain Francis Balfour of Fernie Castle in Fife to the Balfour family. The Balfours purchased Dirnanean in 1926, and upon the marriage of Francis to Katherine Dolby in 1930 they moved residence to that estate, letting Kindrogan to Sir George and Lady Dolby for their summer home. The Balfours returned to Kindrogan after WWII and remained until 1960 when the estate was purchased by the Forestry Commission, and sold on to the current owners, the Scottish Field Studies Association in 1963 after a short spell as a country house hotel. The family or laird's graveyard lies on the slopes of Kindrogan Hill.

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Old Photograph Belmont Castle Scotland

Old photograph of Belmont Castle, Meigle, Perthshire, Scotland. This Scottish castle was built on the site of an early 15th century castle which was a residence of the Bishops of Dunkeld. The castle seen above was the residence of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, born 1836, died 1908, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1905 to 1908. He is buried in the village churchyard.





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Old Photograph Meikleour House Scotland

Old photograph of Meikleour House in Perthshire, Scotland. This is an 18th century Scottish mansion remodelled by David Bryce in 1869-70. It is reported that the 18th century house incorporated part of an earlier building, and that the kitchen bore the date 1678.



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Old Photograph Kilmaveonaig Scotland

Old photograph of Kilmaveonaig Church, Blair Atholl by Blair Castle, Highland Perthshire, Scotland. An Episcopal chapel rebuilt in 1794 by John Stewart on the site of the old parish church of Kilmaveonaig built in 1591. Here St Adamnan preached in the 7th century. Before 1275 it was a parish church and in 1591 it was rebuilt by Roberton of Lude. For some years after 1688, the four parish churches of Blair Atholl, Stroan, Lude and Kilmaeveonaig continued to be used, the Episcopal service being held in the latter two, then about 1700 the four parishes were combined into Blair Atholl and Stroan, and Kilmaveonaig came into the possession of the Espiscopalian Laird of Lude. It was rebuilt in 1794, restored between 1866-71 and again with an enlargement in 1899.



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Tour Scotland Video Pipe Band Parade Highland Games Dunkeld Birnam Perthshire

Tour Scotland video of the parade marching through the streets of Dunkeld and over the Telford Bridge to the Scottish Highland Games in Recreation, Birnam, Highland Perthshire, Scotland. The parade included Chieftain Thomas Steuart Fothringham, Blairgowrie, Rattray and District Pipe Band and members of the community.

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Tour Scotland Pipe Band Highland Games Birnam Dunkeld Highland Perthshire

Tour Scotland video of Blairgowrie, Rattray and District Pipe Band playing in Dunkeld before the Scottish Highland Games in Birnam, Highland Perthshire, Scotland.

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Old Photograph Tannadice Scotland

Old photograph of Tannadice located four miles North of Forfar in Angus, Scotland. The estate of Tannadice was formerly owned by William Neish of Tannadice and Clepington.



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Old Photograph Dalquharran Castle Scotland

Old photograph of Dalquharran Castle, Ayrshire, Scotland. This now ruined Scottish 15th century castle dates back as far as 1200. The castle was originally owned by the Kennedys of Culzean but was later acquired by the Kennedys of Girvan Mains, a more junior branch of the family. In the late 1600s the estates of Girvan Mains, Dalquharran and the domain of Dunure was purchased by Sir Thomas Kennedy of Kirkhill, Lord Provost of Edinburgh.



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Old Photograph Dalhousie Castle Scotland

Old photograph of Dalhousie Castle near Bonnyrigg, and Edinburgh in Midlothian, Scotland. This Scottish castle was the seat of the Earls of Dalhousie, the chieftains of Clan Ramsay. King Edward I, known as Longshanks, stayed at the castle on his way to meet Sir William Wallace at the Battle of Falkirk.



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Old Photograph Forter Castle Scotland

Old photograph of Forter Castle located in Glenisla, North of Alyth in Angus, Scotland. A 16th century Scottish tower house which was a former stronghold of the Ogilvies that was stormed along with Airlie Castle by the Campbells of Inverewe in 1640. For a short period of time it was owned by the MacThomas family before it fell into ruin. It was eventually restored in 1990.



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Old Photograph Mauchline Castle Scotland

Old photograph of Mauchline castle, Ayrshire, Scotland. This Scottish castle was constructed by monks from Melrose Abbey in about 1450. Campbell of Loudoun was appointed Bailie of Barony in 1521, gaining the temporal lordship in 1606. Gavin Hamilton, friend of Robert Burns, later lived in the tower as a tenant of Lord Loudoun. Robert Burns is said to have written the parody sermon The Calf, and to have married Jean Armour, in the castle.



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Old Photograph St John's Tower Scotland

Old photograph of St John's Tower, Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland. On April 26th, 1315, the first Parliament of Scotland was held in Ayr by Robert The Bruce at St.John's Tower. Later, during Cromwellian times, the town was used as a base and fortress for some of his men. Cromwell built a huge wall around certain areas of the town, most of which can still be seen today. St John's Tower, in that area, was originally part of a massive church, but the church was knocked down.



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Old Photograph Eglinton Castle Scotland

Old photograph of Eglinton Castle, Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland. This Scottish castle, though now in ruins, was a relatively modern building, the mansion having been completed as recently as 1802. The earliest known castle here, which even then was the chief seat of the Montgomeries, was burned by the Cunninghames of Glencairn in 1528. One of the side wings of the 1802 castle was known to the servants as Bedlam, this being where the Montgomerie's children had their rooms.



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Old Photograph Sorn Castle Scotland

Old photograph of Sorn Castle in East Ayrshire, Scotland. This Scottish castle comprises a medieval tower house, which was extended over the years, and remodelled in the Scots Baronial style by David Bryce in the 1860s.



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Old Photograph Mains Castle Scotland

Old photograph of Mains Castle in Dundee, Scotland. This Scottish castle is believed to have been built in 1562 by Sir David Graham, nephew of Cardinal Beaton. The castle was the seat of the Grahams of Fintry and remained so until the 19th century when Robert Graham of Fintry sold the lands to David Erskine, with the condition that his family could retain the territorial title of Graham of Fintry and that the estate revert to the older name of Lumlathen or Linlathen.



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Old Photographs Friockheim Scotland

Old photograph of Friockheim, Angus, Scotland. This Scottish village dates from 1814. It lies between the towns of Arbroath, Brechin, Forfar and Montrose. When Thomas Gardyne of Middleton succeeded his brother as the laird of the lands of Friock and feued them to Mr John Anderson, of Arbroath, the new proprietor-in-feu built a flax spinning mill and attracted many textile workers to settle on easy terms in what was at first known as Friock feus.


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Old Photograph Newark Castle Fife Scotland

Old photograph of Newark Castle by St Monans in the East Neuk of Fife, Scotland. This Scottish castle dates back to the 13th century at which time King Alexander III, born 1241, died 1286, spent some of his childhood here. The ruins currently visible are the remains of buildings constructed under the ownership of David Leslie in the 17th century and the Sandilands family who owned the castle since the 15th century when they gained the estate through marriage. Leslie was a prominent figure in the English and Scottish Civil Wars, becoming Lord Newark after the wars.



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Old Photograph Mingarry Castle Scotland

Old photograph of Mingarry Castle, Lochaber, Scotland. Originally built for the Clan MacDonald of Ardnamurchan, also known as MacIain of Ardnamurchan, this Scottish castle has had many different occupants. King James IV of Scotland used it as a stronghold for fighting off Clan Donald in the late 15th century. In 1515 the castle was besieged by the Clan MacDonald of Lochalsh and again two years later when they finally took the castle. In 1588 the chief of the Clan MacLean of Duart Castle resided there after capturing the chief of the Clan MacIan of Ardnamurchan. Other occupants over the years included the Clan Campbell, the Earls of Argyll, in 1612, and Alasdair Colkitto MacDonald who fought the English Parliamentarians of Oliver Cromwell in 1644.



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Old Photograph Barrhead Scotland

Old photograph of Barrhead, East Renfrewshire near Glasgow, Scotland. The name Barrhead comes from the agricultural term Barr meaning long ploughed furrows for cultivation of crops. Barrhead was formed when a series of small textile producing villages, Barrhead, Arthurlie, Grahamston and Gateside, gradually grew into one another to form one contiguous town.




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Tour Scotland Video Pipe Bands Parade Scottish Highland Games Crieff Perthshire

Tour Scotland travel video of the Pipe Band Parade marching through town to the Highland Games Pipe Band competition on visit and trip to Crieff, Perthshire, Scotland. Bands included, Royal Regiment of Scotland Pipe Band, City of Coventry Corps of Drums, Comrie Pipe Band, Troon Blackrock Pipe Band, City Of Brechin Pipe Band, MacKenzie Caledonian Pipe Band, Kinross And District Pipe Band, 6th 8th Dundee Boys Brigade Pipe Band, Carnoustie And District Pipe Band, Tulliallan Pipes And Drums, Perth And District Pipe Band, Vale of Atholl Pipe Band, Goulburn Soldiers Club Pipes and Drums.

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Tour Scotland Video Crear McCartney Window St Michael's Parish Church Linlithgow

Tour Scotland travel video of the Crear McCartney stained glass window in St Katherine's Aisle on ancestry, genealogy, history visit and trip to St Michael's Parish Church in Linlithgow, Scotland. This window was designed and made by Scottish artist Crear McCartney.

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Tour Scotland Video Interior St Michael's Parish Church Linlithgow

Tour Scotland travel video of the interior of St Michael's Parish Church on ancestry, genealogy, family history visit and trip to Linlithgow. 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. 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 burgh's port. Linlithgow is overlooked by its local hill, Cockleroi.

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Tour Scotland Video Robert Riddoch Glen Window St Michael's Parish Church Linlithgow

Tour Scotland travel video of the Robert Riddoch Glen memorial stained glass window in St Katherine's Aisle on ancestry, genealogy, family history visit and trip to St Michael's Parish Church in Linlithgow. This window is the most westerly in the Chancel south aisle and was made by Cottier & Co, of London, England. It is a memorial to Mr Robert Riddoch Glen, senior partner of the firm of Messrs. Glen & Henderson, and to Jane Glen who died in 1889 and 1894 respectively. The 3 lights depict the conversation of the women visiting Christ's tomb with the angel of the Resurrection. In the tracery there is a flaming sun and two angels carrying a quotation from Corinthians Chapter 15 verses 54 to 55 : " O' death, where is thy sting ? O' grave, where is thy victory ? " (This quotation may be behind some of Shakespeare's imagery and it was also used in Walden, by Henry David Thoreau.) Six smaller panels show symbols of God and Christ: The upper three an 'entwined ihs', a crown and a 'chi-rho' - the lower three a for alpha, the Lamb of God, and omega.

This interesting and ancient Scottish surname is locational. It originates from The lands of Riddoch near Comrie in Perthshire. The first recorded bearer of the name was a member of the family who purchased the lands and then subsequently adopted the locality as their surname.

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Tour Scotland Video John Ferguson Window St Michael's Parish Church Linlithgow

Tour Scotland travel video of the John Ferguson memorial stained glass window in St Katherine's Aisle on ancestry visit to St Michael's Parish Church in Linlithgow. The Ferguson surname is of Old Gaelic origin, found in Ireland and Scotland, and is a patronymic form of " Fergus ", from an Old Gaelic personal name " Fearghus ", composed of the elements " fear ", man, and " gus ", vigour, force, with the patronymic ending " son ". This Gaelic personal name was the name of an early Irish mythological figure, a valiant warrior, and was also the name of the grandfather of St. Columba. Ferguson is by far the most popular and widespread form of Fergus. Some Irish bearers of the name Fergus claim descent from Fergus, Prince of Galloway who died in 1161. Ferguson is widespread in Ireland in Ulster, where it is of Scottish descent. The surname is first recorded in Scotland in the mid 15th Century where the Fergusons are classed among the septs of Mar and Atholl.

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Old Photograph Kerrera Ferry Scotland

Old photograph of the ferry to Kerrera, Scotland. This is an island in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, close to the town of Oban. The island is known for the ruined Gylen Castle, built in 1582. It was also the place where King Alexander II of Scotland died in 1249. Most of the island is owned by the McDougalls of Dunollie, who are descended from the Scottish prince Somerled.



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Old Photographs Mallaig Lochaber Scotland

Old photographs of Mallaig a port on the west coast of the Scottish Highlands. It was founded in the 1840s, when Lord Lovat, owner of North Morar Estate, divided up the farm of Mallaigvaig into seventeen parcels of land and encouraged his tenants to move to the western part of the peninsula and turn to fishing as a way of life. The population and local economy expanded rapidly in the 20th century with the arrival of the railway. The local railway station is the terminus of the West Highland railway line. Mallaig is still the main commercial fishing port on the West Coast of Scotland. Caledonian MacBrayne ferries sail from the port to Armadale on the Isle of Skye, Inverie in Knoydart, and to the isles of Rùm, Eigg, Muck, and Canna. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland.

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Old Photograph Innerleven Scotland

Old photograph of cottages in Innerleven, Fife, Scotland. This Scottish village, also known as Dubbieside, is located between Methil and Leven and was at one time a fishing and weaving area of Fife. Fife was an important royal and political centre from the reign of King Malcolm III onwards, as the leaders of Scotland gradually moved southwards away from their ancient strongholds around Scone by Perth, Perthshire. The Earl of Fife was until the 15th century considered the principal peer of the Scottish realm, and was reserved the right of crowning the nation's monarchs, reflecting the prestige of the area.



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

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Old Photographs Edzell Scotland

Old photograph of cottages and houses in Edzell, Angus, Scotland. The existing village of Slateford was expanded in the early 19th century by the Earl of Panmure. The new parish church, replacing the one in the old village, was built in 1818 on the village's north boundary, and led to the official renaming of the village as Edzell. In 1861, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited Edzell, as part of a Royal progress through Angus and Kincardineshire, just weeks before Albert's sudden death. Edzell was not connected to the railway until 1896, and only had a passenger service until 1931, although it reopened experimentally in the summer of 1938. The line closed to freight traffic in 1964.



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

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.