General enquires: mail@scottishhistory.org
Editorial: editor@scottishhistory.org
On this day in Scottish History
The burning of Edinburgh 1544
7 May 1544: After successfully landing in the Firth of Forth and capturing of the port of Leith, Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford, leads an English army into Edinburgh which is burnt and looted...
On this day in Scottish History
The death of Sir George Bruce of Carnock
6 May 1625: The death in Culross of industrialist Sir George Bruce of Carnock, best remembered for his innovative off-shore coal mining techniques which attracted the interest of King James VI.
On this day in Scottish History
Charles I surrenders himself to the Scots
On 5 May 1646, King Charles I surrenders himself to General David Leslie, commander of the Scottish Covenanter army besieging Newark-on-Trent. They would hold him in Newcastle until he was handed over to the...
On this day in Scottish History
Loch Ness Monster sighting
2 May 1933: The first reported modern-day sighting of the Loch Ness Monster appeared in The Inverness Courier. A local couple spotted a creature "rolling and plunging for fully a minute, its body resembling...
On this day in Scottish History
The murder of James Sharp, Archbishop of St Andrews
On the 3rd May 1679, a group of Covenanters led by John Balfour of Kinloch murder James Sharp, Archbishop of St Andrews on Magus Muir, Fife. Sharp was returning to St Andrews with his...
On this day in Scottish History
The birth of Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding
24 April 1882: The birth in Moffat of Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding, best remembered as commander of RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain and for the "Dowding system" - the first...
On this day in Scottish History
Siege of Stirling Castle 1304
On 22 April 1304, Edward I of England begins the siege of the strategically important Stirling Castle, held by Sir William Oliphant and 30 men. The siege ended on 24 July after 3 months...
Scottish History Blog
The Execution of James Renwick
James Renwick was a Scottish Presbyterian minister who became the last of the prominent Covenanter martyrs of Scotland. He was executed on 17 February 1688 for his resistance to the religious policies of King...