Shetland, insular county of Scotland, 50 miles NE. of Orkney, 352,876 acres, population 29,705; Mainland, population 20,821; it consists of about 100 islands, 29 of which are inhabited – Mainland, Yell, Unst, Fetlar, Whalsay, and Bressay being the largest. Mainland, comprising more than half the area of the whole group, extends N. and S. for … Read more
Orkney, insular county of Scotland, separated from Caithness by the Pentland Firth (6½ to 8 miles broad); area, 240,476 acres, population 32,044; population of Pomona, or Mainland, 17,165. The Orkneys comprise 67 islands, 28 of which are inhabited, besides a large number of rocky islets or skerries. They are divided into 3 groups – the … Read more
Archaeology Scotland Suite 1a, Stuart House Eskmills, Station Road Musselburgh EH21 7PB 0845 872 3333 www.archaeologyscotland.org.uk Archaeology Scotland is a key centre for community archaeology in Scotland. We are a voluntary membership organisation that works to secure the archaeological heritage of Scotland for its people through education, promotion and support. Museums Galleries Scotland Waverley Gate, … Read more
The National Trust for Scotland has found a shoe buckle at the site of the Battle of Culloden, and has suggested that it may have belonged to clan chief Donald Cameron of Lochiel. Grapeshot was found at the same spot, which tallies with the known cause of his death. [@N_T_S]
A temporary exhibition, ‘Antonine Wall: Beyond the Boundaries’, is now open at Kinneil House in Bo’ness – the wall runs near the 16th century house managed by Historic Environment Scotland, and the exhibition explores the Roman influence in central Scotland. [@HistEnvScot]
The Scottish Crannog Centre in Perthshire, a museum of the Iron Age showcasing Pictish culture, has reopened, three years after its replica roundhouses were destroyed by fire. The site features seven buildings built using traditional skills. [@ScottishCrannog]
The People’s Palace in Glasgow, showcasing the city’s social history, will close on 14 April for a major refurbishment of the museum and the Winter Gardens glasshouse. A ‘last chance to see’ exhibition is now on; the work is expected to take 16 months. [@glasgowmuseums]
Archaeologists and local historians in Stirlingshire will shortly be excavating a rare decorated Pictish stone, found in Old Kilmadock Cemetery, Doune. It is believed to date from the 6th to 8th centuries and appears to bear Ogham script. [Stirling.gov.uk]
Work has started to uncover what is Britain’s only known complete Neolithic cursus. Five years after its discovery, archaeologists at Glasgow University are now working at the large site – 1.km long – at Drumadoon on Arran, near the Machrie Moor stone circle. [Yahoo News. Picture: HES]
Dressing the Georgians is a new exhibition at the King’s Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse, starting on 22 March. It features Georgian clothing across all strata of society, from the practical dress of laundry maids to the glittering gowns worn at court. [@RCT]