Scottish History Alive and Kicking – From Re-enacting to the gathering of the Clan
Scottish History Alive and Kicking –
From Re-enacting to the gathering of the Clans
The Edinburgh Tattoo has welcomed the gathering of the clans to Edinburgh Castle for the first time since 1745 when the followers of Bonnie Prince Charlie laid unsuccessful siege to the fortress. This is the precursor to the clan chiefs leading their clansmen and clanswomen onto the Esplanade in the 2017 Tattoo. But Scotland’s history is very much alive and well elsewhere too. In their spare time hundreds of people spend a great deal of time and money to re-enact periods of Scotland's history. And it is from every period of the nation’s history that they replay and then explain to others why it is so important to remember and learn from the past.
Living History
Historic Scotland often plays host to friends, Romans and infantrymen in their historic properties like Fort George, the very name of which is a reference to the era of the uprising. Then there are re-enactors and living history groups portraying life from the time of the Iron Age all the way through to World War II. There are members of the Antonine Guard, the second Roman wall I wrote about recently, plus many a clansman, First World War soldiers and the odd Pict. For example the members of Historic Saltire Society are on show on 13th & 14th May at Dryburgh Abbey and 10th & 11th June at the Dumbarton ‘Rock of Ages’ event. These men and women show medieval life at the time of Robert the Bruce. All of these living history buffs do a great service to us all, keeping the past in our mind’s eye and reminding us life wasn’t always, FaceBook, YouTube and Google.
Keeping it All Alive
We here at James Pirie do our modest bit towards keeping the great brands of the past going and making sure they live on, with old stagers like Royal Crown Derby, Royal Worcester, Royal Scot Crystal, Portmeirion and relative new comers like Shearer Candles established near Glasgow in 1897. Long may they all survive and long may we offer you keen prices and great service on all of them. So please have a look at our bazaar for some ideas both historic and contemporary.
