The Murray Place fire, August 1949
In the early hours of Tuesday 23rd August 1949, a fire broke out at the premises of Drummond & Sons Ltd, seed merchants at Murray Place, Stirling. The event was […]
List of pear, apple and plum varieties from the papers of the Murray Family of Polmaise, late 17th century
Our Document of the Month for February features a fascinating list found in the estate papers of the Murray family of Polmaise, near Stirling. This list of fruit varieties sent […]
The Drummonds of Blair Drummond
In 1632, George Drummond was born in Blair, Stormount, in Blairgowrie Parish. He was the sixth Laird of Blair and sold Blair in 1682. In 1684, he bought the lands […]
Christmas Cards from the Front – The Whinwell Children’s Home
This month’s document of the month focusses on the additional records held for one of Stirling’s privately run children’s homes. Within the records of the Whinwell Children’s Home, Stirling held […]
The First Schoolmaster of Port of Menteith and his controversial successor
In 1997, Port of Menteith celebrated the 300th anniversary of the founding of its local school, when Alexander Gairoch was appointed Schoolmaster on 15th November 1697. The appointment was largely […]
Letters Patent from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II granting city status to Stirling 22nd April 2002
This year was the twentieth anniversary of the granting of City Status to Stirling in the year of the late Queen’s Golden Jubilee. The Document of the Month for October […]
Letter written to his aunt and uncle by Andrew Hardie before his execution 5th September 1820
We commemorate the death of John Baird and Andrew Hardie on this day in 1820. The two men were executed for treason on the 8th September 1820 for their part […]
John Christie and the Decline of Pistol Making in Doune
If you look at the Doune Burgh coat of arms, a distinctive feature on it highlights an important object in history of the village: the pistol. Gunsmith Thomas Caddell moved […]
The Clan MacGregor and the Royal Visit of 1822
Amongst the papers of the Clan MacGregor held at the Council Archives there are bundles of accounts relating to the attendance of Clan members at the visit of King George […]
Stephen Maltman and the Fairy Folk – an accusation of witchcraft, March – April 1628
This post, another in our series to celebrate Scotland’s Year of Stories, concerns a man accused of witchcraft in the 1620s. Stephen Maltman was brought in front of the Stirling […]