Forthcoming History Scotland magazine talks

History Scotland magazine (www.historyscotland.com) is runnng the following talks over the next few months:

Scotland: the global history
7 September

With more than 50 million people around the world today claiming Scottish descent, Scotland’s history and heritage are celebrated around the world. But how did a country with a comparatively small population achieve such global renown? Professor Murray Pittock looks at two case studies: Jacobite piracy and the Scottish universities in the last era of the 'democratic intellect'.


Banishment and transportation from Scotland
14 September

Until the development of the modern prison system, banishment and transportation were two of the possible sentences used by the authorities to punish those who had broken the law. In this talk, Ken Nisbet will explain the difference between the two and look at how and why transportation developed and replaced overseas banishment


Genealogy without borders
21 September

An ancestral story can be compiled from many different sources, each of which can fundamentally change the very sense of family that we have. In this talk, genealogist Chris Paton examines how a person’s whole family story may not be exclusively confined to the country within which he or she was raised. He will be using examples from Irish and Scottish sources to explain how he has been able to redefine his family narrative, by spreading the net further and wider.


Myth-busting Scotland’s early modern witch-hunts
5 October

Join Dr Sierra Dye as she breaks down the barrier between modern myth and historical record in examining the history of Scotland’s witch-hunts.  

Scotland is well-known for its high rates of witchcraft prosecution in the 16th and 17th centuries, during which thousands of people were accused and tried for this diabolical crime. Who were these alleged witches, what exactly were they accused of, and what powers were they suspected of possessing? More importantly, what can these beliefs and processes tell us about early modern Scottish society at the time?


Chivalry and warfare in medieval Scotland
15 November

Dr Callum Watson explores the contrast between the idealised portrayals of medieval Scottish knights and the brutal realities of being involved in long-running conflicts. The talk will examine the connections between the practicalities of Scottish warfare in the late medieval period and the ways in which Scottish writers presented idealised forms of knighthood during this period. 

For further details visit https://www.historyscotland.com/virtual-events/online-lectures/

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.