101 Notable Scots

Jardine Crombie

Description

This is a little guide to 101 notable Scots throughout history, from ancient times to modern day. Included are: John Logie Baird, Robert Burns, Alexander Fleming, Chris Hoy, Eric Liddell, Charles Macintosh, Jack Vettriano, William Wallace...

Informations

• Publié par: Crombie Jardine Publishing Limited
• Date de parution: 31 janvier 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781291288476
• Langue: English

Extrait

INTRODUCTION
 
 
This is a little guide to 101 notable Scots throughout history, from ancient times to modern day. Like any selection of this kind, the choice is highly subjective and in no way meant to be a comprehensive assessment of influential Scots of all time – there are far too many of those to include in a ‘snapshot’ guide such as this one! The criterion used for inclusion is this: Who might those unfamiliar with Scottish history have heard of and why? So, apologies if your favourite Scot is missing!
 
Crombie Jardine
2013
A
 
Robert Adam
Alexander III
Sir Robert Rowand Anderson
St. Andrew
Sir William Arrol
 
 
Adam, Robert
(1728-92)
 
 
Architect, born in Kirkcaldy. He established the Neoclassical style of architecture in Britain. Examples of his fine work include buildings in Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, Register House, Edinburgh, Culzean Castle in Ayrshire, and Pulteney Bridge in Bath.
 
 
 
Alexander III
(1241-86)
 
 
King of Scots, born in Roxburgh. During his reign there was prosperity and peace with England. He acquired the Hebrides from Norway following the Battle of Largs (1263). His accidental death (as a result of a fall from his horse) lead to a succession crisis.
 
 
 
Anderson, Sir Robert Rowand
(1834-1921)
 
 
Architect, born in Edinburgh. He worked in many styles from Gothic to classical. His buildings include the Edinburgh University Medical School (1874) and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery (1889, the first purpose-built portrait gallery in the world).
 
 
 
Andrew, St.
(1st century)
 
 
Galilean fisherman, a disciple of Christ. According to legend, after Andrew’s crucifixion, a Greek monk took some of his relics by sea to the coast of Fife (now St Andrews) for safe keeping. In 832 a vision of Andrew appeared to a Pictish king before battle against the Angles. On the day of battle an x-shaped cross of clouds formed in the sky. The Picts won the battle and the Saint Andrew’s Cross (or Saltire) was adopted as the emblem and flag of the Scots. Andrew was formally recognized as the patron saint of Scotland in 1320 at the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath.
 
 
 
Arrol, Sir William
(1839-1913)
 
 
Engineer and railway contractor, born in Houston, Renfrewshire. He was responsible for the Forth Railway Bridge (1890), the rebuilding of the Tay Railway Bridge (1889) and the Tower Bridge, London (1899).
 
 
B
 
John Logie Baird
Sir James Matthew Barrie
John George Bartholomew
James Curran Baxter
Stanley Baxter
Alexander Graham Bell
Anthony Charles Blair
James Gordon Brown
John Buchan
David Dunbar Buick
Robert Burns
Sir William Burrell
Sir Alexander Matthew Busby
Lord George Gordon Byron
 
 
 
Baird, John Logie
(1888-1946)
 
 
Television pioneer, born in Helensburgh, Argyll and Bute. An engineer and inventor, Baird gave the first demonstration of a television image, in 1926. The BBC adopted his system in 1929 but in 1937 went over to a rival system made by Marconi-EMI.
 
 
 
Barrie, Sir J(ames) M(atthew)
(1860-1937)
 
 
Novelist and dramatist, born in Kirriemuir, Angus. He wrote a number of rather sentimental novels and plays, several in the Kailyard tradition, but is best known for his ever-popular play Peter Pan (1904), a story perhaps inspired by the untimely death of his brother at almost 14 years old (thus forever being a boy in his family’s memory).
 
 
 
Bartholomew, John George
(1860-1920)
 
 
Cartographer and geographer, born in Edinburgh. The son of Edinburgh publisher John Bartholomew (1831-93), he joined the family firm and published atlases. He held a royal warrant and was occasionally referred to as the Prince of Cartography. He devised a system of indicating contours by colour.
 
 
 
Baxter, James Curran (‘Jim’)
(1939-2001)
 
 
Football player, born in Kirkcaldy, Fife. He played for Rangers, and also for Nottingham Forest and Sunderland. Very popular with the fans, he was capped for Scotland 34 times and is generally considered to be one of Scotland’s greatest ever players. There is a statue in his honour in the village of Hill of Breath, Fife.
 
 
 
Baxter, Stanley
(1926-)
 
 
Actor and comedian, born in Glasgow. He made many stage, radio and film appearances, but is perhaps best known for his television appearances, such as The Stanley Baxter Show (1968-71).
 
 
 
Bell, Alexander Graham
(1847-1922)
 
 
Inventor, scientist and engineer, born in Edinburgh. In America he produced intelligible telephonic transmission and established the Bell Telephone Company in 1877. He is widely regarded as the inventor of the telephone (although this is open to dispute and in 2001, the US Congress officially recognized Antonio Meucci as the inventor). Bell was also a founding member of the National Geographic Society.
 
 
 
Blair, Anthony (‘Tony’)
(1953-)
 
 
Politician, born in Edinburgh. Elected to parliament in 1983, he succeeded John Smith as Leader of the Labour Party in 1994 and introduced measures to modernize the party. He became Prime Minister in 1997. Blair resigned from all three positions in 2007 and was appointed the official Envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East.
 
 
 
Brown, (James) Gordon
(1951-)
 
 
Politician, born in Kirkcaldy. Elected Labour MP for Dunfermline East (1983), he was tipped as potential party leader on the death of John Smith. He was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer when Labour came to power in 1997 until 2007. Brown served as Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010, then continued as an MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath.
 
 
 
Buchan, John, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir
(1875-1940)
 
 
Author and politician, born in Perth.