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Blackness Castle
Blackness Castle is a 15th-century fortress, near the village of Blackness, Scotland, on the south shore of the Firth of Forth. It was built, probably on the site of an earlier fort, by Sir George Crichton in the 1440s. At this time, Blackness was the main port serving the Royal Burgh of Linlithgow, one of the main residences of the Scottish monarch. The castle, together with the Crichton lands, passed to James II of Scotland in 1453, and the castle has been crown property ever since.MacIvor, p. 6. It served as a state prison, holding such prisoners as Cardinal Beaton and the 6th Earl of Angus.MacIvor, p. 20. Strengthened by Sir James Hamilton of Finnart in the mid-16th century, the castle became one of the most advanced artillery fortifications of its time in Scotland. A century later, these defences were not enough to prevent Blackness falling to Oliver Cromwell's army in 1650. Some years after the siege, the castle was repaired, and again served as a prison and a minor ...
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Blackness, Falkirk
Blackness is a small village and harbour at Blackness Bay, an inlet of the Firth of Forth in Scotland. It lies east-southeast of Bo'ness, west-northwest of South Queensferry and north-east of Linlithgow, within the council area of Falkirk. It was formerly part of the historic county of West Lothian. At the 2001 Census Blackness was reported as having a population of around 135 residents. History The village originally served as a port for nearby Linlithgow, which was a principal residence of the Scottish monarchs from as early as the 12th century. James IV gave the village to one of his household servants, John Kirkwood, Master of the Larder, in January 1502.''Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland'', vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1908), p. 112 no. 760. As a port, Blackness was later superseded by Bo'ness, and fell into decline from the 17th century. Blackness Yacht Club currently use the village as a base for its sailing activities. Blackness Castle The small village is dominated by ...
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Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland, both historically and architecturally. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological formation. It is surrounded on three sides by steep cliffs, giving it a strong defensive position. Its strategic location, guarding what was, until the 1890s, the farthest downstream crossing of the River Forth, has made it an important fortification in the region from the earliest times. Most of the principal buildings of the castle date from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. A few structures remain from the fourteenth century, while the outer defences fronting the town date from the early eighteenth century. Before the union with England, Stirling Castle was also one of the most used of the many Scottish royal residences, very much a palace as well as a fortress. Several Scottish Kings and Queens have been crowned at Stirling, in ...
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Auld Alliance
The Auld Alliance ( Scots for "Old Alliance"; ; ) is an alliance made in 1295 between the kingdoms of Scotland and France against England. The Scots word ''auld'', meaning ''old'', has become a partly affectionate term for the long-lasting association between the two countries. Although the alliance was never formally revoked, it is considered by some to have ended with the signing of the Treaty of Edinburgh in 1560. The alliance played a significant role in the relations among Scotland, France and England. The alliance was renewed by all the French and Scottish monarchs of that period except Louis XI. By the late 14th century, the renewal occurred regardless of whether either kingdom was at war with England at the time.BONNER, ELIZABETH. “Scotland’s ‘Auld Alliance’ with France, 1295–1560.” ''History'', vol. 84, no. 273, Wiley, 1999, pp. 5–30, . The alliance began with the treaty signed by John Balliol and Philip IV of France in 1295 against Edward I of Englan ...
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Scottish Warship Margaret
''Margaret'' was a Scottish warship of the 16th century. She was built at Leith around 1505 by order of King James IV of Scotland, as part of his policy of building a strong Scottish navy. He named her after his new wife, Margaret Tudor. Records of shipbuilding between 1502 and June 1506 appear to refer to her construction; two French master shipwrights John Lorans and Jennen Diew were among the workforce. Some of Andrew Barton's sailors were employed watching the works. At the time she was built she was considerably larger than any other ship in the Scottish navy, but soon after she was superseded by a warship which was considerably larger again, the '' Michael''. As her maiden voyage, she took James IV to the Isle of May in July 1506. New equipment included nine crossbows, 6 compasses, and two night glasses. James IV ordered himself a special gold whistle, and bought another made of silver. The ship had a blue banner with the white saltire, and a yellow flag with the red l ...
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Great Michael
''Michael'', popularly known as ''Great Michael'', was a carrack or great ship of the Royal Scottish Navy. She was the largest ship built by King James IV of Scotland James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sau ... as part of his policy of building a strong Scottish navy. She was ordered around 1505 and laid down in 1507 under the direction of Captain Sir Andrew Wood of Largo and the master shipwright Jacques Terrell, launched on 12 October 1511 and completed on 18 February 1512. She was too large to be built at any existing Scottish dockyard, so was built at the new dock at Newhaven, Edinburgh, Newhaven. When ''Michael'' was launched she was the largest ship afloat, with twice the original displacement of her English contemporary ''Mary Rose,'' which was launched in 1509 ...
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James Balfour Paul
Sir James Balfour Paul (16 November 1846 – 15 September 1931) was the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the officer responsible for heraldry in Scotland, from 1890 until the end of 1926. Life Paul was born in Edinburgh, the second son of the Rev John Paul of St Cuthbert's Church, Edinburgh and Margaret Balfour (granddadughter of James Balfour of Pilrig), at their home, 13 George Square, Edinburgh. His great-grandfather was Sir William Moncreiff, 7th Baronet. He was educated at Royal High School and University of Edinburgh. He was admitted an advocate in 1870. Thereafter, he was Registrar of Friendly Societies (1879–1890), Treasurer of the Faculty of Advocates (1883–1902), and appointed Lord Lyon King of Arms in 1890. He was created a Knight Bachelor in the 1900 New Year Honours list, and received the knighthood on 9 February 1900. Among his works was '' The Scots Peerage'', a nine-volume series published from 1904 to 1914. He tried two interesting heraldic cases ...
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Shawm
The shawm () is a conical bore, double-reed woodwind instrument made in Europe from the 12th century to the present day. It achieved its peak of popularity during the medieval and Renaissance periods, after which it was gradually eclipsed by the oboe family of descendant instruments in classical music. It is likely to have come to Western Europe from the Eastern Mediterranean around the time of the Crusades.The Shawm and Curtal
��from the Diabolus in Musica Guide to Early Instruments
Double-reed instruments similar to the shawm were long present in Southern Europe and the East, for instance the , and later

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Lion (warship)
''Lion'' was the name of five warships of the Royal Scottish Navy during the 16th century, some of which were prizes captured by, and from the English. The names of these ships reflect the Royal Arms of Scotland and its central motif of the Lion Rampant. The two ''Lion''s of James IV ''Lion'' was commanded by brothers Sir Robert Barton and Sir Andrew Barton. The ship did not belong to the king but was fitted out for warfare by the Barton brothers. She was around 120 tons with a crew of forty, and probably the largest merchant ship used and hired by James IV of Scotland; small in comparison the king's '' Margaret'' and ''Great Michael''. Robert Barton took James IV of Scotland to the Isle of May and Blackness Castle with the ''Lion'' and another boat in July and September 1506. Andrew Barton took ''Lion'' and the small ''Jennet of Purwyn'', (which was a captured Danish ship) close to England in June 1511. He was acting with a royal '' Letter of Marque'', which was a license ...
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Isle Of May
The Isle of May is located in the north of the outer Firth of Forth, approximately off the coast of mainland Scotland. It is about long and wide. The island is owned and managed by NatureScot as a national nature reserve. There are now no permanent residents, but the island was the site of St Adrian's Priory during the Middle Ages. Most visitors to the island are daytrippers taking the ferry from Anstruther in Fife, although up to six visitors can stay at the bird observatory, usually for a week at a time. The only way to get there is by ferry; the journey takes 45 minutes from the small harbours of Anstruther and Crail, and also from North Berwick. As of 2015, around 11,000 people visit the island each year.The Story of the Isle of May National Nature Reserve. p. 23. The island is closed to visitors from 1 October until Easter to prevent disturbance to the large number of seal pups. The Scottish Seabird Centre at North Berwick has two live cameras on the island, which ...
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James IV Of Scotland
James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sauchieburn, following a rebellion in which the younger James was the figurehead of the rebels. James IV is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs. He was responsible for a major expansion of the Scottish royal navy, which included the founding of two royal dockyards and the acquisition or construction of 38 ships, including the ''Michael'', the largest warship of its time.T. Christopher Smout, ''Scotland and the Sea'' (Edinburgh: Rowman and Littlefield, 1992), , p. 45. James was a patron of the arts and took an active interest in the law, literature and science, even personally experimenting in dentistry and bloodletting. With his patronage the printing press came to Scotland, and the Royal College of Surgeons ...
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Barnton, Edinburgh
Barnton ( gd, Baile an t-Sabhail) is a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland, in the north-west of the city, between Cramond and Corstorphine Hill and west of Davidsons Mains. Part of the area was traditionally known as "Cramond Muir" in reference to Cramond to the north. Notable buildings It is home to the Royal High School of Edinburgh designed by Reid and Forbes in 1964. Braehead House, a complex house centred on a 15th-century remodelled Scottish tower house hides amongst modern housing. The Royal Burgess Golfing Society, one of the oldest golf societies in the world with a clubhouse dating from 1896. Cargilfield Preparatory School lies to the north. The most notable landmark is the former Barnton Hotel at the junction of Whitehouse Loan and Queensferry Road which dates from 1895 and was converted to flats in 2016. The White House (which gives its name to Whitehouse Road) dates from 1615. It was extended and remodelled by MacGibbon and Ross in 1895. The area centres on the p ...
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Earl Of Douglas
This page is concerned with the holders of the forfeit title Earl of Douglas and the preceding feudal barons of Douglas, South Lanarkshire. The title was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1358 for William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas, son of Sir Archibald Douglas, Guardian of Scotland. The Earldom was forfeited by James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas, in 1455. Origins Mythic beginnings The Earls of Douglas, chiefs of Clan Douglas, and their successors claimed descent from Sholto Douglas, a mythical figure dated by Godscroft to 767 AD. However, it is more likely that they were descendants of Flemish immigrants to Scotland, during the reign of David I. Through the marriage of William the Hardy, grandfather of the 1st Earl, to Eleanor de Lovaine, the Earls of Douglas could trace their ancestry to the Landgraves of Brabant. In the story of Sholto Douglas, his son William Douglas is a commander of forces sent by the mythical Scottish king Achaius (Eochaid?), to the court o ...
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