Stirling - The Smith Institute Museum 20120419

Dr Elspeth King is a Scottish curator, writer and social historian. She is known for her role as curator of social history at the People's Palace Museum in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, as Director the

Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum, formerly The Smith Institute, is an art and local history museum in Stirling, Scotland. The museum was founded in 1874 at the bequest of artist Thomas Stuart Smith. History Founding Thomas Stuart Smi ...

, and for her scholarship on the Scottish

Suffrage Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in representative democracy, public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally i ...

movement.

Education and Career

King was born into a mining family in

Lochore Lochore is a former mining village in Fife, Scotland. It takes its name from the nearby Loch Ore. It is largely joined to the adjacent villages of Ballingry to the north and Crosshill to the south. Education Most of the children in Lochore go to ...

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

. She studied Medieval History at

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

, graduating with First Class Honours. She went on to complete a post-graduate course in Museum Studies at

University of Leicester , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_labe ...

. In 1974, King joined the People's Palace, in Glasgow as a curator, where she remained for the next 16 years. During her tenure exhibitions such as ''Scotland Sober and Free'', the 150th anniversary of the

Temperance Movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...

, and Michael Donnelly's 1981 exhibition of stained glass, gained record attendances. The People's Palace won European Museum of the Year in 1981 and the British Museum of the Year award in 1983. Her pet cat

Smudge Smudge may refer to: Cats * Smudge (Blue Peter cat), one of the ''Blue Peter'' pets * Smudge (meme cat), from the ''Woman yelling at a cat'' internet meme * Smudge (People's Palace cat), the Glasgow People's Palace cat Other uses * Smudge ( ...

became very well known in Glasgow during her time working there. In 1990, King was passed over for the civic post of keeper of social history. This decision was considered controversial by many, and was the subject of an appeal under the council's grievance process. King left Glasgow to take on the role of director of the

Dunfermline Dunfermline (; sco, Dunfaurlin, gd, Dùn Phàrlain) is a city, parish and former Royal Burgh, in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city currently has an estimated population of 58,508. Accord ...

Heritage Trust, where she helped to oversee the restoration as a heritage centre of Abbot House, the oldest secular building in the town. In 1994, King joined the Smith Art Gallery Museum in Stirling as its first director, where she remained until her retirement in August 2018. The museum had been threatened with closure earlier in the year due to funding cuts. However, a petition was mounted to combat this decision and gained over 7000 signatures after which the museum received a reprieve.

Honours

King was made an Honorary Doctor of the University of Stirling in 2005 for her "outstanding work in developing Scottish museums and in promoting Scottish history and culture".

Written Works

* ''The Scottish Women's Suffrage Movement'' / ... compiled by Elspeth King to accompany the Government sponsored 'Right to Vote' exhibition organised to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Representation of the People Act, from 9 September- 7 October 1978. Peoples Palace Museum, Glasgow Green (1978) * ''Scotland Sober and Free: the Temperance Movement, 1829-1979''. Glasgow Museums and Art Galleries (1979) * ''Papers of the

Glasgow and West of Scotland Association for Women's Suffrage The Glasgow and West of Scotland Association for Women’s Suffrage was an organisation involved in campaigning for women’s suffrage, based in Glasgow, with members from all over the west of Scotland. Formation The association met for th ...

: an introduction''. Peoples Palace Museum, Glasgow Green (1980) * ''Barapatter. Friends of the Peoples's Palace'' (1983) * ''Peter Fyfe, Photographer'', in Hearn, Sheila G. (ed.), '' Cencrastus'' No. 14, Autumn 1983, pp. 10 – 15, * ''Images of

'', a review of ''Noise and Smokey Breath'' edited by Hamish Whyte, in Hearn, Sheila G. (ed.), '' Cencrastus'' No. 14, Autumn 1983, * ''

Provand's Lordship The Provand's Lordship of Glasgow, Scotland, is a medieval historic house museum located at the top of Castle Street within sight of the Glasgow Cathedral and Glasgow Royal Infirmary, and next to the St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art. ...

: the oldest house in Glasgow.'' City of Glasgow District Council (1984) * ''St Nicholas' Hospital in Glasgow.'' Glasgow Museums and Art Galleries (1984) * ''The strike of the Glasgow weavers 1787.'' Glasgow Museums and Art Galleries (1987) * ''The People's Palace and Glasgow Green.'' Richard Drew Publishing (1991) * ''People's Pictures: the story of tiles in Glasgow'' (1991) * ''The hidden history of Glasgow's women : the Thenew factor''. Mainstream Publishing (1993) * ''Introducing William Wallace''. Firtree (1997) * ''The Wallace Muse: Poems and Artworks Inspired by the Life and Legend of William Wallace''.(with Lesley Duncan). Luath Press (2005) * ''Old Stirling''. Stenlake (2009) * ''A History of Stirling in 100 Objects'' The History Press (2011)

References

External links

Abbot House - The Reawakening of Dunfermline's Oldest Building

Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum

People's Palace Museum, Glasgow
{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Elspeth Living people 20th-century Scottish historians 21st-century Scottish historians Year of birth missing (living people) Women's historians Scottish women activists Scottish feminists Scottish curators Scottish women curators