18th October 2018

At the Dunfermline Historical Society’s October meeting, Dr. Donald Adamson will talk about “The Moat Pit of Culross”.

Donald Adamson comes from a Halbeath coal mining family, and that coal mining ancestry stretches back to the late 16th century in Dunfermline. He read Modern History and Economics at New College Oxford, is a Chartered Accountant and a retired KPMG tax partner. Donald suffers from the family curse of being an avid supporter of Dunfermline Athletic, and is currently chairman of Pars United Community Interest Company, the holding company of the football club.

Donald has a PhD in archaeology from the University of Glasgow and is non-executive chairman of Guard Archaeology Ltd. His talk on the Moat Pit and its wider implications for industrial Culross is based on his 2008 MLitt dissertation, elements of which subsequently appeared as articles in the Scottish Archaeological Journal and ‘History Scotland‘ magazine.

The first meeting of our new season will be held on Thursday 20th September 2018, at 7:30 pm, in the Abbey Church Halls.

Jess Smith will present “The Story of the Travelling Folk”.

We look forward to hearing Jess and getting the season started.

17th May 2018

Our next meeting is the last of this current session. We meet, as usual, in the Abbey Church Halls at 7:30pm where Andy Paterson will present his highly recommended talk “Stars of the Silver Screen”. As this is the last meeting of the year, refreshments will be provided.

April 19th   7:30 pm,      Abbey Church Hall

Derek Larkman – “Frederick Maitland, an Ordinary, Extraordinary Man “

Lieutenant Commander Larkman served in the Royal Navy, in frigates, carriers and Polaris submarines as well as a in a variety of shore appointments. After retiring, in 1992, he went into local government, becoming East Lothian Council’s Emergency Planning Officer. He has an active interest in maritime and naval history.

Those who remember Derek’s excellent talk on “Jute, Jack and Journeying” last season,  will be looking forward to this talk, which will tell the story of a senior Naval Officer of the Napoleonic Wars who had a direct connection with Bonaparte himself.

The March meeting will take place at 7:30 pm on Thursday, 15th March in the Abbey Church Hall as usual.

Professor Gordon Findlater will talk on ‘Burke and Hare’.

Professor Findlater has taught Anatomy at the University of Edinburgh since 1984. He was awarded a Personal Chair and appointed Professor of Translational Anatomy in 2013 and made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 2014.  In March 2016 he retired from full time employment and now works for the University on a part-time basis.

His main research interest is the development of innovative ways of teaching anatomy and as such, has been involved with the development of a holographic atlas of anatomy and the use of virtual reality in the teaching of anatomy. He has always been interested in spreading knowledge of anatomy beyond those studying Medicine and so I’m sure he will provide us with a talk on the infamous Burke and Hare from an unusual, and very well informed, viewpoint.