Clish-Clash

The e-newsletter of the Scottish Local History Forum

Our Storied Firth

2 Jan 2026 | ,

Thursday 15th January 2026, 7:30pm

The Abbey Church Halls, Dunfermline

Dunfermline Historical Society

Our Storied Firth: One Thousand Years of Literature and Storytelling in the Forth Estuary. Following the success of his book “Our Storied Town” for Edinburgh’s 900th anniversary, Donald Smith widens his focus north and south of what was once called the Scottish Sea. The dramas of nature and history combine in a way that resounds today. He will highlight Dunfermline’s part in the literature as well as the history of Scotland.

Donald is a founder member of the Scottish Storytelling Centre and has visited us before. In 2019 he spoke on “Ye Jacobites by Name”.

As always visitors will be made very welcome.

November 2025 Meeting – The CWGC: Architecture and Conservation

13 Nov 2025 | ,

Thursday 20th November, 7:30 pm

The Abbey Church Halls, Dunfermline

The talk will give an overview of the Commission and show examples of cemeteries and memorials all over the world, and from both world wars. It will also discuss how they are maintained and conserved today.
“It’s an amazing project, the Imperial War Graves Commission, it faced an impossible job to try and give some dignity and some sense of order to the meaningless and vast killing of the First World War”, Dan Cruikshank, Iconic War Memorials

Dave is a volunteer and researcher with the commission and has won a Spotlight Award for his work with them.

October 2025 Meeting – The Resurrectionists

9 Oct 2025 | ,

Thursday 16th October 2025,  Abbey Church Halls

Dunfermline Historical Society

 

Bruce Jamieson will present ‘The Resurrectionists’

Bruce is a graduate of The University of Edinburgh who taught history for 35 years. He is the author of “Old North Berwick” and “Linlithgow Through Time” amongst other books. He now gives talks on Scottish History and leads walking tours. Bruce previously visited us in March last season when he talked on the Disaster at Darien.

We are delighted to have him return, his talk will start at 7:30 pm and, as always, visitors will be made very welcome.

March 2025 Meeting, Disaster at Darien

7 Mar 2025 | ,

Thursday 20th March,  Abbey Church Halls

Dunfermline Historical Society

Bruce Jamieson will present ‘Disaster at Darien –the Failure of the 17th Century Scottish attempt to set up a Colony in Central America’

Bruce taught history for 35 years after graduating from Edinburgh University.  He regularly lectures on Scottish History, is the author of several books, including “Linlithgow Through Time” and “Old North Berwick”, and works as a walking tour guide.

His talk will start at 7:30 pm and, as always, visitors will be made welcome.

February 2025 Meeting

3 Feb 2025 | ,

Thursday 20th Feb, 7:30pm, Abbey Church Halls.

Annual General Meeting followed by :

“Henry Duncan”, by Prof. Charles Munn

 

Henry Duncan created a world-wide movement which has helped millions of people throughout the world, and continues to do so. Yet his name is almost completely absent from the pages of our history books. He is best remembered as the father of the Savings Bank Movement, but he was a man of many parts – social reformer, anti-slavery campaigner, geologist and newspaper founder. His pen was never still. He wrote poetry, novels, pamphlets and religious books. He was a Freemason, a friendly society president, an artist, a landscape gardener and a military volunteer. He managed all of this in addition to his role as a parish minister in a small rural parish in southwest Scotland.
This talk will look at many aspects of his life, including his attempt to move the University of St Andrew’s to Dumfries and his prominent role in the Disruption of 1843.