Talks

March 2025 Meeting, Disaster at Darien

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.

Markinch Heritage Group Meeting, March 2025


Mr Tait’s Whale and other Fishy Stories

by Kerry Briers

A variety of whale and other aquatic themed stories inspired by a shoebox!

Thursday 6th March 2025 at 7pm

252 Memorial Hall, Betson Street, Markinch

(£2 entrance fee for non-members)

February 2025 Meeting

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.

January 2025 Meeting

16th January 2025, 7:30pm Abbey Church Halls.

The Early Years of Mary, Queen of Scots: War, Destruction, Reconstruction and Reformation

Dr Amy Blakeway

Dr Blakeway is a Senior Lecturer in the School of History at St. Andrews University. She has previously held posts at the University of Kent, the University of Cambridge and visiting positions in California,  Aberdeen and Edinburgh.

She is the author of two books on 16th century Scotland and is in the process of writing a book on the research for the talk she is presenting to us.

 

November 2024 Meeting

Thursday 21st November 2024

Dunfermline Historical Society

Bruce Keith              “Scotland Beneath the Surface”

Bruce is a retired surveyor and environmentalist, who first spoke to us in 2018, when he presented a fascinating history of bridges in Scotland. Last year when, he gave us the memorable “Are We Nearly There Yet” , mostly about signposts.

His passion for Scottish history, geography and landscape is a recurring theme throughout his life and is well captured in his book, “Bridgescapes”. In addition to completing the book, Bruce has spent his retirement as an ambassador for the sustainable use of water resources globally, and as President of his professional institution, The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM). He has travelled extensively from New Zealand to Finland via Africa.

This month, his talk is titled “Scotland Beneath the Surface”.

As usual, we meet at 7:30 pm in the Abbey Church Hall, Dunfermline. All welcome.

1 2 3 14