People

Victorian Gardening

Published 20 September 2018

In “Gardening in Victorian Dunfermline” Sue Mowat extends her series of articles on life in Dunfermline with an engaging look at the activities of the many gardeners in Dunfermline, partly through press reports on the four gardening societies which were then in existence.

More on Mrs More

Published 30 July 2018

In March 2016 we published a “Did You Know” about Mrs More’s Seminary for Young Ladies in Cairneyhill. Earlier this year, the author, Elaine Campbell received an email from a descendant of one of the pupils, containing further information about the school. Elaine has now written a new article “Mrs More’s Seminary – Revisited” which provides a vivid picture of life there, nearly 180 years ago.

John Goodall and Co Motor Engineers

Published 21 March 2018

In his latest article on Dunfermline’s industrial past, John Goodall & Co Ltd, George Beattie presents the history of a firm which started in the 1860’s with a horse and carriage, grew into a leading carriage hiring business and then made a successful transition to hiring and selling motor vehicles. As always, George’s article is illustrated with a marvelous selection of historic photographs.

William Adamson MP

Published 13 February 2018

Born in Halbeath, The Rt. Hon. William Adamson, PC, MP was a miner, trade union leader and MP for Fife West from 1919 to 1931. He was a member of the first Labour Cabinet and became Secretary of State for Scotland. In this short biography, George Robertson summarises his political achievements but also describes his early life and how it influenced politician he was to become.

William Beveridge and Dunfermline

Published 12 December 2017

Did you know…

…about the Dunfermline links of the author of the Beveridge Report?

In “Sir William Beveridge“, Jean Barclay describes the family links between one of the founders of the modern welfare state and his second cousin the Dunfermline industrialist and archaeologist Erskine Beveridge, including a visit in 1919 by Sir William to his cousin’s house on the island of Vallay, off North Uist.