7th Symposium success

The 7th Biennial Scottish Battlefields Symposium has been successfully held in Edinburgh’s “Scottish Storytelling Centre”. Opened by Murdo Fraser MSP, who told the room of his agreement that battlefield preservation is an important issue for the nation, the day’s programme began with presentations from Historic Environment Scotland and the National Trust for Scotland. The Policy session ended with an insightful question and answer session.

The second session of the day had a Jacobite theme, and began with Dr Gordon Prestoungrange of the Battle of Prestonpans (1745) Heritage Trust. He spoke of the Trust’s experiences as a community organisation fighting to protect and, crucially, interpret a battlefield in a busy 21st century landscape. This was followed by a Zoom link-up with the project to research and commemorate the Battle of Littleferry (1746) near Goslpie, and finally we had an update on the latest news and developments at Culloden (1746).

After lunch, our Rough Wooing session heard presentations from Ancrum & District Historical Society, the 12 Towers of Rule project, and the new Rough Wooing Trust. All very different initiatives taking fresh and inspiring angles on different parts of the same historical narrative.

Finally, the day ended with a presentation from our director on the Dunbar 1650 Project, and the Trust’s new booklet, Advice & Ideas for Scotland’s Battlefield Champions.