Scotland Magazine section Scottish Legends

JM Barrie

Scottish journalist, playwright and children’s book writer, JM Barrie became world famous with his story about a little boy who never grew up.

James Matthew Barrie was born on 9th May 1860 in the Lowland village of Kirriemuir, in Forfarshire (now Angus). His father, David Barrie was a handloom weaver, and mother, Margaret Ogilvy, the daughter of a stonemason. James was the ninth of 10 children and his imagination was nutured as a youngst...

By JM Barrie from Issue 38 published on 11/04/2008

Doctor Livingstone, I presume?

In the latest of our series on famous Scots, we study the life of Scotland’s most famous explorer

David Livingstone was born in Blantyre Mill village on 19 March 1813. The son of a shopkeeper, the young Livingstone lived with his parents, two brothers and two sisters in a one-roomed house beside the cotton mill. Like the other village children, he began working in the mills at the age of 10 as ...

By Sally Toms from Issue 35 published on 15/11/2007

National treasure

Sally Toms looks at the life of celebrated Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson (1850-1894) was born in Edinburgh in November 1850. The Stevensons were distinguished lighthouse designers, but from an early age Robert showed an interest in literature. An only child, Robert was intelligent but often ill; he had ‘weak lungs’ which might well have be...

By Sally Toms from Issue 34 published on 30/08/2007

Friend more than servant

History has preserved the friendship between the widowed Queen Victoria and her personal attendant John Brown. Jackie Cosh reports

Queen Victoria described him as ‘friend more than servant,’ but not everyone was as complimentary about John ‘Ghillie’ Brown. Rumours were rife that he was conducting an improper relationship with the Queen, some even suggesting that she had secretly married him, while the Prince of Wales (the futu...

By Jackie Cosh from Issue 33 published on 22/06/2007

Everything you need to know about... The Loch Ness monster

The Loch Ness Monster, or ‘Nessie,’ as he, she or it is known locally, has become a popular Scottish icon inspiring poems, books and songs. Over the years, Nessie’s image has been transposed onto coffee cups, posters, board games and children’s toys, but despite hundreds of alleged sightings, photog...

By Roddy Martine from Issue 33 published on 22/06/2007

The Scottish King (Macbeth)

Mark Nicholls sets off on the trail of the ancient Scottish king, Macbeth, to discover his true character

Macbeth is one of the greatest and most mysterious characters in Scottish history; his reign shrouded in myth, folklore and misinformation. As an 11th century Scottish king, his reign was relatively long at 17 years, but his achievements and deeds have been tarnished by the pen of the greatest of a...

By Mark Nicholls from Issue 32 published on 13/04/2007

The Young Pretender (Bonnie Prince Charlie)

In the latest part of our series looking at Scottish characters, Mark Nicholls sets off to find out more about Bonnie Prince Charlie

Charles Edward Stuart, aka Bonnie Prince Charlie, is one of the most famous figures in Scottish history.c Yet out of the 67 years he lived, only a mere 14 months of that time was spent in Scotland and parts of England – with much of that short period on the run with a massive reward offered for his ...

By Mark Nicholls from Issue 31 published on 16/02/2007

The tragic queen (Mary Queen of Scots)

In the latest part of our series looking at legendary Scottish characters, Mark Nicholls looks at where to find out more about Mary Queen of Scots

Mary Queen of Scots was a woman who spent much of her life on the move: for political and religious reasons; being pursued by rival Scottish lords; secreted away for her own safety; or on extensive “progresses” around Scotland to meet her people. As a modern day consequence, the trail of Mary Queen...

By Mark Nicholls from Issue 30 published on 01/12/2006

Child of the Mist (Rob Roy MacGregor)

In the latest part of our series looking at Scottish characters, Mark Nicholls sets off on the trail of Rob Roy MacGregor

Rob Roy MacGregor emerges from the pages of history – and of popular literature – as a vivid Scottish character. His name, and reputation, has been embellished by the attentions of authors such as Sir Walter Scott and Daniel Defoe (of Robinson Crusoe fame) as well as shrouded in a little myth. The ...

By Mark Nicholls from Issue 29 published on 25/10/2006

Scotland's Burning passion (Robert Burns)

In the latest in our series of legendary Scots, Mark Nicholls sets off on the trail of Scotland’s national bard, Robert Burns

His memory is celebrated every year on Burns Night. On the eve of January 25, suppers, toasts and recitations mark the occasion of the birth of Scotland’s national bard. Robert Burns was born in 1759 in Alloway, close to the town of Ayr in 1759 on Scotland’s south west coast. However, it is not o...

By Mark Nicholls from Issue 28 published on 20/09/2006

In search of Braveheart (Sir William Wallace)

In the second part of our series looking at where you can find out more about great historical figures, Mark Nicholls sets off on the trail of Sir William Wallace

For many Scots, William Wallace is forever regarded as the true national hero. Portrayed in the Hollywood-blockbuster Braveheart, a role that took his name to a wider audience and even triggered resurgence in Scottish national pride, he epitomises the spirit of a nation. A sworn enemy of the Engli...

By Mark Nicholls from Issue 26 published on 21/04/2006

From caverns to castles (Robert the Bruce)

Robert the Bruce is arguably Scotland’s greatest monarch, Mark Nicholls sets off on his trail

In a sheer and imposing cliff made of vivid stone, high above the River Kirtle in the south of Scotland, is the opening to a cold and dank cave. So legend has it, this was the lonely, desolate home of Robert the Bruce for three bleak months in the winter of 1313. The King of Scots was in hiding fro...

By Mark Nicholls from Issue 25 published on 17/02/2006