1698-1748

George Turnbull was a philosopher and theologian, and one of the earliest figures in the Scottish Enlightenment.

George Turnbull was born in the small burgh of Allo, in Clackmannanshire, Scotland, on July 11th 1698. He began his higher-education in 1711, at the University of Edinburgh, where he studied divinity, graduating in 1721. His two leaving theses indicated that he was the first Scottish academic to publish works arguing in favor of the Newtonian method for moral philosophy.

Throughout his studies, George Turnbull was a member of the Rankenian Club, a circle of contemporary Scottish intellectuals. While there, he became close associates with several thinkers, including William Wishart and John Tollad, who both helped him with his arguments and interest in a rational-based form of Christianity. His correspondences eventually led him to publish several theological and moral philosophy works during the 1730s and 1740s.

George Turnbull also held several teaching and tutoring positions throughout his academic life. Soon after graduating George Turnbull was made regent at the Marischal College in Aberdeen. While holding the position he was considered to be a popular teacher and worked with future influential academics like Thomas Reid. Upon his resignation, George Turnbull worked as a tutor for the Udney family until 1727. He followed the position with several years of travel through Europe and more private tutoring roles. Although George Turnbull gave up teaching for a short while, financial difficulties forced him to resume the role in the late 1730 and tutores the son of Lord Rockingham in Italy. He later was ordained by the bishop of Winchester, and served as chaplain to the Prince of Wales.

George Turnbull passed away on January 31st 1748.

Annie Littlejohn was only 15 years old when she started her kilt making apprenticeship with R.J. Lawries in Glasgow, Scotland. Now at 78, Annie is still making kilts – every little piece by hand – from her home in Howick, Auckland, New Zealand.

And she’s still enjoying every minute of it. “I love my work, I’ve never complained about having too much,” she says with her warm Glaswegian lilt. She doesn’t believe in having idle hands. When Annie is not hand-sewing kilts she is doing embroidery to relax.

The tiny Scot with an outgoing personality left her homeland for New Zealand at 23. She’d completed her six-year apprenticeship with R.J. Lawries in downtown Glasgow (“It was a beautiful shop with lovely tartan carpet and Scottish crystal”) and had always wanted to travel.

The young Scottish lass, who knew no-one in New Zealand when she arrived in 1955, was welcomed with open arms by the owners of Eadys Music Shop in Auckland’s Queen Street. “Amongst all the musical instruments there was a mannequin wearing a kilt and so I knew I was in the right place for work as a kilt maker.”

She married Sandy Littlejohn in 1957 after meeting him at a Scots Society meeting shortly after he’d arrived from Aberdeen in Scotland. After about two year with Eadys, Annie established her own home-based business. She now works with the Scottish Shop in Mt Eden, Auckland, who take orders for her kilts and order the appropriate tartan from Scotland.

“I usually take about two and a-half weeks to finish one kilt, but it’s difficult to assess as working from home I always have people popping in.” She long ago lost count of just how many kilts she has completed, but considers a recent antique army kilt as one of her most difficult jobs. “I had to adjust a 1924 Royal Stewart Scottish Army kilt to fit the original owner’s son. Those army kilts for the Black Watch Pipers were made in tartan as heavy as blankets.”

When the tartan for each new garment arrives at Annie’s home, she has to cut the kilt from four and a-half metres of fabric, which is cut up the middle making it a nine-metre strip to work with. And each kilt has to be cut out according to the pattern of the clan tartan being used. “I cut them in hundreds of different ways to suit the pattern – this is where home sewers often go wrong and I get the remakes to do.”

Sandy and Annie work closely as a team. He makes the leather straps for the kilts and does the accounting side of the business. “We met some wonderful people through Annie’s work and had some laughs – one gent proudly wore his kilt back-to front. Anyone can wear a kilt but the pleats have to be at the back,” Sandy laughs.

Kilts are made for all sorts of New Zealanders, but especially those with Scottish ancestry (“they like to wear their own clan tartan”) as well as highland dancers and pipe band players.

And how about this for an amazing coincidence? Stuart Noble, who owns and operates the Scottish Heirloom Company, remembers Annie from her working days in Glasgow.

“I had my first job as a message boy for R.W.Forsyth, a very upmarket outfitters. One of my duties was to collect the kilts that Annie and her fellow kilt makers made for us. As I was a raw fifteen year old lad, the girls in the workroom used to tease me mercilessly every time I called in,” Stuart recalls.

“Little did I imagine that Annie would eventually get her arms around my body, - many years later on the other side of the world - while measuring me for a kilt that she was making for me when I was in Auckland, New Zealand. Small World!”

I once swaggered into a hotel in Bahrain in the middle of the night to be greeted by a dulcet Scottish voice. Raised with Scottish grandparents, I love to hear that lilt of Scotland in the language, but I’m constantly amazed at where Scots end up in far flung corners of the world

Even in Brazil, Chile and Mexico, you’ll probably be able to buy haggis and hear the skirl of the pipes from time to time as each country has flourishing Scottish communities. Will ye hae some porridge wi' yer enchiladas hen?

Scotland has a population of just over five million people in 2010. But, there are many more people with Scots ancestry living in many different countries abroad. And there are nearly as many American Scots as there are Scots living in their own homeland. The American census of 2000 reported 4.8 million Americans of Scottish ancestry - 1.7% of the total U.S. population.

And the kilt and bagpipes are not uncommon sights in Canada where Scottish-Canadians make up the third largest ethnic group in the country. England, Wales and Northern Ireland have also been popular destinations for Scots set on resettling.

The Scots have been leaving their craggy and beautiful land for many centuries. Many of these Scottish travellers stayed on in France, Poland, Italy and Netherlands after first landing there as merchants and soldiers. In fact, many Scots do not realise their Bonnie Prince Charlie was half Polish. He was the son of James Edward Stewart and Clementina Sobieska, granddaughter of Jan Sobieski, King of Poland.

When heartless lairds threw many off their land in the 1800s during the historical Highland Clearances, hundred of thousands of Scots had to make their home elsewhere.

Millions of Americans, Canadians, Australians, and New Zealanders can trace their roots back to Scotland. It was Dunedin in New Zealand, which became the new hame to my Scottish grandparents. About 20 percent of the New Zealand’s population in the early days of settlement was originally from Scotland.

Dunedin, which always claims to be the ‘Edinburgh of the South’, was named as a tribute to the southern city’s Scottish settlers. It was Dunedin that my Scottish ancestors chose to settle, but like many who left for a new life never returned and never forgot Scotland to their dying days.

"You can take them oot a' Scotland,
but you canny take Scotland oot a' them"

By Robyn McYousef

Sourses: Wikipedia

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival has helped launch the careers of Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Robin Williams, Stephen Fry, Hugh Lawrie, Billy Connolly and many others.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (The Fringe), which starts on August 6 and runs until the 30th, is the world’s largest arts festival. Held in Scotland’s capital every August, it runs alongside several other arts and cultural festivals, collectively known as the Edinburgh Festival of which the Fringe is by far the largest. This popular festival has not only been the launching pad of many great careers (especially in stand-up comedy) it’s also inspired many similar festivals throughout the world.

This Scottish initiative was first established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival. It mainly attracts events from the performing arts, particularly theatre and (a major increase in recent festivals) and comedy. But, dance and music also figure significantly. In fact, you can perform pretty well anything. There is no selection committee to approve entries. The essence of the fringe festival is that it’s an unjuried festival so anything really goes from Scottish Country Dancing to reciting Burns. The Fringe often highlights experimental acts which probably couldn’t be shown in a more formal festival.

So it’s good Scottish fun and hi-jinks as well as some serious culture thrown in. Last year 35% of the shows were comedy and 28% were theatre. As well as the ticketed events there is an ongoing street fair, particularly on the Royal Mile where you can buy anything from Scottish jewellery to a taste of haggis.

The additional information on Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Stanley Baxter is a prominent and award winning Scottish comic, known best for his roles on various British television shows.

Stanley Baxter was born on May 24th, 1926, in Glasgow Scotland. He initially attended that Hillhead High School, although was later taught by his mother in the field of acting and stage. His skills were developed further when Stanley Baxter completed his National Service with the Combined Services Entertainment unit.

At the end of World War II, Stanley Baxter truly began his stage acting career. He worked with the Glasgow’s Citizens Theater for three years. He became popular and well known in the art of pantomime, and retained his renown until his retirement. During his career, Stanley Baxter nurtured and helped build the career of several pantomimes, including Alyson McInnes, John Ramage and Euan McIver.

Stanley Baxter began his television career in 1959, after he moved to London. He is now remembered best for a series of sketches called “Parliamo Glasgow”, filmed for the BBC. He was also a reoccurring actor on the British children’s comedy show “The Goodies”. From 1986 until 1988, Stanley Baxter held the lead role in “Mr Najeika”, playing the show’s namesake character.

Stanley Baxter has been involved in British and Scottish film since 1955, when he starred in “Geordie”. He followed the roles up by acting in “Very Important Person” and “The Fast Lady” in 1961 and 1962 respectively.
Stanley Baxter continued a comedy career even after retiring in 1990. He has published several books on the language and humor of Glasgow. Although during his career he received three BAFTA awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award at the British Comedy Awards.