Scottish Blog

The Fortingall Yew is an ancient yew tree in Scotland.

The Fortingall Yew tree is the oldest organism in all of the United Kingdom, some claim that the Fortingall Yew is also the oldest organism in the whole world. Estimates have placed the tree’s age between two thousand and five thousand years of age. The most likely estimates are on the conservative side of two thousand to three thousand years old.

Currently the Fortingall Yew is not an impressive sight. It consists of what looks to be a group of small trees growing close together, all of which are of an average height and girth. Although once one realizes that the group of trees is indeed one incredibly wide tree, the sight becomes more impressive. Due to immense number of tourists taking pieces of the tree as souvenirs the stature of the Fortingall Yew was reduced. This combined with the slow decay of some internal heartwood of the Fortingall Yew, which has brought some internal sections of the tree to ground level, leaves the tree looking less impressive than one would expect. As an indication of the size of the tree befoe its rot, the girth of the base was measured to be 16 meters in 1769, since then it would have grown. Current measurements are misleading as the trunk is not in one single piece.

Eventhough the tree might look to be unhealthy, experts agree that it is likely that the Fortingall Yew can survive for a number of centuries more, unless circumstances change.

For protection, the Fortingall Yew is surrounded by a small wall, although this does not impede viewing the tree.

Recently samples of the Fortingall Yew were taken to be replanted in various locations. The idea behind was that if the tree itself should be damaged, there would be “clones” of it growing in plantations.

The Scottish law and Scottish courts system is unique within the United Kingdom.

The first unique element of the Scottish courts system is Scots law. Across the United Kingdom there are three separate law and courts systems, these are: the British and Welsh systems, the Irish system and the Scottish system of law and Scottish courts. Between these zones there is no unified judicial system, although there are some exceptions to this rule such as immigration and driving laws.

As unique as Scots law is across the United Kingdom, so are the Scottish courts. These include the Privy Council, House of Lords, Court of Session, Sheriff Court in the civil courts. The criminal courts consist of the District court, the Sheriff court and the High Court of Justiciary. There are a number of specialized courts in the Scottish courts system, these include the Court of the Lord Lyon, which deals with Scottish heraldry and Scottish symbols. There is also the Scottish court for children’s hearings.

Amongst Scottish courts, the House of Lords is the highest court in Scotland. Cases in the House of Lords are generally sat upon by Law Lords. Before this the most important Scottish court is the Court of Session, this is both the court of first instance and also the first court of appeals.

The Island of Rockall is a small stone islet 424 kilometres of the Irish Coast.

Although the Island of Rockall is located near the coast of Ireland, it is, by the Island of Rockall Act of 1972, part of Scotland. More specifically the Island of Rockall is part of the Inverness-shire county of Scotland. The Act whose full title is “An Act to make provision for the incorporation of that part of Her Majesty's Dominions known as the Island of Rockall into that part of the United Kingdom known as Scotland, and for purposes connected therewith", consists of a single section, which reads:

"As from the date of the passing of this Act, the Island of Rockall (of which possession was formally taken in the name of Her Majesty on 18th September 1955 in pursuance of a Royal Warrant dated 14th September 1955 addressed to the Captain of Her Majesty's Ship Vidal) shall be incorporated into that part of the United Kingdom known as Scotland and shall form part of the District of Harris in the County of Inverness, and the law of Scotland shall apply accordingly."

The Island of Rockall consists of a tip of an extinct of volcano. It has a diameter of 27 meters and a height of 23 meters, approximately this comes to 570 square meters. Although the land itself is insignificant, there is much international dispute for the land under the sea near the island. These consist of oil and natural gas. These are disputed between Denmark, Ireland and Iceland.

Borthwick castle is a prime example of historic Scottish fortifications.

Borthwick Castle is located twelve miles southeast of Edinburgh, within the proximity of the village of Borthwick. It was originally constructed by Sir William Borthwick in 1430, the charter for its construction was granted by King James I as gratitude to Sir William Borthwick for his part in returning the King to Scotland from his eighteen year long imprisonment in England. , the location of Borthwick Castle was chosen for its rich Borthwick clan history and because the location is the ancestral location of the Borthwick family seat.

In its original form, the Borthwick Castle consisted of two towers surrounded by a “U” shaped enclosure. Its walls were one hundred feet in height and twenty feet in depth at its base. To add to this the fortifications also had a mote, drawbridge and portcullis. This design was primarily set in place to protect its inhabitants against invasion from the British.

As a counterpoint to these defences Borthwick Castle was especially luxurious on the inside. It was used by Mary Queen of Scots for her honeymoon. In the present day the castle is maintained to preserve its original luxuries décor.

The defenses of Borthwick Castle were tested a number of times, most notable was in the years of 1563, 1567 and 1650. The first two times were whilst protecting Mary Queen of Scots. The third was during the attack of Oliver Cromwell. The castle walls still bear the damage from the cannon fire. In recent years of conflict the castle has also found use, notably in World War II, Borthwick Castle was utilized as a hiding place for Scottish national treasures.

1754-1835

Sir John Sinclair was a politician and financial writer during the Scottish Enlightenment.

Sir John Sinclair was born on the 10th of May 1754 in the Thurso Castle, Thurso, Caithness. He was born as the oldest son to George Sinclair, member of the Earls of Caithness. Born into a privileged life, Sir John Sinclair had the option of education at many of Scotland’s premier institutes. He took this opportunity and completed studies at the University of Edinburgh, the University of Glasgow and the Trinity College in Oxford. He was then admitted into the Faculty of Advocates, a body of lawyers in Scotland. Sir John Sinclair was also called to the English bar, but he never practiced law in England.

In 1780 Sir John Sinclair was joined the British House of Commons for the Caithness constituency. He moved to represent several different constituencies until his departure from the realm of politics in 1811. At his point he moved back to Scotland, he became an important factor in the creation of the Scottish Board of Agriculture.

Sir John Sinclair was also renowned for his economic and financial intuition. He is credited in turning Scotland away from a path of a major economical downturn when his idea to issue Exchequer Bills was adopted by Banks.

Interestingly, Sir John Sinclair was also the first person in the history of the English language to use the word “statistics”. He first applied it in his 1791 work “Statistical Account of Scotland”.

See also: Famous Scots.

John Walker was a renowned Scottish naturalist during the Scottish Enlightenment.

John Walker was in his time and is still a well known chemist, botanist and geologist, he was also a minister in the Church of Scotland, a founding member of the Royal Society of Scotland and he was elected a Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1790.

John Walker was born in 1730 in Canongate, Edinburgh, Scotland. His father was a schoolmaster at the University of Edinburgh. This lead to John Walker pursuing a strong educational path. He embarked on a divinity degree in 1749. Upon completion, John Walker was ordained as a minister into the Church of Scotland. While studying and being a minister, John Walker also pursued a path in scientific research. This began with a natural philosophy course he undertook while at university. This interest in science led to John Walker joining the Edinburgh Philosophy Society and being a founder in the Royal Society of Scotland. He also published under the title of “Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London”, under the guidance of William Cullen.

In 1779 John Walker was appointed to the position of Professor of Natural History in the University of Edinburgh. He maintained this position until his death in 1803.

See also: Famous Scots.

The River Tweed is one of the most well known rivers in Scotland.

The River Tweed is located in the South-Eastern Borders Region of Scotland. The River Tweed rises on Tweedsmuir, Tweed’s Mill. The Clyde River also rises in close proximity to the North of this location. The Annan River also rises nearby to the south.

For a length of twenty seven kilometers the River Tweed acts as the border between Scotland and England. Along this length, the River Tweed runs along a number of major Scottish towns, these include Peebles, Galashiels, Melrose and Berwick-upon-Tweed. The river then ends in the North Sea.

The River Tweed is known for its salmon fishing. In recent years the River Tweed has been the top river in the European Union in terms of its Atlantic salmon yields. It is also considered one of the top rivers in the world for its salmon yield.

NYPD cop exchange programme - Scottish Cop In USA.

Duns Scotus was a Scottish philosopher in the High Middle Ages.

Thoughts of Scottish intellectual figures always lead to the Scottish Enlightenment. This is misleading as there have been many great Scottish thinkers before the Scottish Enlightenment, not to mention afterwards. Duns Scotus was one such thinker, who brought fame to Scotland with his thoughts.

Duns Scotus was born in 1266 in Duns, Scotland. Although some researchers have claimed that Duns Scotus was born in Ireland. In 1291 Duns Scotus was ordained as a priest. It is known that Duns Scotus traveled far across Europe before and after his ordination, as it is known that he was ordained in Northampton, England. After this Duns Scotus taught and studied in Paris, Cambridge and Oxford. His final place of residence was in Cologne, Germany where he lived from 1307 until his death in 1308.

During his academic career, Duns Scotus is credited with founding the Scotism school of thought. He also came to be called “Doctor Subtilis” as his skill and subtlety in joining differing views was said to be highly subtle. Unfortunately for him, in the sixteenth century the works of Duns Scotus came under great dispute and his name came to be a synonym for “one who cannot achieve academic scholarship”, a Dunce.

The plaque above the burial place of Duns Scotus is engraved with “Scotia me genuit. Anglia me suscepit. Gallia me docuit. Colonia me tenet”, which translates to ”Scotia brought me forth. England sustained me. France taught me. Cologne holds me".
It was also said that Duns Scotus was buried alive, after he lapsed into a coma and was mistakenly pronounced dead. It is also said that upon the opening of his tomb, Duns Scotus was discovered dead part way put of his coffin, which he managed to escape.

See also: Famous Scots.

Beer has been brewed in Scotland for over five thousand years. It is only natural that with such a prestigious and time stretching history would entail with it a certain world respect for Scottish beer.

Scottish Beer is sold throughout the world and has in some sense reached the status of a Scottish symbol to many people. In the United States there are a number of Scottish beer brands, of these one of the most popular is the Samuel Adams Scotch Ale. The most common type of Scottish beer found in America is the Scotch ale which is a strong tasting Pale Ale. This taste is attributed by some to the ancient use of bitter herbs by the Celts in their beers, which naturally leads to modern beers emulating this style. In fact he popularity of this type of beer stretches so far that in Brussels, Scotch typically refers to one of these strong beers as opposed to a Scotch Whisky.

Archeological research has shown that Scottish beer existed as early as five thousand years ago. Containers for the Scottish beer have been discovered and their analysis indicated that the barley used for the drink would have originated in Skara Brae and would have been flavored. This combination of ingredients and likely brewing method makes the Scottish beer similar to drinks like “Kvass”.

It is said that the development of Scottish Beer is unique to other areas of the Britain as Scotland maintained their ancient techniques longer. In this environment it is said that the Scottish beer brewing environment thrived, records show that in 1509 Aberdeen alone had 150 recorded brewers with more likely not being on record. In 1598 Edinburgh’s Society of Brewers was organized. In years following the Act of Union, Scottish beer thrived due to the relatively lower cost of the beer and its ingredients compared to English beer.

Currently there are a number of brands of Scottish beer available, these include :

Arran Blonde
Caledonian Deuchars IPA
Caledonian
Orkney Skullsplitter
McEwan's Scotch Ale
Traquair House Ale
Belhaven Scottish Ale
Heather Ales Fraoch
Harviestoun Old Engine Oil
Fyne Ales Highlander
Tennant's Lager

Douglas Alexander is the recent Secretary of State for Scotland and is currently the Secretary of State for International Development.

Douglas Alexander was born on the 26th of October 1967 in Glasgow. His father Douglas N. Alexander was both a minister in the Church of Scotland and a doctor. Douglas Alexander received his education in prestigious schools, dominantly in the Renfrewshire. He received a scholarship in 1984 to attend Lester B. Pearson College in British Columbia. Upon completing his degree he attended the University of Edinburgh. In 1988 he won a further scholarship which allowed him to attend the University of Pennsylvania.

Whilst in America Douglas Alexander began his political career by working for Michael Dukakis in his 1998 presidential campaign and for a Democratic Senator while in Washington D.C. He also worked as a speech-writer and a parliamentary researcher during his employment at Shadow Trade and Industry.

Douglas Alexander came into the position as the Secretary of State of Scotland on the 6th of May 2006, he continued in this position until 27 of June 2007. The next day, on the 28th of June he became the Secretary of State for International Development.

In his personal life, Douglass Alexander has two children and he is married to Jacqueline Christian.

See also: Famous Scots.

Robert Gordon University is a university in Aberdeen.

Robert Gordon University is a relatively recent addition to the Scottish educational spectrum, as a university. It only received a full university title in 1992, previous to this the facility was named the Robert Gordon Institute of Technology and Robert Gordon’s College in its first incarnation.

Currently the Robert Gordon University has a student populace of roughly 12,800. Of these the split between undergraduate and post-graduate students is estimated to be 4000 post-graduates and the rest as undergraduate students. There are currently 145 different courses, in both undergraduate and post-graduate levels, these also include full and part time courses. The Robert Gordon University is the United Kingdom’s highest rated university in terms students finding employment within six month of graduating. According to the Guardian newspaper, the Robert Gordon University is also the third best university for further education.

The history of the Robert Gordon University began with the death of Robert Gordon in 1731. Originally the money that Robert Gordon left for the building of a school for boys was used to build Robert Gordon’s Hospital, in 1950. In 1881, this was converted to Robert Gordon’s College, a day school for boys. The Robert Gordon’s Institute of Technology was penned in 1965 as a name to the institution. In 1992 along with its change of name, the Robert Gordon University received a University status and its first vice-chancellor.

In recent times the Robert Gordon University has spent in excess of sixty million pounds in campus renovations. These included a new Business School building and a new building for the faculty of Health and Social Care.