The Chronicles of the Kings of Alba is a set of chronicles containing descriptions of the Kings of Alba, starting from the reign of Kenneth MacAlpin until Kenneth II.

The Chronicles of the King of Scotland covers the lives of fourteen Kings of Scotland. This stretch from Kenneth I, whose reign started in 848 to Kenneth II, whose reign ended in 995.As it is one of the only resources available covering this time period it is considered to be an invaluable document.

Currently there is one known copy of the Chronicles of the Kings of Alba, it is the fourth document in the Poppleton Manuscript. It is held at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. There is no concrete evidence pertaining to the author of the Chronicles of the Kings of Alba. Clues within the text itself indicate that it was penned in the eleventh century, most probably after the death of Kenneth II. There is little doubt that it was written in Scotland itself.

Despite the importance of the Chronicles of the Kings of Alba there seems to be some contention as to its title. Scottish Chronicle, Chronicle of the Kings of Scots and Older Scottish Chronicle have all been used as names for the work.
The Chronicles of the Kings of Scotland covers the reigns of Kenneth I, Donald I, Constantine I, Áed, Giric, Eochaid, Donald II, Constantine II, Malcolm I, Indulf, Dub, Cuilen, Amlaib and Kenneth II.

Cromarty Firth is a firth in Scotland, and part of the North Sea in Scotland.

Cromarty Firth is considered to be one of the safest anchorages in Northern Scotland. Its south side consists of the Black Isles. It is a body of water averaging 1.6 kilometers in wifth, and runs 30.6 kilometers in a south westerly direction. It stems as an arm of the Northern Sea, and connects also to Moray Firth. Cromarty Firth is currently designated as a Special Protection Area, meaning that it is used for wildlife conservation.

Ironically, Cromarty Firth is an important oil processing area. The town of Nigg, on the shore of the Cromarty Firth also serves as an invaluable dry docking, repair and oil rig fabrication area, and has done so since 1972. Cromarty Firth has also been scheduled to be a holding area for the Royal navy Future Aircraft Carrier project. Cruise ships also make stops along the Cromarty Firth.

In the past, Cromarty Firth has been home to a base of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet. On nearby land there are still remnant of this occupation. The disused airfield strip is probably the most significant of these, although the occasional relic from either World War can still be occasionally found.

Scapa Flow is a natural anchorage in Orkney, Scotland. It served as the chief naval base for the UK during WWI and WWII.

Scapa Flow is a body of water siuated between the Orkney Islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is roughly 140 square miles in area, and varies in depth between 70 to 160 feet. The relatively small areas through which enemies could penetrate into this body of water, combined with the conditions of the main body make Scapa Flow an ideal anchorage, the sheer size of it also adds to this, by being able to house a very significantly sized navy. Historically, it was also utilized by Vikings to house their navies.

Scapa Flow began to be utilized as a the main naval base in the beginign of Word War I. Other locations were originally considered, but building delays moved base to Scapa Flow.

Scapa Flow received minefields and concrete barriers to protect itself from submarine attacks, in 1914. One on occasion this came to be useful when a German submarine was sunk as it was trying to enter the anchorage.

The relics of over 8 German ships can still be seen at Scapa Flow. At the end of Word War I, 78 German ships were held at Scapa Flow. They were scuttled by the Germans in the time leading to the decision of what shall be done with them.

Scapa Flow is currently a popular spot for divers, due to the high number of warships lying on its bottom. Occasionally items from the ships are washed up onshore, leading to some hunters of relics and antiques to also frequent the area.

The River Dee Ferry Boat Disaster was a ferry boat capsizing which saw thirty two lives lost.

The River Dee Ferry Boat Disaster occurred on the 5th of April 1876. It occurred upon the River Dee, on a ferry that linked Aberdeen to Torry (as it was at the time). That particular day was a public holiday, and a fair was occurring on the Torry side of the river. The day was also preceded by a bout of heavy rains and bad weather. The unusual influx of people was above that of the capacity of the ferry, and at the time of the disaster there were seventy passengers on-board.

The River Dee Ferry Disaster can be attributed to the inpatients of people. In an effort to get aboard the ferry, those on the bank began to rush onto the vessel before those on it could disembark. This left some passengers trapped on it. This extra passenger load combined with the unusually strong, rain based currents, was the reason for the capsize. The ferry itself was not self-propelled and instead was moved via a set of ropes on either bank. In the midstream section of the river, the tension on the ropes were too high, they were cast off and the boat was at the mercy of the current.

The River Dee Ferry Disaster saw the ferry float towards the sea and eventually capsize. Thirty two of those on-board could not swim and perished in the waters, the majority were from Aberdeen.

The Tay Bridge Disaster was a train bridge collapse in 1879, killing seventy five.

The Tay Bridge Disaster took place on the Tay Rail Bridge on the 28th of December 1879. At roughly quarter past seven in the afternoon, during a severe storm, the Tay Bridge collapsed in its middle section. The train that was crossing it at the time collapsed into the water below, with the bridge. In total, seventy five lives were lost. Forty six of the bodies were recovered, two of these were only found in the February of 1880, more than a month later. The exact number of victims could only be determined by the examination of ticket stubs and ticket records from the train's entire journey.

The causes of the Tay Bridge Disaster are numerous, but poor quality materials and design problems are the two key attributing factors.

The Tay Bridge Disaster could have supposedly been averted if its designer, Sir Thomas Bouch, had paid heed to the advice he had been given in regards to wind loading on certain parts of the bridge. Apparently, while he was advised against implementing girders above a certain length, but took no heed.

The Tay Bridge Disaster is also attributed to the use of poor quality recycled bridge materials from a half built bridge that stood at the same location. Testing of materials after the collapse showed that much of it was of poor or inferior quality.

Other factors in the Tay Bridge Disaster included poor workmanship, ignorance and oversights by the construction crew and alleged speeding of trains while crossing.

The Forth Road Bridge is a road bridge crossing the Firth of Forth, and the road equivalent of the Forth Rail Bridge.

The Forth road Bridge is a 2,512 meter long and thirty three meter wide bridge, catering for pedestrians, vehicles and cycles. It consists of a dual carriage ways with two lanes on each, with a set of cycle and foot paths on either side. The Forth Road Bridge is a suspension bridge, with a 44.3 meter clearance between it and the high tide mark.

The Forth Road Bridge is constructed out of 39,000 tons of steel and 115,000 cubic meters of concrete. Its primary suspension cables are 590 millimetres in thickness. There are a further 11,618 5 millimetre in diameter cables holding up the bridge. The bridge consists of a main 1,006 meter long span, two side spans each 408 meters in length, and two approach spans, one 252 meters in length and one 438 meters.

The construction plan for the Forth Road Bridge was accepted in the February of 1958. Its constructionw as headed by the same firm as that which handled the Forth rail Bridge, Sir William Arrol & Co. It was completed and opened on 4th september 1964. Until 11th february 2008, the Forth Road Bridge was a tolled brdige. Although there is currently talks of implemmenting a time varied toll system for the bridge, possibly to pay for its maintanance or replacement.

The Forth Railway Bridge is the first major completely steel bridge in the United Kingdom.

The Forth Railway Bridge is a cantilever railway bridge that crosses the Firth Of Forth. In essence it connects the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh to the city of Fife. It also acts as an important railway route, connecting north-east and south-east Scotland.

The Forth Railway Bridge is 2,528.7 meters in length, these consist of two main spans of bridge (1,710 feet in length) and two side spans (675 feet in length), along with twenty approach spans (fifteen of which are 168 feet, and five of which are 25 feet). The bridge is punctuated by three 104meter tall, four tower cantilever structures. As the bridge was opened on the 4th of March 1890, and construction was initiated in 1883, it is considered to be a marvel of civil engineering, even today.

Due to the significance in civil engineering of the Forth Railway Bridge, and its iconic appearance, it has been put on the tentative nomination list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites by the British Government.

The location of the Forth Railway Bridge was originally the site of a different bridge project headed by Sir Thomas Bouch. His project was cancelled after the Tay Bridge disasters, which utilized the same design of bridge. The project was then granted to Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker, who created the current design. The construction was carried out by Sir William Arrol & Co, and took roughly seven years.

Lanark Grammar School

The Lanark Grammar School is probably the oldest school in Scotland.

The Lannark Grammar School was established in 1118. As the name suggests, Lannark Grammar School is located in the Lanark area, in Clydesdale. The school draws its students from surrounding villages including Douglas, Carstairs, and Glespin, along with the town of Lanark itself. It has come to be a figure in the local community, often participating in the Lanark Lanimers, a Lanark town festival. It also does numerous charitable projects throughout the community, recently with a bigger focus on Kenyan orphans.

Lanark Grammar School is currently undergoing major refurbishment and redevelopments, as a part of the county's program for the modernization of schools. The biggest aspect of this is the reconstruction of a number of the school buildings, on their current site. This is scheduled to be completed in late 2009. Currently the refurbishment and reconstruction has moved the teaching facilities to the main building and portable accommodation cabins on the Braxfield Campus of the School.

The Lanark Grammar School curriculum currently encompasses 15 subjects, which are spread over a teaching stuff numbering over 70.

Aberdeen Grammar School is one of the oldest Grammar Schools in the United Kingdom.

The exact foundation date of the Aberdeen Grammar School is unknown, although the school's own research places it in 1257. This date places the school as the oldest run grammar school in Aberdeen. Originally the school stood on Schoolhill, ironically close to the current location of Robert Gordon’s College. Aberdeen Grammar School transferred to Skene Street in 1863, where it has stood since.

The earliest written record of Aberdeen Grammar School is in 1418 when John Homyll is appointed to the position of “Master of Schools” by the Lord Provost anв Council. Yet it is known that the school was already well established by then. It is also known that at that point the curriculum of Aberdeen Grammar School consisted of Latin, Greek and ancient geography. It also only taught boys, although this policy was changed and the first girl enrolments were in 1973.
The Skene Street Aberdeen Grammar School building that was originally utilised is best described as being in the Scottish Baronial Style. Although in contrast to this the gymnasium and accompanying sports field buildings are designed in a more modern styling, creating a unique juxtaposition.