The Middle Ages

none known, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons SKopp., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons What an eccentric scene was beheld by the people of Paris in AD 792: two Scotsmen called out daily to passers-by with their rough accents: ‘Whosoever covets wisdom, let him...

By CHE, licensed under CC BY 4.0. It is not often that a queen washes the feet of the poor in her castle. Nor is it usual for such a person to impact a nation through her godliness, practical kindness and love, so that Scotland produced its golden age of kings,...

By CHE, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Less than five miles from where I live is the little village of Temple. Apart from a pleasant row of cottages and a lovely walk by the river, there is not much to see. But take the clock back to the 12th century and you would have...

By CHE, licensed under CC BY 4.0. The island of Iona has been called a ‘thin place’ between heaven and earth because of its deep Christian roots. Lying just off Mull on the western coast of Scotland it can be bleak, but on a sunny day it is stunning with its white...

Cornell University Library (No restrictions or No restrictions), via Wikimedia Commons Visitors to the Crown Room in Edinburgh Castle are often awed by the Crown Jewels, but puzzled by a rectangular block of stone next to them. This lump of old red sandstone weighs...

Otter, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Freedom has been the cry and passion of the Scots for centuries. Of all the heroes of our nation William Wallace stands out as being one of the most cherished of our freedom fighters, so much so that a huge tower, looking...

Image: St Cuthbert with King Oswald’s head, Durham Cathedral, A.1.3_trans352 The medieval period in Europe has derisively been called ‘the Dark Ages’, and yet scholars are beginning to realise that it was the church that mostly advanced our culture, founding...

joanne_matt (flickr), CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons On 24th February 2018 you could hear the roar of the Scottish rugby fans at Murrayfield in Edinburgh. Exuberant and passionate singing erupted from the supporters who celebrated a sporting victory over England....

By CHE, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Text from the Declaration of Arbroath, National Museum Scotland was facing a crisis. With no existing heir to the throne of King Alexander III a replacement had to be found. Of the potential contenders for the Scottish throne two...

MichalPL, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons As I look at the streets and homes where I live in Scotland, everywhere is filled with light. In almost every window there is a Christmas tree, and despite Covid-19 there is a great hustle and bustle going on as people...

By CHE, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Out of a storm-lashed sea a band of bedraggled Christians reached the Scottish shore from their ship. Regulus, an abbot and keeper of the relics clutched a box for all his worth, with twenty other refugees following him. While they...

By CHE, licensed under CC BY 4.0. One of Queen Margaret’s greatest legacies was the enduring faith of her sons and their descendants. William of Malmesbury could say in 1127: ‘Never have we been told among the events of history, of three kings – and at the same time...