Note that there may be a small charge for some of these events, and some may be for members only. We will be publishing lists of upcoming talks and events regularly - if you are organising a talk or event relating to Scottish genealogy or history, please let us know and we will be happy to add your events to our list.
Monday, November 7 2016, 7 pm for 7.30 pm
The Pentland Way – A Walk with History
John Stirling and Bob Paterson
Venue: Drummond Community High School, Bellevue Place, Edinburgh
Non-members, £2.00.
Monday, November 7 2016, 7.30 pm
Galston Memories
Elijah Beattie
Venue: John Knox Church Hall, High Street, Stewarton
Stewarton and District Historical Society
Mr Beattie shares his childhood memories of the town and may tell us about Brunawn and Galston Handball. Members £1 Non-members £2.
Monday, November 7 2016, 7.30 pm
The Key to the Punjab - the Great Sikh Fortress of Govindgarh, Amritsar
Tom Addyman
Venue: St Andrews Church, Park Road, Milngavie
Milngavie and Bearsden Historical Society
Tom Addyman is an archaeology expert and involved in a major project to preserve a “Unique Indian Fortress” adjacent to the major city of Amritsar – famed for its golden temple. £4 for non-members
Monday, November 7 2016, 7.30 pm
Through the Lens Dating Photos Through Costume
Valerie Reilly
Venue: Morison Memorial Church, Dumbarton Road, Clydebank
Clydebank Local History Society
Tuesday, November 8 2016, 10.15 - 11.45 am
U3A Family History Group
Venue: Turriff Library, Grange Villa, The Square, Turriff, AB43 5AE
For further details, please contact Turriff Library.
Tuesday, November 8 2016, 2.30 pm - 4 pm
Introduction to Ancestry
Venue: Mearns Library
East Renfrewshire's Heritage Collection
Ancestry Library Edition is a must for anyone doing their family history and you can get access to this fabulous resource in your local East Renfrewshire library, without spending a penny. This informal session will help you master the basics and you'll soon be searching with ease through millions of world-wide records.
Free, book at the venue.
Tuesday, November 8 2016, 7 pm for 7.30 pm
Plastics and Poo – Threats to Scottish Wildlife
Matt Barnes, Volunteer & Community Engagement Manager Scotland, Marine Conservation Society
Venue: Montrose Museum, Panmure Place, Montrose DD10 8HE
Montrose Natural History and Antiquarian Society
£3 for non-members
Tuesday, November 8 2016, 7.30 pm
Tarves Tales Through Time: 6 Owners, 5 Centuries
Lindsay Mathewson
Venue: Buchan Hotel, Ellon
Ellon and District Heritage Society
Entrance £3
Tuesday, November 8 2016, 7.30 pm
On the Road: the artefact assemblage from Charlie Hoy’s Cramond excavations 1970-1986
Dawn McLaren
Venue: 23a Fettes Row, Edinburgh
Edinburgh Archaeological Field Society
Tuesday, November 8 2016, 7.30 pm
The Archaeology of Jutland
Dr Innes McCartney
Venue: Orkney College
Dr. Innes McCartney will give an exciting and informative lecture on the Battle of Jutland on Tuesday 8th November at 7.30pm in the lecture theatre of Orkney College.
Tuesday, November 8 2016, 7.30 pm
Fife Pilgrim Way
Sarah Kettles
Venue: Volunteer House (Vonef Centre) in 69 Crossgate Cupar KY15 5AS
Tuesday, November 8 2016, 7.30 pm
Hair Styles: Male and Female throughout the Ages
E D Bremner
Venue: Community Room, Largs Library, Allanpark Street, Largs
North Ayrshire Family History Society
Tuesday, November 8 2016, 7.30 pm
Scotland v Italy: an early battle on home ground?
Dr John Reid
Venue: Auditorium, Eastgate Theatre and Arts Centre, Peebles
Four miles south-east of Lockerbie lies Burnswark Hill in Dumfriesshire, rising to nearly 1,000 feet from the surrounding countryside. It is one of the most prominent landmarks of the Solway basin. On the tabletop summit the remains of a 17-acre Roman hillfort have been uncovered. Their configuration is unique in Britain, and attempts to understand their significance have provoked considerable controversy for over half a century, with the purpose of these complex earthworks confounding archaeologists.
Excavations at Burnswark have revealed a greater number and variety of Roman missiles than anywhere else in Britain, while recent investigations and new techniques suggest this could be the site of one of the earliest conflicts between the Roman Empire and the Caledonians. John will bring us up-to-date with the results of the latest research.
Dr John Reid is Chairman of The Trimontium Trust, Melrose, which runs a series of activities for members and the general public including lectures, outings and other activities.
Tuesday, November 8 2016, 7.30 pm - 9.30 pm
Engine of Destruction: The 51st (Highland Division) in the Great War
Colin Campbell
Venue: Masonic Halls, Collier Street, Johnstone
Wednesday, November 9 2016, 2.00 pm - 4.00 pm
The Harry Lauder Story
Ian Tennent
Venue: Kincardine Community Centre - Hepburn Room
Kincardine-on-Forth Local History Group
Wednesday, November 9 2016, 4 pm
Local Politics and the Adoption of Empire in the Gobi Region
Joshua Wright
Venue: Lecture Theatre (109), Gregory Building
University of Glasgow
Wednesday, November 9 2016, 6.30 pm
Dundee in the Great War: three short talks
Linda Nicoll (Friends of Dundee City Archives), David Wilkinson & Matthew Jarron (University of Dundee)
Venue: Lecture Theatre 1, Dalhousie Building, University of Dundee
Wednesday, November 9 2016, 7.00 pm
The Templelands of Edinburgh
Norah Carlin
Venue: Augustine Church, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh
Lectures are free to members and open to non-members paying a small fee (currently £5.00).
Wednesday, November 9 2016, 7.30 pm
The 1884 Reform Agitation in East Lothian
Mark Nixon
Venue: Gullane Village Hall
Gullane and Dirleton History Society
Pressure for voting reform turned violent in Haddington in 1884
Wednesday, November 9 2016, 7.30 pm
Aberdeen and North East Resources
Buzzy Garden
Venue: Smith Museum and Art Gallery, Dumbarton Road, Stirling
Central Scotland Family History Society
Wednesday, November 9 2016, 7.30 pm
Auxiliary Units - Churchill's Secret Army
David Blair
Venue: Volunteer Hall, Galashiels
Joint meeting with Selkirk Antiquarians
Wednesday, November 9 2016, 7.30 pm
Habbie to Jeely Eater
Ian Miller
Venue: Concord Community Centre (next to the Denny Theatre), Dumbarton, G82 1LJ
“A man of the cloth. An entertainer. A man who welcomed all denominations, anytime. A man who has married, christened and buried the great the good and the lowly with equal gravitas and humanity”. (Paul Murdoch). This is his life-story and the title of his book.
Wednesday, November 9 2016, 7.45 pm
Keir Hardie
Stanley Sarsfield
Venue: RAF Club, Ardgowan Square, Greenock
Thursday, November 10 2016
Scotland’s Early Silver
Alice Blackwell, Glenmorangie Research Fellow, National Museum of Scotland
Venue: Blue Room, Town Hall, Ayr
Ayrshire Archaeological and Natural History Society
Thursday, November 10 2016, 5.15 pm for 5.30 pm
The Scottish Disruption and the politics of colonial Auckland
Dr Valerie Wallace (Victoria University of Wellington)
Venue: New Seminar Room, St John’s House, 71 South Street, St Andrews
Institute of Scottish Historical Research
Thursday, November 10 2016, 6 pm - 7.30 pm
Two Syllables Only: Feuds and frictions within the Scottish Enlightenment
Mark McLean, learning officer, Newhailes
Venue: Newhailes House, Newhailes Road, Musselburgh, EH21 6RY
£8, including complimentary glass of wine. Limited space, book online
Thursday, November 10 2016, 6.30 pm
Rich Folk Poor Folk - Life in Victorian Cumnock
Venue: Baird Institute, 3 Lugar Street, Cumnock, East Ayrshire, KA18 1AD
Thursday, November 10 2016, 7 pm
Glasgow Cinemas
Tom Marchant
Venue: GLO Centre, 78 Muir Street, MOTHERWELL. ML1 1BN
Lanarkshire Family History Society
Thursday, November 10 2016, 7.30 pm
Scottish Education in the 19th Century
Janet Byth
Venue: MacRobert Hall, The Square, Tarland
Janet Byth will tell us about her researches into 180 years of a single Scottish School at Fintry and the changes that took place over time.
Thursday, November 10 2016, 7.30 pm
Paisley Abbey Digs – the story so far
Bob Will, Senior Project Manager, GUARD Archaeology
Venue: The Shawl Gallery, Paisley Museum, High Street, Paisley
Renfrewshire Local History Forum
Renfrewshire Local History Forum Lectures are open to non-members with no admission charge but a small donation would be appreciated.
Thursday, November 10 2016, 7.30 pm
Edinburgh and Musselburgh Trams
Gavin Booth
Venue: St Peter's Church Hall, High Street, Musselburgh
Musselburgh Conservation Society
Thursday, November 10 2016, 7.30 pm - 9.00 pm
The Last Miners of Ayrshire's Doon Valley
Donald Reid
Venue: Johnnie Walker Bond, Strand Street Kilmarnock
East Ayrshire Family History Society
Friday, November 11 2016, 2 pm - 3.30 pm
‘Something Sensible for a Change’ : The National Register of Archives for Scotland, 1946-2016
Dr Alison Rosie (Registrar of NRAS)
Venue: New Register House, Princes Street, Edinburgh
Dr Alison Rosie (Registrar of the NRAS) outlines the history of the NRAS and what it does to help owners and users of archives today. Bring along your own documents for an opportunity after her talk to find out more about them and get advice on their care and preservation. (New Register House)
Friday, November 11 2016, 2.00pm-3.30pm
Smuggling in East Lothian and Berwickshire c1740-1790
Derek Janes
Venue: John Gray Centre
Friends of the John Gray Centre
Take pleasure in listening to some incredible stories about smuggling in the area, ask daring questions and marvel at the hair-raising details intertwined with important facts and additional information.
Friday, November 11 2016, 7.30 pm
Scratching the surface and digging deeper: an on-going journey through art and archaeology
Margaret Struckmeier, Potter and Archaeologist
Venue: German Speaking Church, Chalmers Crescent, Edinburgh, EH9 1TW
Friday, November 11 2016, 7.30 pm - 9.30 pm
You're Wanted, Lads: Frontline Voices from WWI
Venue: Scottish Storytelling Centre, Netherbow Theatre, Royal Mile, Edinburgh
School of Scottish Studies, University of Edinburgh
The impact & experience of the war to end wars, from those who were there. Hear from the testimonies of ordinary soldiers from Perthshire & Aberdeenshire, collected over many painstaking years by Jock Duncan in Jock's Jock, a one act play featuring Scott Gardiner, Chris Wright, Charlie West and Gary West. Also experience the poems & tunes of Seaforth Highlander E. Alan Mackintosh, with biographer Colin Campbell plus Neil MacLure and Linn Phipps. A special marking of Armistice Day for the Carrying Stream Festival, in association with Edinburgh University's School of Scottish Studies Archive. Tickets: £10 (£8 concessions) from http://www.carryingstreamfestival.co.uk/
Saturday, November 12 2016
Our Urban Heritage: Natural and Cultural
Venue: Stirling University
Forth Naturalist and Historian
Saturday, November 12 2016, 10 am - 12 pm
WWI
Ken Nisbet
Venue: Scottish Genealogy Society Library, 15 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL
Ken Nisbet, our resident expert on all things military, will take this class. Ken will show what resources are available both online and offline to begin and to further your research. This will course will focus more on Army records than previously.
Saturday, November 12 2016, 2.00pm-4.00pm
Moray Burial Ground Research Group
Keith and Helen Mitchell, MBGRG
Venue: Dumbarton Room, Royal Scots Club, 29 Abercromby Place, Edinburgh, EH3 6QE
Aberdeen and North East Scotland Family History Society
Saturday, November 12 2016, 2.00pm-4.00pm
Medals and how to research them
Venue: Activities Room, Elgin Library, Cooper Park, Elgin, IV30 1HS
Aberdeen and North East Scotland Family History Society