|
|
1 |
|
December |
|
1768 |
|
First
lighthouse
lit
at
Kinnaird
Head,
Fraserburgh.
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2 |
|
December |
|
1837 |
|
Dr
Joseph
Bell,
inspiration
for
Sir
Arthur
Conan
Doyle's
characted
"Sherlock
Holmes",
born.
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2 |
|
December |
|
1848 |
|
Mary
Slessor,
missionary,
born
at
Gilcomston,
Aberdeen.
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3 |
|
December |
|
1894 |
|
Robert
Louis
Stevenson
died
in
Samoa.
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4 |
|
December |
|
1649 |
|
Image
©
AA
Young
William
Drummond,
poet
of
Hawthornden,
Midlothian,
died.
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5 |
|
December |
|
1560 |
|
Francis
II
of
France,
husband
of
Mary
Queen
of
Scots,
dies,
leading
to
her
return,
the
following
year,
to
Scotland.
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6 |
|
December |
|
1745 |
|
Prince
Charles
Edward
Stuart's
Jacobite
Army
began
their
retreat
north
from
Derby.
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7 |
|
December |
|
521 |
|
St
Columba
born.
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|
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|
7 |
|
December |
|
1545 |
|
Henry
Stuart,
Lord
Darnley,
born.
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7 |
|
December |
|
1784 |
|
Allan
Cunningham,
Scottish
Poet,
born.
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8 |
|
December |
|
1542 |
|
Mary
Queen
of
Scots,
born
at
Linlithgow.
|
|
|
|
9 |
|
December |
|
1165 |
|
Malcolm
IV
"The
Maiden"
died.
|
|
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|
9 |
|
December |
|
1578 |
|
Robert
Kerr,
1st
Earl
of
Ancram
died
after
this
date
in
poverty,
in
the
Netherlands.
|
|
|
|
10 |
|
December |
|
1540 |
|
Act
of
Annexation
of
the
lordships,
lands
and
castles,
with
pertinents
of
Orkney
and
Shetland.
Reference
Records
of
the
Parliaments
of
Scotland
See
also
The
Annexation
of
the
earldom
of
Orkney
and
lordship
of
Shetland
to
the
Crown,
20th
February
1472
|
|
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10 |
|
December |
|
1747 |
|
Duncan
Forbes
of
Culloden
died.
Scots
statesman,
and
loyal
to
the
Government,
he
persuaded
many
not
to
join
the
Jacobite
cause
in
1745
and
also
sought
mercy
for
the
Jacobites
after
their
defeat.
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|
10 |
|
December |
|
1941 |
|
The
sinking
of
HMS
PRINCE
OF
WALES
and
HMS
REPULSE
in
1941
by
Japanese
aircraft
off
the
Malayan
coast
in
the
events
leading
to
the
fall
of
Singapore.
HMS
PRINCE
OF
WALES
had
a
crew
of
1,612
and
20
officers,
280
sailors
and
27
marines
were
lost.
The
dead
included
Admiral
Sir
Tom
Phillips,
CinC
of
the
Eastern
Fleet,
and
PRINCE
OF
WALES
commanding
officer,
Capt
John
C.
Leach.
.HMS
REPULSE
was
built
on
the
Clyde.
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11 |
|
December |
|
1899 |
|
The
Highland
Brigade
under
Maj
Gen
Wauchope
took
part
in
the
Battle
of
Magersfontein
in
the
South
African
War.
The
Brigade
included
1st
Bn
The
Highland
Light
Infantry
(now
2
SCOTS)
2nd
Bn
The
Black
Watch
(now
3
SCOTS),
1st Gordon Highlanders and 2nd Bn
The
Seaforth
Highlanders
(now
4
SCOTS),and
1st
Bn
The
Argyll
and
Sutherland
Highlanders
(now
5
SCOTS).
The
Brigade
advanced
to
within
400
yards
of
the
Boer
positions
when
they
hit
a
trip
wire.
The
Boers
opened
fire,
General
Wauchope
was
killed
and
the
Brigade
held
up
by
wire
and
rifle
fire,
taking
heavy
casualties,
and
ultimately
withdrew.
The
action
is
remembered
in
the
pipe
tune
"The
Highland
Brigade
at
Magersfontein".MP3
|
|
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|
11 |
|
December |
|
1936 |
|
Edward
VIII's
instrument
of
abdication
took
effect.
|
|
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|
12 |
|
December |
|
1574 |
|
Anne
of
Denmark,
wife
of
James
VI
and
I
born.
|
|
|
|
13 |
|
December |
|
1585 |
|
William
Drummond,
poet
of
Hawthornden,
Midlothian,
born.
|
|
|
|
14 |
|
December |
|
1542 |
|
James
V
died
at
Falkland
Palace.
Regency
eventually
passed
to
his
widow,
Mary
of
Guise.
|
|
|
|
14 |
|
December |
|
1730 |
|
James
Bruce,
Scots
Explorer,
and
discoverer
of
the
source
of
the
Blue
Nile,
born
at
Kinnaird
House
in
Stirlingshire.
|
|
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|
15 |
|
December |
|
1900 |
|
An investigation subsequently concluded that it was on this day, probably in
the afternoon that
the
three Keepers of the year old
Flannan Isles Lighthouse disappeared. The work of the forenoon had
been completed and no light was visible that night. No trace of them was
ever found. WW Gibson wrote an epic poem on the mystery,
"Flannan Isle".
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|
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15 |
|
December |
|
1951 |
|
James
Eric
Drummond,
7th
Earl
of
Perth,
died.
He
was
a
diplomat
and
the
first
General
Secretary
of
the
League
of
Nations.
|
|
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|
16 |
|
December |
|
1263 |
|
©
Copyright
David
Wyatt
and
licensed
for
reuse
under
this
Creative
Commons
Licence
Haakon
the
Old
of
Norway,
died
in
the
Bishop's
Palace,
Kirkwall,Orkney
after
his
defeat
at
the
Battle
of
Largs.
|
|
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|
17 |
|
December |
|
1669 |
|
Act
for
annexation
of
Orkney
and
Shetland
to
the
Crown
as
Dependencies
following
centuries
of
dispute
over
the
control
of
the
Islands,
which
referred
to
previous
annexation
in
1540
and
1612.
Reference:
Records
of
the
Parliaments
of
Scotland
See
also
The
Annexation
of
the
earldom
of
Orkney
and
lordship
of
Shetland
to
the
Crown,
20th
February
1472
|
|
|
|
17 |
|
December |
|
1907 |
|
William
Thomson,
Lord
Kelvin
died.
He
was
outstanding
in
theory
as
well
as
practice.
His
nephew
died
at
sea
and
caused
him
to
work
for
safety
at
sea;
his
compass
was
adopted
worldwide;
his
tide
gauge
was
in
use
for
many
years.
He
provided
solutions
for
the
laying
of
the
first
transatlantic
telegraph
cables.
A
system
of
temperature
and
make
of
refrigerator
are
named
after
him.
|
|
|
|
18 |
|
December |
|
1661 |
|
The
"ELIZABETH"
of
Burntisland
sank
off
the
English
Coast,
returning
Scottish
Records
to
Scotland,
which
had
been
removed
to
the
Tower
of
London
by
Cromwell
in
1651.
|
|
|
|
18 |
|
December |
|
1745 |
|
Skirmish
at
Clifton
Moor,
near
Clifton,
the
last
action
on
English
soil,
between
Lord
George
Murray,
commanding
the
rearguard
of
the
Jacobite
forces
and
the
Duke
of
Cumberland's
advancing
army
left
6
Jacobites
and
10
Government
soldiers
dead.
Ref:1745
A
Military
History
of
the
Last
Jacobite
Rising
by
Stuart
Reid
ISBN
1-86227-130-5
|
|
|
|
19 |
|
December |
|
1887 |
|
Balfour
Stewart,
physicist,
died.
|
|
|
|
20 |
|
December |
|
1560 |
|
First
General
Assembly
of
the
Church
of
Scotland.
|
|
|
|
21 |
|
December |
|
2016 |
|
The
Winter
Solstice.
The
gently
sloping
passageway
entering
the
monumental
Maeshowe
chambered
tomb
in
Orkney
is
aligned
so
that
at
sunset
during
the
three
weeks
before
and
after
this
the
shortest
day
of
the
year
so
the
light
of
the
setting
sun
shines
straight
down
it
to
illuminates
the
back
of
the
central
chamber.
The
sun’s
rays
align
with
a
standing
stone,
the
Barnhouse
Stone,
standing
800
m
SSW
of
Maeshowe.
Built
around
5,000
years
ago,
Maeshowe
is
the
finest
Neolithic
building
in
North
West
Europe.
It
is
a
masterpiece
of
Neolithic
design
and
stonework
construction,
not
least
for
its
use
of
massive
individual
stones.
|
|
|
|
21 |
|
December |
|
1805 |
|
Thomas
Graham,
Chemist,
born
in
Glasgow.
|
|
|
|
22 |
|
December |
|
1715 |
|
James
Francis
Edward
Stuart
"The
Old
Pretender",
landed
at
Peterhead,
Aberdeenshire,
but
by
10
February
1716
the
Jacobite
Rising
of
1715
was
over,
and
he
returned
to
France.
|
|
|
|
22 |
|
December |
|
1820 |
|
Convicted
radicals
of
the
Radical
Revolt
of
1820
deported
to
New
South
Wales
on
the
vessel
"SPEKE".
|
|
|
|
22 |
|
December |
|
1930 |
|
Neil
Munro,
novelist
and
poet,
perhaps
best
known
for
his
"Para
Handy"
stories,
died
at
his
home,
"Cromalt"
in
Craigendoran,
Helensburgh.
|
|
|
|
23 |
|
December |
|
2000 |
|
Jimmy
Shand,
musician
and
band
leader,
died.
|
|
|
|
24 |
|
December |
|
1165 |
|
William
the
Lion
crowned
at
Scone.
He
became
known
as
"The
Lion"
as
he
was
the
first
to
adopt
the
Lion
Rampant
as
his
heraldic
symbol.
|
|
|
|
24 |
|
December |
|
|
|
Christmas Eve |
|
|
|
25 |
|
December |
|
1251 |
|
Alexander
III
knighted
by
Henry
III
of
England.
Born
in
1241,
he
had
become
King
on
his
father
Alexander
II's
death
in
1249,
at
the
age
of
7.
|
|
|
|
26 |
|
December |
|
1251 |
|
Alexander
III
married
to
Henry
III
of
England's
eldest
daughter,
Margaret.
He
was
10
years
old.
|
|
|
|
26 |
|
December |
|
1647 |
|
Charles
I
while
imprisoned
in
Carisbrooke
Castle
on
the
Isle
of
Wight
enters
the
Engagement
with
the
Scots.
A
Scots
Army
was
to
invaded
England
in
support
of
the
King
in
exchanged
for
the
establishment
of
Presbyterianism
in
England.
|
|
|
|
26 |
|
December |
|
1760 |
|
"Roebucks,
Garbett
and
Cadells",
later
The
Carron
Company
IronWorks,
near
Falkirk,
brought
its
first
blast
furnace
into
operation.
|
|
|
|
26 |
|
December |
|
|
|
Boxing Day |
|
|
|
27 |
|
December |
|
1800 |
|
Dr
Hugh
Blair,
Doctor
of
Divinity,
died.
|
|
|
|
27 |
|
December |
|
1927 |
|
J
M
Barrie's
"Peter
Pan"
premiered
at
the
Duke
of
York
Theatre,
London.
|
|
|
|
28 |
|
December |
|
1734 |
|
Rob
Roy
MacGregor
died
in
Old
Balquhidder
Glen
.
Telegraph
|
News
|
Rob
Roy
was
'conman
who
spied
for
England'
Banff
and
Buchan
Arts
Forum
-
Art
in
the
Environment
-
Artefact
Details
|
|
|
|
28 |
|
December |
|
1879 |
|
The
Tay
Bridge
Disaster.
During
a
violent
storm
at
night
the
bridge,
which
had
only
been
opened
just
over
2
years
before
collapsed
and
a
train
went
into
the
Tay,
with
the
loss
of
over
70
people.
There
were
no
survivors.
This
disaster
is
remembered
in
William
McGonagall's
poem.
|
|
|
|
29 |
|
December |
|
1766 |
|
 
Charles
Macintosh
who
patented
the
waterproof
cloth
he
was
using
to
make
raincoats,
born.
|
|
|
|
30 |
|
December |
|
1915 |
|
"HMS
NATAL"
sank
in
Cromarty
Harbour
after
an
explosion
in
her
magazine
with
the
loss
of
421
lives.
|
|
|
|
31 |
|
December |
|
1720 |
|
Charles
Edward
Stuart,
"The
Young
Pretender",
"Bonnie
Prince
Charlie"
born
in
Rome.
It
has
been
suggested
that
the
Christmas
Carol
"Adeste
Fideles",
"O
Come
All
Ye
Faithful",
was
a
coded
message
to
Jacobites
to
celebrate
his
birth
|
|
|
|
31 |
|
December |
|
|
|
Hogmanay
in
Scotland.
|
|
