This weekly Scottish history document provides summaries of important events that occurred each day between April 5th and 11th. It also includes additional brief historical facts, such as the minimum height for a Scottish mountain to be classified as a munro, a profile of 18th century Scottish businessman David Dale and his textile mills, and a bullet point history of Stirling Castle and its involvement in the Wars of Independence. The document aims to concisely inform readers about significant moments and people from Scotland's past on a week-by-week basis.

1. Quick
Scottish
History
Issue 7 5 April – 11 April
This week in Scottish history…
5 April 1902 – A stand’s collapse kills 25 fans at a Scotland v England game
6 April 1998 – ‘Tartan day’ established in the United States of America
7 April 1934 – Scottish National Party founded (a merger of two parties)
8 April 1820 – Radical War conflict sees riots and violence in Greenock
9 April 1817 – birth of famous Scottish architect Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson
10 April 1512 – birth of King James V of Scotland (king from 1513-1542)
11 April 1700 – Darien settlement in Panama abandoned
A weekly guide to
Scotland’s past with
@mrmarrhistory
There are 282 munros in Scotland. How high does a mountain have to be in order to be
classed as a munro?
Last week’s answer: The Fortingall Yew Tree in Perthshire might be up to 9000 years old,
although some modern estimates suggest it is perhaps 2000-3000 years old.
The life
of …
David
Dale
The Edinburgh Seven
Nowadays more women than men go to university in Scotland.
However at one point women were not even allowed to attend.
In 1869, a group of female students changed this. They enrolled at
Edinburgh University to study medicine. This was the first time
women had been able to matriculate at a British university.
There was a mixed response. Some male lecturers supported
women’s rights and happily taught the women. However other
people were fiercely opposed. There were protests and even riots
involving male students, to try to stop the women sitting an exam.
The story had a mixed ending. Although the women attended
university, they were not allowed to graduate. However their
actions would in time help let women properly attend university.
The 1889 Universities Act achieved this change.
To suggest topics get in touch via Twitter: @mrmarrhistory #quickscottishhistory
Weekly
quiz
David Dale was a Scottish businessmen. He was born in 1739 in Stewarton, Ayrshire. He
worked in the textile industry and eventually started his own business importing linen yarn.
In the 1780s, Dale opened four mills in New Lanark (working at first with Richard Arkwright).
At first, most of his workers were children, mainly from city orphanages. He also recruited
many workers from the Scottish Highlands. Dale was seen by standards of the time as a fair
employer, including providing education, housing and food for his workers. He died in 1806.
Bullet point history
Stirling Castle
• There has been a castle on the site
since the 1100s.
• It featured heavily in the 1286-
1328 Wars of Independence. Its
location led to battles such as the
Battle of Stirling Bridge.
• The oldest surviving part of the
castle is the North Gate; it was
built in 1381.
• The world’s oldest football was
found in the castle. It dates from
at least the 1540s.