Today we start a new venture on the website which we hope will build to become a diverse and interactive resource for Stirling's history. See the ON THIS DAY page under Stirling's History on the website.

Notices of events in Stirling's past - from the medieval to the very modern and filed under the main dates - will be easily located and searchable. We hope that, in future years, On This Day will become a key resource, with information about buildings, events, people and institutions - about every aspects of Stirling's past. Over the years this area will change and grow.

Key to the success of this venture is that anyone can contribute so long as they have something useful to say. Don't wait till the 'anniversary' - we are building a database of actual and potential articles and dates.

Most useful articles are going to include some references. You can use illustrations if they help. If your contribution is long or very complex, it might be a good idea to get in touch first. Please clear copyright issues before submittiing - if we have doubts about that, we may be unable to publish your item. You can sign your article if you wish but, in submitting it, you agree that if we publish it, you assign your copyright to SLHS. 

So, if you have a favorite event, get writing and send it along to [email protected]

Anyone who met Alex Morrison will endorse the sub-heading for this conference - 'memories of a generous scholar'. The event will be held in the Archaeology Department at Glasgow and features a list of well-known names in landscape archaeology and related areas, beloved of Alex himself. The flyer is attached.

Another new website, this time dedicated to recordings of songs, tales, music, poetry and factual matter recorded in and about Scotland since the 1930s. There is a healthy Stirlingshire section and I certainly see some interestiing material - and with over 26,000 items to choose from, in English, Scots and Gaelic, so there should be!

http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/

The recordings come from the School of Scottish Studies (University of
Edinburgh), BBC Scotland and the National
Trust for Scotland's Canna Collection.

Kinlochard History Group have asked us to draw attention to a talk 'The Road to Arnhem' about Major General R.E.Urquhart to be given by his daughter in St Mary's Church, Aberfoyle on Monday 12th March at 7.30 pm.
The flyer is attached with details ot tickets etc.

Way back in 1896 an anonymous person published short abstracts of the entries in the Protocol Book of John Darow, a Stirling lawyer. It has the title Abstract of Protocol Book of the Burgh of Stirling, 1469-1484 but there are no further details of how it came to be published and printed at Edinburgh University Press.  
Protocol Books provided formal records of all sorts of legal work - property deals, council business, family disputes and many more. This one would be important for Stirling even if it were not the oldest surviving of all  Protocol Books -which makes it important for Scotland, too. I have consulted the abstacts from time to time when researching that period and (much less often) have consulted the original in the National Archives of Scotland, where it has bene held for many years.
Now it has been 'repatriated' to Stirling Council Archives, where it can be consulted FOR FREE (reference B66/1/1/1). It is not easy stuff, Latin mainly and in difficult 15th century script though the difficulties will be somewhat reduced as there is now a digital copy which will allow magnification - and reduce the need to handle this treasure. It is very good that we have it back.
For Stirling Council Archives see our Links page or [email protected]