Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobites: National Museum of Scotland: 23rd June - 12th November 2017

A major exhibition on Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobites is being held this summer in the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh from 23rd June until 12th November. Full details can be found by clicking here. It is of particular relevance to the Antiquaries because its curator, David Forsyth, will be speaking on this topic in the Society's forthcoming autumn programme. 

Ivan Ruddock: "Alexander Bain; the real father of television?": Wednesday 9th March 2016, 2.00 pm

This year's Local History Week in East Dunbartonshire (5-12 March) with its theme of "Celebrate Engineering and Technology" is an appropriate occasion to look at the life and career of Alexander Bain, the nineteenth century clockmaker, telegraph engineer and inventor. Ivan Ruddock will explore the claims that he contributed significantly to the development of television. Bain, who is buried in Kirkitilloch's Auld Ailse Cemetery, was recently awarded a Technology and Engineering Emmy by the United States National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of his invention of scanning for image transmission. The Emmy was accepted by East Dunbartonshire Council and arrived in Kirkintilloch in early February where it go on public display in the Auld Kirk Museum. BBC Scotland coverage of the award can be seen by clicking here and here.

The event will be on Wednesday 9th March 2016 in the Barony Chambers, Auld Kirk Museum, Kirkintilloch at 2.00 pm.

The Emmy 
(© National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences)

Alexander Bain in 1876 (© IET)

Ivan Ruddock

Local History Week 2015

This year’s East Dunbartonshire Local History Week will be held from Saturday 7th March until Saturday 14th March. As usual the Antiquaries will contribute their own event. This will be a talk on ‘Rita – the Muse: the Origins of Japanese Whisky’ by Peter McCormack and Janice Miller of East Dunbartonshire Leisure & Culture, at the Barony Chambers (adjacent to the Auld Kirk Museum) at 2.30pm on Wednesday 11th March. It will tell the romantic story of how Kirkintilloch woman Rita Cowan became involved in the export of a staple Scottish industry to Japan. A good attendance is expected and seating is limited, so members are advised to come early.

Rita Taketsuru (Cowan)

The majority of the Local History Week events are organised by EDLC, but like the Antiquaries several East Dunbartonshire local history groups are organising their own events. The Friends of Thomas Muir will have an exhibition of John Kay etchings ‘The Times of Thomas Muir’ at the Huntershill Village Coffee Shop, with a relevant talk at 7.00pm on Thursday 12th March (7.00pm). At Milngavie Heritage Centre (Milngavie Town Hall) there will be historical exhibition about villages adjacent to Milngavie, ‘Milngavie’s Neighbours’ (10th-14th March 10.00am-5.00pm). Villages covered will include Balmore, Bardowie, Baldernock aend Mugdock.