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James Skene
James Skene of Rubislaw (1775–1864) was a Scottish lawyer and amateur artist, best known as a friend of Sir Walter Scott. Life The second son of George Skene (1736–1776) of Rubislaw, Aberdeen and his wife Jane (Jean) Moir of Stoneywood, he was born at Rubislaw, Aberdeen on 7 March 1775. In 1783 Jane, George Skene’s widow, moved to Edinburgh for the education of her seven children. James Skene attended Edinburgh high school. An elder brother died in 1791, and James became heir of Rubislaw. At 21 he went to Germany as a student, and, returning to Edinburgh, was admitted to the Scottish bar as an advocate in 1797. His friendship with Sir Walter Scott was built on his knowledge of German literature. In 1797 Skene became cornet of the Edinburgh Light Horse, the regiment largely organised by Scott, who was himself its quartermaster, secretary, and paymaster. In 1802 Skene revisited the continent of Europe, for a time in company with George Bellas Greenough; and he became ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rubislaw
Rubislaw is an area of Aberdeen, Scotland. It is located in the area between Queen's Road and King's Gate, including Rubislaw Den North and South. It is close to Rubislaw Quarry and the Rubislaw Playing Fields used by Aberdeen Grammar School. The buildings of the area are primarily Victorian or 1930s. Before becoming a suburb of the city, Rubislaw was a landed estate belonging to the Skene family. Their seat, Rubislaw House, stood on what is now Queen's Road and was of 17th century date. It was demolished in 1886 and succeeded by an elaborate Gothic villa of the same name. Attractions * Gordon Highlanders Museum * Johnston Gardens Notable residents *Prof Robert Douglas Lockhart FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and Literature, letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". ... LLD (1894–1987), Professor of Ana ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Brewster
Sir David Brewster Knight of the Royal Guelphic Order, KH President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, PRSE Fellow of the Royal Society of London, FRS Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, FSA Scot Fellow of the Scottish Society of Arts, FSSA Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, MICE (11 December 178110 February 1868) was a British scientist, inventor, author, and academic administrator. In science he is principally remembered for his experimental work in physical optics, mostly concerned with the study of the Polarization (waves), polarization of light and including the discovery of Brewster's angle. He studied the birefringence of crystals under compression and discovered photoelasticity, thereby creating the field of optical mineralogy.A. D. Morrison-Low (2004) "Brewster, Sir David (1781–1868)" in ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' For this work, William Whewell dubbed him the "father of modern experimental optics" and "the Johannes Kepler of o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ivanhoe
''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' ( ) by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in December 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. It marked a shift away from Scott's prior practice of setting stories in Scotland and in the more recent past. It became one of Scott's best-known and most influential novels. Set in England in the Middle Ages, with colourful descriptions of a tournament, outlaws, a witch trial, and divisions between Jews and Christians, Normans and Saxons, the novel was credited by many, including Thomas Carlyle and John Ruskin, with inspiring increased interest in chivalric romance and medievalism. As John Henry Newman put it, Scott "had first turned men's minds in the direction of the Middle Ages". It was also credited with influencing contemporary popular perceptions of historical figures such as King Richard the Lionheart, John, King of England, Prince John, and Robin Hood. Composition and sources In June 1819, Walter Scott still suffered from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Quentin Durward
''Quentin Durward'' is a historical novel by Sir Walter Scott, first published in 1823. The story concerns a Scottish archer in the service of the French King Louis XI (1423–1483) who plays a prominent part in the narrative. Composition and sources ''Quentin Durward'' was composed in a remarkably short space of time. After carrying out some preparatory research towards the end of 1822 Scott began writing in January 1823 and supplied the finishing sentences in response to a request from his coadjutor James Ballantyne on 3 May. Scott's principal source was the ''Mémoires'' of Philippe de Commines. As usual he adapts historical facts freely in the construction of his fiction, though he generally follows Comines' balanced approach to the character of Louis XI. He was able to make substantial use of other documents and the editorial commentary in the collection in which Comines was included, the first series of the ''Collection complete des mémoires relatifs a l'histoir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parthenon – Skene James - 1838-1845
The Parthenon (; ; ) is a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, that was dedicated to the goddess Athena. Its decorative sculptures are considered some of the high points of classical Greek art, and the Parthenon is considered an enduring symbol of Ancient Greece, democracy, and Western civilization. The Parthenon was built in the 5th century BC in thanksgiving for the Greek victory over the Persian invaders during the Greco-Persian Wars. Like most Greek temples, the Parthenon also served as the city treasury. Construction started in 447 BC when the Delian League was at the peak of its power. It was completed in 438 BC; work on the artwork and decorations continued until 432 BC. For a time, it served as the treasury of the Delian League, which later became the Athenian Empire. In the final decade of the 6th century AD, the Parthenon was converted into a Christian church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. After the Ottoman conquest in the mid-15th century, it became ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Edinburgh Encyclopædia
The ''Edinburgh Encyclopædia'' is an encyclopaedia in 18 volumes, printed and published by William Blackwood and edited by David Brewster between 1808 and 1830. In competition with the Edinburgh-published ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', the ''Edinburgh Encyclopædia'' is generally considered to be strongest on scientific topics, where many of the articles were written by the editor. The ''Edinburgh Encyclopædia'' was originally planned to encompassed 12 volumes, but by the time the final volume was published, in 1830, it counted 18 volumes. Some subjects, such as the polarization of light and electromagnetism, had not even been heard of when the project began, and yet the Encyclopedia had articles on them. The electromagnetism article was even contributed by Hans Christian Ørsted, the founder of modern electromagnetic studies. It also included information on contemporary events such as Christopher Hansteen's 1829 expedition to Siberia. In 1815 William Elford Leach published ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bannatyne Club
The Bannatyne Club, named in honour of George Bannatyne and his famous anthology of Scots literature the Bannatyne Manuscript, was a text publication society founded by Sir Walter Scott to print rare works of Scottish interest, whether in history, poetry, or general literature. The club was established in 1823 and printed 116 volumes before being dissolved in 1861. Membership Membership in the Bannatyne Club was much more diverse than that found in more elite clubs such as the Roxburghe Club, including members from the publishing and printing trades in addition to lawyers. While the club was still elite, contributions by amateurs was considered valuable. This made the Bannaytne club a transitional organization between the elitism of previous clubs and the open policy of its successors. Like many Gentlemen's club's of the 18th and 19th centuries, the Bannatyne Club allowed members engage in homosocial relations. For its members, the club served to emphasize Scotland's distinct i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Spalding (historian)
John Spalding (''fl.'' 1650) was a Scottish historian, possibly a native of Aberdeen. The name was uncommon there in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, but the registers for New Aberdeen record the marriage of "Alexander Spalding and Cristine Hervie" (i.e. Herries) on 7 Feb. 1608. John Spalding became a lawyer, and resided in the 'Old town, Aberdeen'. For many years he acted as clerk to the consistorial court for the diocese; and his office, the records of which were burnt in 1721, was within the precincts of the old cathedral of St. Machar. The latest trace of him occurs in a notarial document in his own handwriting, dated 30 Jan. 1663, whereby David, bishop of Aberdeen, acknowledges to have received from Robert Forbes of Glastermuir 25l. 7s. 4d. as feu duty for these lands from Martinmas to Whitsun 1661 and 1662. Spalding was the author of a valuable annalistic ''History of the Troubles and Memorable Transactions in Scotland'' between 1624 and 1645. This is a simple na ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nor Loch
The Nor Loch, also known as the Nor' Loch and the North Loch, was a man-made loch formerly in Edinburgh, Scotland, in the area now occupied by Princes Street Gardens and Edinburgh Waverley railway station, Waverley station which lie between the Royal Mile and Princes Street. Geological formation The depression, along with the parallel one now occupied by the Cowgate, was formed by glacial erosion during the last glacial period, last Ice Age, when the icepack was forced to divide by the volcanic plug now known as Castle Rock, Edinburgh, Castle Rock. Early history A marsh formed in the hollow and was part of the natural defence of the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh. In 1460, King James III ordered the hollow to be flooded in order to complete the defences of the town and Edinburgh Castle. The loch was formed by creating an earthen dam to block the progress of the Tummel Burn, a stream that ran along the foot of the north side of the Castle Rock, Edinburgh, ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Porteous Riot By James Skene, 1818
''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the most frequently used word in the English language; studies and analyses of texts have found it to account for seven percent of all printed English-language words. It is derived from gendered articles in Old English which combined in Middle English and now has a single form used with nouns of any gender. The word can be used with both singular and plural nouns, and with a noun that starts with any letter. This is different from many other languages, which have different forms of the definite article for different genders or numbers. Pronunciation In most dialects, "the" is pronounced as (with the voiced dental fricative followed by a schwa) when followed by a consonant sound, and as (homophone of the archaic pronoun ''thee'') ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply LeamingtonEven more colloquially, also referred to as Lem or Leam (). (), is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Priors, it grew into a spa town in the 18th century following the popularisation of its water which was reputed to have medicinal qualities. In the 19th century, the town experienced one of the most rapid expansions in England. It is named after the River Leam, which flows through the town. The town contains especially fine examples of Regency architecture, particularly in parts of the The Parade, Leamington Spa, Parade, Clarendon Square and Lansdowne Circus. The town also contains several large public parks, such as Jephson Gardens, the Royal Pump Room Gardens and Victoria Park, Leamington Spa, Victoria Park. Although originally founded around its spa industry, Leamington today has developed into a centre for retail, and digital industries, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moray Estate
The Moray Estate, also known as the Moray Feu, is an early 19th century building venture attaching the west side of the New Town, Edinburgh. Built on an awkward and steeply sloping site, it has been described as a masterpiece of urban planning. History The ground, extending to 5.3 hectares, was acquired in 1782 by the 9th Earl of Moray from the Heriot Trust.Buildings of Scotland: Edinburgh by Gifford, McWilliam and Walker The land contained Drumsheugh House, Moray House and its service block, and large gardens lying between Charlotte Square and the Water of Leith. In 1822 his son, Francis Stuart, 10th Earl of Moray, commissioned the architect James Gillespie (later known as James Gillespie Graham after marriage into the wealthy Graham family) to draw up plans to build over 150 huge townhouses on the land. The houses were set on large plots, even by surrounding New Town standards, and were complemented by a series of private gardens, most notably on the slopes of the Wate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
