Stirling - The Smith Institute Museum 20120419

Dr Elspeth King is a Scottish curator, writer and social historian. She is known for her role as curator of social history at the People's Palace Museum in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, as Director the

Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum, formerly The Smith Institute, is an art and local history museum in Stirling, Scotland. The museum was founded in 1874 at the bequest of artist Thomas Stuart Smith. History Founding Thomas Stuart Sm ...

, and for her scholarship on the Scottish

Suffrage Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

movement.

Education and career

King was born into a mining family in

Lochore Lochore is a former mining village in Fife, Scotland. It takes its name from the nearby Loch Ore. It is largely joined to the adjacent villages of Ballingry to the north and Crosshill to the south. Education Most of the children in Lochore go ...

Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

. She studied Medieval History at

University of St Andrews The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, f ...

, graduating with First Class Honours. She went on to complete a post-graduate course in Museum Studies at

University of Leicester The University of Leicester ( ) is a public university, public research university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park, Leicester, Victoria Park. The university's predecessor, Univ ...

. In 1974, King joined the People's Palace, in Glasgow as a curator, where she remained for the next 16 years. During her tenure exhibitions such as ''Scotland Sober and Free'', the 150th anniversary of the

Temperance Movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting Temperance (virtue), temperance or total abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and ...

, and Michael Donnelly's 1981 exhibition of stained glass, gained record attendances. The People's Palace won European Museum of the Year in 1981 and the British Museum of the Year award in 1983. Her pet cat Smudge became very well known in Glasgow during her time working there. In 1990, King was passed over for the civic post of keeper of social history. This decision was considered controversial by many, and was the subject of an appeal under the council's grievance process. King left Glasgow to take on the role of director of the

Dunfermline Dunfermline (; , ) is a city, parish, and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. Dunfermline was the de facto capital of the Kingdom of Scotland between the 11th and 15th centuries. The earliest ...

Heritage Trust, where she helped to oversee the restoration as a heritage centre of Abbot House, the oldest secular building in the town. In 1994, King joined the Smith Art Gallery Museum in Stirling as its first director, where she remained until her retirement in August 2018. The museum had been threatened with closure earlier in the year due to funding cuts. However, a petition was mounted to combat this decision and gained over 7000 signatures after which the museum received a reprieve.

Honours

King was made an Honorary Doctor of the

University of Stirling The University of Stirling (abbreviated as Stir or Shruiglea, in post-nominals; ) is a public university in Stirling, Scotland, founded by a royal charter in 1967. It is located in the Central Belt of Scotland, built within the walled Airth ...

in 2005 for her "outstanding work in developing Scottish museums and in promoting Scottish history and culture".

Written works

* ''The Scottish Women's Suffrage Movement'' / ... compiled by Elspeth King to accompany the Government sponsored 'Right to Vote' exhibition organised to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Representation of the People Act, from 9 September- 7 October 1978. Peoples Palace Museum, Glasgow Green (1978) * ''Scotland Sober and Free: the Temperance Movement, 1829-1979''. Glasgow Museums and Art Galleries (1979) * ''Papers of the

Glasgow and West of Scotland Association for Women's Suffrage The Glasgow and West of Scotland Association for Women’s Suffrage was an organisation involved in campaigning for women’s suffrage, based in Glasgow, with members from all over the west of Scotland. Formation The association met for t ...

: an introduction''. Peoples Palace Museum, Glasgow Green (1980) * ''Barapatter. Friends of the Peoples's Palace'' (1983) * ''Peter Fyfe, Photographer'', in Hearn, Sheila G. (ed.), '' Cencrastus'' No. 14, Autumn 1983, pp. 10 – 15, * ''Images of

'', a review of ''Noise and Smokey Breath'' edited by Hamish Whyte, in Hearn, Sheila G. (ed.), '' Cencrastus'' No. 14, Autumn 1983, * ''

Provand's Lordship Provand's Lordship is a medieval-period in Scotland, medieval historic house museum in Glasgow, Scotland, located in the Townhead area at the top of Castle Street within sight of Glasgow Cathedral and next to the St Mungo Museum of Religious Li ...

: the oldest house in Glasgow.'' City of Glasgow District Council (1984) * ''St Nicholas' Hospital in Glasgow.'' Glasgow Museums and Art Galleries (1984) * ''The strike of the Glasgow weavers 1787.'' Glasgow Museums and Art Galleries (1987) * ''The People's Palace and

Glasgow Green Glasgow Green is a park in the east end of Glasgow, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde. Established in the 15th century, it is the oldest park in the city. It connects to the south via the St Andrew's Suspension Bridge. History In ...

.'' Richard Drew Publishing (1991) * ''People's Pictures: the story of tiles in Glasgow'' (1991) * ''The hidden history of Glasgow's women : the Thenew factor''. Mainstream Publishing (1993) * ''Introducing William Wallace''. Firtree (1997) * ''The Wallace Muse: Poems and Artworks Inspired by the Life and Legend of William Wallace''.(with Lesley Duncan). Luath Press (2005) * ''Old

Stirling Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...

''. Stenlake (2009) * ''A History of Stirling in 100 Objects'' The History Press (2011)

References

External links

Abbot House - The Reawakening of Dunfermline's Oldest Building

Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum

People's Palace Museum, Glasgow
{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Elspeth Living people 20th-century Scottish historians 21st-century Scottish historians Year of birth missing (living people) Women's historians Scottish women activists Scottish feminists Scottish curators Scottish women curators People from Fife Alumni of the University of St Andrews Alumni of the University of Leicester