The Saltire Society is a membership organisation which aims to promote the understanding of the culture and heritage of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, founded in 1936. The society organises lectures and publishes pamphlets, and presents a series of awards in the fields of art, architecture, literature and history.

History

The society was founded on 22 April 1936 in Glasgow, conceived by

Andrew Dewar Gibb Andrew Dewar Gibb MBE QC (13 February 1888 – 24 January 1974) was a Scottish advocate, barrister, professor and politician. He taught law at Edinburgh and Cambridge, and was Regius Professor of Law at the University of Glasgow 1934–1958. ...

and George Malcolm Thomson, at which time the annual subscription cost five shillings. The society was "set up to promote and celebrate the uniqueness of Scottish culture and Scotland's heritage, and to reclaim Scotland's place as a distinct contributor to European and international culture". By the early 1950s, the society had almost 2000 members. In 1954 they launched a literary magazine, ''The Scots Review'', published three times a year. In 1968 the society appointed their first full-time director, based at their headquarters at

Gladstone's Land Gladstone's Land is a surviving 17th-century tenement house situated in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. It has been restored and furnished by the National Trust for Scotland, and is operated as a popular t ...

in Edinburgh. In 2001, the Saltire Society's head, Scott Peake, stepped down after newspaper investigations revealed that he had fabricated parts of his biography, including his alleged Scottish upbringing. In November 2012, ahead of the

Scottish Independence referendum A referendum on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom was held in Scotland on 18 September 2014. The referendum question was "Should Scotland be an independent country?", which voters answered with "Yes" or "No". The "No" side won ...

, the society looked to relaunch itself with a business plan that included lectures and debates centered around cultural issues. Past presidents include

Eric Linklater Eric Robert Russell Linklater CBE (8 March 1899 – 7 November 1974) was a Welsh-born Scottish poet, fiction writer, military historian, and travel writer. For '' The Wind on the Moon'', a children's fantasy novel, he won the 1944 Carnegie Med ...

, architect

Robert Matthew Sir Robert Hogg Matthew (12 December 1906 – 2 June 1975) was a Scottish architect and a leading proponent of modernism. Early life and studies Robert Matthew was the son of John Fraser Matthew (1875–1955) (also an architect, and the pa ...

, architect

Robert Hurd Robert Philip Andrew Hurd (29 July 1905 – 17 September 1963) was an influential conservation architect. His original aim was to be an architectural author specialising in traditional forms. He came to Scotland in 1930 and worked at the Edin ...

and literary scholar

David Daiches David Daiches (2 September 1912 – 15 July 2005) was a Scottish literary historian and literary critic, scholar and writer. He wrote extensively on English literature, Scottish literature and Scottish culture. Early life He was born in Sunde ...

. The Saltire Music Group was founded by composer Isobel Dunlop in 1950.

Description and activities

The Saltire Society is headquartered in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, with branches in

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; ; from ) is a market town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, near the mouth of the River Nith on the Solway Firth, from the Anglo-Scottish border. Dumfries is the county town of the Counties of Scotland, ...

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 ...

Helensburgh Helensburgh ( ; ) is a town on the north side of the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, situated at the mouth of the Gareloch. Historically in Dunbartonshire, it became part of Argyll and Bute following local government reorganisation in 1996. Histo ...

the Highlands Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau. Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to: Places Africa * Highlands, Johannesburg, South Africa *Highlands, Harare, Zimbabw ...

Kirriemuir Kirriemuir ( , ; ), sometimes called Kirrie or the ''Wee Red Toon'', is a burgh in Angus, Scotland, United Kingdom. The playwright J. M. Barrie was born and buried here and a statue of Peter Pan is in the town square. History Some of th ...

, and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. In June 2018, the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the

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 ...

Sally Mapstone Dame Sally Mapstone (born 1957) is a British academic who has been Principal of the University of St Andrews, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Andrews since 2016. Early life and education Sally Mapstone was born in 1957 ...

, was appointed as president of the society. The society organises lectures and publishes pamphlets, and presents a series of awards in the fields of art, architecture, literature and history.

Awards

The Saltire Awards is a collective name for a series of awards presented by the Saltire Society in recognition of contributions to Scotland's cultural heritage. These include: *

Scotland's National Book Awards Scotland's National Book Awards, formerly known as the Saltire Society Literary Awards, are made annually by the Saltire Society. First awarded in 1937, they are awarded for books by Scottish authors or about Scotland, and are awarded in several ...

, formerly known as the Saltire Society Literary Awards, "the oldest... awards for Scottish based authors in their home nation" *

National Scottish Song Competition National may refer to: Common uses * Nation A nation is a type of social organization where a collective Identity (social science), identity, a national identity, has emerged from a combination of shared features across a given population, ...

, established in 1980 to encourage young people to participate in traditional singing. *

Arts and Crafts in Architecture Award The arts or creative arts are a vast range of human practices involving creative expression, storytelling, and cultural participation. The arts encompass diverse and plural modes of thought, deeds, and existence in an extensive range of me ...

Saltire Society Civil Engineering Awards A saltire, also called Saint Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is a heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross. The word comes from the Middle French , Medieval Latin ("stirrup"). From its use as field sign, the saltire came to be us ...

, awarded in association with the

Institution of Civil Engineers The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a Charitable organization, charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters ar ...

Saltire Society Housing Design Awards A saltire, also called Saint Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is a Heraldry, heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross. The word comes from the Middle French , Medieval Latin ("stirrup"). From its use as field sign, the saltire cam ...

Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun Award Andrew is the English form of the given name, common in many countries. The word is derived from the , ''Andreas'', itself related to ''aner/andros'', "man" (as opposed to "woman"), thus meaning "manly" and, as consequence, "brave", "strong", "c ...

, established in 1988, presented in recognition of "a significant contribution made to Scottish culture"

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cultural organisations based in Scotland 1936 establishments in Scotland Culture of Scotland Scottish awards