In this double episode, Samantha Hunter and Kirsty Haslam discuss burgh governance and the politics, society, and culture of urban centres in early modern Scotland.

Samantha Hunter is in the first year of her PhD at the University of Dundee. Her research primarily focusses on the relationships between ecclesiastical and secular authorities and the boundaries of their jurisdictions within localities. Her paper for the Crossing Borders, Contesting Boundaries podcast uses the burghs of 17th-century Fife to explore concepts of state building and models of governance.

Kirsty Haslam is in the second year of her PhD at the University of Aberdeen, where her work examines the social and cultural impact of conflict in medieval and early modern Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. Her research draws both on documentary sources and the material culture and architecture of the region to examine the relationship between urban and rural communities and investigate the possibility of a regional martial culture.

Music: Aitua, 'Blind Fire', from the album Elements. Used with the kind permission of the artist. All rights reserved.