Unearthed

Welcome to the History Sideshow - my weekly podcast that runs in between the main Unearthed seasons.

This week Ryan looks at another theory regarding the burial of Scotland's "worst poet", takes you down the rabbit hole of Scottish Faerie folklore, and delivers the week in Scottish History News!

Interview clips from author and historian Charlotte Golledge and Colin Waters from the Scottish Poetry Library.

Unearthed is a great project to work on - but it takes time. To keep you in the loop with all things Scottish History, Unearthed producer and host, Ryan Latto, is launching a brand-new podcast History Sideshow to run along the main series. In between seasons, Ryan will bring you fresh content and perspectives on Scottish History, news, stories, and mad little nuggets he finds as he researches the main show.

Join Ryan every Friday for a new episode, and delve a little deeper into the weird, wonderful, and madness of Scottish History.

Recently one of my favourite historical sites in Scotland burnt down in a tragic fire. The Scottish Crannog Centre is a historical charity that has spent decades reconstructing a beautiful Iron Age Crannog to better understand our ancient story.

Using interactive workshops, storytelling and performance, the Scottish Crannog Centre helped educate, entertain, and inform visitors from all over the world about the mysterious world of Scotland's earlies ancestors. Help us today by donating to the charity by visiting www.gofundme.com/SaveTheCrannog - all donations will be given to the charity once we hit our target of £2,000 or more.

Thank you!

www.gofundme.com/savethecrannog

It's a month since season two ended, so I thought I'd relax, kick back, and bring you a full interview with someone very special. To celebrate Robert Burns Night I spoke with internet sensation Len Pennie, a Scots poet currently studying at St Andrews University about all things Robert Burns, mental health, online abuse, creativity, and on the whole, the Scots language.

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On Christmas Eve 1950, a daring heist took place inside of Westminster Abbey in London. Four students from Glasgow embarked on an opportunity to return an ancient relic to Scotland. Led by Ian Hamilton, an ambitious law student, the Stone of Scone, also known as the Stone of Destiny, would be returned to Scotland for the first time in 650 years. But what is the stone all about and what where did it come from? In the season two finale, I interview the man behind the plan, Ian Hamilton himself, to get a first hand account of this incredible story of Scottish patriotism and bravery. With Scottish Independence surging in the polls, what does the Stone mean for us today?

Interviews with:

• Ian Hamilton QC, at 95 years old, Ian spent his life as a lawyer in Scotland after stealing the stone back for the Scots in 1950
• Dr Fiona Watson, historian specialising in medieval Scotland
• Alistair Moffat, historian and prolific writer on Scottish history
• William Stormont, member of the Murray family that owns Scone Palace and the surrounding estate, home of the original Stone of Destiny

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How long have people of African descent been a part of Scottish history? It's a question that brings with it surprising answers, and opens up the discussion of why we still deal with racism in Scotland and the UK today. In this episode I take a look at people of African descent throughout our history, starting with Peter the Moor - a courtier in court of James IV of Scotland...in the early 16th century. Who was Peter the Moor, and what can his story teach us about racism in Scotland today and in our past?

Interviews in this episode:

• Dr Miranda Kaufmann, historian and author of Black Tudors: The Untold Story
• Lisa Williams, research fellow at Edinburgh University, founder of the Edinburgh Caribbean Association, and Black History tour guide in Edinburgh
• Dr Onyeka Nubia, historian, author, and playwright

Support the show by becoming a patron for as little as £3 a month! Get access to behind the scenes goodies, including my mini-series Superstitions that looks beyond the darker recesses of the Scottish history books.

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It's Christmas 1981, and the people of Falkland are flocking to the street. A man has come to town, a man dressed in black baring a wide smile. This man in Johnny Cash and he has come home. Johnny Cash, the globally recognised country folk singer traced his roots to Fife, a stones throw away from where I was raised. So, how much can we own him? Well...rather than speculate, why not just ask the family? In this episode I interview Johnny Cash's daughter, Rosanne, about her and her fathers Scottish roots and why we should be singing it from the rooftops!

Interviews with:

• Rosanne Cash, award winning country singer and daughter of Johnny Cash
• Dean Owens, Scottish singer-songwriter from Leith and founder of the Cash Back Festival
• Bobby Beveridge, retired police detective and owner of the Violin Shop in Falkland
• David Latto, my brother, and professional singer-songwriter from Fife.

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There is a story in Scotland of a woman who was buried alive. The legend of Mary Elphinstone is repeated across every village, town, and city in the country, but where does it come from? Did it really happen? And, perhaps more worryingly, was it common for people to actually be buried alive? This episode of Superstitions is usually only for Patreons but as a special treat, and to tide you over under season two continues next week, I've popped it online for everyone to enjoy. So let's explore the story of Mary Elphinstone, who lived once, but was buried twice.

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In 1994, a group of activists tried to blow up a statue on Ben Bhraggie, overlooking the town of Golspie in Sutherland. In November 2011, some more activists tried to bring it down with chains. Neither attempt was successful, but each represented the deep rooted hurt that highland communities feel due to the brutality of the Highland Clearances. Last week I examined the Clearance story and picked apart the misconceptions, and discovered what the age of Clearance was really about. But this week I delve deeper, discovering how the British Empire and its horrific trade in slaves has connections to the Clearances, how our culture was made illegal by that same Empire, and how those ideologies may still exist today - forcing us perhaps into a new era of Clearance.

Interviews in this episode:

• Dr Nicola Martin, historian from the University of the Highlands and Islands, specialising on British imperialism and highland culture.
• Dr Domhnall Uilleam Stiubhart, senior lecturer at Sabhal Mór Ostaig at the University of the Highland and Islands about Gaelic culture and highland history.
• Dr David Alston, historian and author with a research interest in highland history and Scotland's involvement in the slave trade.
• Dr Iain MacKinnon, historian and researcher for the centre of governance and land reform at Coventry University
• Meg Bishop, National Secretary for Living Rent, Scotland's tenants union
• Andy Whightman, Green MSP for Lothian and land reform activist
• Raoul Curtis-Machin, Operations Manager at Culloden Battlefield

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In 1746, thousands of Jacobite soldiers were killed during a battle against the British at Culloden. One hundred years later, the clans are virtually gone, towns and villages have disappeared, and the highlands are owned by a handful of monied gentry. Today, only a pitiful few people own the millions of acres of land in Scotland, so what happened, and why? In the first of this two-part special, let's examine the Highland Clearances to find out the history of this extremely emotive part of Scottish history, what it means, and who, if anyone, is to blame.

Interviews with:

• Dr Nicola Martin, historian from the University of the Highlands and Islands, specialising on British imperialism and highland culture.
• Dr Jim Hunter, historian from the University of the Highlands and Islands, and author of fourteen books on highland history and clearance.
• Dr Domhnall Uilleam Stiubhart, senior lecturer at Sabhal Mór Ostaig at the University of the Highland and Islands about Gaelic culture and highland history.
• Dr David Alston, historian and author with a research interest in highland history and Scotland's involvement in the slave trade.
• Dr Iain MacKinnon, historian and researcher for the centre of governance and land reform at Coventry University

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