Did Thamboo know that the revolver was loaded? That was the question which centred around the prisoner’s case when it came to The High Court of Justiciary, Edinburgh, in April 1902. Thamboo (also known as Thumby or Thumby Joseph) was a 24 year old messroom steward on board the Steamship Ava when it arrived on … Continue reading The deadly warning shot
Doors Open Days 2024
This year, National Records of Scotland (NRS) marks the 250th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone of General Register House (GRH); the first purpose-built public records repository in the British Isles. It’s fitting that in this celebratory year, we will take part in our first in-person Edinburgh and East Lothian Doors Open Days … Continue reading Doors Open Days 2024
Dr Jainti Dass Saggar
Jainti Dass Saggar (1898-1954) was a medical practitioner and Labour politician. Born 6 September 1898 in Deharru, Punjab, India, he was one of six children to parents Ram Saran Dass Saggar (1870-1943) and Sardhi Devi Uppal (1873-1960). Studying medicine at Lahore Medical College, he made the lengthy, 26-day journey to Scotland in 1919 to continue … Continue reading Dr Jainti Dass Saggar
Part 3 – Tytler’s rise and fall
Following our post 'Part 2 - Tytler and the Grand Edinburgh Fire Balloon' from last week, we continue the story of James Tytler. Aerostation plate from the third edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica.Image credit: http://www.archive.org. Public domain The success Tytler found in launching and piloting his fire balloon in August 1784, was sadly not to … Continue reading Part 3 – Tytler’s rise and fall
Scotland’s pioneering Olympic stars
The Games of the XXXIII Olympiad in Paris is within touching distance and as Olympic fever mounts, we look back at Scottish athletes who have broken records in previous Games. In Paris 1924, it was Scottish sprinter Eric Liddell (16 January 1902 – 21 February 1945) who stole the headlines, breaking the Olympic and world … Continue reading Scotland’s pioneering Olympic stars
Part 2 – Tytler and the Grand Edinburgh Fire Balloon
This is part two of our profile of James Tytler, the first person in Britain to fly by hot air balloon. Part one is available here on Open Book. Tytler was not alone in his enthusiasm for the possibilities offered by air balloons as a means of human conveyance and by the early 1780s fully-fledged … Continue reading Part 2 – Tytler and the Grand Edinburgh Fire Balloon
The sky’s the limit: James Tytler and balloon-mania in the archives – part 1
Should you have been on Edinburgh’s Princes Street, a little before noon on Monday 19 July 1784, you would have been greeted by an extraordinary sight. The elegant and imposing Register Office (now General Register House), the first purpose-built public records repository in Britain and Ireland and still the home of the National Records of … Continue reading The sky’s the limit: James Tytler and balloon-mania in the archives – part 1
Register House: the search for the site, 1760-1769
Register House, as it stood in 1790 after the completion of the facade, rotunda and half of the wings. Attributed to John Brown (1749-1787). (National Galleries Scotland, CC by NC) When the foundation stone of the new Register Office or Register House was laid on 27 June 1774, it was the culmination of a long … Continue reading Register House: the search for the site, 1760-1769
250th anniversary of General Register House: we’re going to need a bigger cake
Hidden in plain sight, General Register House (GRH) is one of the most prominent landmarks on Edinburgh’s New Town Princes Street, yet many do not know the significance of this building. Designed to house the records of the nation, it continues to hold and provide access to some of Scotland’s most essential and precious documents. … Continue reading 250th anniversary of General Register House: we’re going to need a bigger cake
Remembering the D-Day Landings: Group Captain James Stagg (1900-1975)
To mark 80 years since the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, we explore the pivotal role that Group Captain J M Stagg played in the success on the Allied troops landing on the coast of Normandy, France, in the start of the campaign to liberate Europe and defeat Germany. Photograph of British soldiers landing … Continue reading Remembering the D-Day Landings: Group Captain James Stagg (1900-1975)
