80
votes
Accepted
If the Union Jack joins the flag of England and Scotland, why does it have a different shade of blue than the Scottish flag?
In 1606, people didn't have pantone guidelines to keep colours consistent - nor did it matter. Heraldry only has a limited number of colors. Variations on blue exist but are not standard, so any blue ...
- 8,918
51
votes
Accepted
Why does Edinburgh Castle's one o'clock gun fire at 1pm instead of, say, noon?
Edinburgh Castle's tourist attraction, the One O'Clock Gun, originated as an audible version of the Nelson Monument time ball. The Nelson time ball has dropped at 1:00 pm ever since it was installed ...
- 97.4k
30
votes
Accepted
What made the English the dominant power of the British Isles?
To answer this question, you first have to answer another complex question: Who are the English?
This question turns out to be quite complex indeed because to this day scholars are unsure whether to ...
- 4,082
26
votes
What made the English the dominant power of the British Isles?
England lies in the warmest, richest, and most fertile parts of the British Isles. These are modern population figures, but they are indicative of past relative strengths:
England, 55 million; ...
- 104k
26
votes
Accepted
Can anyone identify the regiment and rank from this WWI photograph?
I agree with Kobunite, but by a different route. I can't make out the cap badge well enough to identify it positively, but the collar badges are either Royal Artillery or Royal Engineers, which are ...
- 31.4k
23
votes
Was Mary Stuart's execution not accompanied by attainder?
Three points:
Mary was not the subject of a Bill of Attainder. She was convicted of treason by a jury of English noblemen.
The rules about succession rules were still vague in 1600. Succession was ...
- 7,598
22
votes
Accepted
How was the linen weaving trade learnt in 18th century Scotland?
Weaving generally had been a fairly common occupation during the medieval period in Scotland. The skills were taught to apprentices, who may or may not have been related to the master weaver. This ...
- 77.4k
19
votes
What made the English the dominant power of the British Isles?
The obvious reason for Scotland being "conquered" by England is that King James VI of Scotland was heir to the English throne, and upon the death of Elizabeth I of England (and Ireland) found himself ...
- 303
17
votes
Accepted
Was Mary Stuart's execution not accompanied by attainder?
Part One: Chronology.
King James VI & I did become king of England and Ireland on 24 March 1603 about 16 years after Mary Queen of Scots was beheaded on 8 February 1587.
But James became King of ...
- 19.1k
16
votes
Accepted
Which Scottish regiment is the Queen inspecting in this photo?
The tartan is not clear and the glengarry was shared by most Highland regiments. The hose and sporrans may have differed among regiments but I am having a hard time nailing down exactly which aspects ...
- 9,112
15
votes
Accepted
How likely was an enlisted man to have fought at both Falkirk and Bannockburn?
Short Answer
Indirect evidence suggests that it is certainly possible that there were some veterans of Falkirk (1298) who fought at Bannockburn (1314). Men could be enlisted on both sides up to the ...
- 108k
14
votes
What made the English the dominant power of the British Isles?
Scotland joining England and Wales:
The Darien Disaster was an ill-fated attempt to build a roadway across Central America by the Scots. It was backed by most of the Scottish nobility, and its failure ...
- 241
13
votes
Can anyone identify the regiment and rank from this WWI photograph?
Starting with the regiment - looking at the cap badge (see below), I believe that he was in the Corps of Royal Engineers.
The uniform appears to be that of a commissioned officer, however the exact ...
- 4,800
12
votes
What was the "high Commissioner of the Police in Scotland" in 1777?
The word 'police' is different in its meaning from the modern narrow definition we are likely to hold true for back then. In modern words: much more setting policy, thus mainly more legislative than ...
- 80.8k
10
votes
What were the motivating factors in the Scottish Highland Clearances?
The motivating factors that led to the Highland Clearances are manifold and complex. The roots of the clearances lay mainly in the aftermath of the 1745 Jacobite rebellion in which the highland levies ...
- 77.4k
9
votes
Why were bows referred to as "Indian Artillery"?
Indian here means "Red Indian" or Native American. His readers would be aware that Indians used bows and arrows so the writer is mocking the duelists' choice of weapons by calling it "Indian artillery"...
- 881
8
votes
Accepted
Can anyone explain why the Scottish flag on this map from 1504 has a red cross on a white background?
I recently looked at this question again, and thought it might be another example of the colorization process being inaccurate. I thought to find other copies of this map (or other works at least by ...
- 38.7k
7
votes
Did Hitler spare Dundee from bombing because it "rejected" Churchill as MP?
Personally, I would discard it as an unfounded rumour. It's right up there with the "Hitler’s granny came from Dundee" rumour that you can still hear repeated around the city.
Dundee actually was hit ...
- 77.4k
7
votes
Accepted
Was Queen Henrietta Maria (of England) known for scratching her initials into things?
Short Answer
The reference to "that famous east window on which Henrietta Maria had once cut her name with a diamond" seems most likely to be a conflation of two or more of various events ...
- 108k
6
votes
Accepted
Why was Ormond Castle in Scotland so called?
Ormond Castle was named after the hill it stood on, Ormond Hill. It is now impossible to trace how the name came about, but the Scottish antiquarian John Pinkerton says it was apparently an ancient ...
- 97.4k
6
votes
Accepted
Did James I link the divine right of kings to apostolic succession in his writings? If so, where?
No, nothing is missing or overlooked in "trew Law" regarding apostolic succession. The text simply does not provide what this unreferenced part of the Wikipedia article claims.
What James ...
- 80.8k
5
votes
Accepted
Significance of division of Caledonia by Northumbrian Advance
Yes, that's roughly what he's saying. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to run a unified country, or even a unified armed resistance, between two entities separated by hostile territory.
Here'...
- 118k
5
votes
How did John Duns Scotus live in England during the Scottish Wars of Independence?
In the particular case of John Duns Scotus, we know relatively little about him apart from his work, and the fact that he was a friar. As a member of a religious order and an academic, he would ...
- 77.4k
5
votes
What evidence is there of Asians and Africans in medieval Britain other than Moors in the 7th century?
The Kingdom of Makuria (Nubian peoples, think south of Egypt) was a Christian kingdom and I would suggest that is the likely homeland for Black people who made it into medieval Europe. It's heavily ...
- 2,722
5
votes
Was Ireland really England's first colony?
BBC
According to the British Broadcasting Company Pope Adrian IV's Papal Bull in 1155 led the way to England's first colony.
BBC
The first proper colonisation took place not in the West or East ...
- 3,134
4
votes
What is that gold plaque Scottish soldiers wore around their necks?
Not so much evolved from the cuirass as it was a piece of medieval armour; the gorget-the piece of armour that protected the neck and came between the helmet and cuirass. As firearms became more ...
4
votes
What were levels of insular migration like in pre-Industrial Britain (1650-1780)?
I've also been researching my family history, and my family seems to be another one with "itchy feet". I've traced a few lines back to the civil war, and - although the distances involved seem to be ...
- 77.4k
4
votes
When was Donald Trump's first visit to his mother's birthplace, the Isle of Lewis?
There might not be clear records of it:
Mary Anne Trump's billionaire son Donald visited the house in which his mother grew up, and his cousins in 2008.
On that trip, the now president-elect said he ...
- 10.8k
4
votes
What was the role of Scotland during the Hundred Years War?
Auld Alliance
It all dates back to a treaty signed between Scotland and France in 1295, named the Auld Alliance, when both nations agreed to help eachother should either country be attacked by England....
- 3,134
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible