The Highland chiefs' Bond of Association

Highland clan chiefs sign a 'Bond of Association', on the 24th of August, 1689.

Many Scots and, indeed, very many of the Scottish Diaspora, have a romantic view of the Jacobite era, fuelled perhaps, by tales such as  'The Jacobite Trilogy' by D. K. Broster, comprising books you will have read; 'Flight of the Heron', 'Gleam in the North' and 'Dark Mile'. However, any critical investigation of the earlier rule and influence of James VII & II would unearth a regime of which not to be so proud. 'Bluidy Clavers' is a more fitting epitaph than 'Bonny Dundee' and 'Ringhan Gilhaize' a better book to read than any pretender's eulogy.

Regardless of your religious persuasion, surely

The exile of Mary I, Queen of Scots

Mary Stewart departed for France on the 28th of July, 1548. (N.S. 7th of August, 1548).

Lang Mary Stewart left Scotland for exile in France as the six years old Mary I, Queen of Scots. During her thirteen years in France, Mary Stewart became Marie Stuart, was betrothed and later married to the Dauphin, became Queen Consort of France for a wee while as the wife of François II, upset Elizabeth I of England, and lost her husband. That latter became something of which she made a habit, but that's a story for another day. Mary sailed from Dumbarton on the 28th of July, 1548, accompanied by a fleet of French ships and arrived a week or so later at Saint-Pol-de-Léon. She was accompanied by her own court including the 'four Marys' (Beaton, Seton, Fleming, and Livingston) and a governess, Janet, Lady Fleming.

Mary Stewart was the only surviving legitimate bairn of King James V of Scotland. She was born

Sir Arthur Whitten Brown

Sir Arthur Whitten Brown, Glasgow born aviator, was born on the 23rd of July, 1886.

As every schoolboy used to know, Arthur Whitten Brown is famous as one half of a duo, being one of the first pair of aviators to fly non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean, which feat he accomplished, together with John Alcock, in 1919. Brown and Alcock were knighted for their efforts and deserved all the acclaim they got for that most significant milestone. Incidentally, in addition to being the first ever, non-stop transatlantic flight, Aclock and Brown's journey was also the first transatlantic airmail flight. However, before he became a benighted Sir, he was a Second Lieutenant Sir in the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion of the Manchester Regiment, before being seconded to 2 Squadron the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) as an observer, during the First World War.

Stationed in France, Brown was shot down

Execution of John, Master of Forbes

John, Master of Forbes, was executed at Edinburgh Castle on the 17th of July, 1537.

Forbes is a surname that is found, principally, in Aberdeenshire, where the family were once rivals of the mighty Gordons. The origins of the name are are territorial, although there are claims for it stemming from a Scotti-Celtic heritage, with the usual run of wondrous stories concerning amazing feats of valour and the consequent awarding of appropriate appellations; in this case killing a ferocious bear, hence 'Forbear'. Most of those kinds of stories are made up in later centuries when it became fashionable to construct an origin story; a bit like Genesis in microcosm. The name must derive from Forbois, a Latin-French derivation that signifies 'a wild wood country' – where bears once  abounded, mind you. Skene, in his treatise De Verborum Significatione, mentions a Duncan Forbois getting a charter of the lands and heritage of Forbois, in Aberdeenshire,  from King Alexander (he doesn't say which Alexander; I, II or III). Forbes is pronounced

Captain Charles Bruce Bairnsfather

Charles Bruce Bairnsfather was born on the 9^th of July, 1887.

Charles Bruce Bairnsfather was born in India, the son of a Scot. Bairnsfather went to school in middle-England, after begin brought back to Britain, and no doubt he spoke with an English accent, but other than that, we're claiming him as Scots. If he had any English heritage, he'd have been called Barnsfeather or some such. Anyone with 'bairn' in their surname and Bruce as a Christian name, must be Scottish, eh? In any case, his story is worth including as Charles Bruce Bairnsfather grew up to become

Dugald Buchanan (Dùghall Bochanan)

Dugald Buchanan (Dùghall Bochanan) died on the 2nd of July, 1768.

Dugald Buchanan was an 18th Century Scottish Calvinist preacher who is famous as a Gaelic poet and as the translator of the New Testament into Gaelic. His poetry was intrinsically bound up in his occupation and preoccupation as he wrote, exclusively, on religious topics. Buchanan was a popular local preacher and, although he published only eight poems, amounting to a mere 1590 lines or so, in his lifetime, he brought Christian themes to Scots Gaelic literature. That was a significant departure from epic tales of myth and legend, such as Ossian, and led to Buchanan being lauded as 'The Highland’s Sacred Bard'. His contemporaries, such as James MacPherson in particular, are  far more famous Gaelic poets outside Scotland, but Buchanan was unique, because he used poetry to promote the twinned values of salvation and righteous living. As befitting a Calvinist,

Allan Pinkerton

Allan Pinkerton, the Scots-born founder of the famous detective agency, died on the 1st of July, 1884.

Allan J. Pinkerton was born in 19th Century Scotland, but became famous in the Wild West of America as the founder of the detective agency that bore his name. He also became famous worldwide as his name is synonymous with the term 'private eye' and he was, arguably, the world's first private detective. Interestingly enough, Pinkerton was also one of the first writers of stories in the genre; that of the private eye. A prolific author in his later years, Pinkerton's books as well as his exploits, undoubtedly influenced and inspired a host of famous exponents of the genre; the likes of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. And, of course, it was