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ABOUT THE BOOK In the early 1820s, Thomas Harvie, a newly rich, arrogant Glasgow distiller, bought Westthorn estate on the eastern edge of the city close to the north bank of the River Clyde. To establish the bounds of his property and keep out intruders, he erected two walls, the larger of which (‘Harvie’s Dyke’) was massive, fortified and blocked a long-established pathway alongside the river. Colliers and other workers from nearby villages (many of whom regularly used the walkway) were outraged. A large crowd gathered on midsummer’s evening in 1823 and set about demolishing the wall. After a cavalry charge put an end to the disturbance, dozens of the rioters were arrested and some imprisoned. But Harvie rebuilt his walls, and a six-year struggle with the people of Glasgow ensued, which resulted in a House of Lords ruling in 1828 in favour of those who had campaigned for ‘the liberties of the banks of the Clyde’. The episode gripped the city and was heralded in poems, song and newspapers for many decades. It also inspired later protests against landowners who attempted to obstruct public rights of way. This book is testimony to a triumphant victory for ordinary Glaswegians over an uncompromising estate proprietor.
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ABOUT THE BOOK Salt is a vital commodity. For many centuries it sustained life for Scots as seasoning for a diet dominated by grains (mainly oats), and for preservation of fish and cheese. Sea-salt manufacturing is one of Scotland’s oldest industries, dating to the eleventh century if not earlier. Smoke- and steam-emitting panhouses were once a common sight along the country’s coastline and are reflected in many of Scotland’s placenames. The industry was a high-status activity, with the monarch initially owning salt pans. Salt manufacture was later organised by Scotland’s abbeys and then by landowners who had access to the sea and a nearby supply of coal. As salt was an important source of tax revenue for the government, it was often a cause of conflict (and military action) between Scotland and England. The future of the industry – and the price of salt for consumers – was a major issue during negotiations around the Union of 1707. This book celebrates both the history and the rebirth of the salt industry in Scotland. Although salt manufacturing declined in the nineteenth century and was wound up in the 1950s, in the second decade of the twenty-first century the trade was revived. Scotland’s salt is now a high-prestige, green product that is winning awards and attracting interest across the UK.
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ABOUT THE BOOK A fresh account of the remarkable rise of Dundee as a global industrial city and the origins of its later demise. The background to jute, the product most closely associated with Dundee, is investigated in unprecedented depth. The role of flax and linen as foundations for the jute industry is emphasised. The book challenges many perceptions of Dundee. Linen was as important to Dundee before c.1850 as jute was afterwards; the significance of jute pre-1850 has often been exaggerated by historians. Traditionally Dundee's success was attributed to the production of cheap coarse cloth for sacks, bagging etc. Yet many firms manufactured high quality, admiralty grade canvas, and colourful rugs and carpets in imitation of Brussels and other woollen floor coverings. Design was important. So too were enterprising merchants and manufacturers from the early eighteenth century onwards. Although squalor and industrial and social conflict became the norm after the 1870s, prior to that Dundee was relatively buoyant economically, and greatly admired by visitors including those from as far afield as the US. In short, Dundee was one of Scotland's industrial powerhouses a fact too often overlooked.
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ABOUT THE BOOK The tiny diamond-shaped island of Pabay lies in Skye’s Inner Sound, just two and a half miles from the bustling village of Broadford. One of five Hebridean islands of that name, it derives from the Norse papa-ey, meaning ‘island of the priest’. Many visitors since the first holy men built their chapel there have felt that Pabay is a deeply spiritual place, and one of wonder. These include the great 19th-century geologists Hugh Miller and Archibald Geikie, for whom the island’s rocks and fossil-laden shales revealed much about the nature of Creation itself. Len and Margaret Whatley moved to Pabay from the Midlands and lived there from 1950 until 1970. Leaving a landlocked life in Birmingham for the emptiness of an uninhabited island was a brave and challenging move for which nothing could have prepared them. Christopher Whatley, their nephew, was a regular visitor to Pabay whilst they lived there. In this book, based on archival research, oral interviews, memory and personal experience, he explores the history of this tiny island jewel, and the people for whom it has been home, to create a vivid picture of the trials, tribulations and joys of island life.
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ABOUT THE BOOK Robert Burns was by far and away the most iconic figure in nineteenth-century Scotland. Multiple editions of his works poured incessantly from the presses. Unprecedentedly large crowds gathered to commemorate him at huge festivals and at the unveiling of memorials. His work was at the heart of the palpable rise of Scottish-ness that swept Scotland from the 1840s through to the First World War, including demands for Home Rule. If Walter Scott imagined Scotland, Burns shaped it. He gave ordinary Scots in what had been one of the most socially uneven societies in Europe a sense of self-worth and dignity, and underpinned demands for political and social justice. In this major new book, Christopher Whatley describes the several contests there were to 'own' - and mould - Burns, from Tories through Radicals to middle-class urban improvers. But the Kirk condemned Burns as the Antichrist, deplored the Burns cult ('Burnomania') - a slur on a nation that prided itself on its strict Presbyterian inheritance. The result is a fascinating picture of the role Burns played after his death in shaping multiple facets of Scottish society.
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Welcome to my personal collection of selected papers. I’m Chris Whatley, Emeritus Professor of Scottish History at the University of Dundee, and throughout my career I’ve been fascinated by the complex tapestry of Scotland’s past—from the economic and social shifts of the seventeenth century to the enduring debates over national identity today.
I’ve had the privilege of exploring these themes in depth, and here are a few pieces that capture some of the ideas I’m most passionate about:
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Nation-Building within a Union State: Scotland’s Frustrated Nationalism
In Frustrated Nationalism: Nationalism and National Identity in the Twenty-First Century (edited by Gregory S. Mahler, State University of New York Press, 2024, pp. 79–101)
In this paper, I delve into the intricate dynamics of Scotland’s nationalism within the context of a union state—a subject that continues to provoke lively debate and reflection. -
“We’ll ne'er forget the people”: Burns and Politics, 1796-1945
In The Oxford Handbook of Robert Burns (edited by Gerard Carruthers, Oxford University Press, 2024, pp. 405–420 – with Catriona M.M. Macdonald)
Here, I explore the powerful interplay between the legendary poet Robert Burns and the political currents of his time, tracing the evolution of his influence from 1796 through to the mid-twentieth century. -
Working Lives at the Pans: Skills, Serfdom – and the Salt Officers
In Salt: Scotland’s Newest Oldest Industry (edited by Christopher A. Whatley and Jo Hambly, John Donald, 2023, pp. 34–49)
This piece examines the often-overlooked aspects of Scotland’s industrial past, shedding light on the lives and labors that shaped our country’s development. -
“Counting the ‘Cavaliers”: Two Contemporary Analyses of the Political Wing of the Scots Jacobite Underground in the Union Parliament
Published in Parliamentary History, Volume 42, Issue 3 (2023, pp. 309–347 – with Daniel Szechi)
In collaboration with Daniel Szechi, I take a close look at the political undercurrents within the Jacobite movement, revealing new perspectives on a pivotal era in Scottish political life. -
“The Kirk’s Alarm”: Burns and the Presbyterians in Mid-Victorian Scotland
Published in Burns Chronicle, Volume 131, Issue 1 (2022, pp. 1–20)
This paper delves into the intricate relationship between Robert Burns and the Presbyterian community during mid-Victorian Scotland, offering insights into how cultural and religious identities intersected. -
Afterword: “A Wrong Resenting People”: Writing Insurrectionary Scotland
Published in Studies in Scottish Literature, Volume 46, Issue 1 (2020, pp. 58–73)
In this reflective piece, I consider the narratives of insurrection and resistance, exploring how they have been written and re-written over time to capture the spirit of Scottish defiance.
My journey through Scottish history has been fueled by a deep commitment to understanding the forces—both celebrated and contentious—that have shaped our nation. Although this page presents only the titles and details of my selected papers, they reflect the insights and inspirations that have enriched my research over the years. If you’d like to discuss these ideas further, have any questions about my work, or wish to request copies of any of the papers, please feel free to reach out—I’d be delighted to share my research with you.
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Nation-Building within a Union State: Scotland’s Frustrated Nationalism