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BATTLEGROUND PERTHSHIRE is a concise account of the battles and minor military events that have taken place within the county of Perthshire. Comprising two thousand years of battles, raids, rebellions, sieges, riots, feuds, ambushes and skirmishes, Battleground Perthshire shines the spotlight on the military history of Scotland’s big county. Drawn from extensive primary and secondary sources: archives, eyewitness accounts and official records, it tells the fascinating stories of struggles for wealth, power, freedom and the right to self-determination. This chronicle of Perthshire’s military history stands as an important reminder of some of the events that have marked the development of the Scottish people. It will appeal both to the reader interested in the history of Scotland and to those interested in military history.

Battleground Perthshire can be bought from most bookshops in the Perthshire area: The Watermill at Aberfeldy; Sweet Words at Dunkeld; Waterstones - various stores including Perth; WHSmith - Perth and Pitlochry. And, in Perth Museum, the AK Bell Library, Gloagburn Farm Shop, the Brig Farm Shop by Bridge of Earn. Alternatively, it may be purchased for £7.00 with FREE postage and packing to any UK address {Please email for postage costs for locations outside UK}. Send cheque or postal order (payable to Tippermuir Books) to Tippermuir Books, c/o 3 Graham's Place, King Street, Perth, Perth, PH2 8HZ. It can also be bought through most of the UK online (internet) booksellers.

Spanish Thermopylae: Cypriot Volunteers in the Spanish Civil War, 1936-39 SPANISH THERMOPYLÆ is the story of the fifty-seven Cypriots who served in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War, 1936-39. It is also the story of a war that defined the lives of a generation and whose outcome decided the fate of hundreds of millions of people across the world. Drawing on recently released records from the Comintern Archive in Moscow, Spanish Thermopylae will appeal both to the reader interested in the experiences of the Cypriot volunteers, and to anyone looking for a concise history of the Spanish Civil War. 'This is the first book devoted solely to the contribution made by Cypriots to the cause of democracy and progress in the Spanish Civil War. It bears witness to the injustice committed against humanity by fascism in Spain and the inspirational sacrifices made by a small band of Cypriot volunteers. Spanish Thermopylae is a fitting tribute to them, and the International Brigades.' Demetris Christofias, President of the Republic of Cyprus 'True to the best traditions of their Greek forefathers, the heroes of the Greek War of Independence, the Cypriots rallied to the support of Spanish democracy and independence, realising that a defeat for the Spanish people would have meant world war. On the Spanish battlefields was being decided the fate of Europe and with it that of Cyprus. They recognised fascism as the greatest enemy of humanity and volunteered to help crush it... Many Cypriots lie buried in the Spanish soil fighting fascism. Cyprus is proud of her heroic sons who fell in the anti-fascist cause, but the fight is not over. We fight on until fascism is destroyed from the face of the earth.' Ezekias Papaioannou, Cypriot International Brigades volunteer and General Secretary of AKEL (1949-88) "Before many years have passed, their own countries will feel equally proud of the volunteers. That will be their best and highest reward." Juan Negrín, Prime Minister of the Spanish Republic (1937-39). It is available from www.amazon.co.uk

 


HISTORY

Punishment and Execution in Perth

Some points of worth - this section will be developed further at a later date (the majority of the information below has come from Perth Museum and Art Gallery):

1. The Tollbooth (prison) at the end of the High Street in Perth was used to lock up those people arrested by the Local Constabulary; Cowan, The Ancient Capital of Scotland volume 1 - describes the jailing of the Town Treasurer in the Tollbooth. The Tollbooth stood opposite the Council Chamber

2.Hangings took place in Perth Prison until its abolition as a punishment in Scotland; they also took place at the bottom of the High Street.

3. The North Inch was a location of beatings and drowning; The Ancient Capital of Scotland volume 2 - describes the flogging of a soldier on the North Inch; so-called heretics were either drowned or beaten at the instigation of Cardinal Beaton; prisoners of Cardinal Beaton were also held in the Spy Tower, at the bottom of Canal Street.

4. In 1407 a heretical follower of John Wycliffe (English philosopher and early Protestant reformer of the Catholic Church who supervised the first English translation of the Bible; followers of Wycliffe disputed the theory of transubstantiation and opposed the Catholic Church hierarchy) John Resby, was burned at the stake in Perth along with much of his writing.

5.At the intersection of Skinnergate and the High Street was located the town pillory - a wooden frame with holes in which a person's hands and feet could be locked.

6. Both the North and South Inch would have been used for hangings. St. John's Kirk would have been a location for the issuing and delivery of punishments.

7. Perth Prison was utilised as a holding camp for those people sentenced to transportation.

8.Cowan, The Ancient Capital of Scotland volume 1 describes the hanging of 500 notable thieves hung on a gibbet near the castle of Perth (972) under the auspices of Kenneth III.

9. The Mercat Cross at the bottom of the High Street, opposite the Kirkgate, was a location for the administration of public humiliation and punishment.

10. The Halkeston Tower above the north porch of the West Church had 2 cells that were in use during the Reformation. They were occupied after that period as well.

11. The town pillory was in the High Street. ("The pillory consisted of hinged wooden boards that formed holes through which the head and/or various limbs were inserted; then the boards were locked together to secure the captive. Pillories were set up in marketplaces and crossroads to hold petty criminals. Often a placard detailing the crime was placed nearby; these punishments generally lasted only a few hours. Time in the pillory was more dangerous than in the stocks, as the pillory forced the malfeasant to remain standing and exposed.")

Other sources worth looking at:

St. John's Kirk minutes (from 1577) are housed at the National Archives in Edinburgh.

Town Council, Burgh, Police Commission, Incorporated Trades and Guildry Incorporation archives and papers are housed in the AK Bell Library - all these organisations had the ability to punish.

Perth Museum and Art Gallery has the minutes of the Wrights Incorporation that detail punishments meted out by that organisation. On display in the museum is the St. Bartholomew's Tawse, which was employed for the whipping of apprentices of the Glover Incorporation of Perth. Further information from Cameron, Joy, Prisons and Punishment. Canongate,1983.

 
email: ap@alternative-perth.org