I've just received this notice and message from The Heritage Hub.

Please find attached details of a joint event between the Heritage Hub and Historic Scotland hosted at Tower Mill Hawick on Wednesday 21 November. The event is a launch of a two year joint project using the Medieval Music Manuscript or 'Hawick Missal'

At the event the Music will be performed for the first time in 450 years. This is a unique opportunity not just to see the document but also to hear the performance of this work.

Tickets are available directly from the Heritage Hub (cash payments only) and can be collected on the night.

It looks as though it will be an interesting evening and I'm sorry I can't go.

West Linton Churchyard

What, you might well ask, has Tweeddale Community Transport got to do with the Borders Family History Society ?  Well it's the reason that I've nearly finished transcribing the monumental inscriptions in West Linton Churchyard.  One of our regular jobs is to collect a number of the older residents of the parish and take them to their Tuesday Afternoon Club.  This involves a wait of around 1½ hours right beside West Linton Church.  It occurred to me that this would be an ideal opportunity to make start on West Linton MIs.  Almost 3 years on there are only about 15 stones left to complete.  The most intractable ones of course.  The Tuesday Afternoon Club doesn't meet in the summer but I hope I'll finish by the end of the year.

I've been helped a lot by West Linton and District History Association who surveyed the stones in the churchyard in 2003 as part of Historic Scotland's Carved Stone Decay project in 2003.

Battlefields of National Importance

n 2009, Historic Scotland decided that they would prepare an inventory of nationally important battlefields in Scotland to identify and provide information on the sites to raise awareness of their significance and assist in their protection and management for the future.  It is a major resource for promoting education, stimulating further research, and for enhancing their potential as attractions for the public. As part of the inventory, they'll maintain reports to combine all the research undertaken and show why the  battlefield is so important, and they'll include a map showing the key elements of the battlefield.  Clearly, that may take into account eyewitness accounts, archaeological evidence, and the maps may include areas of fighting, key movements of troops and other important locations, such as the position of camps or vantage points.

They've produced two lists, those that are deemed of national importance, and those that may be added.
On the list of national importance are the ones we all know like Bannockburn 1314, Ancrum Moor 1545, Pinkie Cleuch 1547, Philiphaugh 1645, Sheriffmuir 1715, Prestonpans 1745, and Culloden  1746.
Ancrum Moor and Philiphaugh are the only two on the list from the Borders, and I admit, that I didn't realise they were so important.

Usefully, their reports on each battlefield can be downloaded.

On the list of those that may be added are Aberdeen 1644, Athelstaneford 832,
Barra 1308 (Aberdeenshire), Carberry Hill 1567, Carbisdale 1650, Cromdale 1690, Dunbar 1296, Fyvie 1644, Glen Livet 1594, Inverkeithing 1651, Inverlochy 1431
Inverlochy 1645, Linlithgow Bridge 1526, Louden Hill 1307, Mulroy 1688, Solway Moss 1542. I'm a bit surprised at this list as I would have thought Athelstaneford and Louden Hill would have made it onto the first list.
Historic Scotland are seeking our (and your) views. Are there battlefields missed out (like Skirmish Hill, Darnick) that should be considered, are there any on the list that aren't significant ?

Historic Scotland's consultation runs until 11 February 2011.

More information including the downloadable reports on the consultation page.