22 September 2022

Excavations in the grounds of Brodie Castle, organised by National Trust for Scotland. If you are interested in taking part, contact Dr Daniel Rhodes at drhodes@nts.org.uk

22 September 2022

The Multilingual Minister: languages in the life-writing of Scottish Highland scholar and traveller, Rev. James Fraser (1634-1709)

Online talk by Professor David Worthingon. Organised by UHI Centre for History. Joining instructions from their website.

This talk aims to widen the focus of the debate around multilingualism in early modern Europe. Using the life-writing of a scholar, traveller and minister from the Highlands, Rev. James Fraser (1634-1709), from Kirkhill by the Beauly Firth, it will provide a neglected, North Sea perspective on the theme. The talk will shed light on how Fraser produced a dynamic scholarly contribution in local, regional, national and transnational terms, one that was defined by a culture of code-switching and polyglossia. Employing, in particular, his history of the Fraser family to 1674 and his three-volume memoir of his travels in Europe, it will find a constant in Fraser’s childhood and adult life in terms of its multilingual nature. Focusing first on the spoken word, and, subsequently, on reading and writing, my talk will show how the seventeenth-century Highlands can provide a vital insight into how the English language rose here and across the Atlantic archipelago, and, conversely, how early modern northern Europeans, speakers of minority languages (in Fraser’s case, Gaelic and Scots) could experience and sustain multilingual cultures.

22 September 2022

Tarbat Tales; A guided walk through the grounds of Tarbat House 

Guided walk by Catherine Williams. Cost £5. Organised by St Duthac Books and Arts Festival. Bookings from the festival website https://www.stduthacbookfest.com/author-events

Ghosts come in all shapes and sizes and they don’t all go BOO! Walk with Catherine as she introduces you to the people,
animals, trees and buildings that influenced the Tarbat of the
past, and shape the Tarbat of today. Find out why an icehouse
is more than it appears. Discover graves, ghastly gadgees and
ghostly buildings. Hear tales of a streaky bacon you would not
want in your sandwich.
This 2 hour guided walk back through time begins at the front of Tarbat House, IV18 0NF.
There is limited parking, access road is bumpy. The paths are uneven and can be very muddy, substantial footwear required. There are no steps, however, due to the uneven nature of the terrain, this walk is not recommended for wheelchair users. There are no toilets. Numbers limited to 30.