Today, we’ve shared a new report about how some of our historical sites are linked to the British Empire.
Researchers from Glasgow University looked at over 300 sites in our care and found that about 38% have historical connections to the British Empire.
Some of these sites had an important function within the empire, and others were owned by people whose wealth derived, at least in part, from the British Empire
We’re not the only organisation to be delving into this aspect of the history in our care. The University of Glasgow, Glasgow City Council and the National Trust are just some of the others who have engaged with this process of reappraisal and reflection around the legacy of the empire.
Recently, the Scottish Government warmly welcomed recommendations from the Empire, Slavery and Scotland’s Museums (ESSM) Steering Group. The group’s recommendations will help guide Scotland to tell its story of involvement in empire, slavery and colonialism in a coherent way.
Our new report is just one of many undertakings contributing to a national conversation about the legacy of the British Empire.
Perhaps what was unusual about our project is the geographical spread and also the age of some of the places involved, many of which predate the British Empire. This is because Scots with links to the British Empire were a major influence on antiquarian knowledge about our ancient, Neolithic and Iron Age monuments. They often invested profits made through their connections to the British Empire in investigating, protecting and sometimes modifying these important sites.
Our understanding of the past is ever-changing and by undertaking this research we have been able to pull together stories and viewpoints that were previously not considered, which is an important part of our work to broaden our knowledge of the history of the sites in our care.
We can't change the past, but it's possible to learn from it. We’ll take into account the findings of this report when we’re updating our visitor interpretation – something which we do on a rolling basis. We’re also developing several new resources and initiatives to help visitors understand the complex relationship between Scotland and the British Empire.
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1moSuch an exciting development! Congratulations!!