This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Union of the Crowns website
24/03/2003
The detail of the
first major project in a programme to commemorate the
400
th anniversary of the Union of the Crowns was
unveiled today.
The chair of the Union of the Crown's advisory group,
Edinburgh's Lord Provost Eric Milligan, launched a special
Union of the Crowns educational website and Historic
Scotland's arts competition for schools all over
Scotland.
SCRAN - the Scottish history and culture website - is an
educational resource which tells the story of how both
crowns became united using records provided by contributors
from both Scotland and around the United Kingdom.
Culture Minister Mike Watson said:
"It is fitting that on the 400
th anniversary of the day that James VI acceded
to the English throne that the first of many exciting
projects to commemorate the shared history and culture of
Scotland and England is being launched.
"The website is a fascinating learning resource that
contains links to millions of documents from Scotland's
museums and galleries. Combined with the schools arts
competition, this will no doubt encourage young students to
learn about the rich cultural heritage of both Scotland and
Great Britain.
"Today is a significant anniversary which will further
promote our heritage and culture within Scotland,
throughout the UK and around the world".
At Balgreen Primary School in Edinburgh, Lord Provost
Eric Milligan added:
"The emphasis on this anniversary day is on education.
The projects we are unveiling will encourage people to
learn about the history and culture of Scotland and its
historical relationship with the rest of the United
Kingdom.
"This excellent new website tells users the story of how
the crowns of Scotland and England became united and allows
them to benefit from the wide range of multi-media and
value-added materials developed with learning in mind.
"Historic Scotland's school arts competition encourages
primary and secondary school pupils to create a painting
that symbolises this union of Scotland and England. Pupils
can explore symbols of both countries, such as Scotland's
crown jewels, when producing their entries.
"I hope that schools and individuals throughout Scotland
will participate in the art competition and log on to this
new website so that they can learn more about the
significance of James VI of Scotland's accession to the
English throne".
SCRAN Union of the Crowns website includes sections
on:
King James VI & I - The Story - divided into
chapters such as 'Background,' 'A Royal Childhood,' 'A Guid
King?,' 'Previous Conflicts,''The Way Paved,' and 'The
Crowns United'. The illustrated essays will provide a look
at the reasons why the Union happened the way it did.
Timeline - detailing the series of events that led to
the Union of the Crowns in 1603, providing links to the
other parts of the site.
People - giving biographies of some of the major figures
such as Henry VII, Elizabeth I, Mary, Queen of Scots, and
James VI.
Places - providing details of some of the buildings
looked after by Historic Scotland associated with the
story.
Calendar of Events - highlighting the various events
running through the year to mark the 400th anniversary.
Further Information - website links and a reading list
provided by Edinburgh University to allow more detailed
study
The school arts competition invites
schools to design a crown, a sword or a sceptre for the
Coronation of a King or Queen.
The competition is divided into four categories: P4/5;
P6/7; S1/2 and Special Needs.
Participating schools must register with Historic
Scotland by April 11 to receive a resource pack to help
pupils with their designs.
Prizes include books and gift vouchers for Historic
Scotland, free educational classes at an Historic Scotland
monument for winning schools, family membership to Historic
Scotland for winning pupils, and a special award ceremony
at Edinburgh Castle where the winning designs will be
displayed.
Some of the other Union of the Crowns events to run over
the summer include:
Historic Scotland performance
programme:
Four re-enactments and plays have been arranged, to be
performed at venues from Urquhart Castle to Caerlaverock
Castle, from Melrose Abbey to Linlithgow Palace.
On Sundays between April 27 and June 29, 10 performances
of 'The King is o'er the Border' will take place at Castles
at Stirling, Edinburgh, Dirleton, Huntingtower, Urquhart,
Caerlaverock, Huntly and Doune, as well as Melrose Abbey
and Linlithgow Palace.
On Sunday, July 6, Stirling Castle will play host to
performances of 'The Beggar's Meal Poke' by Jozef Lozowy
and Lynda Berwick.
As part of Edinburgh's Festival Fringe programme,
Craigmillar Castle will host performances of 'An Audience
with King James VI and I' by Black Raven Living History and
Andy McAlpine Associates on 14-16 August.
The National Archives of Scotland
Exhibition:
In conjunction with Historic Scotland, The National
Archives of Scotland are preparing an exhibition of
relevant Union of the Crowns material to be held in
Edinburgh Castle in October.
Lecture Series:
Plans are being developed by the University of Edinburgh
for a series of lectures aimed at children / students /
general public.
The Advisory Group, chaired by Eric Milligan, comprises
historian Michael Lynch, Pete Irvine from Unique Events,
and representatives from Historic Scotland, VisitScotland,
Scottish Tourism Forum, CoSLA, Scotland Office and Scottish
Executive.