As the coronation of King Charles III approaches, books on the shelves of the Library of Innerpeffray have revealed some fascinating details of past coronations in the United Kingdom and Europe. Part of the library’s current exhibition demonstrates that ‘there is nothing new’ in the modern world, that ideas, sayings and practices that seem unique or revolutionary in the present day are often just a reinvention of the past. In some ways the same could be said of the coronations of our country’s sovereigns. As time has passed, some of the arrangements and customs have remained fixed and some have altered, either by legislative changes or by innovation. But the essentials have stayed the same. 

For hundreds of years the church and the Christian tradition have been involved at the heart of the coronation service. When the current Archbishop of Canterbury steps forward to crown King Charles III he will be following in the footsteps of his predecessors, following an age old form of words and actions. But the person who preaches the coronation sermon will have the opportunity to do something unique, to deliver a homily which represents present day circumstances and sensibilities to a sovereign who must serve his country in a multicultural world. 

In the past the sermon has only had to reflect a Christian perspective and at the coronation of King George III in September 1761 a Bishop who had a very special connection to the Library of Innerpeffray, Robert Hay Drummond (RHD), delivered it. RHD was the great-nephew of David Drummond, the 3^rd Lord Madertie and founder of the Library of Innerpeffray. RHD inherited responsibility for the library and adjoining school in 1739 and did much to augment and extend the book stock. He also raised the funds to build the beautiful neo-classical building in which the library is still housed. 

So, how did RHD come to preach the sermon at the coronation of George III? Possibly, as the result of the influence of royal patronage. He had come to the attention of Queen Caroline (the wife of George II) whilst he was acting in a play at Westminster School and some years after she influenced his appointment, at the relatively young age of 25, to the royal chaplaincy. She remained his patroness for the rest of her life. RHD accompanied George II whilst the king was on campaign in Europe and preached a sermon for him.

He continued to advance within the church spending time in the bishoprics of St.Asaph and Sarum (Salisbury.) In 1761, whilst he was the Archbishop-elect for York, he was chosen to preach the coronation sermon.

He chose an Old Testament verse (I Kings, X.9) as the basis of the sermon – ‘because the Lord loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do justice and judgement.’ The sermon was described as being ‘sensible and spirited and free from fulsome panegyric’, dignified in style and delivered in well-chosen language. In reading the sermon it is very clear that RHD presented his advice to the king in two main arguments that he described as truths: –

1. ‘That when great and good kings reign, they are the means by which God blesses his people,’ and
2. ‘That the duty and the end of royalty is to do justice and judgement.’

The sermon uses other biblical texts to illustrate his arguments and he sets out various ideas on how the sovereign can lead by example; influence society for the common good, peace and happiness; be mindful of the people’s affection for the previous monarch and his achievements; accept any personal suffering he may face in the course of his duty and service to the country and utilise general knowledge and science as well as religion in reaching his decisions. If he followed these directions, RHD opined, the country would be blessed with citizens who had a respect for the law and who showed a ‘cheerful obedience’ to government. RHD also exhorted the people to be loyal and supportive of the new king in the pursuit of ‘pure religion’, virtue, just government and liberty. Regardless of individual belief or religious practise, some readers might consider that the sermon would produce a good template for life today and it is possible to see many facets of the reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II through this lens. Once again, some aspects of life change very little over time.

Some time after the coronation in 1761 the King ordered that the sermon should be published and the Library of Innerpeffray holds a copy of it in a book of RHD’s sermons. The following image is taken from that book.

A second book in the library, a compendium of The Scots Magazine, gives a detailed account of the coronation of George III and Queen Charlotte, which took place only two weeks after their marriage. The account mentions the role of RHD and describes a very long day –starting at 9am and finishing after 10pm – which was marred by mishaps and a very prolonged, tiring ceremony. It is reported that one of the jewels fell out of the King’s crown during the day and that it was found after the coronation banquet; but there is no actual evidence of this. Even the weather was covered – a letter reprinted from the London Chronicle of 29 September 1761 tells us that the weather leading up to and following the coronation day was wet and stormy, but the day itself enjoyed ‘…an extraordinary alteration in the weather.’

But perhaps the most interesting part of the article is a detailed description of the procession from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey. The participants were lined up in order and walked to the Abbey, preceded by a herb woman and six maids who scattered herbs on the route ahead of the walkers. The participants were numerous and varied and included Peers and Peeresses of the realm, soldiers, choristers, clerks, masters of the king’s wardrobe and jewels, privy counsellors, knights, heralds, barons and baronesses, aldermen, aristocrats, clergy, sheriffs, senior legal staff, members of the King’s and Queen’s personal staff, senior government officials and the Archbishop of Canterbury. Quite a gathering of the great and the good and the writer describes it as a procession that ‘…far excelled any thing of the kind ever known in this kingdom, or any other part of the world, for grandeur and magnificence…’

Once inside the Abbey the lengthy coronation service began and the article gives a detailed account, outlining the order of service, the participants, the regalia used, the clothing, the chairs of Estate used by the monarch and his consort and the music performed by musicians and choristers. As a piece of reportage it is clear and interesting and gives the reader a real understanding of the proceedings. 

The following photograph shows an extract from the article about the order of the procession. This represents only a proportion of the people who took part- there is another page and a half of detail.

In reading these books and other accounts it has become clear that many similarities exist between the coronations of the distant and recent past. The UK is the only country in Europe still to carry out a formal coronation of the monarch and his consort and with over a thousand years of history of coronations, in four very different nations, it is perhaps surprising that so many elements of the event are familiar to us today. As has already been said, there is not much in life today that is really new; we are not in uncharted territory where coronations are concerned.

Examples of continuing customs are:

1. The coronation oath– this is the only legal requirement in the proceedings and it has been amended over the centuries to reflect the changes in our society such as the roles of different churches, the political union of kingdoms, the creation of The Commonwealth etc. But essentially the oath remains a promise to govern according to the laws and customs of all citizens.
2. The use of Westminster Abbey  – the venue has been used since 1066 (initially only in England) and the upcoming coronation will be the fortieth to be held there.
3. The Procession – the monarch makes a public procession from his/her place of residence to the abbey. These days the monarch travels by coach rather than on foot but the eye-catching and colourful pageantry remains. 
4. Regalia – the orb, sceptre, coronation ring and St. Edward’s crown are still used.
5. The Stone of Destiny forms part of the structure of the throne. This year it will travel from its home in Edinburgh Castle to London for the ceremony but will then return to Scotland.
6. Holy Oil is used to anoint the monarch using a spoon that has been part of the coronation regalia (in England) for hundreds of years. It survived the destruction of religious artefacts by Oliver Cromwell, though St. Edward’s crown did not. That is a replica.
7. Music – this forms a centrepiece of the ceremony and new pieces are often commissioned (eight by George III, twelve by Charles III.) Some pieces are a fixture eg Handel’s composition for Zadok the Priest.
8. Homage is paid to the new sovereign by attendees, though the numbers included in this part of the ceremony vary.
9. A Court of Claims (now called the Coronation Claims Office) is set up to allow people to apply for official roles in the coronation.
10. Crowds – the streets are filled with spectators and the abbey is crowded with invited guests and officials. Galleries have been built in the streets, in the abbey and in Westminster Hall in the past to accommodate huge numbers of spectators, guests and participants. 
11. Public celebrations – military guns are fired, street parties are held, recipes are created (Coronation Chicken, Coronation Quiche), fireworks and/or bonfires are lit.
12. Re–enactments – these days the coronation is replayed on TV and streamed all over the world to allow public involvement in the event whereas in the past plays and re-enactments took place to allow people outside of London to get a flavour of what had happened in the capital.
13. The State pays for a state occasion. The budget for George III’s coronation was initially estimated to be £9,430 but it has been reported as actually costing anywhere up to £70,000. Overspends in public life reverberate all through history!

So wherever you are on coronation day look out for innovations. They are not always numerous and you will be observing history in the making. Interesting accounts of the coronations of the past remain in books, diaries, print newspapers and journals in libraries and archives all over the world. Indeed we have copies of The Tatler, Picture Post and The Field at Innerpeffray that document royal events of the 20^th century, including the coronation of the late Queen. But we live in a digital, fast-changing world and it will be interesting for today’s younger generations to see how much of the coverage of this year’s coronation actually survives.

And finally…….

Footnotes.

1. What happened to Robert Hay Drummond after the coronation of George III? He served for many years as Archbishop of York and undertook renovations of his palace and the parish church of York. He was a hospitable man, a friend to many and a liberal patron of the arts. He became Lord High Almoner to George III and reformed many abuses of that office whilst also taking part in the proceedings of the House of Lords where he influenced political power as a Whig. Policy changes against the Whigs occurred during the reign of George III and this led RHD to cease attending the House of Lords. He then devoted himself entirely to his archdiocese and the education of his children, particularly with respect to the teaching of history and the love of reading, encouraging a wide range of books. His wife Henrietta (whom he had married in 1749) died in 1773 and RHD never really recovered from the blow, passing away himself in 1776. 
2. Music played for George III. The 1761 coronation is the only one known where one composer, William Boyce, created almost all of the music. He composed eight new anthems but refused to compose a new setting for Zadok the Priest. He petitioned the king to allow Handel’s original composition to be used and the king agreed. Handel’s wonderful piece has been used ever since. Three full rehearsals of the coronation music took place before the event and tickets to these rehearsals were sold to the public. The scope of the music demanded a huge cast of musicians and choristers, so much so that alterations had to be made to the layout of the abbey and an assistant conductor appointed so that everyone could actually follow the conductor’s instructions.
3. The Scots Magazine claims to be the oldest magazine in the world that is still being published. Whether or not that is the case, it is certainly one of the world’s best selling Scottish interest magazines. It was first published in 1739 and has had some breaks in publication during its existence. It has been published continuously since 1927 under a series of owners, the current owner being DC Thomson & Co Ltd, the publisher of various famous comics (The Beano, Dandy, The Broons etc) and newspapers and owner of several media sites. One of its most famous editors  from 1759-65 was William Smellie, who was the joint founder of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, a friend of Robert Burns and the editor of the first edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
4. Charles Bathurst (cited on the title page of RHD’s printed coronation sermon) was a London bookseller. He started his working life as an apprentice printer and worked for Benjamin Motte, whose bookselling and publishing business operated from Middle Temple Gate, Fleet Street, London. Motte published work by Jonathan Swift, initially anonymously at the author’s request and notably Gulliver’s Travels in 1726. Later on, Bathurst and Motte collaborated on other works and printed another book written by Swift, A Complete Collection of Genteel and Ingenious Conversation.

If this has whetted your appetite to look at and/or read some of the treasures held in The Library of Innerpeffray, please take a look at our website which contains details of our collections and opening times for visitors. 

Some of the collection can only be viewed by prior appointment with The Keeper of Books, Lara Haggerty, so please do check in advance if there is something in particular that you would like to see. We are no longer a lending library, so unfortunately you cannot borrow books.

SW

Sources.

www.commonslibrary.parliament.uk

Dictionary of National Biography

The British Library

The National Portrait Gallery

Exeter Working Papers in the British Book Trade History: the London Book Trade 1735-75, via

www.bookhistory.blogspot.com

Records of London’s Livery Companies online

www.londonroll.org

Wikipedia

During the winter months, when the library is closed to the public, there is still a lot of work to be done on the collections. The appropriate storage and care of books is an important part of the library’s work and our volunteers are kept busy with the dusting of the books, checking their shelf positions against the catalogue, identifying necessary repairs to covers and/or pages and cleaning the bookcases. It is an important exercise which is for the most part routine. But it does offer the chance for volunteers to get to know the collections more closely and to study books of particular interest to them. And, from time to time, we rediscover a book that throws a light on events in the modern world through the lens of history.

One such book was discovered shortly after the Supreme Court’s judgement on whether a second referendum on independence could be held in Scotland under legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament. The Court ruled against the arguments made by the Scottish government and, in doing so, brought the public and media spotlight back onto the nature of the Union and the matters that are reserved in law for determination by the UK Parliament. So when the small, nondescript slim brown volume was first taken off the shelf for cleaning little did we know that it would be so topical and pertinent to the current debate.

The book may be small in physical size (smaller than a typical modern paperback,) relatively short at 156 pages, but it is a first edition, has a long and impressive title, a celebrity author and is signed by a famous person. It also forms part of a very important collection of books (the Scotland Collection) which was gifted to the library in 2013 by a wealthy American bibliophile, Janet Burns St.Germain.

The following photographs show the front cover, the spine and the impressive title page.

Several points of interest can be seen from the title page:

• The text is about an inquiry into the reasonableness and consequences of a Union with Scotland
• The book was printed and sold in Paternoster Row in London in 1706 by a ‘publisher’ named Benjamin Bragg. So it was published in the year in which the Treaty of Union was ratified.
• The name of the author is not included on the title page, but as can be seen from the handwritten note on the opposite page, the author has been identified as William Paterson, a co-founder of the Bank of England.
• An outline description of the contents of the book has been set out, including a proposed scheme for the Union of the two countries (note that only Scotland is mentioned on the title page, England is not) and a discussion of the relative financial, legal and other ‘facts of moment’.

So, we now know what the book is about and we know the identity of the author but why is William Paterson not identified on the title page? Well, the text is written in the form of a report on the proceedings of and discussions amongst the members of an imaginary club named the ‘Wednesdays Club in Friday Street.’ There is a dedication written under the pseudonym of Lewis Medway, addressed to Laurence Philips, Esq near York and the text that follows is an important attempt to explain the economic consequences of a proposed Union between Scotland and England. The club members discuss various topics about the proposed Union and Lewis Medway 

provides a record of the meeting plus an account of individuals’ opinions and observations.

It can be seen from the dedication that Paterson was very much in favour of the Union, arguing that the loss of the countries’ standing in the world and their economic problems was owing to ‘the want of a Union.’ Indeed he states, as a further argument, that ‘..a Kingdom divided within, or against itself, cannot stand.’ His argument throughout the text could be summarised as being that the introduction of a Union was not only convenient but a necessity and that all arguments against it could be weighed and measured against the positive ones and found wanting.

The book was written at a time when the crowns of Scotland and England had long been unified but their Parliaments, of course, had not. Various pieces of legislation passed in England and the failure of the Darien Scheme (which Paterson had helped to devise) in the late 17^th century had affected both trade (particularly with the Dutch) and thus the economy of Scotland. In addition the two countries had different ideas about the nature of the Succession to the crown and this problem needed to be resolved since Queen Anne had no living heir. It made sense to many of the nobility and political classes, therefore, to unite the two Parliaments though, in Scotland at least, the opinion of everyday folk was at odds with their world view.

On reading the details of the contents page it can be seen that many of the arguments of 1706 are still being discussed in the media and Parliament today. For instance, the advantages/disadvantages of the Union to both countries; the amount of representation Scotland should have within the unified Parliament; the effects of a united economy on the relationship with European countries; the need for common granary and fisheries policy; ports of entry to the country; the relationship with the island of Ireland; the effects of restraints and prohibitions of trade on the economy and of course the discussions on taxation, debts and revenues, customs and excise, government expenses, coinage, weights and measures and poor relief (benefits, in today’s language.) Does this all sound familiar?

The final four pages contain information on a proposed scheme for the representation of Scotland in the unified Parliament, setting out numbers of representatives and taxation per Shire, Borough and city.

And what of the signature of the famous person? Well that belongs to James Boswell the younger (1775 -1822) and it can be found near the beginning of the book with a date of 1809 beside it. Boswell was the second surviving son of the more famous James Boswell, the lawyer and biographer of Samuel Johnson, a biography which is considered to be among the finest in the English language. The younger Boswell was also a lawyer and he rose to become Commissioner of Bankrupts. He was also the literary executor of Edmond Malone, a Shakespeare scholar and a friend of the elder Boswell.

End notes.

In carrying out some background research for this post, a number of interesting facts surrounding  people and places relating to the book came to my attention and I thought that they might be of interest to some readers.

1. William Paterson ( 1658 – 1719)  was a Scottish trader and banker, co-founder of the Bank of England and one of the main proponents of the catastrophic and commercially disastrous Darien Scheme. In early life he emigrated to the West Indies where he gained considerable business acumen as a merchant. He was also reported as having had dealings with local buccaneers. He first conceived the Darien scheme whilst living in the West Indies and perceived it as a trading colony in Panama for Scotland to gain economic advantage in establishing trade links with the Far East. On returning to London in 1687 he made a fortune with the Merchant Taylors’ Company, through foreign trade, perhaps primarily through the slave trade in the West Indies. In 1691 he published a pamphlet, A Brief Account of the Intended Bank of England. He became a director of the bank in 1694 but left his position in 1695 after disagreements with colleagues. In 1698 he travelled to Panama with his family to join the Darien expedition. His wife and child died and he became very ill himself. On returning to Scotland in 1699 he became active in his support for the pro-Union movement.
2. Benjamin Bragg  was a bookseller by trade, sometimes known as a trade publisher. In the times that he was operating, the term publisher meant something entirely different to what we know today. A publisher could commission a book to be printed but he/she could also be involved in the wholesale and/or retail book trade. He was involved in the production of many books and pamphlets but some of his publications were seemingly dubious in terms of how and when they appeared on the market. He fell foul of the Court of the Stationers’ Company (see notes below) and appears in their court records more than once; for example, in November 1706 his name appears in relation to the selling of sham almanacks.
3. The printing trade was controlled as a monopoly from 1557 by a livery company known as the Stationers’ Company (SC). The SC was also responsible for policing the industry and also controlled as a monopoly a joint stock company called The English Stock which had sole control of the publishing of almanacks, psalters, school books, ABCs and catechisms. It was this monopoly which Benjamin Bragg offended against in 1706 (see above.)
4. Copyright Law.  In 1695 the Licensing Act was allowed to lapse and this produced a situation where anyone with enough capital and access to a press could set themselves up as a publisher. This led to an explosion in piracy in the printing trade and the whole subject of who owned copyright in the printed word was brought into sharp focus. In 1704 the novelist and poet Daniel Defoe wrote an essay on the regulation of the press in which he argued for a free press but with the introduction of some statutory protections to give authors the rights to their own work and to prevent piracy. Benjamin Bragg seems to have been involved in piracy; in 1706 he published a pirated, error-filled edition of Defoe’s ‘Jure Divino’ one day before the official version was due to appear. In 1706 the bookseller trade also argued for a change in the law, to protect publishers and authors. In 1707 a group of thirteen influential City of London publisher/booksellers (not including Bragg) introduced a petition to parliament on the subject of copyright. All of this eventually led, in 1710, to the Statute of Anne which was effectively the first legislation on copyright.
5. Paternoster Row was situated in the St.Pauls Churchyard area of the City of London until it was devastated by aerial bombing during in World War II. In 2003 it was replaced by Paternoster Square. In the 12^th century it was the centre of  production of paternoster beads by skilled artisans. These beads were used by illiterate monks and friars to help them keep track of the progress of their required daily recitations of Our Father (Pater noster) prayers. The road is said to have received its name from the habit of monks and clergy leaving St Pauls Cathedral and processing along the road chanting the litany, including the Pater noster prayer. Nearby streets, Ave Maria Lane and Amen Corner also received their names from these processions. By the time Benjamin Bragg was operating out of the Black Raven, Paternoster Row was the centre of London’s bookseller trade, with the different bookseller properties being advertised by signs rather than numbers.
6. The Black Raven was taken over in 1710/11 by a lady named Sarah Popping who was a bookseller, printer and publisher. She published, among many other things, a newspaper named The Observator which was associated with Daniel Defoe. She also published works which are attributed to Defoe. In 1711 she was imprisoned for libel and in 1712 she was taken into custody accused of printing, against the order giving printing rights to someone else, a report on the trial of the Earl of Winton for treason. She was released however after claiming no knowledge of how her name had been connected to the publication!
7. Janet Burns St. Germain was American by birth but was of Scottish ancestry. She had a lifelong interest in Scotland, its history and culture and she amassed a sizeable collection of rare Scottish books, most of them first editions. She donated them to The Library of Innerpeffray from 2013 onwards, intending them to be seen and read. Some of the Library’s greatest treasures are contained within this Scottish Collection. Janet died in 2016.

And finally, if this has whetted your appetite to look at and/or read some of the treasures held in The Library of Innerpeffray we look forward to welcoming you: opening times for visitors can be found here. This book: An Inquiry into the Reasonableness and Consequences of an Union with Scotland, London, 1706 will be on display in 2023 as part of our ‘Nothing New’ exhibition.

Some of the collection can only be viewed by prior appointment with The Keeper of Books, Lara Haggerty, so please do check in advance if there is something in particular that you would like to see. We are no longer a lending library, so unfortunately you cannot borrow books.

Please note that we are currently closed for the winter and will reopen on 1 March 2023.

-SW

Meet The Borrowers

The theme of the main exhibition this year at the Library of Innerpeffray has been “Innovation and Invention”. It was inspired by David Drummond, 3rd Lord Madertie, an innovator ahead of his time, when in 1680 he decided to share his collection of books by founding the first free public lending library in the UK, as well as a school, at Innerpeffray.

No doubt many of the ‘ordinary’ folk who borrowed books from Innerpeffray would go on to become innovators and inventors, in various fields and to greater or lesser degrees. Two    such Borrowers, John Barclay and Robert Stirling, were chosen to be part of the 2022 exhibition.

John Barclay 1758 -1826

John Barclay was born 1758, at Cairn, near Drummaquhance, where his father, James, was a farmer. The family later moved to Strageath, just across the river from Innerpeffray. It was John’s uncle, also named John, who founded the Borean or Barclayan church sect in Edinburgh.

John was educated at the parish school of Muthill and in 1776 he went to the University of St Andrews to study divinity. He was a Borrower at Innerpeffray in 1777 and 1780. As well as preaching he acted as private tutor to the sons of Sir James Campbell of Aberuchill, whose daughter, Eleonora, he would marry in 1811. In 1789 he moved to Edinburgh with his pupils, where he became interested in the anatomical classes at the medical school. From that time on he devoted himself to medical studies and took the degree M.D. in 1796.

In 1797 he began to deliver private lectures on anatomy. His new anatomical nomenclature was published in 1803 and in 1806 he became a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians. In 1808 he published his work on the muscular motions of the human body and in 1812, a description of the arteries of the human body. Until 1825 he was delivering two complete courses of human anatomy each day, every winter session, and for several years, gave a summer course on comparative anatomy. He died in Edinburgh on 28th August 1826.

Books Borrowed:

23rd June 1777      2 vols.           William Robertson –  ‘ The History of the Emperor Charles V’

20th September 1777 Vol. 1            William Temple – ‘The Works of William Temple’

23rd May 1780 James Ferguson – ‘Astronomy explained upon Sir Isaac Newton’s principles’

Robert Stirling 1790 – 1878

Robert Stirling was born 1790, at Cloag, near Methven, where his family farmed. The Stirlings were part of an extended family, mostly tenant farmers, whose farms were to be found between Perth and Stirling. By the time Robert was born the family had introduced new farming methods, new crops which had been bred to produce higher yields and new types of machinery.

At the age of 15, Robert went off to Edinburgh to study for a Master of Arts degree. He does not appear to have graduated but, in those days, this was not a requirement for extra study or ordination. In 1806 he borrowed two books from Innerpeffray in June and one in the July. It may be that his visit to the library coincided with a visit to Stirling family relations who were at that time tenant farmers at Innerpeffray Mains Farm. Members of this family were already regular borrowers at Innerpeffray.

In 1809 he was accepted by Glasgow University as a student of divinity for another four years, before returning to Edinburgh for a further year. He continued his divinity studies until 1815, when he was licensed as a probationary minister by the Presbytery of Dumbarton. On 19th September 1816 he was ordained as a suitable minister for the second charge at Laigh Kirk, Kilmarnock.

On the 26th September 1816, he lodged his application to patent the “Stirling air engine”, later known as the “Stirling heat exchanger”. Robert and his brother James went on to patent further engines some of which have been adapted over the years to power cars, computer chip coolers, portable refrigerators and more recently used in the solar power sector.

He married in July 1819 and in 1823 he moved his wife and young family to Galston, Ayrshire, where he would remain Minister for 52 years. He had a workshop built beside the Manse where he continued with his engine work. He also became interested in making telescopes, under the tutelage of his friend Thomas Morton.

Robert died at Galston on 6th June, 1878.

Books Borrowed:

10th June 1806       Count de Buffon      ‘Natural History, general and particular’ Vol. 5

          Edward Gibbon       ‘The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire’

23rd July 1806         William Robertson   ‘History of America Volume the First’

Gillean Ford

After the Festival of Reading last year, I posted the following blog to the Books and Borrowing website, recapping all the fantastic events that made up our inaugural festival. Read on to whet your appetite for this year’s events!

Last week I spent a delightful few days at the Library of Innerpeffray’s inaugural Festival of Reading! From Wednesday 8^th to Saturday 11^th September 2021, Innerpeffray hosted eight Tayside writers to celebrate The Past on the Page, in celebration of the 250^th anniversary of the birth of Sir Walter Scott.

In the run up to the festival, the library launched the A Postcard to Reading project – a campaign to collect information about reading with participants filling out postcards and sending them in the post from wherever they live. There has been a fantastic uptake and the library has received responses from all over the world – with the furthest so far from Canada and Australia! Some of the first books people remember have been The Wind in the Willows, Little Grey Rabbit, and Winnie the Pooh. The most popular book choices have been The Bible, Pride and Prejudice and The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings. And miles ahead of any other answer, the most oft-cited response to ‘What does reading mean to you?’ has been escapism and education!

On Wednesday 8^th September, the Festival of Reading kicked off with a brilliant conversation with nature writer and wildlife guide Tom Bowser. Organised by the Friends of Innerpeffray Library, in this event Tom discussed the realities of rewilding Scotland through his award-winning Argaty Red Kite project and his 2021 book, A Sky Full of Kites, published by Birlinn. The subject of potentially reintroducing beavers to Scotland certainly divided the audience…

On Thursday 9^th September I took part in a creative writing workshop with historian and author Steph Haxton, writer of the Pendennis trilogy. In addition to writing a series of short pieces inspired by old photographs and objects, we made our own small accordion-fold (or liperello) books and learned about different methods of approaching historical fiction. At the end of the workshop, I even wrote a ghost story about Innerpeffray that might one day see the light of day!

Friday 10^th September brought two author events and an evening of music, poetry and song. In the morning, we were delighted to welcome Perthshire author Linda Cracknell for a conversation about writing fiction with an eye on the past and her new book, The Other Side of Stone, which weaves tales of various characters around a woollen mill between 1831 and 2019.

On Friday afternoon we welcomed New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Wein to discuss her young adult books including Code Name Verity (2012), The Enigma Game (2020), and The Pearl Thief (2017) – the latter inspired by Innerpeffray Library! It was brilliant to hear Elizabeth’s passion for writing for young people and how her pilot’s license has brought flight into her books.

On Friday evening we gathered in the grounds for drinks and fresh air before moving into the library itself. Brought together by the incomparable Jim C. Mackintosh, poet and Makar of the Federation of Writers Scotland, we were treated to an evening of music and words with violinist Karys Watt, guitarist Dave Macfarlane, singer Aileen Ogilvie and fellow poet Julie McNeill.

Words cannot describe how magical it was to listen and feel the rhythm through the floorboards – for many, including myself, this was our first live music in eighteen months. Jim and Julie read some of their own poems – inspired by themes of resilience and history – and the band performed songs in both English and Gaelic. Towards the end of the evening we contributed to a unique, crowdsourced poem – five members of the audience read a selection of words that had resonated with them throughout the pandemic, topped and tailed by lines by Jim and Julie. Serendipitous and beautiful – the chosen lines of poetry and prose flowed perfectly, creating a one-off poem just for that audience on that night.

On Saturday morning the library hosted two events: one for families and children and one hosted by our very own Books and Borrowing team! Author and illustrator Natalie Russell took children and their adults on an adventure down the heritage trail to bring their stories to life – I was later told by one participant that he had created a squirrel-beaver cross that loves mangos!

In the main library, Katie, Matt, Isla, Marian, Alex, and Lara presented some findings from their research projects – telling the audience all about the borrowing registers we have been investigating, literacy in Scotland, and Innerpeffray’s visitors’ books. After a quick break we took the audience upstairs and hosted a Q&A, discussing topics such as various occupations found in the borrowing registers (poachers, maids and vagabonds!) and the concept of honesty – the different ways borrowers were trusted to take books home.

On Saturday afternoon we were joined by Gothic writer Helen Grant and historian Steph Haxton who discussed the differences between traditional historical fiction and ghost stories inspired by history. In the course of the panel, we were charmed by stories of spirits taking care of their resting places and scared by tales of ministers hung for crimes they might not have committed!

For the grand finale of the festival, Dr Daniel Cook delighted the audience with renditions and discussions of some of Sir Walter Scott’s supernatural tales, including ‘The Fortunes of Martin Waldeck’, ‘Wandering Willie’s Tale’ and ‘Donnerhugel’s Narrative’. Dan brought home the theme of this first Festival of Reading – inspiring thoughts of the enduring legacy of Scott and the Past on the Page.

Hosting a festival with authors, audience-members, and the possibility of thunderstorms at the end of a pandemic is no small feat but the Library of Innerpeffray prevailed and this inaugural festival was a success! Thank you so much to all the speakers, performers, attendees, organisers, and volunteers for making the week so rewarding. Time to get planning next year’s festival celebrating Scotland’s Year of Stories!