Famous Men Remembered in Stone: Sepia Saturday

Statues, monuments and plaques are a natural focus for my camera, so this prompt,  was right up my street.   In  this selection,  I take a tour of statues in  Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders, with a look at some  leaders of men and sporting heroes. There are no family connections, but it is a post filled with history.

 

This statue of the DUKE OF WELLINGTON, victor against Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815,   show him on his favourite horse Copenhagen. The statue was erected in 1852,   outside the building that houses  the National Records of  Scotland, a "must visit" destination if you are researching  Scottish family history. 

This statue of ABRAHAM LINCOLN is  thought to be the only monument to the American Civil War outside the USA.  It   was erected in the Old Carlton Burial Ground. Edinburgh in 1898 in memory of the Scottish soldiers who fought  in the American Civil War on the side of the Union.   It features a freed slave and   one of Lincoln’s famous quotations "To preserve the jewel of liberty in the framework of freedom". A bronze shield bears the old US flag, and is wreathed in thistles to the left, and cotton to the right to signify the two countries. 

Calton Cemetery (below), just off Princes Street,   was opened in 1718 as a non-denominational burial ground and is the resting place of prominent merchants and other notable worthies of the city.    

If you think you may have ancestors buried in Old Calton Burial Ground, there is an excellent  website listing all the names - click HERE to find out more.  
 

  
SIR WALTER SCOTT (1771-1832) was born in Edinburgh, but grew up in the Borders and later made his home at Abbotsford on the banks of the River Tweed, near Melrose. He was internationally  renowned as a historical novelist, poet,  playwright and historian. The Scott Monument (below)  is a prominent feature in the centre of Edinburgh and believed to be the second largest monument to a writer in the world. 

 WILLIAM WALLACE was the Scottish Patriot during the Wars of Independence when he  defeated an English army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge and became  Guardian of Scotland until his defeat at the Battle of Falkirk  in 1298. He was captured  In 1305, handed over to Edward I of England  who had him summarily hanged, drawn and quartered for high treason.   

 
His statue near Dryburgh Abbey in the Scottish Borders,  commissioned by the Earl of Buchan, was the first monument to be raised to Wallace in Scotland.  In red sandstone and 21.5 feet high, it was placed on its pedestal  in 1814. 

WILLIAM CHAMBERS (1800-1883)  was born in Peebles in the Scottish Borders and moved to Edinburgh  in 1814 to work in the book-selling trade.  He soon branched out into publishing,  founding in 1832 with his brother Robert  the firm of W. & R. Chambers.   He was a keen advocate of popular education,  and the firm became known in particular for its dictionaries.

The business  prospered,   and William was made Lord Provost of the capital city. He was responsible for many city developments including the restoration of St. Giles Cathedral. His  statue is in in street that bears his name, by Edinburgh University and The National Museum of Scotland.  He also gifted to his native town of Peebles  the Chambers Museum and Library. 

From war, writers  and politics to three local and international sporting heroes commemorated in  Wilton Lodge Park,  Hawick, in the Scottish Borders.

 HIZZY - STEVE HISLOP (1962 -2003) was born near Hawick  and became  a Scottish motorsycle racer, winning the Isle of Man TT eleven times, the British 250cc Championship and British Superbike Championship.  He died in a  helicopter crash near Hawick in 2003.  Every year motor cyclists gather for an annual run through the Borders,  visiting places connected with the biking legend.  This statue was unveiled in 2005 in Wilton Lodge Park, near his own biking hero - Jimmy Guthrie (below) - both remembered in exhibitions at Hawick Museum.  

 

 

Motorcycle Racing Champion, JIMMY GUTHRIE (1897-1937( was called "Hawick's Racing Legend."  He was born in the town and achieved success after success, holding many world records and European championships.  His last race was at the German Grand Prix where he was killed on 8th August 1937.  The train carrying his body to the German frontier had a military escort and his funeral in Hawick was attended by thousands with a three mile  long cortege.  Public subscription resulted in a statue being erected in 1939 at Wilton Lodge Park, near to the Museum, where  an exhibition commemorates his life

Known as the "Voice of Rugby", Bill McLaren (1923-2010) was born and brought up in Hawick.  He became a PE teacher and journalist, whose own rugby playing career had been halted by serious illness.   But he achieved fame as a radio and TV commentator, known throughout the rugby world at home and abroad.  He was greatly respected for his distinctive tongue, his skill with words, his unbiased commentating,  his knowledge and meticulous preparation, compiling detailed anecdotes and notes on players, matches, and teams.   His archive is now housed at the Heritage Hub in Hawick.   Memorial busts to Bill McLaren have been unveiled in both Hawick and at Murrayfield, Scotland's international rugby ground in Edinburgh.

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