The Evolution of Scotland's Towns

A wide-ranging history of Scotland's towns from their earliest foundations to the turn of the 21st Century This pioneering book tells the story of urban development in Scotland over the course of a millennium, drawing on original research into more than thirty towns, from the smallest settlements to major cities. The changes in urban society came at different times and at different paces for most towns and many had to withstand crisis after crisis. The overall evolution of urban life, in its different guises, is explored throughout the book. Beautifully illustrated and blending archaeological, cartographic and geographic resources, the study also examines the lives of people who lived in Scotland's towns and cities to give the reader a vivid impression of the times and a clear understanding of how these urban developments came to be. The book also considers urban heritage and asks what we have lost and may continue to lose through neglect and fragmentation. Pat Dennison is an historian who has wide experience of working with both documentary and archaeological evidence. She was appointed as the historian to the archaeological excavations at the site of the new Parliament of Scotland. She has taught and published extensively on Scotland's towns, both large and small.

Pat Dennison is an historian who has wide experience of working with both documentary and archaeological evidence. She was appointed as the historian to the archaeological excavations at the site of the new Parliament of Scotland. She has taught and published extensively on Scotland's towns, both large and small.

List of Illustrations and Maps Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations Introduction Chapter 1: Medieval Towns I Towns Before Towns: pre-twelfth-century settlement II The First Burghs III The Built Environment IV Keeping Order Chapter 2: Daily Life in the Middle Ages I Markets and Merchants II Home Lives III Health of the Townspeople IV Relaxation Chapter 3: Medieval Faith and the Church I The Church Routine II The Parish and its People III Reformation IV The Aftermath of Reformation Chapter 4: Encroachment on Burgh Society, 1550-1750 I New Burghs, Markets and Shrinking Hinterlands II New Burghs: Two Test Cases III Urban Clearances IV A Slow Disappearance Chapter 5: Man-Made and Natural Disasters, 1550-1750 I War and Occupation in the Seventeenth Century II Continuing Unrest and Occupation III Lifestyles IV Famine's Devastating and Final Strike Chapter 6: The Birth of Urban Scotland I Improvement and Enlightenment II Population Growth III New Townscapes and New Identities IV Railways and Improving Communications V Growing Industrialisation Chapter 7: The Victorian Town I Housing Conditions and Health II The Dawning of a Better Lifestyle III Leisure Time IV The Changing Townscape V Visionary Thinking? Chapter 8: The Twentieth Century I The Garden City Ideal II The 'Great War' and the Inter-War Years III World War II, Austerity and Recovery IV Modernisation: new ideals or the wrecking ball? V Architecture: a mirror of the twentieth century? Post-Script: Footprints to Fragmentation Appendix: Table: Population Statistics: a select list Bibliography Index