One of the most famous treasures to have come out of the ground in Scotland is a hoard of ivory chessmen and other gaming pieces found in the Isle of Lewis. the humorous and intricately designed pieces are now divided between national Museums Scotland and the British Museum. Experts all agree that they are medieval and of Scandinavian origin. They are remarkably fine pieces of craftsmanship and have fascinated all who see them. This account provides an overview of the hoard, the circumstances surrounding its discovery, and the traditions that have grown up around it. The authors also incorporate results from their own recent research which focuses on how, where and when the chessmen were made. Their examination demonstrates how the work of different craftsmen can be recognised, and the answer to the question of who might have owned them is also considered. The result is a celebration of a famous discovery, complete with images of all 93 pieces.

This collection brings together innovative research from socially-oriented applied linguists working in sports. Drawing on contemporary approaches to applied linguistics, this book provides readers with in-depth analyses of examples of language-in-use in the context of sport, and interprets them through the lens of larger issues within sport culture and practice. With contributions from an international group of scholars, this an essential reference for scholars and researchers in applied linguistics, discourse analysis, sport communication, sport management, journalism and media studies.

This collection brings together innovative research from socially-oriented applied linguists working in sports. Drawing on contemporary approaches to applied linguistics, this book provides readers with in-depth analyses of examples of language-in-use in the context of sport, and interprets them through the lens of larger issues within sport culture and practice. With contributions from an international group of scholars, this an essential reference for scholars and researchers in applied linguistics, discourse analysis, sport communication, sport management, journalism and media studies.

Were the English and the Scots always at loggerheads in the fourteenth century? The essays here offer a more nuanced picture. Typical accounts of Anglo-Scottish relations over the whole fourteenth century tends to present a sustained period of bitter enmity, described routinely by stock-phrases such as "endemic warfare", and typified by battles such as Bannockburn (1314), Neville's Cross (1346) or Otterburn (1388), border-raiding and the capture of James I of Scotland by English pirates in 1406. However, as this collection shows, the situation was far more complex. Drawing together new perspectives from new and leading researchers, the essays investigate the great complexity of Anglo-Scottish tensions in this most momentous of centuries and in doing so often reveal a far more ambivalent and at times evena peaceful and productive Anglo-Scottish dynamic. The topics treated include military campaigns and ethos; the development of artillery; the leading "Disinherited" Anglo-Scot, Edward Balliol; Scots in English allegiance and BorderSociety; religious patronage; Papal relations; the effect of dealings with Scotland on England's government and parliament; identity, ethnicity and otherness; and shared values and acculturation. Contributors: AMANDA BEAM, MICHAEL BROWN, DAVID CALDWELL, GWILYM DODD, ANTHONY GOODMAN, ANDY KING, SARAH LAYFIELD, IAIN MACINNES, RICHARD ORAM, MICHAEL PENMAN, ANDREA RUDDICK, DAVID SIMPKIN.

The Battle of Pinkie, fought between the English and the Scots in 1547, was the last great clash between the two as independent nations. It is a well-documented battle with several eyewitness accounts and contemporary illustrations. There is also archaeological evidence of military activities. The manoeuvres of the two armies can be placed in the landscape near Edinburgh, despite considerable developments since the 16th century. Nevertheless, the battle and its significance has not been well understood. From a military point of view there is much of interest. The commanders were experienced and had already had battlefield successes. There was an awareness on both sides of contemporary best practice and use of up-to-date weapons and equipment. The Scots and the English armies, however, were markedly different in their composition and in the strategy and tactics they employed. There is the added ingredient that the fire from English ships, positioned just off the coast, helped decide the course of events. Using contemporary records and archaeological evidence, David Caldwell, Victoria Oleksy, and Bess Rhodes reconsider the events of September 1547. They explore the location of the fighting, the varied forces involved, the aims of the commanders, and the close-run nature of the battle. Pinkie resulted in a resounding victory for the English, but that was by no means an inevitable outcome. After Pinkie it briefly seemed as if the future of Britain had been redefined. The reality proved rather different, and the battle has largely slipped from popular consciousness. This book provides a reminder of the uncertainty and high stakes both Scots and English faced in the autumn of 1547.

The story of Islay, Jura and Colonsay is one of the most fascinating amongst all the Hebrides. They have had substantial human occupation since earliest times and man has left many relics across the islands, from tools and artefacts of mesolithic times to the modern-day distilleries of Islay and Jura. From the period in-between survive chambered cairns, iron age forts, magnificent early crosses, enigmatic carvings, early monasteries, relics of the Lordship of the Isles, deserted townships and shielings, planned villages, corn mills, kelp kilns and lead mines and much else besides. Far more than a gazetteer, this book is based on a great deal of intensive primary research and local knowledge and is essential reading for local and tourist alike. Islay, Jura and Colonsay is part of Birlinn's Historical Guides series, which will eventually cover the whole of Scotland.

Mull and Iona are two of the most visited islands in Scotland, and have played a central role in the history of the country. As the cradle of Christianity in Scotland, Iona has been a place of pilgrimage for almost 1,500 years and was a beacon of intellectual light during the Dark Ages, when magnificent works such as the Book of Kells were crafted by the monks of the abbey founded by St Columba. This book provides a full and engaging history of the islands from the time of their earliest human inhabitants to the present day. The gazetteer lists all the places of interest from all periods in the islands' history, from the world-wide renowned churches, crosses and grave slabs on Iona and the magnificent restored Duart Castle on Mull, seat of the clan Maclean, to the planned village of Dervaig, the townships in the Ross of Mull and Ardmeanach which were cleared during the nineteenth century and the mausoleum of Lachlan MacQuarrie, the much esteemed 18th-century Governor of New South Wales.