Scottish Children of the Past
Mary Ann Mackenzie A Highland Schoolgirl, 1895
Imagine:
Walking to school barefoot and without a coat, even on the coldest day;
Learning in a language you had never heard or spoken before starting school;
Being in constant fear of punishment with a strap for making a mistake in your work, speaking in your own language or being late for registration.
This was the experience of Mary Ann Mackenzie and many other children who attended school in Highland Scotland towards the end of the nineteenth century.
Told through the eyes of nine-year-old Mary Ann Mackenzie, this story is an engaging account of the school day and home life of a real child who lived in Scoraig, a remote, crofting community in the north west Highlands of Scotland in 1895.
The author, Claire Pepper, combines Mary Ann’s recollections of her childhood with extensive research, photographs and extracts from the school records, to bring rural childhood in the Scottish Highlands in the late nineteenth century, vividly to life.
Praise for Mary Ann Mackenzie A Highland Schoolgirl, 1895
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‘A successful, attractive book … She’s very good at telling a story with the use of these wonderful illustrations. It’s like visiting a Museum within the pages of the book. We become invested in Mary Ann’s story. It’s a great way of illustrating and relating a story.’
Lisa NicDomhnaill, Mnathan na Coigich.
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‘Claire’s book will fill a gap in the research that is present both at a local and national level and will act as a baseline for further research.’ Siobhan Beatson, Manager, Ullapool Museum.
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‘I cannot recommend this book highly enough in terms of its educational value, but also in terms of its value in preserving the history of a small community and a way of life, which was very common in the Highlands of Scotland during this period.’ Jemma Middleton, History teacher, Ullapool High School.
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James and Ann Children of a Lead Miner, 1841
Through exploring the world of James Mitchell, a real boy, aged twelve, this beautifully illustrated book reveals the hidden lives of the children who worked in the Scottish lead mines in the mid-nineteenth century; an untold story that had almost vanished with time. Life was equally hard and unforgiving for Ann, James’ sister, aged ten, who faced the prospect of leaving school early to work long hours at home embroidering fancy clothes for the wealthy. Ann’s last day at school gives a unique glimpse of the education offered to many children, especially girls, from working class homes in early Victorian society. Far removed from childhood as we know it today, the lives of these children deserve to be recognised and valued as an important part of the history and heritage of Scotland as successfully achieved by this book. Claire has identified an important area of Scottish history that is poorly recorded. It must not be lost. Kathryn Linsell, Trustee, Wanlockhead Museum Trust, The Museum of Lead Mining.