A History of Scotland

by Rosalind Mitchison, Fiona Somerset Fry

An ideal volume for anyone wanting a brisk overview of North Britain from the year dot to the twentieth century.

Genres: History, Scotland, Nonfiction

488 pages, Paperback

First published March 12, 1970

About the author

Rosalind Mary Mitchison FRSE) was a 20th-century English historian and academic who specialised in Scottish social history. She was affectionately known as "Rowy" Mitchison.

She was educated at Dragon School in Oxford then studied history at Lady Margaret Hall and went to the University of Manchester as an assistant lecturer, working under Sir Lewis Namier, in 1943.

In 1953 her husband was appointed to a professorship at the University of Edinburgh and they moved to Scotland. Mitchison taught history, initially part-time, at Edinburgh until 1957. In 1962 she began teaching at the University of Glasgow where she remained until 1967, latterly as a full-time lecturer. Her first work, Agricultural Sir John (1962), broke new ground in the history of 18th-century Scotland, hitherto mainly studied, when studied at all, from the perspective of the Acts of Union 1707 or the Scottish Enlightenment.

She returned to the University of Edinburgh in 1967 as a Reader, and was by 1981 Emeritus Professor of Social History, a post she held until 1986.

Reviews

[Elliot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before reading this book, I had almost no knowledge about Scotland and its history. Well, this book certainly changed that fact. Mitchison covers a very large time period (approximately a millennium) in a relatively short book (around 450 pages). As such, the writing is quite dense, and it isn't riveting as some other history books are. This book is definitely not a casual read.

I found that with no prior knowledge about Scotland, some events were hard to follow, and occasionally it was difficult to remember who was who. Mitchison does not provide much in the way of background information; I would say that this book is probably more rewarding to those who are already familiar with Scotland's history and people.

As a source of this information, this book is great because of its breadth and clarity. But if you're looking for a casual history lesson, you probably want to look elsewhere.

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, a few parameters. First, there's a ridiculous amount of ground covered here. Detail isn't a priority. Second, the wholly chronologous structure makes for a slightly contrived whistle stop tour. Thirdly, Mitchison is absolutely not a social historian, so it's lives of the nobility or nothing. Church, bureaucratic and military history are her forte.

But, within those parameters this remains a fascinating tour through the development of the modern state. While church history excludes a great deal, a history told through the lens of the Scottish kirks does as much to elucidate the Scottish influence on English history as it does to obscure. There's hunners of tracts about the Scottish Enlightenment. This is a useful reminder of the importance of Scottish extremism.

[Hugh Coverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clearly a university textbook but still interesting enough to hold one's attention. I read the 2nd edition which takes Scottish history to 1979. What is most interesting is that it dispels the view that Scottish history runs parallel with English history. There are certainly overlapping events, but Scottish historical development diverges dramatically at times. Rosalind Mitchison presents a balanced history of her native land that does not romanticize a nonexistent mythical past nor avoids criticism of those Scottish and English leaders who failed the country throughout its long history.

[Adeptus Fringilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent overview. Quite detailed when it comes to religious history. I was sad that it didn't go back to the time before the 10th century, but I understand that it wasn't really Scotland back then.

[Emmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clear understanding of the history of Scotland is described, that’s more than enough for a forigner like me.

[Noel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uneven, lacking detail where I would want it at times, but moving nicely through a considerable volume of events and information

To be fair, I've marked this read even though my read of it is incomplete. In a first in years (decades?) I have mislaid this book and cannot find it. My angst on this is palpable - a deadline for repurchase approaches.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An informative book. Scotland has an interesting history. I'm a little disappointed that the epilogue did not include more from later years since this is an updated edition. The writing could be a bit dry and there were definitely points were information was repeated unnecessarily. However, it is valuable information.

[Iain Watson]

A History of Scotland by Rosalind Mitchison (2002)

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read and very informative, but a very dry read.