I imagine the first question anyone will ask is what is a column called "Scottish Flotsam". I guess we will have to begin with what is "flotsam". Among the definitions of the word are "things washed ashore" or "miscellaneous trifles". Well, we believe you can find some great treasure on the ocean shore. But -- you will never know what you will find or its value. So we decided that is what this column is - flotsam. We wanted a place to put things that didn't fit anywhere else and might be of interest. Each item could be a column itself and might be some day but for now it will be the flotsam, which washes our way.

United Scotsmen
Following the suppression of the Friends of the People (1793-4) the United Scotsmen, a secret society on the model of the contemporaneous United Irishmen, was formed in 1796-7. They advocated not only universal suffrage and annual parliaments, but also maintaining contact with French and Irish revolutionaries. The United Scotsmen apparently commanded strong working-class support in weaving districts around Glasgow, Paisley, Dunfermline and elsewhere - but after the arrest and conviction in 1798 of their principal leader, George Mealmaker (1768-1808), a Dundee weaver who had earlier been active in the Friends of the People, the movement was banned in 1799 and crumbled away to nothing by 1802. Mealmaker is often regarded as one of the Scottish Martyrs, for like Thomas Muir (1765-99) and his companions, he was ultimately transported to the convict colony in New South Wales. By the time he arrived, however, both Gerrald (1760-96) and Skirving (1796) had died and Muir had made his escape to die in France in 1799.

Tacksman
In the Highland context the tacksman, from the Scots 'tack', meaning a tenure or lease, generally held a lease from the clan chief or landowner, sub-letting to tenants. At first he was essentially the middleman in a military organization, whose prime purpose was to fill the rent-roll with loyal tenants - perhaps relatives or kinsmen of the chief. While this remained important even in the late seventeeth century (and to some extent as late as the Jacobite Risings of the 'Fifteen' and the 'Forty-Five'), it was the tacksman's organizational role within the estate economy that became paramount.

Each tacksman acted as the farmer of rents in his district and under this system large clan chiefs could gather rent from vast and often inaccessible estates. By leasing large segments to intermediaries in this way landowners delegated responsibility for collecting rent from the many small landholders that typified Highland estates. Many tacksmen made a handsome profit as farmers of rent - and much scorn and hatred from the tenants in the process.

The tacksmen played a prominent role in the clearances of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. While some exercised humanity in their dealings with the tenants others were motivated by self-interest and worked in league with estate factors to evict the people.

Now lets look at some specific dates:

1944 - June 2
Chief Constable of Fife insisted women police-officers were quite unnecessary.

597 - June 9
Death of St Columba of Iona, apostle of the Scottish Highlands: aged 76, he had been in Scotland for 34 years.

1941 - June 18
'Radio Location', one of the best kept national defense secrets, was publicly revealed - credit for its development to Brechin-born R. A. Watson-Watt

1743 - June 27
Scots Greys, Scots Guard and Scots Fusiliers took part in the Battle of Dettingen where George II became the last British monarch to personally command his troops.

Source - Scotching the Myths by Jim Hewiston can be found in the History Book Section of Scottish Radiance.

It is time to stop combing the library but we can not quit without some quotes from Quotable Scots another great History bookshelf resident. Let's see what quotes we can find.