Record

CollectionGB 0231 University of Aberdeen, Special Collections
LevelFonds
Ref NoMS 897
TitleWilliam E. Carson, author: journal and photographs of a Tour Through the Hebrides and the Western Islands
Date1897
Extent1 volume: 0.03 linear metres
Creator NameCarson; William English (fl 1897 - 1918); biographer and author
Administrative HistoryWilliam English Carson was a friend and later a biographer of Alfred Harmsworth, Lord Northcliffe. He was summoned from New York to accompany his friend on a tour of the Hebrides in August and September 1897.
SourceDonated by J.M. Bulloch (1867 - 1938) in 1925. John Malcolm Bulloch was born in Aberdeen in 1867, the son of John Bulloch who edited 'Scottish Notes and Queries'. He contributed to 'Scottish Notes and Queries' from an early age, and graduated MA from Aberdeen in 1888. Active in student affairs, he was one of the originators of the Students’ Song Book in 1891 and worked on student magazines, thus paving the way for a career in journalism. Though he edited several illustrated papers, he eventually found his niche as a literary and theatrical critic in London, donating most of the books he reviewed to Aberdeen University Library. He also maintained his interest in the history of the North-East and produced scholarly works on the family of Gordon and the Territorial Army. He died in 1938, and his funeral took place in King’s College Chapel, Aberdeen.
DescriptionTour of the Hebrides and the Western Isles of Scotland undertaken by William E. Carson and Alfred Harmsworth, August - September 1897. MS 897 is a journal of this tour entitled 'Through the Hebrides, A Souvenir of '97'.

Journal, typescript, of a tour of the Hebrides and Western Isles of Scotland undertaken by the author, William E. Carson, and Alfred Harmsworth. The itinerary includes Oban, South Uist (Lochboisdale, Milton and Eriskay), Benbecula, Loch Maddy (North Uist), Dunvegan Castle and Portree in Skye. It includes comments on the behaviour of absentee Highland landlords and on the eviction of crofters, obtained from local sources. Two lairds mentioned by name are Sir Reginald Cathcart of Cluny Castle (Aberdeenshire), husband of the daughter of the former laird of South Uist, and Sir John Orde, Loch Maddy, North Uist.
AppraisalThis material has been appraised in line with normal procedures.
AccrualsNone expected.
Access StatusOpen
Access ConditionsThe records are available subject to the signed acceptance of the Department's access conditions.
LanguageEnglish
Physical DescriptionMS 897: 20 x 27 cm., contains pp. a-e, 1-136. It is bound in half-calf with boards patterned in tartan and is entitled in gold: 'Through the Hebrides A Souvenir of '97 by W.E.C.'. It was presumably presented subsequently to Harmsworth, whose bookplate is preserved on the inside of the front board.
Publication NoteDiary of William E. Carson of tour through the Hebrides, with photographic supplement, 1897. Northern Scotland, Volume 1, No. 1 (1972), p.124.
Related RecordMS 898
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