130 Years
Achievements
Notable achievements of the Club
2024: Completely re-built the Club website.
2024: Awarded a Bursary so that 2 students could attend the 13th International Walter Scott Conference at the University of South Carolina. Two-thirds of the costs were contributed by several generous individuals.
2023: Donated £2314 to Abbotsford Trust. They will use half of it for their Grow-Evolve-Thrive (GET) campaign to support community engagement. We had raised the money in 2016 to fund repairs to Kensal Green Cemetery.. but sadly after many years of trying red-tape prevented us from proceeding with any work as the ownership of the graves couldn't be verified.
2021: Representatives of the Club took part in a National Service of Thanksgiving to celebrate the 250th Anniversary year. [photos] >> [video] >>> [programme]
2021: Officially announced our [Public Lecture Fund]
2021: To celebrate the 250th Anniversary of Sir Walter's Birth we posted a quote a day on Facebook and Twitter.
2020: Held our first ever lecture online via video conferencing software.
2020: Due to the coronavirus pandemic we had to hold our AGM online for the first time ever.
2020: Lt Cdr Dairmid Gunn OBE decided to retire from the Council after 32 years. He was also Chairman 1999-2002 and addressed the Club on 10 occasions.
2020: Changed the name of our [Essay Prize] fund to the [Public Lecture Fund]. From 2021 we started offering expenses of up to £150 to support events about Sir Walter Scott given to the public or schools in Edinburgh.
2020: Sadly we had to cancel our Annual Dinner due to the outbreak of COVID-19. This was the first time since the Second World War that this has happened.
2019: Sold our Council Minute Books from 1894 - 1986 to the National Library of Scotland. They contained signatures of almost all past Presidents including Stanley Baldwin, Harold Macmillan, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, C.S. Lewis, Ludovic Kennedy, Lord Tweedsmuir and Magnus Magnusson. View the 1894-1958 book here: [1894 Minute Book] and the 1958-1986 one here: [1958 Minute Book].
2019: Over 5000 pages from all of the Club's Annual Reports and Bulletins dating from 1894 - 2012 were photographed and made available via this website (linked to Past Events and President pages). They contain page Presidential Addresses and lectures given to the Club as well as other Papers of interest.
2019: Agreed to sponsor a [Jane Millgate Memorial Lecture] at the Triennial International Scott Conference - starting from 2021 with a donation of up to £500 towards the expenses of a plenary speaker coming abroad.
2016: Raised £3322 pounds towards restoring the [Scott-family graves] at Kensal Green cemetery. So far £1008 has been spent on a conservation report. Once we have discovered who owns the grave we can then raise further funds to complete the project.
2015: Sponsored the Scott in Schools Conference. The ASLS held a one-day session aimed at teachers to help them teach Scott to School Children. There were talks from Ronnie Renton, James Robertson [video] Douglas Gifford and Martin Philip [video] (amongst others) at the event.
2014: Young Lochinvar outreach workshops rolled out to over a dozen Schools in Midlothian. Using a freelance Drama Teacher the workshop brought the poem to life by getting the children to take roles and act it out. Afterwards, when the poem was read it had a meaning that the Children could associate with... it even made them think that they had lived the poem. [photos at St. David's] - A Schools Pack and Clothing for the participants to wear is available for other schools if they wish to reenact this themselves.
2014: Donated £500 towards the #Waverley200 campaign run by the City of Literature so that free copies of the Great Scott book could be given out around the city.
2013: Began awarding a [Scottish Literary Studies Medal]
2010: Donated an entire set of the Edinburgh Edition of the Waverley Novels to the New Club, Edinburgh. This was funded by Fraser Elgin and gifted on behalf of the Club.
2010: Famous Scott aficionados recorded their favourite Scott text for our website -- listen to them here: [Readings].
2008: HRH Princess Royal was our Honorary Guest at our 100th Annual Dinner > [photos]
1998: Fraser Elgin was presented with a Crystal Bowl for his services as Hon. Secretary at a special Council Dinner.
1994: The City of Edinburgh held a Civic Reception for members of the Club.
1994: Talking About Scott edited by Prof. Ian Campbell and Prof. Peter Garside was published.
1994: Organised a Centenary Exhibition at Central Library.
1989: We began our Annual Joint Lecture with Edinburgh University English Dept. Thanks to Lord Gill, we were able to hold this lecture in Advocates' Library each year.
1974: 373 members attended the Annual Dinner when [Harold Macmillan] was our President.
1972: Allan C. Frazer retired from being Hon. Secretary since 1946. Also, David Scott Moncrieff retired as Hon. Treasurer having held the post since 1953. Both were presented with crystal bowls.
1971: The EUP agreed to print The Edinburgh Keepsake (a collection of Presidential Addresses) - We paid £100 towards the costs.
1971: We printed a Scott Guide to celebrate the bicentenary. The Tourist Board contributed £50 towards the costs so it could be distributed for free.
1971: Mrs Patricia Maxwell-Scott invited members to a Wine and Cheese party at Abbotsford.
1970: We approached the Duke of Edinburgh to be our President for 1971 -- but sadly he declined.
1970: 301 members attended the Annual Dinner when Lord Kilbrandon was our President.
1969: The Club wrote to the Postmaster General suggesting that a Walter Scott stamp be produced to mark the bicentenary.
1969: Francis Collinson invited members to a Wine and Cheese party at The Ley, Innerleithen.
1967: When Alex Douglas-Home was our President, he invited the Club to a Wine and Cheese party at his house. 295 members enjoyed the Summer Party at the Hirsel. Tom Flemming read Border Ballards and Scott's Lyrics.
1965: Mrs Patricia Maxwell-Scott invited members to a Wine and Cheese party at Abbotsford.
1959: A Collection was made after the Dinner presided over by C.S. Lewis for a Plaque to be erected at 25 George Square.
1954: The Right Hon. Lady Tweedsmuir became the first female President of the Club.
1953: A crystal goblet was presented to Alexander Laurie for being the Treasurer from 1932 to 1952.
1952: To mark the occasion of the 45th Annual Dinner the Scott Monument was illuminated in the evening.
1949: A New [Essay Prize] Scheme announced to make it easier for Schools to enter.
1948: A special permit was granted for a buffet style Dinner, but it was found that the North British Station Hotel (The Balmoral) couldn't accommodate such a large gathering so we had to find an alternative one. The food was cold as it had to be brought in and the PA speaker failed so no-one could hear the President, but at least we had once again recommenced our Annual Dinners after the war.
1947: Almost re-started Annual Dinner after WWII but the Ministry of Food made such an assembly illegal.
1935: 290 members attended the Annual Dinner when Lord Macmillan was our President.
1935: Raised funds to preserve the view of Wicks of Baiglie (between Dron Hill and Mundie Hill).
1932: Membership peaked at 638.
1932: Over £1000 in funds was raised for Centenary Celebrations which included:
- A Service in St. Giles on the Day of the Centenary (21st September)
- A Ceremony at Dryburgh Abbey
- An Exhibition of Portraits and Manuscripts in the National Gallery
- A Masque of Scenes from the Waverley Novels in the Usher Hall
- A Pageant by School Children in Waverley Market
- The Publication of a Commemorative Volume edited by Prof. H.J.C. Grierson
- The balance of funds (£445) was given to Edinburgh University for a Chair of Literature. The Club had hoped to raise enough money for a Lectureship on Scottish Literature but fell short.
1930: 280 members attended the Annual Dinner when Stanley Baldwin was our President. The event was also broadcast live to the nation on the Radio.
1927: A Memorial Tablet was placed in Sciennes Hill House by the Club in conjunction with the Burns Association to commemorate the only meeting between Burns and Scott.
1926: A site was given by the Earl of Dalkeith for the Club to place an indicator on top of one of the Eildon Hills. Funds were then raised.
1924: 300 members attended the Annual Dinner when Earl of Birkenhead was our President.
1924: Fewer Primary School Children entered the Essay Competition as the Education Authority stopped providing the Novels.
1922: To cut costs, Medals stopped being issued as an [Essay Prize]... instead, a more affordable book Prize was offered.
1921: Kenneth Sanderson W.S was presented with a Bracket Clock in recognition of being Hon. Secretary of the Club for 27 years.
1921: The Club fell back into debt due to the success of the [Essay Prize]. An appeal was made for donations.
1920: Membership had fallen from 500 to 400 due to WW1 with deaths of many members reported or indicated that they had simply gone missing.
1912: A Bronze and Marble Tablet was erected by the Club in Contin Parish Church to the memory of William Laidlaw. (Sir Walter amanuensis)
1908: The Club was in debt due to the success of the [Essay Prize]. An anonymous member donated £1000.
1902: Started laying a Wreath at the Scott Monument every year on the 15th of August (Some of up to 6 ft in height).
1901: Raised £60 for "The Scotsman" Shilling Fund for Soldiers' Widows and Orphans.
1899: Cleaned up Tom Purdie's Tombstone of Sir Walter Scott in Melrose Churchyard.
1898 Joseph H. Choate was our Honorary Guest at our 5th Annual Dinner.
1897: The Right Hon. Arthur J. Balfour M.P. was our Honorary Guest at our 4th Annual Dinner.
1895: Raised funds for a bust of Sir Walter in Poet's Corner in Westminster Abbey (Sculptor John Hutchison) - At one point we had raised the money to pay for the work... but then discovered the amount required needed to be doubled in order to cover the costs of maintenance in the Abbey.
1895: Started an [Essay Prize] for Schools in Edinburgh.
1894: Club Founded on 13th June.
Princes Street, Edinburgh
