1.
Pompeo Batoni
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Pompeo Girolamo Batoni was an Italian painter who displayed a solid technical knowledge in his portrait work and in his numerous allegorical and mythological pictures. The high number of visitors travelling throughout Italy and reaching Rome during their Grand Tour. Batoni won international fame largely thanks to his customers, mostly British of noble origin, such Grand Tour portraits by Batoni were in British private collections, thus ensuring the genres popularity in the United Kingdom. One generation later, Sir Joshua Reynolds would take up this tradition, although Batoni was considered the best Italian painter of his time, contemporary chronicles mention of his rivalry with Anton Raphael Mengs. He also received orders for altarpieces for churches in Italy. As such Pompeo Batoni is considered a precursor of Neoclassicism, Pompeo Batoni was born in Lucca, the son of a goldsmith, Paolino Batoni. He moved to Rome in 1727, and apprenticed with Agostino Masucci, Batoni owed his first independent commission to the rains that struck Rome in April 1732. Seeking shelter from a storm, Forte Gabrielli di Gubbio. Here the nobleman met the young artist who was drawing the ancient bas-reliefs, the Gabrielli Madonna obtained general admiration and by the early 1740s Batoni started to receive other independent commissions. His celebrated painting, The Ecstasy of Saint Catherine of Siena illustrates his academic refinement of the late-Baroque style, another masterpiece, his Fall of Simon Magus was painted initially for the St Peters Basilica. In 1741, he was inducted into the Accademia di San Luca, there are records of over 200 portraits by Batoni of visiting British patrons. In 1760 the painter Benjamin West, while visiting Rome would complain that Italian artists talked of nothing, looked at nothing, in 1769, the double portrait of the emperor Joseph II and his brother Pietro Leopoldo I, won an Austrian nobility for Batoni. He also portrayed Pope Clement XIII and Pope Pius VI and it is believed he painted the staffage for some of the landscape paintings of Hendrik Frans van Lint. His late years were affected by declining health, he died in Rome in 1787 at the age of 79, and was buried at his parish church of San Lorenzo in Lucina. From 1759 Batoni lived in a house at 25, Via Bocca di Leone in Rome, which included a studio as well as exhibition rooms. He was married twice, in 1729 to Caterina Setti, and then in 1747 to Lucia Fattori, vincenzo Camuccini is said to have frequented his studio. Pompeo Batoni was among the most celebrated Italian painters in his day and his patrons and collectors included royals and his fame and reputation decreased over the 19th century until 20th-century scholars dedicated their critical attention to him and again revived his fame among the general public. The first exhibition devoted to Pompeo Batoni was held in his hometown Lucca in 1967 and he was again the subject of a major exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, the National Gallery in London, and the Ducal Palace in Lucca in 2007-2008
2.
Fyvie Castle
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Fyvie Castle is a castle in the village of Fyvie, near Turriff in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The earliest parts of Fyvie Castle date from the 13th century – some sources claim it was built in 1211 by William the Lion, Fyvie was the site of an open-air court held by Robert the Bruce, and Charles I lived there as a child. The oldest of these, the Preston tower, dates to between 1390 and 1433, the impressive Seton tower forms the entrance, and was erected in 1599 by Alexander Seton, Seton also commissioned the great processional staircase several years later. The Gordon tower followed in 1778, and the Leith in 1890, inside, the castle stronghold features a great wheel stair, a display of original arms and armour, and a collection of portraits. Manus OCahan and Montrose fought a minor battle against the Covenant Army at Fyvie Castle on October 28,1644. The battlefield is currently under research to be inventoried and protected by Historic Scotland under the Scottish Historical Environment Policy of 2009, following Victorian trends, the grounds and adjoining Loch Fyvie were landscaped in the 19th century. The Scottish industrialist Alexander Leith bought the castle in 1885 and it was sold to the National Trust for Scotland in 1984 by his descendants. To the East there is a garden which is currently a garden of Scottish Cultivated Fruits. There is evidence for two other walled gardens closer to the castle itself to its West and South, the one to the west appears on an estate plan of 1768. The castle is said to be haunted, a story is told that in 1920 during renovation work the skeleton of a woman was discovered behind a bedroom wall. On the day the remains were laid to rest in Fyvie cemetery, fearing he had offended the dead woman, the Laird of the castle had the skeleton exhumed and replaced behind the bedroom wall, at which point the haunting ceased. It is said there is a secret room in the south-west corner of the castle that must remain sealed. Its not clear if this is the room in which the skeleton was found. There is also a blood stain, two ghosts and two curses associated with this place. One of the curses has been attributed to the prophetic laird, Fyvie Castle has featured in a number of British television programmes, such as Living TVs Most Haunted season 6. and stvs Castles of Scotland. The castle also played host of the setting of a childrens gameshow on CBBC called Spook Squad in 2004,2009 saw the publication of the childrens fantasy novel, The Time-Tailor and the Fyvie Castle Witch Trials, written by Deborah Leslie. In recent years, the grounds have hosted an annual Fyvie Live music festival in August. Another annual event was a 5K fun run around the grounds and adjacent loch, held in April, today, the castle is open to tourists during the summer months
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United Kingdom
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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign country in western Europe. Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland, the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland, with an area of 242,500 square kilometres, the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th-largest in Europe. It is also the 21st-most populous country, with an estimated 65.1 million inhabitants, together, this makes it the fourth-most densely populated country in the European Union. The United Kingdom is a monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance. The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since 6 February 1952, other major urban areas in the United Kingdom include the regions of Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. The United Kingdom consists of four countries—England, Scotland, Wales, the last three have devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in their capitals, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, respectively. The relationships among the countries of the UK have changed over time, Wales was annexed by the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. A treaty between England and Scotland resulted in 1707 in a unified Kingdom of Great Britain, which merged in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922, leaving the present formulation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, there are fourteen British Overseas Territories. These are the remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in the 1920s, British influence can be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies. The United Kingdom is a country and has the worlds fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP. The UK is considered to have an economy and is categorised as very high in the Human Development Index. It was the worlds first industrialised country and the worlds foremost power during the 19th, the UK remains a great power with considerable economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence internationally. It is a nuclear weapons state and its military expenditure ranks fourth or fifth in the world. The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946 and it has been a leading member state of the EU and its predecessor, the European Economic Community, since 1973. However, on 23 June 2016, a referendum on the UKs membership of the EU resulted in a decision to leave. The Acts of Union 1800 united the Kingdom of Great Britain, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have devolved self-government
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British Army
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The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom. As of 2017 the British Army comprises just over 80,000 trained Regular, or full-time, personnel and just over 26,500 trained Reserve, or part-time personnel. Therefore, the UK Parliament approves the continued existence of the Army by passing an Armed Forces Act at least once every five years, day to day the Army comes under administration of the Ministry of Defence and is commanded by the Chief of the General Staff. Repeatedly emerging victorious from these decisive wars allowed Britain to influence world events with its policies and establish itself as one of the leading military. In 1660 the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were restored under Charles II, Charles favoured the foundation of a new army under royal control and began work towards its establishment by August 1660. The Royal Scots Army and the Irish Army were financed by the Parliament of Scotland, the order of seniority of the most senior line regiments in the British Army is based on the order of seniority in the English army. At that time there was only one English regiment of dragoons, after William and Marys accession to the throne, England involved itself in the War of the Grand Alliance, primarily to prevent a French invasion restoring Marys father, James II. Spain, in the two centuries, had been the dominant global power, and the chief threat to Englands early transatlantic ambitions. The territorial ambitions of the French, however, led to the War of the Spanish Succession and the Napoleonic Wars. From the time of the end of the Seven Years War in 1763, Great Britain was the naval power. As had its predecessor, the English Army, the British Army fought the Kingdoms of Spain, France, and the Netherlands for supremacy in North America and the West Indies. With native and provincial assistance, the Army conquered New France in the North American theatre of the Seven Years War, the British Army suffered defeat in the American War of Independence, losing the Thirteen Colonies but holding on to Canada. The British Army was heavily involved in the Napoleonic Wars and served in campaigns across Europe. The war between the British and the First French Empire of Napoleon Bonaparte stretched around the world and at its peak, in 1813, the regular army contained over 250,000 men. A Coalition of Anglo-Dutch and Prussian Armies under the Duke of Wellington, the English had been involved, both politically and militarily, in Ireland since being given the Lordship of Ireland by the Pope in 1171. The campaign of the English republican Protector, Oliver Cromwell, involved uncompromising treatment of the Irish towns that had supported the Royalists during the English Civil War, the English Army stayed in Ireland primarily to suppress numerous Irish revolts and campaigns for independence. Having learnt from their experience in America, the British government sought a political solution, the British Army found itself fighting Irish rebels, both Protestant and Catholic, primarily in Ulster and Leinster in the 1798 rebellion. The Haldane Reforms of 1907 formally created the Territorial Force as the Armys volunteer reserve component by merging and reorganising the Volunteer Force, Militia, Great Britains dominance of the world had been challenged by numerous other powers, in the 20th century, most notably Germany
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General officer
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A general officer is an officer of high rank in the army, and in some nations air forces or marines. The term general is used in two ways, as the title for all grades of general officer and as a specific rank. It originates in the 16th century, as a shortening of captain general, the adjective general had been affixed to officer designations since the late medieval period to indicate relative superiority or an extended jurisdiction. Today, the title of General is known in countries as a four-star rank. However different countries use different systems of stars for senior ranks and it has a NATO code of OF-9 and is the highest rank currently in use in a number of armies. The various grades of general officer are at the top of the rank structure. Lower-ranking officers in military forces are typically known as field officers or field-grade officers. There are two systems of general ranks used worldwide. In addition there is a system, the Arab system of ranks. Variations of one form, the old European system, were used throughout Europe. It is used in the United Kingdom, from which it spread to the Commonwealth. The other is derived from the French Revolution, where ranks are named according to the unit they command. The system used either a general or a colonel general rank. The rank of marshal was used by some countries as the highest rank. Many countries actually used two brigade command ranks, which is why some countries now use two stars as their brigade general insignia, mexico and Argentina still use two brigade command ranks. As a lieutenant outranks a sergeant major, confusion arises because a lieutenant is outranked by a major. Originally the serjeant major was, exclusively, the commander of the infantry, junior only to the captain general, the distinction of serjeant major general only applied after serjeant majors were introduced as a rank of field officer. Serjeant was eventually dropped from both titles, creating the modern rank titles
6.
Fyvie
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Fyvie is a village in the Formartine area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Fyvie lies alongside the River Ythan and is on the A947 road, Fyvie Castle is reputed to have been built by King William the Lion in the early 13th century. It was the site of a court held by King Robert the Bruce. The villages school, with around 125 pupils, serves the rural area. St Peters Church was built in the nineteenth century on the site of a medieval church. Built into the east gable are three Class I Pictish symbol stones and a Class III Pictish cross, the church displays some Louis Comfort Tiffany stained glass windows. The song The Bonnie Lass o Fyvie tells of a captain of dragoons who dies for the love of a Fyvie girl, additionally, the song, Andrew Lammie, tells of the doomed love of a local millers daughter, Annie, for Lord Fyvies trumpeter. Both of these songs may have historical basis - the young womans grave is said to be in Fyvie churchyard, one of the prophecies of Thomas the Rhymer relates to Fyvie, predicting it will never flourish until a particular three stones are found. It is thought that the name Fyvie is derived from Fia-chein Deer hill, alastair Storey, chairman and CEO of Westbury Street Holdings Fasterns Een Fyvie School Fyvie School Parent Forum Fyvie Scouts Web Page Fyvie Folk Club Folk Club Mill o Tiftys Annie
7.
George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough
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George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough, KG, PC, FRS, styled Marquess of Blandford until 1758, was a British courtier, nobleman, and politician from the Spencer family. He served as Lord Chamberlain between 1762 and 1763 and as Lord Privy Seal between 1763 and 1765 and he was the brother of Lord Charles Spencer, Lady Diana Spencer and Lady Elizabeth Spencer. He was educated at Eton College, according to George III, who mentioned it to Fanny Burney, the Duke suffered from severe red-green colourblindness. As he was unable to tell scarlet from green, Fanny therefore remarked that this was unlucky for someone in possession of so sumptuous a home as Blenheim Palace. Marlborough entered the Coldstream Guards in 1755 as an Ensign, becoming a Captain with the 20th Regiment of Foot the following year, after inheriting the dukedom in 1758, Marlborough took his seat in the House of Lords in 1760, becoming Lord-Lieutenant of Oxfordshire in that same year. The following year, he bore the sceptre with the cross at the coronation of George III. In 1762, he was made Lord Chamberlain as well as a Privy Counsellor, and after a year resigned this appointment to become Lord Privy Seal, an amateur astronomer, he built a private observatory at his residence, Blenheim Palace. He kept up a scientific correspondence with Hans Count von Brühl. The Duke was made a Knight of the Garter in 1768, Lady Elizabeth Spencer, married her cousin John Spencer and had issue. George Spencer-Churchill, 5th Duke of Marlborough Lady Charlotte Spencer, married Rev. Edward Nares and had issue, Lord Henry John Spencer Lady Anne Spencer, married Cropley Ashley-Cooper, 6th Earl of Shaftesbury and had issue. Lady Amelia Spencer, married Henry Pytches Boyce, Lord Francis Almeric Spencer, created Baron Churchill in 1815. The Duchess of Marlborough died at Blenheim Palace in November 1811, the Duke of Marlborough died at Blenheim Palace in January 1817, aged 78, and was buried there. The Collected Correspondence of Baron Franz von Zach, Volume 3,2008
8.
Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon
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Alexander Gordon was born at Gordon Castle, Fochabers, on 18 June 1743, the eldest son of Cosmo Gordon, 3rd Duke of Gordon and his wife, Lady Catherine Gordon, daughter of the 2nd Earl of Aberdeen. He was educated at Eton and also possibly at Harrow and he succeeded as 4th Duke of Gordon in 1752. His younger brother was Lord George Gordon who led the Gordon Riots and he was elected as a Scottish representative peer in 1767. His new titles were not universally popular and he was thought to have taken designations to which he had no right. The Scots Peerage described the Gordon of Huntley peerage as a specimen of Peerage topography. The village of Huntley, four miles from Newent in Gloucestershire, had no connection with the Gordon family or with the town of Huntly in North Britain. He was Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland from 1794 to 1806, between 1793 and 1827, he was Chancellor of Kings College, Aberdeen. In addition, he was Lord Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire until 1808 and he received the Order of the Thistle from King George III on 11 January 1775. The Dictionary of National Biography described him thus, At the time of his marriage the Duke was reputed one of the handsomest men of his day and he raised the 92nd Regiment of Foot in 1794 for the French Revolutionary Wars. He was responsible for establishing the new village of Fochabers as well as those of Tomintoul and he is also credited as the founder of the Gordon Setter breed of dog, having popularised a 200-year-old breed during the 18th century and then formalised its breed standard in 1820. He was a supporter and patron of the music of William Marshall, a Scottish fiddler and composer, and famous for his many strathspeys. Duchess Jane was born at Hyndfords Close, Edinburgh in 1748 and she was described by the diarist Sir Nathaniel Wraxall as a celebrated beauty. It went on to say that The Duchess triumphs in a manly mien, Loud is her accent and she resided for some years in Edinburgh, but eventually refused to renew her residence at George Square, Edinburgh, because it was a vile dull place. The poet Erskine wrote the lines to her, That is, quoth he, as if the Sun should say. The Duke and Duchesss marriage was tempestuous from the start and neither made any effort to be faithful to the other. For some years before her death she was estranged from the Duke. While the Duchess circulated at the centre of society, the Duke lived in retirement at Gordon Castle, the Duchess is best remembered for placing the Kings shilling between her teeth to help recruitment to the Gordon Highlanders which were founded by her husband. However, she possessed a capacity for match-making which was unrivalled
9.
University of Edinburgh
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The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1582, is the sixth oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotlands ancient universities. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city of Edinburgh, the University of Edinburgh was ranked 17th and 21st in the world by the 2014–15 and 2015-16 QS rankings. It is now ranked 19th in the according to 2016-17 QS Rankings. It is ranked 16th in the world in arts and humanities by the 2015–16 Times Higher Education Ranking and it is ranked the 23rd most employable university in the world by the 2015 Global Employability University Ranking. It is ranked as the 6th best university in Europe by the U. S. News Best Global Universities Ranking and it is a member of both the Russell Group, and the League of European Research Universities, a consortium of 21 research universities in Europe. It has the third largest endowment of any university in the United Kingdom, after the universities of Cambridge and it continues to have links to the British Royal Family, having had the Duke of Edinburgh as its Chancellor from 1953 to 2010 and Princess Anne since 2011. Edinburgh receives approximately 50,000 applications every year, making it the fourth most popular university in the UK by volume of applicants, after St Andrews, it is the most difficult university to gain admission into in Scotland, and 9th overall in the UK. This was a move at the time, as most universities were established through Papal bulls. Established as the Tounis College, it opened its doors to students in October 1583, instruction began under the charge of another St Andrews graduate Robert Rollock. It was the fourth Scottish university in a period when the more populous. It was renamed King Jamess College in 1617, by the 18th century, the university was a leading centre of the Scottish Enlightenment. The universitys first custom-built building was the Old College, now Edinburgh Law School and its first forte in teaching was anatomy and the developing science of surgery, from which it expanded into many other subjects. From the basement of a nearby house ran the anatomy tunnel corridor and it went under what was then North College Street, and under the university buildings until it reached the universitys anatomy lecture theatre, delivering bodies for dissection. It was from this tunnel the body of William Burke was taken after he had been hanged, towards the end of the 19th century, Old College was becoming overcrowded and Robert Rowand Anderson was commissioned to design new Medical School premises in 1875. The medical school was more or less built to his design and was completed by the addition of the McEwan Hall in the 1880s. The building now known as New College was originally built as a Free Church college in the 1840s and has been the home of divinity at the university since the 1920s. The two oldest schools – law and divinity – are both well-esteemed, with law being based in Old College and divinity in New College on the Mound and they are also represented by the Edinburgh University Sports Union which was founded in 1866. The medical school is renowned throughout the world and it was widely considered the best medical school in the English-speaking world throughout the 18th century and first half of the 19th century
United Kingdom
British Army