On 27 May 1661 Archibald Campbell, Marquis of Argyll, the leading Covenanter aristocrat, died.
Campbell remains the only Marquis of Argyll and enjoyed a chequered career. Campbell was created Marquis in 1641 by King Charles I, however he could not be regarded as the king's strongest supporter, having backed the Covenanters and having his own ambitions of acquiring the crown for himself. He supported Oliver Cromwell throughout the early part of the civil war, losing the Battle of Inverlochy to Montrose. Ostensibly Cromwell's man in Scotland, he switched sides again, crowning Charles II at Scone. However, after the Royalist defeat at Worcester he went back to Cromwell's side. Charles did not forget this, and, after his restoration, Campbell was executed in Edinburgh and his titles were forfeited.
On this day in 1862 Elizabeth Haldane, the Scottish social reformer and author, was born in Edinburgh. She was born into a notable family, her relatives including Robert and James Haldane, the noted evangelists, and her brothers, physiologist, John Scott Haldane, and politician, Richard Burdon Haldane, Viscount Haldane of Cloan. After working in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh she served on various regulatory and advisory boards related to nursing. Haldane was also keenly interested in the improvement of housing conditions, founding an organisation to redevelop some of Edinburgh's worst slums. She was a noted author and translator, writing a Life of Descartes and editing his philosophical works. She translated Hegel, and wrote on both George Eliot and Mrs Gaskell. In 1920, Haldane was appointed the first female Justice of the Peace in Scotland.
Today's recipe: treat yourself to a luxurious brunch of Nick Nairn's .
