Talks

The Women Behind Stirling
Legends at the Monument
International Women’s Day

It was an absolute pleasure to deliver my talk on The Women Behind Stirling at the Legends at The Monument cafe, located at the foot of the hill leading up to the iconic Wallace Monument in Stirling.

Focusing on some of the women who shaped the city, my talk explored the power of storytelling through the five senses: sound, touch, smell, taste, and sight. From the determined suffragette, Ethel Moorhead who used sound to demonstrate her defiance, to the sight and artistry of Jane Ferrier—whose meticulous drawings of the Stirling Heads (carved oak medallions that once adorned the richly decorated ceiling of the King’s Room in Stirling Castle) proved invaluable in their reconstruction after many were lost or scattered across the country when one fell in 1777—each story revealed the hidden influence of women in Stirling’s history.

I also spoke about Annabelle Murray, Countess of Mar, whose care and devotion to the young King James VI is seen in a letter he wrote to her, thanking her for the fruit she had sent and affectionately calling her lady minny—a Scots term for mother. Indeed, Annabelle proved more of a mother figure to James than his own mother, Mary, Queen of Scots, who was separated from him when he was just one year old, leaving him in the care of Annabelle and her husband, the Earl of Mar.

The stories I shared served as a reminder that history is not just about kings and battles—it is also about everyday acts of creativity, love, resistance and persistence.

Interested in booking a talk or event?

Get in touch and let’s create something that fits your audience and setting perfectly.