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Global Scots and Gilbert's Mistresses

Susan Morrison is shocked to discover what 18th century Edinburgh bankers could get up to and she meets some famous historical faces in a new portrait gallery exhibition.

Susan Morrison marvels at the complicated life of Gilbert Innes - an Enlightenment banker and pillar of the community who secretly had at least thirty mistresses and acknowledged 32 illegitimate children (67 made a claim on his estate on his death). As Dr Katie Barclay reveals, Gilbert's 18th century alternative lifestyle came at a terrible price for the women involved, whose voices we can hear through their letters to him. What a surprise his sister Jane got when she sneaked into his office and read those letters...

Plus a new exhibition at Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh 'The remaking of Scotland: nation, migration, globalisation 1760-1860' explores how Scotland was undergoing massive change - venturing to all corners of the world abroad and rapidly industrialising at home. But it's a chequered history - as senior curator Dr Lucinda Lax explains, colourful characters, innovation and adventure are offset by troubling stories of slavery and imperialism.

And in our regular WW1@Home series we'll be exploring revolutionary socialist James Connolly's Edinburgh roots.

30 minutes

Last on

Sun 17 Jun 2018 07:00

Broadcasts

  • Tue 12 Jun 2018 13:30
  • Sun 17 Jun 2018 07:00

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