wittin &c, n 1 the fact of knowing, of being aware of something, knowledge
imparted, information, intelligence, news.

This is the website of Stuart McHardy, writer, storyteller, folklorist, historian lecturer, musician and poet. The term Wittins means information or news in Scots*, which, along with Gaelic, is one of Scotland’s ancient indigenous languages.

This site contains information on my publications and activities and will be up-dated on a regular basis. The site also contains a number of articles on a range of topics. Where these have been published already, details are given, otherwise these can be considered as works in progress and feedback is quite welcome.

While I have no commitment to answering general information queries, occasionally, if time allows, I do take on research projects on a fee paying basis.

* Scots is the Germanic language, still spoken by a large proportion of the people of Scotland. It has a world-famous literature - our best known poet being Robert Burns - and was the official language of Scotland before the Union with England. Only recently has the entrenched discrimination of the British state and its governments against the Scots language begun to be reversed.

“At a time when the planet itself is in danger from short term greed and exploitation I believe we can gain a better picture of where the human race is going by learning from the past. The arrogant assumptions that underpin modern corporate capitalism and its fantasy of eternal progress are under attack from many quarters as more and more people become aware of the costs in environmental degradation and political corruption. There has never been a glorious Golden Era in our past but in the rush towards the consumer shopping society in which everything is valued by price we are in grave danger of forgetting who we are and where come from.”

26th November 2006
The Ballads o the Bothy Lads; Traditional farming Story and Song 12.30pm