Schiehallion: A Perthshire Mountain that Weighed the World

Stories of Scotland

Annie and Jenny

History, Places & Travel, Society & Culture

4.8 • 728 Ratings

🗓️ 1 September 2021

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Annie and Jenny hike up Schiehallion, one of Scotland’s most famous peaks. This astounding mountain is home to world changing history. This episode includes an oral history with a squeaky rocking chair. Located in the heart of Scotland, Schiehallion was the site of an intricate experiment that weighed the world. It’s unique conical shape drew astronomers, physicists, mathematicians and geologists together in the 18th century to calculate the earth’s mass for the first time, causing an earthquake in the warring schools of geology. Mountaineering in the Scottish Highlands can be dangerous, especially in the winter, but an excerpt from the Scottish Mountaineering Journal opens up the Scottish Wilderness and all it’s beauty during this time. Stories of Scotland is an award-winning Scottish history podcast, proudly recorded in the Highlands. We research our heritage and mythology podcast using archives, books, museum objects, and oral histories from across Scotland.You can support Stories of Scotland on Patreon! www.patreon.com/storiesofscotlandReferences:CA Sage, Schiehallion Poem, Dundee Evening Telegraph, 1910.James G Scott (Contributor), Calum Iain Maclean (Fieldworker), SA1958.99, The School of Scottish Studies Archives, University of Edinburgh. (https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/37020)John Sinclair, Schiehallion: A Posy of Rannoch Poesy, Stirling, 1905.Joseph Gibson Scott, Schiehallion, Scottish Mountaineering Journal, the Scottish Mountaineering Club, Edinburgh, 1895.Herbert Trench (published by name FHT), Schiehallion poem, Westminster Gazette, 1897. Get bonus content on Patreon

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome to Stories of Scotland, a podcast which wonders the zigzagging paths of Scottish heritage and nature.
0:19.1	I'm Jenny, a happily lost mountain goat.
0:21.6	Nah.
0:23.6	And I'm Annie, a hopelessly lost archivist.
0:26.6	Help.
0:27.6	And today we're going to be having a bladder about one of my favourite mountains.
0:33.6	Yes!
0:34.6	Teology episode!
0:36.6	Strapping, people.
0:37.9	This is about to rock your world, which has made a rock, so it's going to rock your rock.
0:45.8	Rock.
0:46.9	Rock.
0:49.1	The Monroe we're talking about today is one rich in myths of magic, fairies, folklore and legend.
0:57.8	And even more exciting, for me at least, is that its unique shape and characteristics
1:02.9	helped 18th century scientists unlock secrets of the natural world.
1:09.4	It is, of course, Shehallian, a very romantic mountain. And I'm so
1:14.7	excited about this episode, because I think it's good for the soul to have a look at such a magical
1:20.6	place. So let's begin with a lovely poem I found from 1897, written by a mysterious poet, initialed F. H.T.
1:31.4	And published in the West Minister Gazette. Jenny, on you go.
1:36.7	Far the Greylock runs up to Shihalian.
1:41.0	Lap, lap, the water flows where my wee boaty rose, Greenly a star shows, Over Shihalian.
1:50.4	She that I wandered with over Shahalian, How far a yacht yurken, crags of the merry glen,
	...

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