On the trail of Rev David Landsborough in Arran I walked to King’s Cave, so called as Robert the Bruce took inspiration from a spider there. Before that it was called Fingal’s cave because Finn McCool lived there. This is all historical fact. Then I watched the sun go down over Kintyre.

I’ve had a busy day on the trail of Rev. David Landsborough’s first two excursions to Arran. First I went to Corrie where they have maritime sheep and the excellent Wee Bookshop (www.arranalmanac.com), then to Lochranza for the castle, Hutton’s unconformity, and golden eagles soaring high overhead.

Still on the trail of Rev. David Landsborough, I arrived in Arran with just enough light left to walk along Brodick Bay and back to my B&B. On his first excursion in the 1830s he continued to Corrie and preached in English to the mystified “Highlanders” - who spoke only Gaelic.

Sunset over Arran from Stevenston, Ayrshire.

I was in Saltcoats, Ayrshire, today on the trail of David Landsborough (1779-1854), Free Church minister, poet, botanist, and phycologist. The church he built has now been replaced by the Labour club, but the views across the Firth of Clyde to Arran clearly explain his obsession with the island

I'll be speaking at the @long18thsem, Senate House, London tomorrow, Wed 25 Sept, on "The ‘rational study of God’s works’: Eighteenth-century clerical naturalists and the origins of the modern life sciences'" It's also online if you want to tune in! www.history.ac.uk/events/ratio...

The ‘rational study of God’s works’: Eighteenth-century clerical naturalists and the origins of the modern life sciences

Join us next Wed 25/9 at 17:30 either at the IHR Wolfson Room or online via Zoom as @brycchancarey.bsky.social#c18th#britishhistorywww.history.ac.uk/events/ratio...

The ‘rational study of God’s works’: Eighteenth-century clerical naturalists and the origins of the modern life sciences

I’ve arrived in Manchester for a conference. The view of the sunset clouds from the hotel window gives the impression that the moors are on fire.

It’s a beautiful clear and sharp night in Alnwick, with the stars bright and the northern lights just dusting the sky with purple and green.

I've written a short article on "Abolitionism and Environmental Justice: Lessons from the Eighteenth to the Twenty-First Century" for the @yalepress.bsky.socialyalebooks.yale.edu/2024/09/10/a...

Abolitionism and Environmental Justice: Lessons from the Eighteenth to the Twenty-First Century - Yale University Press

Brycchan Carey— How can reading about the eighteenth-century abolitionist movement help environmental and social justice activists today? This is a question I kept always in mind while writing The Unn...