History
The Scottish Catholic Historical Association was founded in 1950 by a group of clergy and laity who wished to place Scottish Catholic history in the mainstream of historical research. Conferences, lectures, publications and the invaluable journal of the association – The Innes Review – have successfully achieved this goal set out over 65 years ago.
The first conference of the then Scottish Catholic Historical Committee was held in May 1949. Located at Polmont in Stirlingshire.
Under the auspices of the Edinburgh branch of the Newman Association of Great Britain and attended by over 30 people, it heard four papers:
Mr Donald Nicholl – who spoke on the Catholic’s approach to history;
Fr Anthony Ross OP – on the contribution made to Scottish historical studies by Catholic scholars;
Fr David McRoberts – on the Scottish Colleges on the continent;
Brother Clare (Dr Handley) – on the work still to be done in Scottish social and economic history
Before the conference ended, a committee was formed to plan another conference the following year. The meeting of the Scottish Catholic Hierarchy in October 1949 gave the committee it’s recognition and blessing to the work it was pursuing. It was agreed that there would be an attempt to produce publications, continue with the annual conferences and carry forward the well progressed plans for the publication of the bi-annual review, to be called The Innes Review in commemoration of Father Thomas Innes, the most notable of Scottish Catholic historical writers.
In the years since 1950, the Association has worked tirelessly to publish and explore all elements of Scottish Catholic history. Membership of the Association has now also become quite ecumenical, with support coming from all denominations.
The Association has extensive archives. These are available to consult at the Scottish Catholic Archives, Edinburgh.
Current Officers and Trustees
Convener: Ms Siobhan Convery
Secretary: Vacant
Treasurer: Mr Andrew R Nicoll
Editor: Dr John Reuben Davies
Assistant Editor: Dr Linden Bickett
Reviews Editor: Dr Paul Goatman
Current Members of Council
Professor Gerard Carruthers, Professor Dauvit Broun, Dr Bryony Coombs, Dr Cristina Gonzalez-Longo, Dr Leonardo Franchi, Dr Victoria Hodgeson and Dr Kieran Taylor, Dr Paul Goatman, and Dr Paul Gilfillan
Annual Reports
The Scottish Catholic Historical Association is a charity registered in Scotland – registration number SC005207.
Our annual report and accounts are available on request.