New Scots lug-in guide at Lithgae Palace

Visitors can tak in the history o Lithgae Palace in Scots as Historic Environment Scotland (HES) pits oot its first lug-in guide in the Scots leid.

Fowk can gang on the tour wi the new lug-in guide in either Scots or English, but the English version has a fair hantle o Scots in it anaw, fur tae gie aw visitors a sense o the leid o the court and tae mak clear this key and kenspeckle pairt o Lithgae’s bygane.

Visitors will be taen alang on their daunder through the palace by a wheen voices tellin tales o royals sic as wee Princess Elizabeth, dochter o James VI, forby lesser-kent stories o ordinary but important fowk whae bidit and workit there, fae the plumber whase job it wis tae uphaud Lithgae’s iconic fantoosh foontain, tae Mary, Queen o Scots’ chaumer wumman.

There will be insichts intae whit the spaces visitors explore yaised tae look and soond like, and intae whit iveryday life at the Palace wis like, includin whit fowk ett, how they washt their claes, and even whit music they lugged-in tae.

At the time o the 1400s and 1500s, whan Lithgae Palace wis yaised as a royal palace, Scots wis the leid o the Scottish court, spak by the monarch and ordinary fowk alike. Through this new lug-in guide, visitors can access a pairt o Lithgae’s heritage that’s haurder tae get at, or intangible, in a hale new wey, as they lug-in tae the history o the site in a modren version o the language that wid hae been spak at the time.

Fiona Fleming, Project Heid at HES, seyed: “It's been a richt braw journey creatin oor first Scots leid lug-in guide, which we howp will heeze the accessibility and inclusivity o Scots, which is a minoritised leid the day.

“Though dootless maist weel-kent as the birthplace o Mary, Queen o Scots, Lithgae Palace is a site that is stappit fou o a rich taipestry o history. In makkin the new lug-in guide, we were awfie keen tae leam a licht on a braid hantle o fowk and stories fae the Palace’s bygane, sic as the story o Mairgaret More, ane o the wumman kent in historical records as the ‘Moorish Lassies’, and the story o a young chorister laddie, whae’s pleyed by a real-life choir sangster.”

The lug-in guide has been developit by HES wi owersettin and inpit fae Ashley Douglas, a researcher, scriever and owersetter whae specialises in the Scots leid.

The new doonloadable lug-in guide is includit in the ingang price fur Lithgae Palace. Visitors will get a link tae it in their ticket confirmation email whan they prebook online and can syne doonload the tour tae their ain device afore visitin, aw set tae lug-in tae in either Scots or English.

Lithgae Palace is open ivery day fae 10am tae 4pm (lest entry 3.30pm) fae 1 October tae 31 Mairch, and fae 9.30am tae 5.40pm (lest entry 4.45pm) fae 1 April tae 30 September.

Fur mair information and tae book yer tickets, please heid ower tae the Historic Environment Scotland wabsite.

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