The Colourful Heritage
Digital Timeline
Our digital timeline charts the history and progress of South Asians and key events in Scotland over the last 100 years or so, from the arrival of Maharajah Duleep Singh in Perthshire to the present day involvement of women in politics.
Starting from 1855 this fascinating timeline takes you through the journey of the evolution of the South Asian and Muslim community in Scotland.
Select a time period or start scrolling through the timeline!
Thomas Keith, a native of Edinburgh, was born in the late 18th Century. He joined the regiment of the 78th Highlanders in 1804. Thomas fought in Sicily, in the battle of Maida in 1806. Known as a formidable soldier and armourer, he was given an appointment and dispatched to Alexandria…
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Dhanjibhai Nauroji was born to a Zoroastrian family in Gujarat in 1822. After being educated at the Bombay Mission School, he converted to Christianity in 1839, baptised by the Scottish missionary and Orientalist, Reverend John Wilson. Nauroji was photographed by the Edinburgh based photographers, Hill and Adamson, in the early 1840s, during a visit…
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“I shall do all in my power to shew you how highly I prize the convincing proofs you give me of your devotion and attachment to Sir Alexander Burnes while alive, and of your veneration for his memory now that he is no more. Believe me, dear Sir. Your faithful…
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By the mid-nineteenth century, Muslim students had begun travelling to Scotland to pursue higher education, particularly in medicine. Evidence of their presence survives in university and professional archives, revealing an overlooked chapter in the history of Muslim engagement with Scottish educational institutions. Research conducted by Monique Lerpeniere, a third-year PhD student…
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Maharajah Duleep Singh, the young ruler of the Kingdom of Lahore, takes up residence at the Grandtully estate in Perthshire after he was deposed by the British. Colourful Heritage volunteer Rupa Mooker teamed up with BBC Landward to explore the fascinating story of Maharajah Duleep Singh – the last ruler…
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Wazir Beg was the 1st Indian Muslim to study Medicine at Edinburgh University from 1857 – 1861. There were four Egyptian Muslims that came to study in 1854/1855, the same subject from Edinburgh University (see 1854 entry for further details). The numbers of Muslim students increased steadily during the last quarter of the nineteenth century and by its…
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Throughout the 1860s, South Asian lascars (seamen) are seen more often in Scotland. By the end of the century there are Lascar-only facilities in Glasgow Docks. Location: Glasgow, Scotland Credits: Glasgow Museums (photo), Lascars, c.1850 – 1950: The Lives and Identities … (Ceri-Anne Fidler, 2011)
In 1890 Dr Annie Wardlaw Jagannadham (1864–1894), LRCP, LRCS, and MPC from India graduated from Edinburgh Medical School for women (opened by Sophia-Jex Blake) where she registered as a medical student in 1888 to continue on her medical studies from India. She became the first Indian woman doctor to be…
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Queen Victoria employs Abdul Karim (1863-1909) as an attendant. He accompanies her whenever she resides at Balmoral. A holiday cottage is named after him on the estate. Credits: Hills and Saunders via Wikimedia Commons (photo), Wikipedia