Elspeth King

Dr Elspeth King, writer and curator, was born in Scotland and is known for her role as a museum curator at the Peoples Palace in Glasgow, and then with the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum.

Stirling Smith Museum of which Dr King is Director

Education and Career

King is a mine-worker's daughter and has a first class honours degree in medieval history from St Andrews University.[1]

After doing a post-graduate course at Leicester University, King arrived in Glasgow to take up the post as head curator in the People's Palace where exhibitions such as Scotland Sober and Free, the 150th anniversary of the Temperance Movement, and Michael Donnelly's 1981 exhibition of stained glass, gained record attendances.[1] Her pet cat Smudge became very well known in Glasgow during her time there. This was followed by the Glasgow Herald's bicentenary exhibition, which won the 1983 Museum of the year award.[1] She was controversially passed over in 1990 for the civic post of keeper of social history in favour of Mr Mark O'Neill from Springburn Museum.[1][2][3] She then left Glasgow to become a director the Dunfermline Heritage Trust where she stayed until 1994 before becoming the first Director of the Smith Art Gallery Museum in Stirling where she has remained.

In 2018, the Stirling Smith museum of which Smith was the Director at the time, was threatened with closure due to funding cuts.[4] A petition was mounted to combat the closure and gained over 7000 signatures.[5] After the public campaign the museum was saved.[6]

Written Works
  • The Scottish Women's Suffrage Movement / ... compiled by Elspeth King to accompany the Government sponsored 'Right to Vote' exhibition organised to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Representation of the People Act, from 9 September- 7 October 1978. Peoples Palace Museum, Glasgow Green (1978)
  • Scotland Sober and Free: the Temperance Movement, 1829-1979. Glasgow Museums and Art Galleries (1979)
  • Papers of the Glasgow and West of Scotland Association for Women's Suffrage : an introduction. Peoples Palace Museum, Glasgow Green (1980)
  • Barapatter. Friends of the Peoples's Palace (1983)
  • Provand's Lordship : the oldest house in Glasgow. City of Glasgow District Council (1984)
  • St Nicholas' Hospital in Glasgow. Glasgow Museums and Art Galleries (1984)
  • The strike of the Glasgow weavers 1787. Glasgow Museums and Art Galleries (1987)
  • The People's Palace and Glasgow Green. Richard Drew Publishing (1991)
  • People's Pictures: the story of tiles in Glasgow (1991)
  • The hidden history of Glasgow's women : the Thenew factor. Mainstream Publishing (1993)
  • Introducing William Wallace. Firtree (1997)
  • The Wallace Muse: Poems and Artworks Inspired by the Life and Legend of William Wallace.(with Lesley Duncan). Luath Press (2005)
  • Old Stirling. Stenlake (2009)
  • A History of Stirling in 100 Objects The History Press (2011)

References
  1. "Why Elspeth King paid the price of a Palace revolution". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  2. "New post at Stirling for Elspeth King". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  3. "Elspeth King affair takes another twist". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  4. "Smith Art Gallery and Museum faces closure after funding threat". Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  5. Marjoribanks, Kaiya (26 January 2018). "Thousands sign petition to save Stirling art gallery from budget cuts". dailyrecord. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  6. "Funding reprieve for orchestra and museum". BBC News. 6 February 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
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