Crime and Punishment in Early-Modern Scotland:The Secular Courts of Restoration Argyllshire, 1660-1688

The study of crime in early-modern Scotland remains under-developed, some strong local and thematic studies notwithstanding, and Scottish historians have not so far been able properly to assimilate the theoretical and methodological advances pioneered by scholars working on other jurisdictions, particularly England. This article seeks to begin addressing that gap through a detailed micro-study of crime and its punishment in Argyllshire during the Restoration (1660-88), rooted in systematic analysis of surviving court records. The results add weight to the growing historiographical evidence against traditional notions of a stark Highland/Lowland divide in the seventeenth century, while also outlining patterns of secular criminality and criminal justice which could form the basis of further research

Parafoveal-on-foveal effects are not an artifact of mislocated saccades

Oculomotor error leads to a proportion of saccades during reading missing the intended target. In this paper two kinds of mislocation are identified: either a word is erroneously refixated, or a word that was about to skipped is erroneously fixated. In both cases recorded fixation duration could be influenced by the fact that the overt fixation reflects neither the reader’s intentions, not the current locus of attention. It has been argued that mislocations of this kind account for apparent “parafoveal-on-foveal” interactions and that, consequently, the challenge posed by such effects for serial processing models of eye movement control is more apparent than real. It is argued here that this analysis is flawed: mislocated fixations cannot plausibly act within the architecture of a serial model to produce effects mimicking parafoveal-on-foveal cross-talk. The claim that parafoveal-on-foveal effects are restricted to measurements made when the eyes are very close to the relevant parafoveal target is not supported in an analysis of the effects of cumulative lexical frequency on foveal processing time

Civility, Order and the Highlands in Cromwellian Britain

Above all, the republican regime that governed first England, and then the entirety of the British Isles in the 1650s viewed itself as ‘godly’. This was a concept with deep roots in English puritanism, and it conditioned the domestic aims and policies of the Cromwellian state. We know that the Commonwealth made some effort to export ‘godliness’ to Scotland, but little has so far been done to trace the implications of this agenda for the most traditionally ‘ungodly’ part of Scotland – the Highlands. This article traces how the notion of ‘godliness’ influenced Cromwellian attitudes towards Highland Scotland, as well as exploring the ways in which government policy tried to affect religious and behavioural reformation among Highlanders. In so doing, the article seeks to shed light upon the nature of the English regime in Scotland, while also offering an under-appreciated insight into the mental realm of the Commonwealth state more broadly. </jats:p

State, Community, and the Suppression of Banditry in Seventeenth-Century Scotland

Eric Hobsbawn’s influential thesis of ‘social banditry’ has provoked a great deal of research into the history of brigandage which had done much to enrich our knowledge of early modern society. This work has also helped inform our understanding of how state structures functioned, especially in the early modern period. This article seeks to contribute to that discussion by deploying Scottish evidence. It shows that the suppression of banditry in Scotland – mainly the Highlands – involved a range of tactics and approaches, all of them predicated on co-operation between central government, local elites, and local communities. The necessity of such coordination, the article contends, underlines the political realities of the Scottish state, which worked according to a ‘magisterial’ model that required politically powerful groups to work closely with ordinary communities if they were to achieve their goals

High resilience wireless mesh networking characteristics and safety applications within underground mines

The work presented in this thesis has investigated the feasibility, characteristics and potential applications of low power wireless networking technology, particularly aimed at improving underground mine safety. Following an initial review, wireless technology was identified as having many desirable attributes as a modern underground data transmission medium. Wireless systems are mobile, flexible, and easily scalable. Installation time can be reduced and there is scope for rapid deployment of wireless sensor networks following an emergency incident such as a mine explosion or roof rock fall. Low power mesh technology, relating to the Zigbee and IEEE 802.15.4 LR-WPAN (low-rate wireless personal area network) standards, has been of particular interest within this research project. The new breed of LR-WPAN technology is specifically designed for low power, low data rate wireless sensor applications. The mesh networking characteristics of the technology significantly increase network robustness and resilience. The self-healing, self-organising, multiple pathway redundancy, and highly scalable attributes of mesh networks are particularly advantageous for underground, or confined space, high-integrity safety and emergency applications. The study and potential use of this type of technology in an underground mine is a novel aspect of this thesis. The initial feasibility and review examined the current and future trends of modern underground data transmission systems, with particular focus on mine safety. The findings following the review determined the ideal requirements of an underground data transmission in terms of robustness, integrity, interoperability, survivability and flexibility; with wireless mesh networking meeting many of these requirements. This research has investigated underground wireless propagation characteristics at UHF and microwave frequencies in tunnels. This has involved examining electromagnetic (EM) waveguide theory, in particular the lossy dielectric tunnel waveguide model e.g. (Emslie et al., 1975 and Delogne, 1982). Extensive tests have been carried out in three different underground locations (railway tunnel, hard rock mine, coal mine test facility) using continuous wave (CW), or ‘pure’ transmission at 2.3GHz and 5.8GHz, along with a range of throughput performance tests using various wireless technologies: IEEE 802.11b, 802.11g, SuperG, SuperG (plus BeamFlex antennas), 802.11pre-n. 802.11draft-n, and Bluetooth. The results of these practical tests have been compared with the lossy dielectric tunnel waveguide model showing good agreement that tunnels will in fact enhance the EM propagation through the waveguide effect. Building on previous research during the last 30 years into high frequency underground radio transmission, this work presents a novel investigation into the performance of modern underground wireless technologies operating in underground mines and tunnels. 4 The feasibility and performance of low power wireless mesh networking technology, relating to Zigbee/IEEE 802.15.4, operating in various underground and confined space environments has been investigated through a series of practical tests in different locations including: a hard rock test mine, a coal mine and a fire training centre (confined space built infrastructure). The results of these tests are presented discussing the significant benefits in employing ‘mesh’ topologies in mines and tunnels. Following this, key applications were identified for potential development. Distributed smart sensor network e.g. environmental monitoring, machine diagnostics or remote telemetry, applications were developed to a proof-of-concept stage. A remote 3D surveying telemetry application was also developed in conjunction with the ‘RSV’ (remote surveying vehicle) project at CSM. Vital signs monitoring of personnel has also been examined, with tests carried out in conjunction with the London Fire Service. ‘Zonal location information’ was another key application identified using underground mesh wireless networks to provide active tracking of personnel and vehicles as a lower cost alternative to RFID. Careful consideration has also been given to potential future work, ranging from ‘mine friendly’ antennas, to a ‘hybrid Zigbee’, such as, optimised routing algorithms, and improved physical RF performance, specifically for high-integrity underground safety and emergency applications. Both the tests carried out and key safety applications investigated have been a novel contribution of this thesis. In summary, this thesis has contributed to furthering the knowledge within the field of subsurface electromagnetic wave propagation at UHF and microwave frequencies. Key characteristics and requirements of an underground critical safety data transmission system have been identified. Novel aspects of this work involved investigating the application of new wireless mesh technology for underground environments, and investigating the performance of modern wireless technologies in tunnels through practical tests and theoretical analysis. Finally, this thesis has proved that robust and survivable underground data transmission, along with associated mine safety applications, can feasibly be achieved using the low power wireless mesh networking technology. Robust underground wireless networking also has potential benefits for other industrial and public sectors including tunnelling, emergency services and transport

The Civic Government of the Scottish Highlands during the Restoration, 1660-88

Recent developments in Scottish historiography have done much to resurrect the Restoration from the obscurity in which it had conventionally languished. Lacunae remain, however, and one of these surrounds the Highlands, which has often had to make do with broad generalisation. The present thesis aims to address this deficiency through exploration of two general themes. Firstly, it considers the place of the Highlands within the broader Scottish and British contexts. Focusing on the linkages between central government and the local elite, and on the extent to which the Highlands were socially and culturally distinct, it argues that historians’ continuing treatment of the Highlands as a self-contained entity is misguided. Instead, it is suggested that the region should be viewed as simply another locality within Britain, a locality which, while displaying a unique hybridised identity, was nevertheless heavily integrated with the rest of the country. Secondly, the thesis traces the development of government policy towards the Highland periphery. Recognising that policy was usually aimed at curbing the perceived problem of endemic animal theft, it uncovers opposing intellectual underpinnings – ‘direct’ and ‘indirect’ – to the government’s approach. It then considers in detail the various policy initiatives launched over the period, arguing that most of these were shaped by the interplay of the underlying strategic impulses. It also acknowledges the influence of wider developments in British politics. Ultimately, the thesis seeks to recast the prevailing understanding of the Highlands. Moving away from well-worn stereotypes of endemic lawlessness and violence, it also questions the notion of a fundamental cleavage between central and local elites. Instead, it argues that, during the reigns of Charles II and James VII, the prevailing pattern was one of partnership and mutual reinforcement