On this day in 1688 James Edward Stuart, "the Old Pretender", Anglo-Scottish prince, was born.

James was the son of King James VII, and father of Charles Edward Stuart, "the Young Pretender", popularly known as "Bonnie Prince Charlie". James made repeated attempts to regain the throne for the Stuarts, failing to land in 1708 and being forced to concede defeat after a few weeks in 1715. In 1745 the Jacobite uprising, led by his son, succeeded in getting as far south as Derby, but its eventual defeat at Culloden signalled the end of Jacobite ambitions.

The 10 June 1719 saw the Battle of Glenshiel, the final act of a minor Jacobite rising. The Jacobite side, under the command of the 10th Earl Marischal, consisted of only 1,000 men. After some hours of engagement with a Hanovarian army under General Wightman, the Jacobite forces disbanded and the revolt was over.

On this day in 1858, Scottish botanist, Robert Brown, died. Brown had sailed on many early missions to Australia, and his work with the flora and fauna of the new continent had made him eminently respected in his field, becoming a Fellow of the Royal Society and the Linnean Society. Brown is also famous for his death, as it led to a free date at the Linnean Society which was filled by Charles Darwin's lecture on the theory of evolution.

Today's recipe: punnets at the ready! Grab some of Scotland's finest soft fruit to top these tasty strawberry shortcakes.