By Murray Pittock Last year marked the 700th anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath, a document to confirm Scotland’s status as an independent nation WHEN the National Trust for Scotland carried out polling in 2020 on the 700th anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath, it discovered that 51% of Scots had never heard of the Declaration. Although on being informed of its existence, 72% agreed that it was important. In common with other recent polling, the trust’s research indicated that 77% of people in Scotland wanted to know more about our country’s history. As for so many people businesses and organisations, the last year has been very difficult for the trust. But evidence such as this could not be ignored: in the Declaration’s home county of Angus, it was decided that the redevelopment of the House of Dun would include an exhibition on the Declaration. It is a pity that the Scottish Parliament did not show the same enthusiasm for the significance of this document, with only a dozen or so MSPs supporting Alasdair Allan’s motion on its commemoration.