Jacobites owe town of Paisley thousands after 275-old fine never repaid, council reveals THE Jacobites may still owe Paisley thousands in a 275-year old fine, but the town is still more than happy to cash in on its historical connections to the rebel army. Renfrewshire council has revealed that as the Young Pretender prepared for his doomed attempt to restore the Stuarts to the throne, he summonsed the town council to raise a militia for the cause. Charles Stuart initially fined Paisley £1,000 on December 29 and took Bailie Matthew Kyle and former Bailie William Park hostage to ensure it was paid.
The choir of King s College Cambridge performs the traditional Christmas concert
Credit: Benjamin Sheen
The nation has spoken, the list is in, and Songs of Praise yesterday revealed the UK’s Top 10 Favourite Christmas Carols. We sing them in churches, chapels, streets and schools every year, wrap presents and decorate our Christmas trees to their accompaniment, know all the words by heart – but how much do we know about the stories behind them?
Here are just some of the histories and controversies, the secret political messages and famous names attached to your favourite carols.
10. O Come, O Come Emmanuel
It’s a rare carol that swaps cradles and shepherds for “Satan’s tyranny” and “death’s dark shadows”, and perhaps that’s the appeal of this wonderfully brooding, solemn hymn. There’s no exuberant rejoicing in a 15th-century melody that may have originally been used as processional music for burial rites. The words, a colourful translation of a Latin an
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