Scope and Contents This collection primarily contains the papers of Eric Canning, amassed in his role as Glasgow convener and Acting Secretary of the Glasgow Branch of the Campaign for a Scottish Assembly. The CSA was formed in the aftermath of the 1979 devolution referendum that failed to establish a devolved Scottish assembly; being officially established at a rally in Edinburgh on 1 March 1980. A cross-party campaigning organisation, it drew members from the Labour Party, the Scottish National Party (SNP),...

Scope and Contents James Halliday (1927-2013) played a pivotal role in stabilising the SNP in the 1950s. He replaced Dr Robert D. McIntyre as chairman of the party in 1956, thus becoming the youngest chairman at the age of 28. However, this promotion was not devoid of problems as internal divisions had to be overcome. By the 1959 election the prospects of the party had started to improve. There were five candidates contesting seats, including Halliday himself who stood once more for Stirling burghs. That same...

Scope and Contents Nancy Forsyth was born Nancy Gray in Grantown-on-Spey and educated at Grantown Grammar School. She worked for the Post Office and Royal Bank of Scotland in Inverness, where her husband Willie Forsyth was a colleague. She became actively involved in politics after signing the Scottish Covenant in 1951, working first as a branch organiser for the Liberal Party in Inverness. She had joined and started to actively canvass for the Scottish National Party by the Pollok by-election in March 1967,...