7 November 2013

'Why? Where? Who? The Origin of Some Dundee Street Names' - Armitstead Lecture on Friday, 8th November

How Dundee's streets, wynds and closes got their names will be explored at an Armitstead Lecture at the University of Dundee tomorrow.

Gillian Molloy, a volunteer with the Friends of the Dundee City Archives (FDCA), will share some of her research into the origins of the city's street names at the D'Arcy Thompson Lecture Theatre, Tower Building at 7.30pm on Friday, 8th November.

When Gillian retired from the Civil Service she decided to indulge her interest in history and offered her services to FCDA. She has spent the past six years poring through source documents and attempting to find new ones. In the process, she has learnt a great deal about Dundee's streets and the people who have walked them. The project has grown to include all the streets in Dundee, Lochee, Broughty Ferry, and Monifieth and now includes the names of individual buildings.

Gillian said, 'My research has included looking over documents from the 14th century to the present day. In my talk I will examine some of the oldest street names in Dundee and some of the newer ones. I hope to show what a fascinating subject it is. I will also look at the personalities behind some of the street names, some of whom deserve to be better known.'

'Why? Where? Who? The Origin of Some Dundee Street Names' takes place in the D'Arcy Thompson Lecture Theatre, University of Dundee at 7.30pm on Friday, 8th November. Admission costs £1.50 and tickets are available at the door.

The Armitstead Lecture series is named after George Armitstead. Born in Latvia, he was educated in Germany before settling in Dundee. There, he developed his father's trading firm and married into the influential Baxter textile family.

Armitstead became extremely wealthy and influential, twice being elected as a Liberal MP and becoming a close friend of then-Prime Minister Gladstone. He donated money to a wide range of charitable organisations and also established the Armitstead Illustrated Lectures, which continue today 126 years after they began.

The Armitstead Trustees seek to carry out the aims of the founder, who wished to improve the breadth and depth of knowledge of the people who live in the Dundee area and entertain them in the process. The Trustees offer a programme of lectures each autumn in Dundee to carry on the tradition initiated by Armitstead.

More information about the Armitstead Illustrated Lectures can be found at www.armitstead.org.uk.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
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