From our archive
Exploring
A special find
As the Scottish Women’s Institutes prepares to celebrate its 110th anniversary in 2027, we are exploring our archives and uncovering stories that show how the SWI and its members have been connected with Scotland’s communities for more than a century.
Among these are fascinating links with the late Queen Elizabeth II and the wider Royal Family over the decades. Through our heritage project, supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, we are bringing some of these stories to life and making them more accessible for future generations.
One special find comes from the 1953 Scottish Home and Country magazine. Written by Mrs Lamb, a member of Crathie Institute and wife of Rev John Lamb of Crathie Kirk, Happy Memories of Our Queen shares her personal memories of the young Queen’s girlhood on Royal Deeside.
As part of our project, one of our trained member volunteers, Ann McGee from Ross-shire and Sutherland Federation, has brought the article to life again by making a recording of Mrs Lamb’s words – allowing this wonderful piece of SWI history to be heard more than 70 years after it was first published.
(No account is required to listen to the recording, please close the pop up when prompted)
These memories form part of a much wider story held within the SWI archive, reflecting our members’ connections with the Royal Family and communities across Scotland through generations.
As we approach our 110th anniversary, we look forward to sharing more discoveries from our archives and celebrating the people, places and stories that have shaped the SWI since 1917.
You can also visit the Queen Elizabeth II Memorial website, where people are invited to share their own memories and reflections of the late Queen.
Our rich history
The SWI archive includes an important collection which was thought to be lost. The Needlework Development Scheme was a UK-wide programme from 1934 to 1961, sponsored by J & P Coats, to promote and raise the standard of British hand and machine embroidery design through educational institutions and industry.
Managed from Glasgow, it developed loan collections of historical and modern textile examples to serve as teaching aids for Scottish and UK schools. The scheme ended when Coats withdrew funding in 1961, with its extensive collection being dispersed to universities and museums.
Our collection complements pieces held by the V&A London and The Glasgow School of Art.
Members through the years
Do you recognise anyone in these pics? We’d love to hear from you!
Royal connections
handmade gifts to HM
The Queen Mother and
the two princesses
The King at the Royal
Highland Show
The King at the Royal
Highland Show
in Edinburgh, 1964
in the 1960s
the SWRI’s 75th anniversary celebrations in Edinburgh
Home & Country magazines
August 1924
Includes a special Conference Supplement celebrating the rapid growth of the Scottish Women’s Rural Institutes. Includes articles on village life, gardening, home industries and women’s work, alongside reports from Institutes across Scotland covering conferences, handicrafts, demonstrations and community activities. Also features poetry, competitions and news from the expanding Rural Institute movement.
January 1930
Chairman Clayre Anstruther-Gray’s New Year message previews the 1930 National Conference in Inverness, alongside reports from across the Federations on Institute meetings, demonstrations and Hallowe’en gatherings. Features include a knitting pattern for boys, historical recipes, a guide to play production for the Drama Festival, and handicraft guild updates.
June 1954
Includes the handover from outgoing Chairman Mrs Kennedy to incoming Chairman Miss McKenzie, alongside reports on the Highland Show tearoom, a five-nation overseas students’ tour of the Institutes, and the ongoing Crafts Van Tour of Argyll, Mull, Islay and Jura. It features the second instalment of the serial “The Laird’s Wife,” a knitting pattern, and gardening notes.
March 1962
Includes Federation and Group news, “Notes from Headquarters” covering Central Council elections and Handicrafts tests, and features on “Our Village – Tummel Bridge,” Dorset feather stitchery, and a knitting pattern for a Scandinavian jacket. Also includes a short story (“Next Door to Murder”), reports on Burns Suppers and winter activities from across Scotland.
SWRI cookbooks
