Ruth Boreham Tours

20/03/2025

If you joined me on my suffrage walks for International Women’s Day you will have heard me talk about Janet, an amazing working class suffragette, and the hope of high school pupils in Fife to have their school named after her. If you didn’t, you can find out more from this post by the brilliant Protests & Suffragettes - please vote!!!!!!

17/03/2025

You lucky people, there are TWO opportunities to join me on a tour this coming weekend! I know, I am spoiling you 😉

Friday 21st Mar, 2.30pm, 2hours
Discover Mary Queen of Scots on the streets of Edinburgh
Designed to help those who are studying MQS for Nat 5, but open to anyone who has an interest in finding out more about this most infamous of queens!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/discover-mary-queen-of-scots-on-the-streets-of-edinburgh-tickets-1278984339589

Saturday 22nd Mar, 10am-12.30pm
Explore both the old and new towns of Edinburgh, hearing mainly about women who worked/lived/visited here in the 18th and 19th centuries.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/womens-history-tour-both-towns-in-the-18th19th-centuries-tickets-1236612414019

Explore both the old and new towns of Edinburgh, hearing mainly about women who worked/lived/visited here in the 18th and 19th centuries.

16/03/2025

A lovely email from someone who came to one of my talks recently ❤️

15/03/2025

NEW: Campaigners have written to every Edinburgh councillor over the proposed statue of Dr Elsie Inglis, calling the design and artist selection 'deeply flawed'

14/03/2025

Why not join me this Saturday afternoon, discovering the women's history of the new town for 2 hours? From artists, to fighters for rights, to one who did an amazing thing to help but for the wrong reasons, there is much to find out!

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/womens-history-walking-tour-of-edinburgh-new-town-2-hours-tickets-1133464616179

A walking tour of Edinburgh New Town, highlighting women from history.

09/03/2025

This is me heading home after my 4th & final tour of During 4 tours & over 10 hrs, I have told 92 humans & 2 dogs about 24+ women involved in the suffrage movement in Edinburgh. Can no longer talk/walk/think but have had the best time & so many interesting discussions ❤️

08/03/2025

Today I have run two free tours for on the topic of women’s suffrage movement in Edinburgh. I have told 55 humans and three dogs about women like Chrystal MacMillan, Nannie Brown, Jessie Methven, Bessie Watson and more. A lovely woman gave me these ribbons to wear as well ❤️ Now waiting for bus home with very sore feet but feeling very happy.

08/03/2025

Happy International Women’s Day!!! Please consider voting for this, and help pupils in Fife who want their new school to be named after such an inspirational working class suffragette

🗳🗳🗳CALL FOR VOTES ✅✅✅
👉JANET MCCALLUM HIGH SCHOOL👈

will know we are supporting an *amazing* group of students with their campaign to name their new high school after suffrage activist ⭐Janet McCallum⭐

A new high school is opening later this year in , replacing the old Inverkeithing High School, and it needs a name! The final shortlist has been whittled down to four options: Caledonia, Forth, Rosyth or 🏆JANET MCCALLUM🏆High School.

We were contacted by the students back in January after they saw our reel about Janet, and we were delighted to share our research with them! More on their campaign here 👉🏾 http://bit.ly/3F6rRfj

Here’s why we think Janet is an inspiring and empowering choice for the young people of :

📌Janet was born in Dunfermline and grew up in Inverkeithing, later working as a winder in a linen weaving factory
💪Workers’ rights and women’s rights went hand in hand for Janet. She was an active speaker campaigning for trade unionism, rent strikes and suffrage marches
🚓She was once arrested for climbing a statue outside parliament in London in order to get her voice heard

Wouldn't it be incredible to have a school in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 named after the mighty Janet? What a great way to celebrate this !

🙏Can you help? EVERYONE is eligible to vote –

Visit this link👇to cast your vote for Janet! ✅
https://bit.ly/Vote-for-Janet

03/03/2025

Happy International Women's Month!! If you are thinking to yourself 'I wish I could come and listen to Ruth give a talk about women's history, while sitting inside a beautiful old building', then look no further! 😁

Join us this Woman's History Month with Ruth Boreham exploring the woman that surrounded Gladstones Land

24/02/2025

Hello all! I've taken a bit of time off in February, for a week's research in Oxford & London (on Mary Somerville - I geeked out a lot!) and also for my birthday, but I have a number of different tours coming up in March, including a brand new one on 18th and 19th centuries in both old and new towns, and a free one on the suffrage movement! Have a wee look and maybe see you on one?

Women's suffrage movement in Edinburgh (2.5hrs, FREE!)
Sat 8 10am-12.30pm https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1232151330799
Sat 8 2.30pm-5pm
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1232156616609
Sun 9 10am-12.30pm
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1232157278589
Sun 9 2.30pm-5pm
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1232157469159

New Town (2hrs, £20pp)
Sat 15 2pm-4pm
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1133464616179

BRAND NEW - 18th and 19th centuries in the old and new towns (2.5hrs, £30pp)
Sat 22 10am-12.30pm
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1236612414019

Heart of the Old Town (1hr, £12.50pp)
Sat 29 11am-12pm
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1133470965169

Canongate (1.5hr, £15pp)
Sat 29 1pm-2.30pm
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1133472158739

Discover the history of Canongate, a separate burgh from Edinburgh until 19th century, and the women who lived/worked here.

17/02/2025

Thanks to Fiona at 'Business Life Edinburgh' for featuring me and my walking tours!

Historian and researcher, Ruth Boreham, is running a women’s history walking tour, through the New Town, on Saturday 15 March. It starts at 2pm, ends at 4pm and costs just over £20 per person.The walk starts at St Andrew Square and concludes in Charlotte Square. Along the way, Ruth will talk abou...

08/02/2025

Waiting for a bus to join friends for a drink after having done my Canongate tour with two brilliant women who have done 2 of my tours already! Brilliant chats along the way - I do love my job ❤️

05/02/2025

Such brilliant news!

03/02/2025

To celebrate International Women's Day on both Sat 8th and Sun 9th March, I will be running a free tour looking at the suffrage movement in Edinburgh. In 2.5 hours you will hear about mass meetings, petitions, criminal acts, about those who supported suffrage for all, to those who felt women had no place putting an x in a box. While much of history taught in schools may focus on London and the Pankhursts/Fawcetts, much happened north of the border as well!

The tour will start outside The Usher Hall, go along to Randolph Crescent, wind along the New Town, and finish on or near Calton Hill (depending on the ability of those on the tour - including myself!)

To find out more, and if you want to book, visit

Join Ruth Boreham on a free tour to celebrate International Women's Day 2025 and find out more about the suffrage movement in Edinburgh.

02/02/2025

Lovely post from someone who attended both my walking tours yesterday ❤️

01/02/2025

Had a lot of fun doing two walking tours today. Paddington was impressed with what I do but sadly was too busy eating to join in 😁

30/01/2025

I had such a brilliant time tonight giving a talk at Gladstone’s Land about women writers in Edinburgh. In an hour I talked to a lovely audience about 8 women writers. How many do you know of? (And how many of you are surprised to see Mary Somerville on it?! 🤣)

Marie Maitland c1550-1596
Elizabeth Hamilton 1756/8-18-6
Jemima Blackburn 1823-1909
Louisa Agnes Czarnecki 1823-1877
Catherine Carswell 1879-1946
Isobel Wylie Hutchison 1889-1982
Dorothy Emily (D E) Stevenson 1892-1973
Susan Ferrier 1782-1854
Mary Somerville 1780-1872