Title: Màiri Anna NicCoinnich
Author: Claire Pepper
Illustrator:
Translator:
Publisher: Scottish Children of the Past
Published: 30th April 2026
Pages: 90
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781738512126
Description:
Told through the eyes of nine-year-old Mary Ann Mackenzie, this story is an engaging account of the school day and home life of a real child who lived on Scoraig, a remote crofting community in the north west Highlands of Scotland in 1895.
Imagine:
– Walking to school barefooted and without a coat, even on the coldest winter’s day;
– Learning in a language you had never heard or spoken before starting school;
– Constantly in fear of being punished with a strap for making a mistake in your work, speaking in your own language or being late for registration.
This was the experience of Mary Ann Mackenzie and many other children who went to school in Scotland towards the end of the nineteenth century.
Told through the eyes of nine-year-old Mary Ann Mackenzie, this story is an engaging account of the school day and home life of a real child who lived on Scoraig, a remote crofting community in the north west Highlands of Scotland in 1895.
The author, Claire Pepper, combines Mary Ann’s recollections of her childhood with extensive research, photographs and extracts from the school records, bringing Scottish Victorian childhood vividly to life.
