Local event organisers in West Lothian have defended themselves amid renewed accusations of persisting with slave trade links.
Formerly known as the John Newland Festival, organisers have renamed the upcoming event as the Bathgate Procession to distance themselves from slave owner Newland.
But after an eagle-eyed local spotted the event's branding still bears an image of the former school built with money left in Newland's will, officials have responded.
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Harry Cartmill, vice chair of the procession, said the committee removed the festival’s namesake from the celebration but retained the image of the school because the legacy of education went beyond his connection to the slave industry.
“The school is an integral part of the town. Hundreds of pupils have passed through there and been educated there. It has become separate from and more important than John Newland’s legacy,” said Cartmill.
“The organisers have done what we’ve been asked to do. We’ve removed all celebration of Newland from the event while retaining the day itself, which is effectively a children’s gallery and a way to celebrate everything good about the Bathgate community.”
However, one local man raised concerns about the conflicting message of removing Newland while retaining his school.
“Newland, and the Academy building are intrinsically linked with each other and the event,” the elderly resident said.
“You cannot remove the name and commemoration of John Newland from the event and keep using the image of the original academy built in 1833 as the logo. It is contradictory to use the buildings image whilst deleting the history of its funding and founder. The picture surely indicates we are still celebrating the building of the school whilst trying to delete the history attached to it.”
Cartmill argued that the celebration of Newland has been stripped away while retaining the day as an homage to community, education, and history.
The festival was previously called the John Newland Festival, and it has been celebrated annually since the 1840s. Newland was an 18 th century Bathgate native that made his fortune abroad. When he died, he left a significant sum of money for the construction of Bathgate’s school in 1833.
However, Newland was removed from the festival last year because he earned his wealth as the owner of a Jamaican plantation where black slaves were forced to work.
Although Newland is no longer included, Cartmill said Bathgate has plenty more to celebrate. He said the event commemorates the town’s royal connection to Robert the Bruce through his daughter Princess Marjorie.
Events this weekend will include a children’s reenactment of Princess Marjorie’s story, a procession, an oration by Cartmill, and a general celebration of community following the pandemic.
“We’re celebrating everything good about Bathgate, and it’s going to be a lot of fun and smiles,’ said Cartmill.”
The West Lothian Council said it has never been involved in the planning or organisation of the event, and strictly grants approval for road closures. They had no comments about the events history, legacy or imagery.
More information about the festival can be found on Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/bathgateprocession/ ) or on the procession website ( https://bathgateprocession.com/ ).
