Arran Johnston Heritage Services
History and Heritage
My work is wide-ranging, from curating exhibitions to writing audio scripts, from lecturing at universities to designing interpretation panels, and from running events to conservation lobbying. My main specialism is Scottish conflict sites, with a particular focus on the Jacobite Rising of 1745. But my interests are wide-ranging and I can cover many different periods and themes in my work.
Battle Re-enactment
I'm an experienced performer, planner and co-ordinator of battle re-enactment and living history events, of all scales.
I can undertake bespoke character performances, command forces and choreograph or narrate displays.
I have done events for English Heritage, the National Trust for Scotland, National Museums Scotland, National Galleries Scotland, and many more.
I also re-enact as a hobby at events up and down the country, and am chair of the Alan Breck's Regiment.
Speaking and Writing
I provide talks, presentations and lectures to a wide range of audiences, from school pupils and university students to local history and special interest groups. In my writing I strive to make military history accessible and engaging, linking people and place.
Arran Johnston was born and raised in Derbyshire, where he discovered an interest in the Jacobites which would eventually lead him to Scotland.
He graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2007, and completed his PhD at the University of the West of Scotland in 2018.
Arran is the founding director of the Scottish Battlefields Trust, and the author of a number of books about Scottish history.
He lives in East Lothian with his wife and children.
