Forgotten 19th century wind power pioneer inspires new Scottish music video

A forgotten Scottish environmental pioneer whose invention of the world's first wind turbine was shunned by neighbours who branded electricity “the work of the devil" has been honoured in a new Scottish music video.

An award-winning folk band have created the tribute to 19th-century engineer and physicist James Blyth, an innkeeper's son who built a cloth-sailed turbine in his garden.

His home in Marykirk, Aberdeenshire, became the first in the world to be powered by wind thanks to the makeshift turbine, which produced enough power to light ten 25-volt bulbs in a "moderate breeze".

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Blyth went on to design a larger, improved version for Montrose Lunatic Asylum after an offer to light up his home village’s main street was rebuffed by suspicious locals.

Although it operated successfully there for more than 30 years and Blyth had presented a paper to the Royal Society of Edinburgh espousing his belief in renewable energy in 1891, no more wind turbines were built in Britain until 1951.

However, his efforts have been recognised in Breabach’s Revolutions, which is described as a “a long song to a wind turbine”.

Crowned best band at this month’s Scots Trad Music Awards, Breabach have honoured Blyth in their new song and video Revolutions after singer-songwriter Ewan Robertson read about his largely-forgotten invention during research for a new album inspired by Scotland’s natural environment.

The video, edited by bass player James Lindsay, features footage captured from around Scotland by the band’s various members and their friends.

Robertson said: “We have found with our last few albums that having a theme really helps us focus our attention on our music and helps us with our writing, which all five of us in the band do. It’s just nice having something in the background.

“We had the idea of regeneration in our heads. It seemed to strike a chord with us coming out of the lockdowns. We went for the title Fàs, which is Gaelic for growth or sprouting.

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“We were in the midst of writing the album when I was given a book all about the history of Scottish wind power, Revolution by Todd Westbrook, by my mum. I thought it would make for a good subject for a song.

“I was doing more wind power research and came across the amazing story of James Blyth. He was such a ground-breaking pioneer from Scottish history and his work was so important, when you think about where wind power has got to now and where it could go, but is not particularly celebrated. I was just blown away and thought he deserved a bit of kudos.

Breabach are Ewan Robertson, Conal McDonagh, Megan Henderson, Calum MacCrimmon and James Lindsay. Picture: Somhairle MacDonaldBreabach are Ewan Robertson, Conal McDonagh, Megan Henderson, Calum MacCrimmon and James Lindsay. Picture: Somhairle MacDonald
Breabach are Ewan Robertson, Conal McDonagh, Megan Henderson, Calum MacCrimmon and James Lindsay. Picture: Somhairle MacDonald

"You just think ‘this guy should have his own statue’. We drove past Marykirk last weekend and there is actually a wind farm not too far from there, which I thought was ironic.”

Born in Marykirk in 1839, Blyth studied mathematics and natural philosophy at Edinburgh University. He had a spell as a maths teacher before becoming a philosophy professor at Anderson’s College, which became part of Strathclyde University in 1880.

It was while working in Glasgow that he began researching how wind power could be used for the electricity generation and storage.

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