Elspeth King | |
|---|---|
%2c_co-operator_and_reformer.jpg) King in 1975, holding a bust ofRobert Owen (1771–1858), co-operator and reformer | |
| Born | (1949-03-29)29 March 1949 Lochore, Fife, Scotland |
| Died | 1 November 2025(2025-11-01) (aged 76) |
| Alma mater | University of St. Andrews,University of Leicester |
| Occupation(s) | Social historian, curator and writer |
| Known for | Curator at People's Palace, Glasgow and Director of the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum |
Elspeth Russell King[1][2] (29 March 1949 – 1 November 2025)—her full name is also reported asElspeth Cowie King[3]—was a Scottish curator, writer and social historian, known for her role as curator of social history at thePeople's Palace Museum inGlasgow, as Director of theStirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum, and for her scholarship on theScottish women's suffrage movement.
King was born into a mining family inLochore, Fife, on 29 March 1949.[1][4] Her parents were William and Christina (born Cowie) King and she attendedBeath High School in Fife.[3] She studied Medieval History atUniversity of St Andrews, graduating with First Class Honours.[5] She went on to complete a post-graduate course inMuseum Studies atUniversity of Leicester.[4]
In 1974, King joined thePeople's Palace in Glasgow as a curator, and remained there for the next sixteen years. During her tenure exhibitions such asScotland Sober and Free, the 150th anniversary of theTemperance Movement, and the exhibition her colleague and romantic partner Michael Donnelly curated from his own collection of stained glass in 1981, gained record attendances.[5] The People's Palace wonEuropean Museum of the Year in 1981 and the BritishMuseum of the Year award in 1983.[6] King championed the inclusion of objects that were not traditional items for museums. She defended her inclusion ofBilly Connolly's Banana Boots[3] that he first wore in 1975. They became one of the museum's most popular items.[7] She felt that they represented Glasgow's irreverence.[3]
Her pet catSmudge became very well known in Glasgow during her time working there.[8]
In 1990, King was passed over for the civic post of keeper of social history. This decision was considered controversial by many, and was the subject of an appeal under the council's grievance process.[5][6][9][10]
King left Glasgow to take on the role of director of theDunfermline Heritage Trust,[9][11] where she helped to oversee the restoration as a heritage centre ofAbbot House,[12] the oldest secular building in the town.[13]
In 1994, King joined the Smith Art Gallery Museum in Stirling as its first director, where she remained until her retirement in August 2018.[11] The museum had been threatened with closure earlier in the year due to funding cuts.[14] However, a petition was mounted to combat this decision and gained over 7000 signatures after which the museum received a reprieve.[15][16]
King died on 1 November 2025, at the age of 76.[17][18]
King was made an Honorary Doctor of theUniversity of Stirling in 2005 for her "outstanding work in developing Scottish museums and in promoting Scottish history and culture".[19][20]
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