Stop 15 The Downright Gabbler

We hope you have enjoyed your tour. The Downright Gabbler has four self-contained, serviced apartments which are an ideal location for touring the Highlands. We also have a room on the ground floor where we hold a number of events where we share our love of Scotland and its great food and drink with our guests. While you enjoy a first class meal, find out about the important role beer played in building the nation, discover how a rough peasant spirit became the world’s favourite drink or learn how tea, coffee, chocolate – and gin – all played their part in the nation’s development.

And why is it called the Downright Gabbler?

We tell the stories of some of the people who built our country. However, in looking back at the records it always disappointed us so many of the great and the good we read about were men. Where were the women? So we dug deeper and unearthed many stories of the contributions women had made over the centuries and can’t help but think that if they had been men we would all have learned about them at school.

One such woman was Frances Wright who was born in Dundee in 1795. She could have a quiet and comfortable life following genteel pursuits but that was not for her. She was fascinated by what she learned of the American Revolution and the birth of a new nation. So much so she travelled there on several occasions.

But Frances was disappointed to discover that America was not living up to the ideals of equality and opportunity for all enshrined in its constitution so embarked on a life of lecture tours and political activity to implore America to change. She campaigned for universal education for all children, votes for women and the freeing of slaves. She was very influential and met 4 of the first 5 presidents of the United States and engaged in a lengthy correspondence with Thomas Jefferson, urging him to free his slaves.

Her popularity as an orator scared some of the great and the good of the day and they organised to disrupt her meetings by booing and hissing as she spoke. One leading newspaper of the day published a cartoon mocking her saying she was a goose who should be hissed and called her the Downright Gabbler!

She was years ahead of her time but all of the causes Frances espoused were picked up by others over the years. We feel that this brave and feisty Scots woman deserves to be remembered and are delighted to name our small building in her honour.