Name Mark Lindley-Highfield | ||
Mark Highfield, whose full name is Mark Paul Lindley-Highfield of Ballumbie Castle, is a university lecturer, former community councillor, and anthropologist. His surname makes reference to Ballumbie Castle, a ruinous castle on the outskirts of Dundee.
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He first came to the attention of the national media in 2003 when, as a student, his campaign for freedom of speech and the editorial independence of the Gaudie newspaper gained the support of then MPs Alex Salmond (First Minister of Scotland), Lord Jones of Cheltenham, Alistair Carmichael, Angus Robertson and Mike Weir, who backed an Early Day Motion relating to the matter in the Westminster Parliament.
From 2008 to 2010, he was the 14th Baron of Cartsburn. He remains the Lord of the Manor of Wilmington.
In April 2013, he received national media attention following the inquest held into the killing of three children by their father, Ceri Fuller, where it was revealed that Ceri Fuller's wife, Ruth Fuller, a 34-year-old mature student, had had a reported "crush" on him, who was her tutor with the Open University at the time.
In 2016, a traditional African ruler, the Omukama (King) of Bunyoro-Kitara, gave him an award for supporting the kingdom. He runs Bunyoro-Kitara.UK, a voluntary organisation in aid of the community. He is also the founder of the Centre for the Study of the Kingdoms and Chiefdoms of Africa.
Biography
He was educated at the universities of Oxford (matriculated under Highfield-Smith), Aberdeen, Edinburgh and the Open University. He was awarded the Lumsden and Sachs Fellowship for his undergraduate performance at the University of Aberdeen and an Economic and Social Research Council studentship for his research into religious conversion in Mexico.
At 21 years of age, he was appointed chairman of a local business club.
From 2008 to 2010, he was the 14th Baron of Cartsburn and he remains Lord of Wilmington. Neither is a peerage title. Both originated under feudalism.
He was an elected councillor (unopposed) on Turriff & District Community Council.
As of 25 June 2016, he has been appointed Plenipotentiary and Special Adviser of the Association of the Representatives of Bunyoro-Kitara and the Kingdom of Bunyoro-Kitara for Scotland. Also in 2016, he was given an award by the Omukama of Bunyoro-Kitara for charitable work he does for the benefit of the Banyoro people. He runs Bunyoro-Kitara.UK, a voluntary organisation in aid of the community. He is also the founder of the newly created Centre for the Study of the Kingdoms and Chiefdoms of Africa.
Freedom of the press campaign
He first came to the attention of the national media in 2003, when editor of Gaudie, the student newspaper of the University of Aberdeen, when he and his editorial team resigned in protest at editorial interference by the University's Students' Association. Their campaign for free speech and the freedom of the press gained the support of then MPs Alex Salmond (First Minister of Scotland), Lord Jones of Cheltenham, Alistair Carmichael, Angus Robertson and Mike Weir, who supported an Early Day Motion in the Westminster Parliament calling on the Students' Association to reconsider their "ill-advised move".
Ceri Fuller Inquest
In April 2013, a statement on his behalf was read at an inquest held into the killing of three children by their father, Ceri Fuller, where it was revealed that Ceri Fuller's wife, Ruth Fuller, a 34-year-old mature student, had had a reported "crush" on the gentleman, who was her tutor with the Open University at the time. The inquest revealed that 'there was nothing to suggest [she] had started a relationship with her humanities lecturer', he 'responded reminding her of the boundaries between a tutor and student' and he 'had not encouraged her and she had no expectations of a relationship.' The Press Complaints Commission has since published details of resolutions to complaints about some of the reporting of this issue.