Making history in 140 characters

From today, they will tweet diary entries from John Campbell, the cashier in charge of RBS during the Jacobite uprising. His diary records how he paid the rebels in gold from reserves held in Edinburgh Castle and the first tweet will be his diary entry from 14 September 1745, the day he took the bank's valuables to the Castle in anticipation of the Jacobites' arrival in the city.

Ruth Reed, Archives Manager at RBS said: "The diary was ideal for Twitter as it was written in small, daily sections, often with several different entries throughout the day. We're excited about using a new technology to tell a very old story, and hope it will bring this fascinating part of history to a whole new audience."

At the same time, John Campbell's portrait – owned by the Bank – is being loaned to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, where it will be on display when the gallery reopens in November.

Both initiatives are part of RBS' aim to share its heritage and culture more widely, which Ruth Reed believes is “important to Scotland and the bank.” RBS are undertaking a number of partnerships with museums in Scotland, including a partnership with the National Museum of Scotland and a recent joint exhibition with the National Library of Scotland.

You can follow John Campbell's diary on Twitter: @Johnofthebank.