Tweet
CONTENTS
--------
Electric Scotland News
Electric Scotland Community
The Flag in the Wind
Geikie's Etchings
Historical Tales of the Wars of Scotland
Glencreggan: or A Highland Home in Cantire
Kay's Edinburgh Portraits
Traditions of Perth
Glasgow and it's Clubs
Dr. John McLoughlin - Father of Oregon
Musings among the Heather
Beth's Newfangled Family Tree
Robert Burns Lives!
John Clay - A Scottish Farmer (New Book)
Berwick upon Tweed (New Book)
Sir Andrew Wood
Scottish Singalong
Mistura Curiosa
The Cottars of the Glen
Electric Scotland News
----------------------
I got in an email from Ranald McIntyre this morning...
My reminder program tells me that it is now 5113 days since electricscotland was formed in 1997.....
WOW.. sounds a long time when you put it like that <grin>
-----
It's getting near to that time of year again...
Tartan Day at the Granite Club, Tuesday April 5, 2011, Reception: 6:30 p.m. Dinner: 7:15 p.m.
The Scottish Studies Society invites you and your friends and family to a very special Tartan Day Celebration on Tuesday April 5, 2011.
The venue for this year's event will be Toronto's prestigious Granite Club and we invite you to an evening of fine food, music and dance -- all with a Scots-Canadian flavour.
During the evening we will be presenting our 19th annual "Scot of the Year Award" which was initiated in 1993 to honour individuals who have achieved distinction through their contribution to Canadian society or the international community at large.
This year's recipient will be Scots-Canadian mining engineer, businessman and philanthropist Robert M. Buchan in recognition of his role in supporting philanthropic and educational activities in Canada and Scotland.
Born in Aberdeen and brought up in Rosyth, Fife, Mr. Buchan graduated with a B.Sc. (hons) in Mining Engineering from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh in 1969 and in 1971 obtained a Masters in Mineral Economics from Queen's University, in Kingston.
In 2009 he donated $10 million to Queen's University, the largest single donation to mining education in Canadian history. In September 2010 it was announced that Buchan was donating £1.3 million to his Scottish alma mater, to fund their work on sustainable energy engineering, the largest donation the university has ever received from an individual. He has also donated £650,000 to help establish the Whitlock Energy Collaboration Centre at Carnegie College in Fife, believed to be the largest single private individual donation to a Scottish college since the time of Andrew Carnegie.
From 1971 to 1974 Mr. Buchan worked as a design engineer at Joy Manufacturing and then as a Securities Analyst at A.E. Ames from 1974 to 1978 and at BBN from 1978 to 1984.
He participated in the formation of CMP Funds, and served as its President from 1984 to 1988 and also participated in the creation of Dundee Bancorp in 1987 and served as its Vice-Chairman until 1994. During that period, he ran the merchant banking division, DCC Equities.
In 1994, he left Dundee to form Kinross Gold Corporation acting as that company's CEO from 1993 to 2004 and in 2005 he started Katanga Copper Company, and served as that company's Chairman until 2007 when he formed Allied Nevada Gold Corporation serving as that company's Chairman since inception.
Throughout Mr. Buchan's career, he has served on numerous boards of resource companies, as well as being Chairman of Quest Capital.
He has served on the foundations of Sunnybrook Hospital, the Art Gallery of Ontario and chaired a capital campaign for the CNIB (2005-2007). He has been elected to the Board of Trustees of Queen's University through 2014 and is a director of the Buchan Family Foundation, which is involved in a number of philanthropic causes and campaigns.
The dress code for the evening will be business formal. However, as it is a Scottish event with an emphasis on tartan, we are looking for as much innovation as possible. This is your chance to dress up for one of the most sophisticated events in the Scots-Canadian calendar.
We do hope you will be able to join us for this memorable evening, the proceeds of which will go to support the Scottish Studies Foundation in the funding of the Chair of Scottish Studies at the University of Guelph, the acquisition of significant materials for their library and bursaries for Canadian students studying in Scotland.
So please check this website as we get closer to April 5 for up-to-date information. We look forward to seeing as many of our supporters as possible at the event.
You can order online through http://www.scottishstudies.com/950tartanday2011.htm
-----
I might add that if you Google "Tartan Day 2011" you'll find loads of events organised from all over the world.
The particular reason the Canadian events are interesting is that this year is the first that Tartan Day is being recognised by the Government of Canada and also the first year the Maple Leaf Tartan has been officially recognised as the tartan of Canada and an official icon of Canada.
ABOUT THE STORIES
-----------------
Some of the stories in here are just parts of a larger story so do check out the site for the full versions. You can always find the link in our "What's New" section in our site menu and at http://www.electricscotland.com/rss/whatsnew.php
Electric Scotland Community
---------------------------
Lots of messages going in each day into the community with a wide range of topics so hopefully you are enjoying the mix of messages. I note we've gone over 400 members this week. I also noticed that the most members online in one day was 32, 25th February 2011. We still get lots of guests coming in so it's nice to see more members logging into the community.
I posted up a message about Social Networking this week and I'd certainly be interested in your views. I have been questioning the value of social networking for some time as I just don't think it is contributing to society in any meaningful way. While being undeniably successful I just wonder where this is all taking us. I then read the blog of Science Fiction writer Modesitt and as it happens he was commenting on this himself. In part he said...
What is so intriguing, horrifying to me, in fact, about this juxtaposition is the values behind each and the way they’re playing out in the press and politics. The Social Network is “only” a movie, but it portrays how an egocentric and brilliant young man, with few ethics and less scruples forged a multi-billion dollar corporation by pandering to the need of Americans to essentially be recognized at any cost and by creating the social media structure that so many Americans, especially young Americans, seem unable to function without. In practice, it’s about the glorification of self and the exaltation of emptiness within those who seem unable to function without continual affirmation by others. What’s also disturbing about the film is the support it has received from the “younger” generation, who seem oblivious to the issues behind both Facebook and its creator.
... and it's like I mentioned before. I get lots of Facebook requests to be my friend but the person never tells you why they want to be my friend or bother to tell me anything about themselves. Then there are the recommendations that you should join this or that group without them bothering to tell you anything about the group or why you should be interested in joining it.
That in part is why I like forums as there you can post some seriously good information and really develop a serious conversation. Amongst all that you can certainly exchange chitchat with friends and family.
And so it would be great to get your views on the value of Facebook, Twitter, etc.
On another topic we have done an update of our Arcade. We were going to move to a new arcade system but the authors of our current arcade provided an update to folk like us that were having problems on saving the high scores. And so we've decided to do this update in the hope it will work.
Now if you try it out and still have the same problem of saving high scores we'd appreciate it if you could provide some information so we can report the problem back to them. The info we'd like to receive are...
What was the exact Game Name you were playing?:
The name is important as we have two versions of games v2 and v32 so this will help us identify if it is a version problem.
What time and date did the error occur?:
This is just to see if we were having any issues with the server at the time.
How long had you been playing games in the arcade?:
This is just to see if we have a time out issue on the server so an approximate time that you have been playing would be useful.
How long had you been logged into the forums?:
We just want to see if time logged in addition to the time you were in the arcade is an issue.
How many times had you played the game?:
It seems that the problem doesn't occur on your first play but on subsequent plays. So knowing how many times you played a game is important.
Any additional details you feel important:
And just in case you noticed some kind of problem feel free to add any further information.
We would really like to put this problem to bed once and for all so your reports are important and we'd really appreciate your feedback. You can either email us or report the problem in the Gamers Corner forum. Or indeed if it works when it didn't before do let us know! :-)
Our community can be viewed at http://www.electricscotland.org/forum.php but of course if you are reading this you're already in it :-)
THE FLAG IN THE WIND
--------------------
This weeks issue is now available Compiled by Jennifer Dunn in which she tells us she is recovering from an operation and I am sure we all wish her well for her recovery. This week she highlights two particular stories one of which is about "A grubby assortment of bookings, arrests, hissy fits and fights surrounded the last Rangers and Celtic fixture, and it was depressing to watch". The other article is about Rape and she makes some good points in her article. Also included in the Synopsis is the announcement of government support for an upgrading of the Glasgow Underground rail system.
You can get to the Flag at http://www.scotsindependent.org
Christina McKelvie MSP's weekly diary diary made it in this week and can be viewed at http://www.electricscotland.com/history/mckelvie
And we'd also like to with Christina a very Happy Birthday... she won't reveal her age other than she's stili in her twenties!!! <grin>
Geikie's Etchings
-----------------
This week we've added more etchings along with some quite detailed accounts...
Dulse and Tangle
Grassmarket Folks Met
Our Goodman's a Drucken Carle
You can read these at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...ikie/index.htm
Historical Tales of the Wars of Scotland
----------------------------------------
And of the Border Raids, Forays and Conflicts by John Parker Lawson (1839). This is a new publication we're starting on which is in 3 volumes. We intend to post up 2 or 3 stories each week until complete.
This week we've added...
Acts Of The Lords Lovat - 1570
Conflict At Linlithgow Bridge - 1526
You can read these accounts at http://www.electricscotland.com/history/wars/
Glencreggan: or A Highland Home in Cantire
------------------------------------------
By Cuthbert Bede (1861)
This week we're on Volume 2 with...
Chapter XXV - On the Atlantic Shore
Mushrooms and Sea Air. — Beallachaghaochan Cave. — A Mountain Stream.— By the sad Sea Waves. — Receding of the Sea. — Detached Rocks. — Their geological Character. — Their botanical Character, — The Blue Bell of Scotland — Its distinctive Marks. — Hairbell or Harebell. — A Spot for a Pic Nic. — Kelp Gatherers. — Manufacture of Kelp. — Wraic. — The Kelp Harvest. — Value of a Kelp Shore. — Wraic in Jersey. — Hard Work. — Herrings and Wraic.
You can read this at http://www.electricscotland.com/history/glencreggan/
Kay's Edinburgh Portraits
-------------------------
A Series of Anecdotal Biographies chiefly of Scotchmen, Mostly by James Paterson and Edited by James Maidment (1885)
This week we have added...
The Rev. David Johnston, D.D., Minister of North Leith
Sir James Stirling, Bart., Lord Provost of Edinburgh
and then we started on Volume 2 with...
John Dowie, Vintner
Lord Hailes, of the Court of Session
Sir David Rae of Eskgrove, Bart., Lord Justice-Clerk
Thomas Blair, of the Stamp Office
The final Portrait in Volume 1 is an interesting account and starts...
This gentleman, whose father was a fishmonger at the head of Marlin's Wynd, had the merit of being the architect of his own fortune. Marlin's Wynd, which stood east of the Tron Church, was demolished to make way for the South Bridge. Mr. Stirling had for his sign a large, clumsy, wooden Black Bull, which is preserved as a relic in the Museum of the Scottish Antiquaries. In early life he went to the West Indies, as clerk to an extensive and opulent planter, Mr. Stirling of Keir, where he conducted himself with such propriety, that, in a short time, through the influence of his employer, he was appointed Secretary to the Governor of the Island of Jamaica, Sir Charles Dalling.
Having in this situation accumulated a considerable sum of money, he at length returned to Edinburgh, and was assumed a partner in the banking concern of "Mansfield, Rarnsay, & Co." (lately Ramsay, Bonar, & Co.), whose place of business was then in Cantore's Close, Luckenbooths. Not long after he had entered into this concern, Mr. Stirling, naturally of an irritable temperament, became uneasy at the extent and responsibility of a banking establishment, and proposed selling his estate of Saughie, which he had recently purchased. Old Mr. William Ramsay, having been apprised of his intention, addressed him one day after dinner in his usual familiar manner—"I hear, Jamie, that ye're gaun to sell the Saughie property. If that be the case, rather than let you advertise it in the newspapers, and thereby bring suspicion on the stability of the concern, I'll tak it frae you at what it cost ye." Stirling instantly agreed to the proposition ; and scarcely had the property been transferred to Mr. Ramsay when that gentleman had the offer of nearly double the purchase-money. The value is now more than quadrupled. In this copartnery he was very prosperous; and his good fortune was increased by obtaining the hand of Miss Mansfield, the daughter of the principal partner.
You can read the rest of this at http://www.electricscotland.com/history/kays/vol178.htm
These entries can be read at http://www.electricscotland.com/history/kays/index.htm
Traditions of Perth
-------------------
Containing Sketches of the Manners and Customs of the Inhabitants during the last century by George Penny (1836)
We've now added Pages 186 to 212 and included in these pages are accounts of Perth Schools, Corporations and Trades.
You can get to these pages at the foot of the page at http://www.electricscotland.com/history/perth/
Glasgow and it's Clubs
----------------------
Or Glimpses of Conditions, Manners, Characters and Oddities of the City By John Strang LL.D. (1857)
This week we've added...
Quondam State of the Glasgow Police—Gegg Club
Youthful Frolics of Glasgow—Banditti Club
Music and Masonry in Glasgow—Packers' and Every Night Club
The Gegg club gives an interesting account of policing in these old days which starts...
To those who are now living quietly and comfortably under the protection of our well-managed Muncipal Police, it is scarcely possible to convey an idea of the irregularities and dangers to which Glasgow was exposed before the first Police Act was obtained, and for even a considerable number of years after this statute had been put in force. Down to the close of the last century, watching and warding was, in accordance with the Burgess Oath, an obligation laid upon all who had obtained municipal privileges; but the mode practised by the burgesses to evade the duty was, of itself, sufficient to render the whole even worse than a farce. The respectable citizens, instead of proceeding in their turn to the Guard-house themselves, either hired porters, or sent their manufacturing servants to perform the work; while occasionally a set of young madcaps ostensibly undertook the duty, but instead of attempting to allay noise and turbulence, secretly instigated commotion for the sake of diversion. In these circumstances, it may easily be conceived that thieves, vagabonds, and blackguards had their full swing, while, beneath the safeguard of an
ill-lighted and frequently a lamp-demolished town, offences of the most heinous kind were safely committed.
You can read these chapters at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...w/clubsndx.htm
Dr. John McLoughlin
-------------------
Father of Oregon by Frederick V. Holman (1907)
We have added the following chapters this week which now completes this book...
Justice to Dr. McLoughlin's Memory
Eulogy upon Dr. McLoughlin
Documents mentioned in the book
In the Eulogy it starts...
Like many others of the world's great men, Dr. John McLoughlin had many characteristics, apparently conflicting, but making in the aggregate a wonderful and harmonious whole. He was the autocrat of the early Oregon Country, yet all his feelings and political sympathies were for a republican form of government, and for rule by the people, and for personal liberty; he was a trader, with the training of a trader and of a business man, yet he gave credit, without security, to the early pioneers, because he was a humanitarian; he was quick tempered and impulsive, yet he was courteous and kind, for he was a gentleman; he was stern and severe and a strict disciplinarian, yet he had a sympathy like that of a woman, and a heart as tender and susceptible as that of a little child.
Whatever Dr. John McLoughlin did to or for the Oregon settlers, missionaries and immigrants, he did to every citizen of Oregon, man, woman, and child, for all time, then, now, and to come. In honoring him, we honor ourselves. To fail to honor him and his memory, we would dishonor ourselves. To every true, honest Oregon pioneer, and to the descendants of every Oregon pioneer, has come the pleasing and loving duty of letting the whole world know of Dr. McLoughlin's actions and character, so that memory of him and his humanity shall never perish. The time will come -and it should come soon-when a magnificent and stately monument will be erected in Oregon in honor of Dr. John McLoughlin. But it must be a monument of such size and beauty as, in that manner, to show the appreciation of the people of Oregon for him, and of the good and noble deeds of this grand old man.
You can read these chapters at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...egon/index.htm
Musings among the Heather
-------------------------
Being poems chiefly in the Scottish Dialect by David Thomson (1881).
We have added Pages 61 to 120 this week. In some respects some of his poems have a Burnsian quality about them and are well worth a read for those who enjoy poetry or even for those that don't.
You can read this at http://www.electricscotland.com/poetry/musings.htm
Robert Burns Lives!
-------------------
By Frank Shaw
Frank gave a Talk to the Burns and Beyond Conference in Glasgow earlier this year and this is a copy of it. He also includes an excellent picture of the Robert Burns Stained Glass Window at the University of Glasgow.
You can read this at http://www.electricscotland.com/fami...s_lives111.htm
All of the Robert Burns articles can be found at http://www.electricscotland.com/fami...rank/burns.htm
John Clay - A Scottish Farmer
-----------------------------
By his eldest son (1906)
I selected this book as it tells the story of a Scottish Farmer and thought it would be interesting to see how he went about his business. In the first chapter we learn...
John Clay was born at Dykegatehead, a farm in the Parish of Whitsome, in the county of Berwick, on November 5, 1824. His father, John Clay, farmed the above place at that date, and his grandfather, (old) John Clay, ["Eyemouth, 19th May, 1787. "At a general encampment held this day, the following brethren were made Royal Arch Masons, viz. Robert Burns, from the Lodge of St. James's, Tarbolton, Ayrshire, and Robert Ainslie, from the Lodge of St. Luke's, Edinburgh, by James Carmichael, Wm. Grieve, Daniel Dow, John Clay, Robert Grieve, Sec. Sic. Robert Ainslie paid one guinea admission dues; but on account of R. Burns's remarkable poetical genius the encampment unanimously agreed to admit him gratis, and considered themselves honoured by having a man of such shining abilities for one of their companions."—Extracted from the Minute Book of the Lodge by Thos. Bowhill.— Allan Cunningham's Life of Burns.] was a very prosperous grain merchant in the good old town of Berwick-on-Tweed. The family of Clay had been around the Border town for several generations, but it is sufficient for this story to go back to the grand old man whose name is historic on the Borders for probity, push and perseverance. We have seen many men who knew him—notably the late Adam Darling of Governor's Yard, Berwick-on-Tweed, and he loved to depict in warm colors the man who for years had been a leading factor in the agricultural life of the Borders. His portrait in oil used to hang in his daughter Sarah's house, Castle Terrace, Berwick-on-Tweed, and it also appears in the picture now at Magdala Crescent (Edinburgh), entitled "Four John Clays," and reproduced in this work. His strong face, deep-lined, with a crest of gray hair, looks down from the frame on his successors, who in their time have lived and worked out their destiny. If you take this picture and put it beside that of Henry Clay, the great American statesman, you would say they were brothers. In fact, the subject of this memoir, when first in the United States, in 1876, was so struck by the likeness that he purchased an engraving of the above gentleman, and it now hangs in the house at 8 Magdala Crescent. Although ancestral rolls were explored, no connection could be traced, but if family likeness counts for anything, they are from the same parents in the years gone by.
We have the first few chapters up which can be read at http://www.electricscotland.com/history/clay/index.htm
Berwick upon Tweed
------------------
A History of the Town by John Scott (1888)
Tecnhnically this is an English town but being right on the border of Scotland and England makes it of interest to us as it was in its early years of tremendous importance and contributed some 25% of the total tax revenue of England. It has belonged to both England and Scotland over the years.
In the Preface he gives an outline of what you will learn...
IN the volume now presented to my readers I have detailed the general history of the town from the earliest records to the present time; then the history of its Guild. I have sketched the history of its Streets, its Charters, its Churches, its Grammar School, its Bridges, its Fisheries, etc. In the Appendix will be found Lists of its Ancient Burgesses, its Members of Parliament, its Mayors and Town Clerks, as well as several documents—the most valuable of which are the Statutes of the Guild and the Orders of the Old and New Establishments.
You can read this book as we get it up at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...wick/index.htm
Sir Andrew Wood
---------------
I was searching for some information on Sir Andrew Wood and came across the book "The Constable of France" in which there was quite a good account of him. The book was not in good shape as the ink had leaked through to other pages and thus some pages were very hard to read.
I have made the book available for those that are interested which you can find at http://www.electricscotland.com/books/pdf/constable.htm
However I took the time to extract the pages about Sir Andrew Wood, an Admiral of the Scottish Navy, and using my Paint Shop Pro program managed to make a reasonable job of cleaning up the pages to make them more readable. I then compiled them back into a pdf file which you can read at http://www.electricscotland.com/webc...ndrew_wood.pdf
Scottish Singalong
------------------
John added another song to this page called "Dae Ye Mynd Lang Syne". I might add that at the weekend I took the time to edit every page in this section to bring you a clickable link to the actual song. When we first did the pages we didn't realise that only Internet Explorer had the ability to play background music on a page. This of course meant that anyone using any other browser couldn't play the song. So... hopefully this work will now make them accessible to other browsers.
Please note however that if you use IE then the song will play in the background so if you click on the link you're going to get two songs playing! Also I've arranged that when you do click on the link the song will play in another window meaning you will be able to click on the other window to read the lines while the song is playing in the other window.
You can get to this page at http://www.electricscotland.com/poet...rson/singalong
John has also sent in a couple of his own songs...
Dan and June at http://www.electricscotland.com/poetry/doggerel382.htm
Mad March 2011 at http://www.electricscotland.com/poetry/doggerel383.htm
A Little Breath of Scotland
---------------------------
I've added this radio station to our music page as you can now listen to it by podcast at any time during the week. Dennis Snowdon has been hosting this program for some 44 years from Ontario but previously you could only listen to it while he was on air. You can get to the link for this program at http://www.electricscotland.com/music
Mistura Curiosa
---------------
Our thanks to John Henderson for finding this book for us.
Subscriber and Intelligent Purchaser, it would ill bccome me to begrudge you a little grumble, if having paid your money, you are not content, either with the quality or quantity of the odds and ends which enter into the composition of this book; but you will please to remember that they were written, not for your benefit, but for my amusement, as sometime ago I did find out that there was a deal of truth in the old saying, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy".
Not that it has made very much difference on me, so far as I can discover, but it has made me sharp enough to prefer two requests, — 1st, that should you be inclined to give any praise, all and every portion thereof should be bestowed on me for my share of the work; 2d, that should you be inclined to give any blame, all and every portion thereof should be thrown on to the shoulders of Charles Doyle and John Smart, who, by their Sketches have induced me to publish. I freely admit that some of the verses may be thin or poor, but that is counterbalanced by the large amount of dissipation in others; be that as it may, whether you approve or not, I bear you no ill will, as a proof thereof I request you will allow me to dedicate this book to you.
You can read this book at http://www.electricscotland.com/poet...ra_curiosa.htm
The Cottars of the Glen
-----------------------
or a Glimpse of the Rural Life of the Scottish Peasantry of 100 years ago By The Rev. Robert Simpson (1866)
We have now completed this book which you can read at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...tars/index.htm
I want to conclude this newsletter with the Conclusion of this book as I believe it gives us a message on how easy it is to forget our own history...
As we have in the preceding pages surveyed the condition, and customs, and manners of the people of the glen, and noticed also some of their superstitions and amusements, and a few of the incidents that befel, as has been supposed, a hundred years ago, from all which we derive some instruction, we now, in a few sentences, draw our remarks to a close.
The prominent character in the glen, in those days, as we have seen, was the venerable patriarch, Saunders Gray. The worthy man was the means of accomplishing much good among the simple-minded people in the midst of whom he dwelt. But Saunders was now well stricken in years, and the infirmities of age began to press upon him. He had seen much and endured much within his own little circle, and had grace given him under all to behave as a Christian man should. He had the pleasure, in his old days, of seeing his surviving daughter and her husband in prosperous circumstances, and their lovely family growing up around them. The time, however, came when the worthy man was to leave the world. Having fulfilled his days and his work on earth, his death was what was to be expected—a death of peace and triumph. His departure caused universal lamentation, and even his enemies shut their mouths. His remains were deposited between those of his wife and daughter, in the churchyard of Old Kirkbride, on the hill. No monument, however, marks his resting-place.
A number of years after the death of Saunders, the glen suddenly changed its aspect. Its stately forest, as has been noticed, fell under the stroke of the woodman's axe, and much of its glory vanished. To complete the denudation, however, the populace were next cleared away. The families—not all at once, but one by one— were quietly removed, and their deserted cottages fell to the ground; and where formerly ninety-four dwelling places could be counted, only eight now remain. The glen became gradually silent; the voices of men were not heard, and the songs of the birds were silent too.
The smith died in the glen, and so did the honest tailor, and both departed in the faith of Christ. They survived Saunders by several years, and in them were prolonged his example and his influence after he was laid in an honoured grave. Not one of the eight families resident in the glen can claim their descent from the older inhabitants, and they have none of their traditions circulating among them. These traditions are mainly retained by persons scattered here and there in the wide locality around. With some of these persons we have conversed, and with some also who, within the last generation, resided in a stray cottage here and; there in the sweet vale of their forefathers. But the glen, denuded though it be of its stately trees and its stalwart men, is still a lovely valley—one of the sweetest in all the southland of our beloved Scotland.
"O, wild-traditioned Scotland,
Thy briery barns and braes
Are full of pleasant memories,
And tales of other days!
Thy story-haunted waters
In music gush along;
Thy bosky glens are tragedy,
Thy heathy hills are song!"
Many a time have we traversed the glen, and endeavoured to trace the foundations of the cottages of the older inhabitants. But even these have vanished; they have been cleared away for the purpose of dike-building in the locality: and even every monument of antiquity has been demolished, except one on a field near the foot of the Haunted Lin, and another farther up the stream, but beyond the basin inhabited by the cottars. Some few old names are still attached to particular spots, but these, also, in the lapse of a generation or two, will likely vanish. Auchengour, "The Field of Goats," a place once well known in the glen, is now scarcely recognised. The Chapel Hill, on the farm of Carco, with no cottage near it, is still known with its round fosse and its mound in the centre, the site of an ancient baronial hold; but it is a spot never visited, because it lies up on the breast of the hill, and far out of the way of the traveller. Its name, also, in process of time, will perish.
The names of places are gradually dropped, and that without the replacement of new ones; and this more especially is the case on the introduction of a new tenant, who may happen to be an entire stranger in the district. A curious instance of this kind took place about fifty years ago. The ancient farm of Cogshead, then, as now, a shepherd residence, had changed occupants. The new shepherd was an entire stranger, from a distant part of the country. The names of the hills, and glens, and streams, and all the places around, were utterly unknown to him. He applied to persons in the vicinity to help him in his difficulty, but none could give him any satisfactory information. The thing was hopeless—the whole herding was nameless. At last it was suggested that the old shepherd, of the name of Brown, who now had taken up his residence about Muirkirk, should be sent for. He stayed a week or two with the new herd, and reimposed all the names without one single omission, and they have been carefully retained till the present day. Thus, in one instance, the names that had been stereotyped for ages on a given locality were in danger of being almost entirely effaced.
The glen, in this way, has sustained damage to a certain extent, and even to a greater extent than may at first sight be apparent. But the recent survey of the country, and the exact mapping and naming of every spot, and house, and hill, and stream, by the Government officials, will arrest for all future time the present names, at least.
And that's it for now and hope you all have a good weekend.
Alastair
http://www.electricscotland.com
--------
Electric Scotland News
Electric Scotland Community
The Flag in the Wind
Geikie's Etchings
Historical Tales of the Wars of Scotland
Glencreggan: or A Highland Home in Cantire
Kay's Edinburgh Portraits
Traditions of Perth
Glasgow and it's Clubs
Dr. John McLoughlin - Father of Oregon
Musings among the Heather
Beth's Newfangled Family Tree
Robert Burns Lives!
John Clay - A Scottish Farmer (New Book)
Berwick upon Tweed (New Book)
Sir Andrew Wood
Scottish Singalong
Mistura Curiosa
The Cottars of the Glen
Electric Scotland News
----------------------
I got in an email from Ranald McIntyre this morning...
My reminder program tells me that it is now 5113 days since electricscotland was formed in 1997.....
WOW.. sounds a long time when you put it like that <grin>
-----
It's getting near to that time of year again...
Tartan Day at the Granite Club, Tuesday April 5, 2011, Reception: 6:30 p.m. Dinner: 7:15 p.m.
The Scottish Studies Society invites you and your friends and family to a very special Tartan Day Celebration on Tuesday April 5, 2011.
The venue for this year's event will be Toronto's prestigious Granite Club and we invite you to an evening of fine food, music and dance -- all with a Scots-Canadian flavour.
During the evening we will be presenting our 19th annual "Scot of the Year Award" which was initiated in 1993 to honour individuals who have achieved distinction through their contribution to Canadian society or the international community at large.
This year's recipient will be Scots-Canadian mining engineer, businessman and philanthropist Robert M. Buchan in recognition of his role in supporting philanthropic and educational activities in Canada and Scotland.
Born in Aberdeen and brought up in Rosyth, Fife, Mr. Buchan graduated with a B.Sc. (hons) in Mining Engineering from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh in 1969 and in 1971 obtained a Masters in Mineral Economics from Queen's University, in Kingston.
In 2009 he donated $10 million to Queen's University, the largest single donation to mining education in Canadian history. In September 2010 it was announced that Buchan was donating £1.3 million to his Scottish alma mater, to fund their work on sustainable energy engineering, the largest donation the university has ever received from an individual. He has also donated £650,000 to help establish the Whitlock Energy Collaboration Centre at Carnegie College in Fife, believed to be the largest single private individual donation to a Scottish college since the time of Andrew Carnegie.
From 1971 to 1974 Mr. Buchan worked as a design engineer at Joy Manufacturing and then as a Securities Analyst at A.E. Ames from 1974 to 1978 and at BBN from 1978 to 1984.
He participated in the formation of CMP Funds, and served as its President from 1984 to 1988 and also participated in the creation of Dundee Bancorp in 1987 and served as its Vice-Chairman until 1994. During that period, he ran the merchant banking division, DCC Equities.
In 1994, he left Dundee to form Kinross Gold Corporation acting as that company's CEO from 1993 to 2004 and in 2005 he started Katanga Copper Company, and served as that company's Chairman until 2007 when he formed Allied Nevada Gold Corporation serving as that company's Chairman since inception.
Throughout Mr. Buchan's career, he has served on numerous boards of resource companies, as well as being Chairman of Quest Capital.
He has served on the foundations of Sunnybrook Hospital, the Art Gallery of Ontario and chaired a capital campaign for the CNIB (2005-2007). He has been elected to the Board of Trustees of Queen's University through 2014 and is a director of the Buchan Family Foundation, which is involved in a number of philanthropic causes and campaigns.
The dress code for the evening will be business formal. However, as it is a Scottish event with an emphasis on tartan, we are looking for as much innovation as possible. This is your chance to dress up for one of the most sophisticated events in the Scots-Canadian calendar.
We do hope you will be able to join us for this memorable evening, the proceeds of which will go to support the Scottish Studies Foundation in the funding of the Chair of Scottish Studies at the University of Guelph, the acquisition of significant materials for their library and bursaries for Canadian students studying in Scotland.
So please check this website as we get closer to April 5 for up-to-date information. We look forward to seeing as many of our supporters as possible at the event.
You can order online through http://www.scottishstudies.com/950tartanday2011.htm
-----
I might add that if you Google "Tartan Day 2011" you'll find loads of events organised from all over the world.
The particular reason the Canadian events are interesting is that this year is the first that Tartan Day is being recognised by the Government of Canada and also the first year the Maple Leaf Tartan has been officially recognised as the tartan of Canada and an official icon of Canada.
ABOUT THE STORIES
-----------------
Some of the stories in here are just parts of a larger story so do check out the site for the full versions. You can always find the link in our "What's New" section in our site menu and at http://www.electricscotland.com/rss/whatsnew.php
Electric Scotland Community
---------------------------
Lots of messages going in each day into the community with a wide range of topics so hopefully you are enjoying the mix of messages. I note we've gone over 400 members this week. I also noticed that the most members online in one day was 32, 25th February 2011. We still get lots of guests coming in so it's nice to see more members logging into the community.
I posted up a message about Social Networking this week and I'd certainly be interested in your views. I have been questioning the value of social networking for some time as I just don't think it is contributing to society in any meaningful way. While being undeniably successful I just wonder where this is all taking us. I then read the blog of Science Fiction writer Modesitt and as it happens he was commenting on this himself. In part he said...
What is so intriguing, horrifying to me, in fact, about this juxtaposition is the values behind each and the way they’re playing out in the press and politics. The Social Network is “only” a movie, but it portrays how an egocentric and brilliant young man, with few ethics and less scruples forged a multi-billion dollar corporation by pandering to the need of Americans to essentially be recognized at any cost and by creating the social media structure that so many Americans, especially young Americans, seem unable to function without. In practice, it’s about the glorification of self and the exaltation of emptiness within those who seem unable to function without continual affirmation by others. What’s also disturbing about the film is the support it has received from the “younger” generation, who seem oblivious to the issues behind both Facebook and its creator.
... and it's like I mentioned before. I get lots of Facebook requests to be my friend but the person never tells you why they want to be my friend or bother to tell me anything about themselves. Then there are the recommendations that you should join this or that group without them bothering to tell you anything about the group or why you should be interested in joining it.
That in part is why I like forums as there you can post some seriously good information and really develop a serious conversation. Amongst all that you can certainly exchange chitchat with friends and family.
And so it would be great to get your views on the value of Facebook, Twitter, etc.
On another topic we have done an update of our Arcade. We were going to move to a new arcade system but the authors of our current arcade provided an update to folk like us that were having problems on saving the high scores. And so we've decided to do this update in the hope it will work.
Now if you try it out and still have the same problem of saving high scores we'd appreciate it if you could provide some information so we can report the problem back to them. The info we'd like to receive are...
What was the exact Game Name you were playing?:
The name is important as we have two versions of games v2 and v32 so this will help us identify if it is a version problem.
What time and date did the error occur?:
This is just to see if we were having any issues with the server at the time.
How long had you been playing games in the arcade?:
This is just to see if we have a time out issue on the server so an approximate time that you have been playing would be useful.
How long had you been logged into the forums?:
We just want to see if time logged in addition to the time you were in the arcade is an issue.
How many times had you played the game?:
It seems that the problem doesn't occur on your first play but on subsequent plays. So knowing how many times you played a game is important.
Any additional details you feel important:
And just in case you noticed some kind of problem feel free to add any further information.
We would really like to put this problem to bed once and for all so your reports are important and we'd really appreciate your feedback. You can either email us or report the problem in the Gamers Corner forum. Or indeed if it works when it didn't before do let us know! :-)
Our community can be viewed at http://www.electricscotland.org/forum.php but of course if you are reading this you're already in it :-)
THE FLAG IN THE WIND
--------------------
This weeks issue is now available Compiled by Jennifer Dunn in which she tells us she is recovering from an operation and I am sure we all wish her well for her recovery. This week she highlights two particular stories one of which is about "A grubby assortment of bookings, arrests, hissy fits and fights surrounded the last Rangers and Celtic fixture, and it was depressing to watch". The other article is about Rape and she makes some good points in her article. Also included in the Synopsis is the announcement of government support for an upgrading of the Glasgow Underground rail system.
You can get to the Flag at http://www.scotsindependent.org
Christina McKelvie MSP's weekly diary diary made it in this week and can be viewed at http://www.electricscotland.com/history/mckelvie
And we'd also like to with Christina a very Happy Birthday... she won't reveal her age other than she's stili in her twenties!!! <grin>
Geikie's Etchings
-----------------
This week we've added more etchings along with some quite detailed accounts...
Dulse and Tangle
Grassmarket Folks Met
Our Goodman's a Drucken Carle
You can read these at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...ikie/index.htm
Historical Tales of the Wars of Scotland
----------------------------------------
And of the Border Raids, Forays and Conflicts by John Parker Lawson (1839). This is a new publication we're starting on which is in 3 volumes. We intend to post up 2 or 3 stories each week until complete.
This week we've added...
Acts Of The Lords Lovat - 1570
Conflict At Linlithgow Bridge - 1526
You can read these accounts at http://www.electricscotland.com/history/wars/
Glencreggan: or A Highland Home in Cantire
------------------------------------------
By Cuthbert Bede (1861)
This week we're on Volume 2 with...
Chapter XXV - On the Atlantic Shore
Mushrooms and Sea Air. — Beallachaghaochan Cave. — A Mountain Stream.— By the sad Sea Waves. — Receding of the Sea. — Detached Rocks. — Their geological Character. — Their botanical Character, — The Blue Bell of Scotland — Its distinctive Marks. — Hairbell or Harebell. — A Spot for a Pic Nic. — Kelp Gatherers. — Manufacture of Kelp. — Wraic. — The Kelp Harvest. — Value of a Kelp Shore. — Wraic in Jersey. — Hard Work. — Herrings and Wraic.
You can read this at http://www.electricscotland.com/history/glencreggan/
Kay's Edinburgh Portraits
-------------------------
A Series of Anecdotal Biographies chiefly of Scotchmen, Mostly by James Paterson and Edited by James Maidment (1885)
This week we have added...
The Rev. David Johnston, D.D., Minister of North Leith
Sir James Stirling, Bart., Lord Provost of Edinburgh
and then we started on Volume 2 with...
John Dowie, Vintner
Lord Hailes, of the Court of Session
Sir David Rae of Eskgrove, Bart., Lord Justice-Clerk
Thomas Blair, of the Stamp Office
The final Portrait in Volume 1 is an interesting account and starts...
This gentleman, whose father was a fishmonger at the head of Marlin's Wynd, had the merit of being the architect of his own fortune. Marlin's Wynd, which stood east of the Tron Church, was demolished to make way for the South Bridge. Mr. Stirling had for his sign a large, clumsy, wooden Black Bull, which is preserved as a relic in the Museum of the Scottish Antiquaries. In early life he went to the West Indies, as clerk to an extensive and opulent planter, Mr. Stirling of Keir, where he conducted himself with such propriety, that, in a short time, through the influence of his employer, he was appointed Secretary to the Governor of the Island of Jamaica, Sir Charles Dalling.
Having in this situation accumulated a considerable sum of money, he at length returned to Edinburgh, and was assumed a partner in the banking concern of "Mansfield, Rarnsay, & Co." (lately Ramsay, Bonar, & Co.), whose place of business was then in Cantore's Close, Luckenbooths. Not long after he had entered into this concern, Mr. Stirling, naturally of an irritable temperament, became uneasy at the extent and responsibility of a banking establishment, and proposed selling his estate of Saughie, which he had recently purchased. Old Mr. William Ramsay, having been apprised of his intention, addressed him one day after dinner in his usual familiar manner—"I hear, Jamie, that ye're gaun to sell the Saughie property. If that be the case, rather than let you advertise it in the newspapers, and thereby bring suspicion on the stability of the concern, I'll tak it frae you at what it cost ye." Stirling instantly agreed to the proposition ; and scarcely had the property been transferred to Mr. Ramsay when that gentleman had the offer of nearly double the purchase-money. The value is now more than quadrupled. In this copartnery he was very prosperous; and his good fortune was increased by obtaining the hand of Miss Mansfield, the daughter of the principal partner.
You can read the rest of this at http://www.electricscotland.com/history/kays/vol178.htm
These entries can be read at http://www.electricscotland.com/history/kays/index.htm
Traditions of Perth
-------------------
Containing Sketches of the Manners and Customs of the Inhabitants during the last century by George Penny (1836)
We've now added Pages 186 to 212 and included in these pages are accounts of Perth Schools, Corporations and Trades.
You can get to these pages at the foot of the page at http://www.electricscotland.com/history/perth/
Glasgow and it's Clubs
----------------------
Or Glimpses of Conditions, Manners, Characters and Oddities of the City By John Strang LL.D. (1857)
This week we've added...
Quondam State of the Glasgow Police—Gegg Club
Youthful Frolics of Glasgow—Banditti Club
Music and Masonry in Glasgow—Packers' and Every Night Club
The Gegg club gives an interesting account of policing in these old days which starts...
To those who are now living quietly and comfortably under the protection of our well-managed Muncipal Police, it is scarcely possible to convey an idea of the irregularities and dangers to which Glasgow was exposed before the first Police Act was obtained, and for even a considerable number of years after this statute had been put in force. Down to the close of the last century, watching and warding was, in accordance with the Burgess Oath, an obligation laid upon all who had obtained municipal privileges; but the mode practised by the burgesses to evade the duty was, of itself, sufficient to render the whole even worse than a farce. The respectable citizens, instead of proceeding in their turn to the Guard-house themselves, either hired porters, or sent their manufacturing servants to perform the work; while occasionally a set of young madcaps ostensibly undertook the duty, but instead of attempting to allay noise and turbulence, secretly instigated commotion for the sake of diversion. In these circumstances, it may easily be conceived that thieves, vagabonds, and blackguards had their full swing, while, beneath the safeguard of an
ill-lighted and frequently a lamp-demolished town, offences of the most heinous kind were safely committed.
You can read these chapters at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...w/clubsndx.htm
Dr. John McLoughlin
-------------------
Father of Oregon by Frederick V. Holman (1907)
We have added the following chapters this week which now completes this book...
Justice to Dr. McLoughlin's Memory
Eulogy upon Dr. McLoughlin
Documents mentioned in the book
In the Eulogy it starts...
Like many others of the world's great men, Dr. John McLoughlin had many characteristics, apparently conflicting, but making in the aggregate a wonderful and harmonious whole. He was the autocrat of the early Oregon Country, yet all his feelings and political sympathies were for a republican form of government, and for rule by the people, and for personal liberty; he was a trader, with the training of a trader and of a business man, yet he gave credit, without security, to the early pioneers, because he was a humanitarian; he was quick tempered and impulsive, yet he was courteous and kind, for he was a gentleman; he was stern and severe and a strict disciplinarian, yet he had a sympathy like that of a woman, and a heart as tender and susceptible as that of a little child.
Whatever Dr. John McLoughlin did to or for the Oregon settlers, missionaries and immigrants, he did to every citizen of Oregon, man, woman, and child, for all time, then, now, and to come. In honoring him, we honor ourselves. To fail to honor him and his memory, we would dishonor ourselves. To every true, honest Oregon pioneer, and to the descendants of every Oregon pioneer, has come the pleasing and loving duty of letting the whole world know of Dr. McLoughlin's actions and character, so that memory of him and his humanity shall never perish. The time will come -and it should come soon-when a magnificent and stately monument will be erected in Oregon in honor of Dr. John McLoughlin. But it must be a monument of such size and beauty as, in that manner, to show the appreciation of the people of Oregon for him, and of the good and noble deeds of this grand old man.
You can read these chapters at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...egon/index.htm
Musings among the Heather
-------------------------
Being poems chiefly in the Scottish Dialect by David Thomson (1881).
We have added Pages 61 to 120 this week. In some respects some of his poems have a Burnsian quality about them and are well worth a read for those who enjoy poetry or even for those that don't.
You can read this at http://www.electricscotland.com/poetry/musings.htm
Robert Burns Lives!
-------------------
By Frank Shaw
Frank gave a Talk to the Burns and Beyond Conference in Glasgow earlier this year and this is a copy of it. He also includes an excellent picture of the Robert Burns Stained Glass Window at the University of Glasgow.
You can read this at http://www.electricscotland.com/fami...s_lives111.htm
All of the Robert Burns articles can be found at http://www.electricscotland.com/fami...rank/burns.htm
John Clay - A Scottish Farmer
-----------------------------
By his eldest son (1906)
I selected this book as it tells the story of a Scottish Farmer and thought it would be interesting to see how he went about his business. In the first chapter we learn...
John Clay was born at Dykegatehead, a farm in the Parish of Whitsome, in the county of Berwick, on November 5, 1824. His father, John Clay, farmed the above place at that date, and his grandfather, (old) John Clay, ["Eyemouth, 19th May, 1787. "At a general encampment held this day, the following brethren were made Royal Arch Masons, viz. Robert Burns, from the Lodge of St. James's, Tarbolton, Ayrshire, and Robert Ainslie, from the Lodge of St. Luke's, Edinburgh, by James Carmichael, Wm. Grieve, Daniel Dow, John Clay, Robert Grieve, Sec. Sic. Robert Ainslie paid one guinea admission dues; but on account of R. Burns's remarkable poetical genius the encampment unanimously agreed to admit him gratis, and considered themselves honoured by having a man of such shining abilities for one of their companions."—Extracted from the Minute Book of the Lodge by Thos. Bowhill.— Allan Cunningham's Life of Burns.] was a very prosperous grain merchant in the good old town of Berwick-on-Tweed. The family of Clay had been around the Border town for several generations, but it is sufficient for this story to go back to the grand old man whose name is historic on the Borders for probity, push and perseverance. We have seen many men who knew him—notably the late Adam Darling of Governor's Yard, Berwick-on-Tweed, and he loved to depict in warm colors the man who for years had been a leading factor in the agricultural life of the Borders. His portrait in oil used to hang in his daughter Sarah's house, Castle Terrace, Berwick-on-Tweed, and it also appears in the picture now at Magdala Crescent (Edinburgh), entitled "Four John Clays," and reproduced in this work. His strong face, deep-lined, with a crest of gray hair, looks down from the frame on his successors, who in their time have lived and worked out their destiny. If you take this picture and put it beside that of Henry Clay, the great American statesman, you would say they were brothers. In fact, the subject of this memoir, when first in the United States, in 1876, was so struck by the likeness that he purchased an engraving of the above gentleman, and it now hangs in the house at 8 Magdala Crescent. Although ancestral rolls were explored, no connection could be traced, but if family likeness counts for anything, they are from the same parents in the years gone by.
We have the first few chapters up which can be read at http://www.electricscotland.com/history/clay/index.htm
Berwick upon Tweed
------------------
A History of the Town by John Scott (1888)
Tecnhnically this is an English town but being right on the border of Scotland and England makes it of interest to us as it was in its early years of tremendous importance and contributed some 25% of the total tax revenue of England. It has belonged to both England and Scotland over the years.
In the Preface he gives an outline of what you will learn...
IN the volume now presented to my readers I have detailed the general history of the town from the earliest records to the present time; then the history of its Guild. I have sketched the history of its Streets, its Charters, its Churches, its Grammar School, its Bridges, its Fisheries, etc. In the Appendix will be found Lists of its Ancient Burgesses, its Members of Parliament, its Mayors and Town Clerks, as well as several documents—the most valuable of which are the Statutes of the Guild and the Orders of the Old and New Establishments.
You can read this book as we get it up at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...wick/index.htm
Sir Andrew Wood
---------------
I was searching for some information on Sir Andrew Wood and came across the book "The Constable of France" in which there was quite a good account of him. The book was not in good shape as the ink had leaked through to other pages and thus some pages were very hard to read.
I have made the book available for those that are interested which you can find at http://www.electricscotland.com/books/pdf/constable.htm
However I took the time to extract the pages about Sir Andrew Wood, an Admiral of the Scottish Navy, and using my Paint Shop Pro program managed to make a reasonable job of cleaning up the pages to make them more readable. I then compiled them back into a pdf file which you can read at http://www.electricscotland.com/webc...ndrew_wood.pdf
Scottish Singalong
------------------
John added another song to this page called "Dae Ye Mynd Lang Syne". I might add that at the weekend I took the time to edit every page in this section to bring you a clickable link to the actual song. When we first did the pages we didn't realise that only Internet Explorer had the ability to play background music on a page. This of course meant that anyone using any other browser couldn't play the song. So... hopefully this work will now make them accessible to other browsers.
Please note however that if you use IE then the song will play in the background so if you click on the link you're going to get two songs playing! Also I've arranged that when you do click on the link the song will play in another window meaning you will be able to click on the other window to read the lines while the song is playing in the other window.
You can get to this page at http://www.electricscotland.com/poet...rson/singalong
John has also sent in a couple of his own songs...
Dan and June at http://www.electricscotland.com/poetry/doggerel382.htm
Mad March 2011 at http://www.electricscotland.com/poetry/doggerel383.htm
A Little Breath of Scotland
---------------------------
I've added this radio station to our music page as you can now listen to it by podcast at any time during the week. Dennis Snowdon has been hosting this program for some 44 years from Ontario but previously you could only listen to it while he was on air. You can get to the link for this program at http://www.electricscotland.com/music
Mistura Curiosa
---------------
Our thanks to John Henderson for finding this book for us.
Subscriber and Intelligent Purchaser, it would ill bccome me to begrudge you a little grumble, if having paid your money, you are not content, either with the quality or quantity of the odds and ends which enter into the composition of this book; but you will please to remember that they were written, not for your benefit, but for my amusement, as sometime ago I did find out that there was a deal of truth in the old saying, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy".
Not that it has made very much difference on me, so far as I can discover, but it has made me sharp enough to prefer two requests, — 1st, that should you be inclined to give any praise, all and every portion thereof should be bestowed on me for my share of the work; 2d, that should you be inclined to give any blame, all and every portion thereof should be thrown on to the shoulders of Charles Doyle and John Smart, who, by their Sketches have induced me to publish. I freely admit that some of the verses may be thin or poor, but that is counterbalanced by the large amount of dissipation in others; be that as it may, whether you approve or not, I bear you no ill will, as a proof thereof I request you will allow me to dedicate this book to you.
You can read this book at http://www.electricscotland.com/poet...ra_curiosa.htm
The Cottars of the Glen
-----------------------
or a Glimpse of the Rural Life of the Scottish Peasantry of 100 years ago By The Rev. Robert Simpson (1866)
We have now completed this book which you can read at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...tars/index.htm
I want to conclude this newsletter with the Conclusion of this book as I believe it gives us a message on how easy it is to forget our own history...
As we have in the preceding pages surveyed the condition, and customs, and manners of the people of the glen, and noticed also some of their superstitions and amusements, and a few of the incidents that befel, as has been supposed, a hundred years ago, from all which we derive some instruction, we now, in a few sentences, draw our remarks to a close.
The prominent character in the glen, in those days, as we have seen, was the venerable patriarch, Saunders Gray. The worthy man was the means of accomplishing much good among the simple-minded people in the midst of whom he dwelt. But Saunders was now well stricken in years, and the infirmities of age began to press upon him. He had seen much and endured much within his own little circle, and had grace given him under all to behave as a Christian man should. He had the pleasure, in his old days, of seeing his surviving daughter and her husband in prosperous circumstances, and their lovely family growing up around them. The time, however, came when the worthy man was to leave the world. Having fulfilled his days and his work on earth, his death was what was to be expected—a death of peace and triumph. His departure caused universal lamentation, and even his enemies shut their mouths. His remains were deposited between those of his wife and daughter, in the churchyard of Old Kirkbride, on the hill. No monument, however, marks his resting-place.
A number of years after the death of Saunders, the glen suddenly changed its aspect. Its stately forest, as has been noticed, fell under the stroke of the woodman's axe, and much of its glory vanished. To complete the denudation, however, the populace were next cleared away. The families—not all at once, but one by one— were quietly removed, and their deserted cottages fell to the ground; and where formerly ninety-four dwelling places could be counted, only eight now remain. The glen became gradually silent; the voices of men were not heard, and the songs of the birds were silent too.
The smith died in the glen, and so did the honest tailor, and both departed in the faith of Christ. They survived Saunders by several years, and in them were prolonged his example and his influence after he was laid in an honoured grave. Not one of the eight families resident in the glen can claim their descent from the older inhabitants, and they have none of their traditions circulating among them. These traditions are mainly retained by persons scattered here and there in the wide locality around. With some of these persons we have conversed, and with some also who, within the last generation, resided in a stray cottage here and; there in the sweet vale of their forefathers. But the glen, denuded though it be of its stately trees and its stalwart men, is still a lovely valley—one of the sweetest in all the southland of our beloved Scotland.
"O, wild-traditioned Scotland,
Thy briery barns and braes
Are full of pleasant memories,
And tales of other days!
Thy story-haunted waters
In music gush along;
Thy bosky glens are tragedy,
Thy heathy hills are song!"
Many a time have we traversed the glen, and endeavoured to trace the foundations of the cottages of the older inhabitants. But even these have vanished; they have been cleared away for the purpose of dike-building in the locality: and even every monument of antiquity has been demolished, except one on a field near the foot of the Haunted Lin, and another farther up the stream, but beyond the basin inhabited by the cottars. Some few old names are still attached to particular spots, but these, also, in the lapse of a generation or two, will likely vanish. Auchengour, "The Field of Goats," a place once well known in the glen, is now scarcely recognised. The Chapel Hill, on the farm of Carco, with no cottage near it, is still known with its round fosse and its mound in the centre, the site of an ancient baronial hold; but it is a spot never visited, because it lies up on the breast of the hill, and far out of the way of the traveller. Its name, also, in process of time, will perish.
The names of places are gradually dropped, and that without the replacement of new ones; and this more especially is the case on the introduction of a new tenant, who may happen to be an entire stranger in the district. A curious instance of this kind took place about fifty years ago. The ancient farm of Cogshead, then, as now, a shepherd residence, had changed occupants. The new shepherd was an entire stranger, from a distant part of the country. The names of the hills, and glens, and streams, and all the places around, were utterly unknown to him. He applied to persons in the vicinity to help him in his difficulty, but none could give him any satisfactory information. The thing was hopeless—the whole herding was nameless. At last it was suggested that the old shepherd, of the name of Brown, who now had taken up his residence about Muirkirk, should be sent for. He stayed a week or two with the new herd, and reimposed all the names without one single omission, and they have been carefully retained till the present day. Thus, in one instance, the names that had been stereotyped for ages on a given locality were in danger of being almost entirely effaced.
The glen, in this way, has sustained damage to a certain extent, and even to a greater extent than may at first sight be apparent. But the recent survey of the country, and the exact mapping and naming of every spot, and house, and hill, and stream, by the Government officials, will arrest for all future time the present names, at least.
And that's it for now and hope you all have a good weekend.
Alastair
http://www.electricscotland.com