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CONTENTS
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Electric Scotland News
Electric Scotland Community
The Flag in the Wind
Holiday Cottages
Book of Scottish Story
Robert Burns Lives!
The Kingdom of Fife
Glasgow
Scottish Loch Scenery
Oor Mither Tongue
Poems of William Dixon Cocker
Geikie's Etchings
Town Council Seals of Scotland
William Ewart Gladstone
An Outline of the Relations between England and Scotland (500-1707)
Two Centuries of Shipbuilding by the Scotts at Greenock
Historical Tales of the Wars of Scotland (New Book)
Scotland and the Scots (New Book)
Sports and Pastimes of Scotland (New Book)
Scottish Yeomanry in South Africa 1900 - 1901 (New Book)
DNA research article on Scotland's R1a1 Highland Clansmen
Fallbrook Farm Heritage Site
Electric Scotland News
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Four new books we're starting on this week with a nice mix of topics more of which can be learned below.
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I noted that the previous issue of this newsletter, 20th August, was in fact viewed 874 times. I know that many view it as a Guest but we'd be more than happy to get feedback on it telling us what you think of the newsletter. Like is it about the right length? Would you prefer it shorter? Are there any particular items you enjoy more than others? Is there anything we don't cover that you'd like to be covered?
We were once told that we put up far too much information for any one person to read. Our view was that not all people will enjoy the same things and so we try to work on several topics hoping that at least one will be of interest.
I know you need to be a member to post a message but being a member is really very easy as you just complete a wee form and then you get sent an email asking you to click on a link so that we know your email address is correct. That email will get to you within 5 minutes and after that you are a member. The only issue we've had is that we do ask for your date of birth but that's only because we want to be seen as a child friendly site so we need to identify anyone that is 14 or under so that we can ask their parents permission to let them join.
So do join up as we'd value your feedback on what we are doing.
And one person emailed us to say he couldn't find the newsletter when clicking on the link we send out. The only thing I can think of for that happening is that you normally have to hit the Page Down key to get to the start of it. So depending on the resolution of your computer monitor you might just be seeing the header but if you scroll down it is there.
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Our ScotGenealogy site has not been working for some time and I blame myself for that in that while I don't use it I should be checking on it from time to time to ensure it is working. The problem is the same as the ScotCards site in that we tried to move both to a new 2008 server and there are issues with these two programs. We are now working on bringing back the 2003 server under which both programs did work. We hope to have this up and running over this weekend but certainly by the following weekend at the latest.
As to the ScotGenenalogy program. As we haven't had any feedback on it at all I can only assume it wasn't being used very much as if it were I'm sure we'd have got at least one email in asking what the problem was. Given that this is the case we're going to reinstall it as a brand new system and do an upgrade to the latest release and jazz it up a bit. This program does allow you to import a gedcom file so it would be a useful addition to help support our Genealogy forum.
One issue that I have personally is that since 1997 I've used the Microsoft Front Page program to publish the site and in 2008 it no longer supports the Front Page extensions which are needed to manage our borders. The site is really far too large to change at this late date so going back to the 2003 server will at least mean I can still keep using that product.
ABOUT THE STORIES
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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
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We think we have found the problem with our Links system. It seems the experience add-on is causing the problem. We have emailed the author of that add-on to see if there is a fix so hopefully in the next couple of days we'll have this issue resolved.
I'm very impressed with all the great messages going up and some of them are a real good read. The Knights Templar forum is getting good use and Gordon has been posting up some great messages in the History forum.
I think this is what I like so much about forums in that you get to read some really good articles. The fact we have the Facebook connections means if you are on Facebook then when you post up a message you can also copy it to your Facebook page.
There still seems to be an issue with the IE 8 browser in that it can lock up. I've been using both Firefix and Chrome a good bit and have yet to see this problem using them. We're hopeful that when IE 9 comes out that will end these issues. That said it is still quite rare for IE 8 to lock up but it can happen.
I might add we got an interesting message in with the thread "Questions" in which it said...
I have a few more questions, what does "ootie" and "UYBRAM" mean? Couldn't find out. Also wanted to compliment this site as I explored all it had to offer and was just amazed with all the information available. I have endless reading available now. Oh, I also noticed that this forum is mostly for old time posters, however, I used it because I thought it was for old timers as in age. Unfortunately, I am an old timer, but I like to think of myself as a new, young, beginning, barely old timer. Haha. Ya all have a good day.
And so if any of you out there in newsletter land know what "ootie" and "UYBRAM" mean do let us know :-)
Our community can be viewed at http://www.electricscotland.org/forum.php
THE FLAG IN THE WIND
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This weeks issue was compiled by Richard Thomson. In this issue he provides us with two long and interesting articles and the Synopis also carries interesting items.
You can read this compilation at http://www.scotsindependent.org
Holiday Cottages
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These are wee tourism articles. Got in this week...
Aberfeldy – The charming destination of Scotland
This can be read at http://www.electricscotland.com/travel/holidayndx.htm
Book of Scottish Story
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We've added "An Adventure with the Press-Gang" which can be read at http://www.electricscotland.com/book...y/story128.htm
The other stories can be read at http://www.electricscotland.com/books/story/index.htm
"Lights and Shadows of Scottish Life"
We've also added the story "Blind Allan" which can be got to towards the foot of the index page above.
Robert Burns Lives!
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By Frank Shaw
For years the name Murray Pittock has been popping up in conversations with Scots on both sides of the pond, and I had wanted to meet him for as long. I recently ran across his name again when I read The Ultimate Burns Supper Book by Clark McGinn. Pittock and McGinn go back a long way - 32 years - and Pittock wrote the foreword for Clark’s book. Finally the opportunity to meet Murray via email presented itself through Keith Dunn, a friend in the Burns Club of Atlanta, who recommended Pittock’s book Scottish and Irish Romanticism. Intrigued by the title, I introduced myself to Dr. Pittock through a couple of Scottish friends. Having secured a copy of his book, I learned it was “designed for reading by advanced scholars, postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers, senior undergraduates, and all those with an interest in Romanticism or in how Irish and Scottish studies intersect with other English literature.” Having failed to qualify in the first four categories, I convinced myself I might qualify as a part of the last group.
It did not take me long to realize that this publication was different from any I had ever read. Upon completion I was reminded that the professors I learned the most from during my undergraduate and graduate work were those who demanded the most out of me. I may not have made my best grades with them, but 45 years later I remember them and their courses more than some of those I “aced” in college and graduate school. The same goes for Scottish and Irish Romanticism.
You can read the rest of this article at http://www.electricscotland.com/fami...ns_lives97.htm
Frank's Burns articles can be read at http://www.electricscotland.com/fami...rank/burns.htm
Our Burns section where you can get to the books mentioned above is at http://www.electricscotland.com/burns/index.html
The Kingdom of Fife
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Its Ballads and Legends by Robert Boucher, Jun (1899)
This week we added another chapter called "St Rule and the Culdees" which can be read at http://www.electricscotland.com/history/fife/
Glasgow
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By the British Medical Association (1922)
We've added another chapter to this book, "Glasgow from the Artists' Point of View". By R. J. MacLennan
You can read this at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...glasgowndx.htm
Scottish Loch Scenery
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From drawings by A F Lydon with descriptive notes by Thomas A Croal (1882)
This week we added "Loch Lurnaig" which you can read at http://www.electricscotland.com/pictures/lochs14.htm
The other entries can be read at http://www.electricscotland.com/pictures/lochs.htm
Oor Mither Tongue
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An Anthology of Scots Vernacular Verse by Ninian Macwhannell (1938)
And we've now started on the final section on "Poems Suitable for School Competitions" and we have the next four poems up which are all by W. D. Cocker as it happens...
Beasties (Helen B. Cruickshanks)
Ambrosia (W. R. Darling)
Back! (W. D. Fisher)
At the Fireside (Michael Balfour Hutchison)
These can be read at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...ther/index.htm
Poems of William Dixon Cocker
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We've been adding a few pages from this book each week and have now arrived at his English poems Pages 196 - 199 which you can read at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist.../cocker_wd.htm
Geikie's Etchings
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This week we've added more articles...
The Town Fast - Morning
The Town Fast - Evening
You can read these at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...ikie/index.htm
Town Council Seals of Scotland
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Historical, Legendary and Heraldic by Alexander Posteous
Added this week...
Galashiels to Greenock
Haddington to Huntly
Innerleithen to Irvine
You can read these at http://www.electricscotland.com/council/
William Ewart Gladstone
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By James Bryce (1919)
we've now completed this book with chapters on...
Chapter 1 - Introduction
Chapter 2 - Early Influences
Chapter 3 - Parliamentarian
Chapter 4 - Orator
Chapter 5 - Originality and Independence
Chapter 6 - Social Qualities
Chapter 7 - Authorship
Chapter 8 - Religious Character
You can read these chapters at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...adstone_we.htm
An Outline of the Relations between England and Scotland (500-1707)
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By Robert S. Rait (1901)
Chapters up so far are...
Chapter I - Racial Distribution and Feudal Relations 500 - 1066
Chapter II - Scotland and the Normans 1066 - 1286
Chapter III - The Scottish Policy of Edward I 1286 - 1296
Chapter IV - The War of Independence 1297 - 1328
Chapter V - Edward III and Scotland 1328 - 1399
Chapter VI - Scotland, Lancaster, and York 1400 - 1500
Chapter VII - The Beginnings of the English Alliance 1500 - 1542
Chapter VIII - The Parting of the Ways 1542 - 1568
Chapter IX - The Union of the Crowns 1568 - 1625
Chapter X - "The Troubles in Scotland" 1625 - 1688
Chapter XI - The Union of the Parliaments 1689 - 1707
In chapter VII we learn...
When, in 1501, negotiations were in progress for the marriage of James IV to Margaret Tudor, Polydore Virgil tells us that the English Council raised the objection that Margaret or her descendants might succeed to the throne of England. "If it should fall out so," said Henry, "the realm of England will suffer no evil, since it will not be the addition of England to Scotland, but of Scotland to England." It is obvious that the English had every reason for desiring to stop the irritating opposition of the Scots, which, while it never seriously endangered the realm, was frequently a cause of annoyance, and which hampered the efforts of English diplomacy. The Scots, on the other hand, were separated from the English by the memories of two centuries of constant warfare, and they were bound by many ties to the enemies of England. The only King of Scots, since Alexander III, who had been on friendly terms with England, was James III, and his enemies had used the fact as a weapon against him.
His successor had already twice refused the proffered English alliance, and when he at length accepted Henry's persistent proposal and the thrice-offered English princess, it was only after much hesitation and upon certain strict conditions. No Englishmen were to enter Scotland "without letters commendatory of their own sovereign lord or safe conduct of his Warden of the Marches". The marriage, though not especially flattering to the dignity of a monarch who had been encouraged to hope for the hand of a daughter of Spain, was notable as involving a recognition (the first since the Treaty of Northampton) of the King of Scots as an independent sovereign. On the 8th of August, 1503, Margaret was married to James in the chapel of Holyrood. She was received with great rejoicing; the poet Dunbar, whom a recent visit to London had convinced that the English capital, with its "beryl streamis pleasant ... where many a swan doth swim with wingis fair", was "the flower of cities all", wrote the well-known poem on the Union of the Thistle and the Rose to welcome this second English Margaret to Scotland. But the time was not yet ripe for any real union of the Thistle and the Rose.
Peace continued till the death of Henry VII; but during these years England was never at war with France. James threatened war with England in April, 1505, in the interests of the Duke of Gueldres; in 1508, he declined to give an understanding that he would not renew the old league with France, and he refused to be drawn, by Pope Julius II, into an attitude of opposition to that country. Even before the death of Henry VII, in 1509, there were troubles with regard to the borders, and it was evident that the "perpetual peace" arranged by the treaty of marriage was a sheer impossibility.
You can read the rest of this chapter at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist.../scotland7.htm
The other chapters can be read at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...cotlandndx.htm
Two Centuries of Shipbuilding by the Scotts at Greenock
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We've now completed this book with the following chapters...
Personalia
The Era of the Sailing Ship
The Development of the Steamship
A Century's Work for the Navy
Yachting and Yachts
The Twentieth Century
Efficiency, Design, Administration
The Shipbuilding Yard
The Engine and Boiler Works
In the chapter on "Efficiency, Design, Administration" we learn...
HAVING reviewed the history of the firm, and dealt briefly with the results obtained by some of the modern steamers constructed by them, we propose now C to describe the Works in order to indicate the measures adopted to secure efficiency in design and construction of all types of ships and machinery. Organisation and administration are as important factors towards this end as the mechanical methods and appliances adopted, and it may be well, therefore, to deal first with these.
The firm have been responsible for the design of almost every merchant ship constructed by them. Success has been rendered more certain by the possession of carefully- collated records, the product of an organised system of working up all data, of tackling new problems, of making calculations regarding any scientific question, and of studying contemporaneous work as described in the technical press and in papers read at technical institutions. This continuous investigation produces a wealth of suggestion, which enables the chiefs of the respective departments to determine how far practice may be improved; and thus there is steady progress not only in design but in constructional methods. A well-selected technical library, from which the staff can borrow books, also contributes to the same end.
Admiralty and merchant work is initiated in separate drawing-offices. The "Printed Instructions to Draughtsmen" throws light on the general principles which influence design, and one or two quotations may be made:-" Every machine or structure is designed with a certain object in view; therefore, in designing, keep that object always to the front. Go straight to the point, and let the object be attained in as simple a manner as possible. Avoid all curves and indirect lines, except those conceived to give uniform strength or stiffness, or required for some definite purpose. There should be a reason for the contour and shape of every detail. It should be remembered that designs made in this way, requiring least material for the work to be done, usually look best. Besides keeping the object clearly to the front, it is necessary in designing to remember that certain facilities must be attended to for moulding, machining, and erecting. It is also necessary to keep in view the circumstances in which the structure or machine is to be used. Every little detail should be definitely attended to on the drawings, and not left to the judgment of the men in the shops; remember that it is usually the unexpected which happens, and that even the want of a split pin may cause a breakdown. In making drawings or sketches for ordering material or for the shops, assume that those who have to interpret the instructions have no knowledge of, or information concerning, the work in question, except what is contained in the drawing or order you are making out. This will ensure that all information issuing from the drawing-office is complete, and that no work is done in the shops without drawing-office instructions."
You can read this book at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist.../scottsndx.htm
Historical Tales of the Wars of Scotland
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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 around 3 stories each week until complete.
Here is the Preface...
THE present Work consists of a series of Historiettes, or Narratives connected with Scotish History, which, it is hoped, will not be deemed uninteresting to the experienced reader; while to young persons, and those of mature age, who have not access to many books, or leisure to peruse them, it will supply them with much valuable information concerning the several localities with which they are acquainted. These HISTORICAL TALES are constructed on the same principle as Sir Walter Scott's "TALES OF A GRANDFATHER," differing only in this circumstance, that, as every Narrative is complete, no chronological arrangement is followed. This may be alleged as injudicious by some readers, but the plan was adopted to combine variety with agreeable information. The Work pretends to nothing new, nor does it interfere with any of the existing Histories of Scotland ; and as it is designed for general use, the great object is to condense the substance of many large and valuable volumes in a convenient compass, the whole being carefully selected and compiled from the most authentic Histories, Chronicles, Diaries, and original MSS. preserved in the public Libraries and in private Collections. These Narratives are designated HISTORICAL TALES, for the same reason that Sir Walter Scott calls his History of Scotland, for such it is on a small scale, TALES OF A GRANDFATHER. There is neither fiction nor romance introduced, and the Authorities are laid before the reader at the commencement of each Narrative.
Although the leading subject of the Work is Tales of the Scotish Wars, and of those on the Continent under the great Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, and other Sovereigns, in which Scotsmen were engaged, numerous individual anecdotes, private encounters, and biographical sketches, are introduced. While the wars with the English, the battles of Wallace and of Bruce, and the exploits of the great Montrose, are prominently brought forward, the Border Raids, Forays, and Conflicts, the chivalrous inroads into the Lowlands of the indomitable Highland Clans, and their mutual battles, encounters, and attacks, are not omitted. On the whole, it is humbly hoped that the Work will be received with favour by the Public, as much on account of its cheapness as of any merits it may possess.
We've started this book with the first 3 stories...
Battle of Liff - AD 730
Battle of Athelstaneford - AD 800
The Death of Alpin - AD 836
You can read these at http://www.electricscotland.com/history/wars/
I should also add that I read in this publication about "Tales of a Grandfather" By Sir Walter Scott which I had not known about. It is a story in six volumes of the History of Scotland aimed at readers from six years to ten years. It is a publication that I'd love to ocr onto the site but there is only so much I can do. However I found a copy of it on the Internet Archive and so on this index page I've also placed a copy of it for you to download if you wish.
Scotland and the Scots
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Essays illustrative of Scottish Life, History and Character by Peter Ross (1889).
Here is the Preface to set the scene...
In the following pages I have gathered together several articles concerning Scotland and Scotsmen which are likely to be read with some interest on this side of the Atlantic. The first article is a reproduction, with considerable additions, of an essay written for the Canadian-American of Chicago, and some of the others have appeared, in whole or in part, in the Scottish-American of New York. While a representative Scot in the present day has shown to the world what triumphant democracy has accomplished, it may not be out of place for another Scot to indicate how much his countrymen have assisted in bringing about that triumph, and also to demonstrate that, whether under the Stars and Stripes in the United States, or beneath the Union Jack in the Dominion of Canada, Scotsmen have taken, and are taking, an active part in all the movements that are designed to maintain the religious and political freedom of the people and to promote their material and intellectual progress.
In connection with the article on the Union of 1707 I have reprinted in full the text of the famous Treaty. This important document is more talked about than read at the present (lay, but, as it is the charter on which the modern liberties of Scotland are based, it is deserving of being closely studied and thoroughly understood by every one for whom the history of Scotland has any attraction.
It has several times been suggested to me that the publication of these articles would prove acceptable to Scotsmen and their descendants, and in the hope that the suggestion is a wise one I send forth this little volume.
PETER ROSS.
NEW YORK, FEBRUARY, 1889.
The first chapter is "The Scot in America" which is a very long chapter and starts...
SINCE the year 1603, when James, "the sapient and sext," ascended the throne of England and became the first ruler of Britain, America has been a happy hunting ground for Scotsmen. The Scot has penetrated into every section of the continent and made himself equally at home in the glades of Florida, on the prairies of the West, or among the wilds over which the Hudson Bay Company once held almost sovereign sway. He is generally supposed to be a good, quiet, peaceable citizen, a sturdy upholder of civil and religious liberty, a firm believer in education, honesty, perseverance, and several other virtues necessary to build up a new country. He is also regarded as a man whose mere word is as good as his bond, an energetic yet cautious trader, with a stern, unbending spirit which enables him to overcome many difficulties, a man possessed of a cool, calculating brain which permits him to peer further into the future than many others, and inspires him to press ahead of his time and engage in schemes which seem ridiculous at the moment, but yield a rich return in the end.
The railroad magnate of Milwaukee, Hon. Alexander Mitchell, who died in 1887, laid many a mile of road long before it could command traffic enough to defray even running expenses. But he forecast the future, and his Aberdonian shrewdness brought him a golden return. So, too, old Robert Lenox, when he bought his "Five-mile Farm" in 1817, and paid for it a price which appeared ridiculously extravagant, foresaw that New York had a grand future before it, and that his purchase was sure to be the centre of the city. How true this forecast was, every New Yorker of the present day knows. The farm consisted of about thirty acres, and lay between Fourth and Fifth avenues and 68th and 74th streets. The price paid was $6,920. On it now stands a large number of the most magnificent mansions in the city. On it are also the Lenox Library, the Presbyterian Hospital, the Presbyterian Home for Aged Women, and the Phillips' Memorial Church, all evidences of the generous disposition and public spiritedness of the owners of the old farm. The property to-day is estimated as being worth not less than $14,000,000. It is gratifying to know that so valuable a property fell into the hands of such prudent, careful managers, as the Lenox family proved. They certainly gave abundant evidence by their generous bequests to literature, education and charity, that the Scottish instincts of their ancestors in the old Stewarty did not die out when transplanted to this side of the Atlantic.
You can read this book as we get it up at http://www.electricscotland.com/history/scots/index.htm
Sports and Pastimes of Scotland
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By Robert Scott Fittis (1891)
The Preface starts...
IT is hoped that no reader will expect to find in this book anything more than what the title-page professes it to embody. The compilation is entirely outside the category of practical Manuals and Handbooks of Sports, many of which exist and are deservedly popular. Its sole object is to set forth a sort of history, somewhat after (though confessedly a long way behind) the model of Strutt's Sports and Pastimes of the People of England: only this and nothing more."
The compilation has been the pleasing labour of years. Portions have previously appeared in print here and there; but these have been much amplified with new matter; and, so far as I am aware, the book, as it now stands, is the only one dealing with the generality of Scottish Sports on the same lines. I trust it will be found both interesting and useful, as illustrative of varied phases of the habits, manners, and customs of byegone generations of Scotsmen of all ranks and classes.
We have several chapters up...
Chapter I. The Old Scottish Wild Cattle
Chapter II. The Wolves
Chapter III. The Deer Forest and the Grouse Moor
Chapter IV. Fox Hunting
Chapter V. The Salmon River
These chapters can be read at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...astimesndx.htm
Scottish Yeomanry in South Africa 1900 - 1901
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A Record of the Work and Experiences of the Glasgow and Ayrshire Companies By Trooper A. S. Orr (1901)
Here is the Preface...
COMING home from the Cape on board the "Tintagel Castle" a very general desire was expressed amongst us to possess some such record of our small share in the great South African struggle as is contained in the following pages, but it seemed that no one was willing to undertake the task of writing it. After being some time at home, and seeing that otherwise the proposal was likely to come to nothing, I was persuaded to take the matter in hand. I have endeavoured to write a plain story of our work and experiences during sixteen months of service, but I fear it will be found to have lost much of what might have been its chief attraction -life and vigour - from having been written almost entirely from memory after some lapse of time. While intended primarily for the members of the two West of Scotland Yeomanry Companies, it may prove of interest to the friends who, in our absence, showed such a lively and practical interest in our welfare; and last, but not least, it will answer the two questions they one and all ask us:- "Did you have any fighting in Africa?" and—"Did you see any Boers?"
My best thanks are due to Mr. J. Hannan Watson of our company, who has so enlivened the book with his sketches, and to Mr. R. E. Wilson for a chapter on the Bethlehem fighting.
We have several chapters up...
Chapter I.—Mobilisation—January 1 till February 23, 1900
Chapter II.—On Board s.s. Carthaginian—January 23 till March 21, 1900
Chapter III.—Base Camps—March 21 till May 9, 1900
Chapter IV.—.With General Sir Archibald Hunter—May 9 till July 1, 1900
Chapter V.—With General Hunter (continued)—July 1 till July 19, 1900
Chapter VI.—With General Bruce Hamilton—Wittebergen (by Trooper R. E. Wilson)—
July 19 till August 4, 1900
Chapter VII.—With General Macdonald—August 4 till August 31, 1900
These are all fairly small chapters so here is the first chapter complete for you to read here...
THE week that followed the dark and anxious Christmas of 1899 saw arrangements being made to raise and equip 10,000 Yeomanry Volunteers for service in South Africa, under the name of ' Imperial Yeomanry?' The new year saw the officers and staff of the different Scottish Yeomanry companies busily engaged receiving the applications of intending Volunteers, examining their soundness, their proficiency in riding and shooting, and hurrying forward the necessary preparations for mobilisation and training.
By Monday, 22nd January, 1900, the four companies forming the Scottish Battalion were brought together at their respective headquarters to undergo drill and training till such time as the Government could place a transport at their disposal. The Queen's Own Glasgow Company—to be known as "The 18th Company Imperial Yeomanry "mobilised at Maryhill Barracks, Glasgow; the Ayr and Lanark, or 17th Company, at Ayr; the Lothian and Berwickshire, or 19th Company, at Edinburgh; and the Fife Light Horse, or 20th Company, at Cupar in Fife. Colonel C. R. Burn was appointed in charge of the battalion, with Major Coke second in command.
Four and- a half weeks elapsed before we sailed, and the time was spent in drills—mounted and foot—gymnastics, and learning cavalry methods of managing horses. The old mansion-house of Ruchill was fitted up for our accommodation, and, thanks to Colonel Neilson, of the Queen's Own, we fared well and lacked nothing. Owing to frost, which prevailed the greater part of the time, we did not get much mounted work; and those whose first experience on a horse's back had been gained in one or two lessons in a riding-school were only too pleased to be excused from making an exhibition of themselves at a jump, or of their capacity to stick on without stirrups. They feared lest they might get plucked, even at the eleventh hour, should they come too prominently under the The Regimental Sergeant-Major's notice or the regimental sergeant-major, our riding instructor.
It was a time of enthusiasm, excitement, and restless expectation. Each man could hardly believe his luck in being among the chosen, and caught his breath at the thought that some condition might still be imposed which he could not fulfil, or some test be applied which he could not pass. One or two men had been rejected at a second medical examination, after having left their situations, done a week's drill at the Barracks, and received all sorts of presents and farewell banquets. So we could not feel safe till we were clear away.
I think our many friends must have appreciated our motives and the sacrifices we were about to make better than we did ourselves. We were very much carried away by the novelty and excitement of the moment, and considered we were extremely fortunate to get the chance of going out to the war under such exceptional circumstances. Too much, of course, was made of us, but it was all extremely pleasant, unless, perhaps, the reception in St. Andrew's Hall, where we received at the hands of the Lord Provost and Councillors the much-prized burgess tickets. There, so much was said and sung in our praise, that, had we been allowed, we might have lost our newly-gotten, but still unearned, reputation for bravery by running away from the place altogether.
On 23rd February—a Friday—three companies of the Scottish Battalion, with complete outfit and horses, sailed from the Clyde on board the Allan Line steamship "Carthaginian." The Fife Company went by Southampton. The enthusiasm of our send-off at Prince's Dock baffles description. The citizens of Glasgow turned Out by the thousand, and their numbers were swelled by friends of the other companies from Lanark, Edinburgh, and Ayr. It was a scene that we can never forget, and was a final proof that we carried with us the kindly thoughts and good wishes of those who had already done so much for our comfort and success by showering upon us everything that could possibly be of use in our future campaigning.
"Will ye no come back again?
Better lo'ed ye canna be;
Will ye no come back again?"
You can read the rest of the chapters at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist.../yeomenndx.htm
DNA research article on Scotland's R1a1 Highland Clansmen
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DNA Genealogy and the search for Somerled
By Andrew Mceachern and Anatole Klyosov
Whilst there is much to do about Somerled being Norse and Professor Bryan Sykes "research" work, this is simply not true.
Clan Donald carry an SNP, which is L176.1. SNP's are mutations that we get from our deep ancestors, they do not change their values.
The Norse DNA that Sykes makes reference to DOES not carry this SNP, therefore Clan Donald did not get their ancestry from the Norse. Its this simple. For your reference I am also attaching the research work that Sykes produced, as immature as it is.
You can download this article which is in pdf format at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...ndClansmen.pdf
Fallbrook Farm Heritage Site
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Fallbrook have changed their name and produced a new constitution which can be downloaded in pdf format at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...nstitution.pdf
They have also procuced a new leaflet which can also be downloaded at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...armBrochLR.pdf
Everyone is invited to the inaugrial meeting at Halton Hills on 8th September.
And to finish I got in an interesting email from Nola Crewe...
The History of 'APRONS'
I don't think our kids know what an apron is.
The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few. It was also because it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and aprons used less material.
But along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.
It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.
From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.
When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.
And when the weather was cold grandma wrapped it around her arms.
Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.
Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.
From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables.
After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.
In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.
When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.
When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men folks knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.
It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.
REMEMBER . . .
Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.
To-day’s generation would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.
I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron - but love . . .
And that's it for now and hope you all have a good weekend :-)
Alastair
http://www.electricscotland.com
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Electric Scotland News
Electric Scotland Community
The Flag in the Wind
Holiday Cottages
Book of Scottish Story
Robert Burns Lives!
The Kingdom of Fife
Glasgow
Scottish Loch Scenery
Oor Mither Tongue
Poems of William Dixon Cocker
Geikie's Etchings
Town Council Seals of Scotland
William Ewart Gladstone
An Outline of the Relations between England and Scotland (500-1707)
Two Centuries of Shipbuilding by the Scotts at Greenock
Historical Tales of the Wars of Scotland (New Book)
Scotland and the Scots (New Book)
Sports and Pastimes of Scotland (New Book)
Scottish Yeomanry in South Africa 1900 - 1901 (New Book)
DNA research article on Scotland's R1a1 Highland Clansmen
Fallbrook Farm Heritage Site
Electric Scotland News
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Four new books we're starting on this week with a nice mix of topics more of which can be learned below.
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I noted that the previous issue of this newsletter, 20th August, was in fact viewed 874 times. I know that many view it as a Guest but we'd be more than happy to get feedback on it telling us what you think of the newsletter. Like is it about the right length? Would you prefer it shorter? Are there any particular items you enjoy more than others? Is there anything we don't cover that you'd like to be covered?
We were once told that we put up far too much information for any one person to read. Our view was that not all people will enjoy the same things and so we try to work on several topics hoping that at least one will be of interest.
I know you need to be a member to post a message but being a member is really very easy as you just complete a wee form and then you get sent an email asking you to click on a link so that we know your email address is correct. That email will get to you within 5 minutes and after that you are a member. The only issue we've had is that we do ask for your date of birth but that's only because we want to be seen as a child friendly site so we need to identify anyone that is 14 or under so that we can ask their parents permission to let them join.
So do join up as we'd value your feedback on what we are doing.
And one person emailed us to say he couldn't find the newsletter when clicking on the link we send out. The only thing I can think of for that happening is that you normally have to hit the Page Down key to get to the start of it. So depending on the resolution of your computer monitor you might just be seeing the header but if you scroll down it is there.
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Our ScotGenealogy site has not been working for some time and I blame myself for that in that while I don't use it I should be checking on it from time to time to ensure it is working. The problem is the same as the ScotCards site in that we tried to move both to a new 2008 server and there are issues with these two programs. We are now working on bringing back the 2003 server under which both programs did work. We hope to have this up and running over this weekend but certainly by the following weekend at the latest.
As to the ScotGenenalogy program. As we haven't had any feedback on it at all I can only assume it wasn't being used very much as if it were I'm sure we'd have got at least one email in asking what the problem was. Given that this is the case we're going to reinstall it as a brand new system and do an upgrade to the latest release and jazz it up a bit. This program does allow you to import a gedcom file so it would be a useful addition to help support our Genealogy forum.
One issue that I have personally is that since 1997 I've used the Microsoft Front Page program to publish the site and in 2008 it no longer supports the Front Page extensions which are needed to manage our borders. The site is really far too large to change at this late date so going back to the 2003 server will at least mean I can still keep using that product.
ABOUT THE STORIES
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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
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We think we have found the problem with our Links system. It seems the experience add-on is causing the problem. We have emailed the author of that add-on to see if there is a fix so hopefully in the next couple of days we'll have this issue resolved.
I'm very impressed with all the great messages going up and some of them are a real good read. The Knights Templar forum is getting good use and Gordon has been posting up some great messages in the History forum.
I think this is what I like so much about forums in that you get to read some really good articles. The fact we have the Facebook connections means if you are on Facebook then when you post up a message you can also copy it to your Facebook page.
There still seems to be an issue with the IE 8 browser in that it can lock up. I've been using both Firefix and Chrome a good bit and have yet to see this problem using them. We're hopeful that when IE 9 comes out that will end these issues. That said it is still quite rare for IE 8 to lock up but it can happen.
I might add we got an interesting message in with the thread "Questions" in which it said...
I have a few more questions, what does "ootie" and "UYBRAM" mean? Couldn't find out. Also wanted to compliment this site as I explored all it had to offer and was just amazed with all the information available. I have endless reading available now. Oh, I also noticed that this forum is mostly for old time posters, however, I used it because I thought it was for old timers as in age. Unfortunately, I am an old timer, but I like to think of myself as a new, young, beginning, barely old timer. Haha. Ya all have a good day.
And so if any of you out there in newsletter land know what "ootie" and "UYBRAM" mean do let us know :-)
Our community can be viewed at http://www.electricscotland.org/forum.php
THE FLAG IN THE WIND
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This weeks issue was compiled by Richard Thomson. In this issue he provides us with two long and interesting articles and the Synopis also carries interesting items.
You can read this compilation at http://www.scotsindependent.org
Holiday Cottages
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These are wee tourism articles. Got in this week...
Aberfeldy – The charming destination of Scotland
This can be read at http://www.electricscotland.com/travel/holidayndx.htm
Book of Scottish Story
----------------------
We've added "An Adventure with the Press-Gang" which can be read at http://www.electricscotland.com/book...y/story128.htm
The other stories can be read at http://www.electricscotland.com/books/story/index.htm
"Lights and Shadows of Scottish Life"
We've also added the story "Blind Allan" which can be got to towards the foot of the index page above.
Robert Burns Lives!
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By Frank Shaw
For years the name Murray Pittock has been popping up in conversations with Scots on both sides of the pond, and I had wanted to meet him for as long. I recently ran across his name again when I read The Ultimate Burns Supper Book by Clark McGinn. Pittock and McGinn go back a long way - 32 years - and Pittock wrote the foreword for Clark’s book. Finally the opportunity to meet Murray via email presented itself through Keith Dunn, a friend in the Burns Club of Atlanta, who recommended Pittock’s book Scottish and Irish Romanticism. Intrigued by the title, I introduced myself to Dr. Pittock through a couple of Scottish friends. Having secured a copy of his book, I learned it was “designed for reading by advanced scholars, postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers, senior undergraduates, and all those with an interest in Romanticism or in how Irish and Scottish studies intersect with other English literature.” Having failed to qualify in the first four categories, I convinced myself I might qualify as a part of the last group.
It did not take me long to realize that this publication was different from any I had ever read. Upon completion I was reminded that the professors I learned the most from during my undergraduate and graduate work were those who demanded the most out of me. I may not have made my best grades with them, but 45 years later I remember them and their courses more than some of those I “aced” in college and graduate school. The same goes for Scottish and Irish Romanticism.
You can read the rest of this article at http://www.electricscotland.com/fami...ns_lives97.htm
Frank's Burns articles can be read at http://www.electricscotland.com/fami...rank/burns.htm
Our Burns section where you can get to the books mentioned above is at http://www.electricscotland.com/burns/index.html
The Kingdom of Fife
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Its Ballads and Legends by Robert Boucher, Jun (1899)
This week we added another chapter called "St Rule and the Culdees" which can be read at http://www.electricscotland.com/history/fife/
Glasgow
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By the British Medical Association (1922)
We've added another chapter to this book, "Glasgow from the Artists' Point of View". By R. J. MacLennan
You can read this at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...glasgowndx.htm
Scottish Loch Scenery
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From drawings by A F Lydon with descriptive notes by Thomas A Croal (1882)
This week we added "Loch Lurnaig" which you can read at http://www.electricscotland.com/pictures/lochs14.htm
The other entries can be read at http://www.electricscotland.com/pictures/lochs.htm
Oor Mither Tongue
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An Anthology of Scots Vernacular Verse by Ninian Macwhannell (1938)
And we've now started on the final section on "Poems Suitable for School Competitions" and we have the next four poems up which are all by W. D. Cocker as it happens...
Beasties (Helen B. Cruickshanks)
Ambrosia (W. R. Darling)
Back! (W. D. Fisher)
At the Fireside (Michael Balfour Hutchison)
These can be read at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...ther/index.htm
Poems of William Dixon Cocker
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We've been adding a few pages from this book each week and have now arrived at his English poems Pages 196 - 199 which you can read at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist.../cocker_wd.htm
Geikie's Etchings
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This week we've added more articles...
The Town Fast - Morning
The Town Fast - Evening
You can read these at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...ikie/index.htm
Town Council Seals of Scotland
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Historical, Legendary and Heraldic by Alexander Posteous
Added this week...
Galashiels to Greenock
Haddington to Huntly
Innerleithen to Irvine
You can read these at http://www.electricscotland.com/council/
William Ewart Gladstone
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By James Bryce (1919)
we've now completed this book with chapters on...
Chapter 1 - Introduction
Chapter 2 - Early Influences
Chapter 3 - Parliamentarian
Chapter 4 - Orator
Chapter 5 - Originality and Independence
Chapter 6 - Social Qualities
Chapter 7 - Authorship
Chapter 8 - Religious Character
You can read these chapters at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...adstone_we.htm
An Outline of the Relations between England and Scotland (500-1707)
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By Robert S. Rait (1901)
Chapters up so far are...
Chapter I - Racial Distribution and Feudal Relations 500 - 1066
Chapter II - Scotland and the Normans 1066 - 1286
Chapter III - The Scottish Policy of Edward I 1286 - 1296
Chapter IV - The War of Independence 1297 - 1328
Chapter V - Edward III and Scotland 1328 - 1399
Chapter VI - Scotland, Lancaster, and York 1400 - 1500
Chapter VII - The Beginnings of the English Alliance 1500 - 1542
Chapter VIII - The Parting of the Ways 1542 - 1568
Chapter IX - The Union of the Crowns 1568 - 1625
Chapter X - "The Troubles in Scotland" 1625 - 1688
Chapter XI - The Union of the Parliaments 1689 - 1707
In chapter VII we learn...
When, in 1501, negotiations were in progress for the marriage of James IV to Margaret Tudor, Polydore Virgil tells us that the English Council raised the objection that Margaret or her descendants might succeed to the throne of England. "If it should fall out so," said Henry, "the realm of England will suffer no evil, since it will not be the addition of England to Scotland, but of Scotland to England." It is obvious that the English had every reason for desiring to stop the irritating opposition of the Scots, which, while it never seriously endangered the realm, was frequently a cause of annoyance, and which hampered the efforts of English diplomacy. The Scots, on the other hand, were separated from the English by the memories of two centuries of constant warfare, and they were bound by many ties to the enemies of England. The only King of Scots, since Alexander III, who had been on friendly terms with England, was James III, and his enemies had used the fact as a weapon against him.
His successor had already twice refused the proffered English alliance, and when he at length accepted Henry's persistent proposal and the thrice-offered English princess, it was only after much hesitation and upon certain strict conditions. No Englishmen were to enter Scotland "without letters commendatory of their own sovereign lord or safe conduct of his Warden of the Marches". The marriage, though not especially flattering to the dignity of a monarch who had been encouraged to hope for the hand of a daughter of Spain, was notable as involving a recognition (the first since the Treaty of Northampton) of the King of Scots as an independent sovereign. On the 8th of August, 1503, Margaret was married to James in the chapel of Holyrood. She was received with great rejoicing; the poet Dunbar, whom a recent visit to London had convinced that the English capital, with its "beryl streamis pleasant ... where many a swan doth swim with wingis fair", was "the flower of cities all", wrote the well-known poem on the Union of the Thistle and the Rose to welcome this second English Margaret to Scotland. But the time was not yet ripe for any real union of the Thistle and the Rose.
Peace continued till the death of Henry VII; but during these years England was never at war with France. James threatened war with England in April, 1505, in the interests of the Duke of Gueldres; in 1508, he declined to give an understanding that he would not renew the old league with France, and he refused to be drawn, by Pope Julius II, into an attitude of opposition to that country. Even before the death of Henry VII, in 1509, there were troubles with regard to the borders, and it was evident that the "perpetual peace" arranged by the treaty of marriage was a sheer impossibility.
You can read the rest of this chapter at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist.../scotland7.htm
The other chapters can be read at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...cotlandndx.htm
Two Centuries of Shipbuilding by the Scotts at Greenock
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We've now completed this book with the following chapters...
Personalia
The Era of the Sailing Ship
The Development of the Steamship
A Century's Work for the Navy
Yachting and Yachts
The Twentieth Century
Efficiency, Design, Administration
The Shipbuilding Yard
The Engine and Boiler Works
In the chapter on "Efficiency, Design, Administration" we learn...
HAVING reviewed the history of the firm, and dealt briefly with the results obtained by some of the modern steamers constructed by them, we propose now C to describe the Works in order to indicate the measures adopted to secure efficiency in design and construction of all types of ships and machinery. Organisation and administration are as important factors towards this end as the mechanical methods and appliances adopted, and it may be well, therefore, to deal first with these.
The firm have been responsible for the design of almost every merchant ship constructed by them. Success has been rendered more certain by the possession of carefully- collated records, the product of an organised system of working up all data, of tackling new problems, of making calculations regarding any scientific question, and of studying contemporaneous work as described in the technical press and in papers read at technical institutions. This continuous investigation produces a wealth of suggestion, which enables the chiefs of the respective departments to determine how far practice may be improved; and thus there is steady progress not only in design but in constructional methods. A well-selected technical library, from which the staff can borrow books, also contributes to the same end.
Admiralty and merchant work is initiated in separate drawing-offices. The "Printed Instructions to Draughtsmen" throws light on the general principles which influence design, and one or two quotations may be made:-" Every machine or structure is designed with a certain object in view; therefore, in designing, keep that object always to the front. Go straight to the point, and let the object be attained in as simple a manner as possible. Avoid all curves and indirect lines, except those conceived to give uniform strength or stiffness, or required for some definite purpose. There should be a reason for the contour and shape of every detail. It should be remembered that designs made in this way, requiring least material for the work to be done, usually look best. Besides keeping the object clearly to the front, it is necessary in designing to remember that certain facilities must be attended to for moulding, machining, and erecting. It is also necessary to keep in view the circumstances in which the structure or machine is to be used. Every little detail should be definitely attended to on the drawings, and not left to the judgment of the men in the shops; remember that it is usually the unexpected which happens, and that even the want of a split pin may cause a breakdown. In making drawings or sketches for ordering material or for the shops, assume that those who have to interpret the instructions have no knowledge of, or information concerning, the work in question, except what is contained in the drawing or order you are making out. This will ensure that all information issuing from the drawing-office is complete, and that no work is done in the shops without drawing-office instructions."
You can read this book at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist.../scottsndx.htm
Historical Tales of the Wars of Scotland
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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 around 3 stories each week until complete.
Here is the Preface...
THE present Work consists of a series of Historiettes, or Narratives connected with Scotish History, which, it is hoped, will not be deemed uninteresting to the experienced reader; while to young persons, and those of mature age, who have not access to many books, or leisure to peruse them, it will supply them with much valuable information concerning the several localities with which they are acquainted. These HISTORICAL TALES are constructed on the same principle as Sir Walter Scott's "TALES OF A GRANDFATHER," differing only in this circumstance, that, as every Narrative is complete, no chronological arrangement is followed. This may be alleged as injudicious by some readers, but the plan was adopted to combine variety with agreeable information. The Work pretends to nothing new, nor does it interfere with any of the existing Histories of Scotland ; and as it is designed for general use, the great object is to condense the substance of many large and valuable volumes in a convenient compass, the whole being carefully selected and compiled from the most authentic Histories, Chronicles, Diaries, and original MSS. preserved in the public Libraries and in private Collections. These Narratives are designated HISTORICAL TALES, for the same reason that Sir Walter Scott calls his History of Scotland, for such it is on a small scale, TALES OF A GRANDFATHER. There is neither fiction nor romance introduced, and the Authorities are laid before the reader at the commencement of each Narrative.
Although the leading subject of the Work is Tales of the Scotish Wars, and of those on the Continent under the great Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, and other Sovereigns, in which Scotsmen were engaged, numerous individual anecdotes, private encounters, and biographical sketches, are introduced. While the wars with the English, the battles of Wallace and of Bruce, and the exploits of the great Montrose, are prominently brought forward, the Border Raids, Forays, and Conflicts, the chivalrous inroads into the Lowlands of the indomitable Highland Clans, and their mutual battles, encounters, and attacks, are not omitted. On the whole, it is humbly hoped that the Work will be received with favour by the Public, as much on account of its cheapness as of any merits it may possess.
We've started this book with the first 3 stories...
Battle of Liff - AD 730
Battle of Athelstaneford - AD 800
The Death of Alpin - AD 836
You can read these at http://www.electricscotland.com/history/wars/
I should also add that I read in this publication about "Tales of a Grandfather" By Sir Walter Scott which I had not known about. It is a story in six volumes of the History of Scotland aimed at readers from six years to ten years. It is a publication that I'd love to ocr onto the site but there is only so much I can do. However I found a copy of it on the Internet Archive and so on this index page I've also placed a copy of it for you to download if you wish.
Scotland and the Scots
----------------------
Essays illustrative of Scottish Life, History and Character by Peter Ross (1889).
Here is the Preface to set the scene...
In the following pages I have gathered together several articles concerning Scotland and Scotsmen which are likely to be read with some interest on this side of the Atlantic. The first article is a reproduction, with considerable additions, of an essay written for the Canadian-American of Chicago, and some of the others have appeared, in whole or in part, in the Scottish-American of New York. While a representative Scot in the present day has shown to the world what triumphant democracy has accomplished, it may not be out of place for another Scot to indicate how much his countrymen have assisted in bringing about that triumph, and also to demonstrate that, whether under the Stars and Stripes in the United States, or beneath the Union Jack in the Dominion of Canada, Scotsmen have taken, and are taking, an active part in all the movements that are designed to maintain the religious and political freedom of the people and to promote their material and intellectual progress.
In connection with the article on the Union of 1707 I have reprinted in full the text of the famous Treaty. This important document is more talked about than read at the present (lay, but, as it is the charter on which the modern liberties of Scotland are based, it is deserving of being closely studied and thoroughly understood by every one for whom the history of Scotland has any attraction.
It has several times been suggested to me that the publication of these articles would prove acceptable to Scotsmen and their descendants, and in the hope that the suggestion is a wise one I send forth this little volume.
PETER ROSS.
NEW YORK, FEBRUARY, 1889.
The first chapter is "The Scot in America" which is a very long chapter and starts...
SINCE the year 1603, when James, "the sapient and sext," ascended the throne of England and became the first ruler of Britain, America has been a happy hunting ground for Scotsmen. The Scot has penetrated into every section of the continent and made himself equally at home in the glades of Florida, on the prairies of the West, or among the wilds over which the Hudson Bay Company once held almost sovereign sway. He is generally supposed to be a good, quiet, peaceable citizen, a sturdy upholder of civil and religious liberty, a firm believer in education, honesty, perseverance, and several other virtues necessary to build up a new country. He is also regarded as a man whose mere word is as good as his bond, an energetic yet cautious trader, with a stern, unbending spirit which enables him to overcome many difficulties, a man possessed of a cool, calculating brain which permits him to peer further into the future than many others, and inspires him to press ahead of his time and engage in schemes which seem ridiculous at the moment, but yield a rich return in the end.
The railroad magnate of Milwaukee, Hon. Alexander Mitchell, who died in 1887, laid many a mile of road long before it could command traffic enough to defray even running expenses. But he forecast the future, and his Aberdonian shrewdness brought him a golden return. So, too, old Robert Lenox, when he bought his "Five-mile Farm" in 1817, and paid for it a price which appeared ridiculously extravagant, foresaw that New York had a grand future before it, and that his purchase was sure to be the centre of the city. How true this forecast was, every New Yorker of the present day knows. The farm consisted of about thirty acres, and lay between Fourth and Fifth avenues and 68th and 74th streets. The price paid was $6,920. On it now stands a large number of the most magnificent mansions in the city. On it are also the Lenox Library, the Presbyterian Hospital, the Presbyterian Home for Aged Women, and the Phillips' Memorial Church, all evidences of the generous disposition and public spiritedness of the owners of the old farm. The property to-day is estimated as being worth not less than $14,000,000. It is gratifying to know that so valuable a property fell into the hands of such prudent, careful managers, as the Lenox family proved. They certainly gave abundant evidence by their generous bequests to literature, education and charity, that the Scottish instincts of their ancestors in the old Stewarty did not die out when transplanted to this side of the Atlantic.
You can read this book as we get it up at http://www.electricscotland.com/history/scots/index.htm
Sports and Pastimes of Scotland
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By Robert Scott Fittis (1891)
The Preface starts...
IT is hoped that no reader will expect to find in this book anything more than what the title-page professes it to embody. The compilation is entirely outside the category of practical Manuals and Handbooks of Sports, many of which exist and are deservedly popular. Its sole object is to set forth a sort of history, somewhat after (though confessedly a long way behind) the model of Strutt's Sports and Pastimes of the People of England: only this and nothing more."
The compilation has been the pleasing labour of years. Portions have previously appeared in print here and there; but these have been much amplified with new matter; and, so far as I am aware, the book, as it now stands, is the only one dealing with the generality of Scottish Sports on the same lines. I trust it will be found both interesting and useful, as illustrative of varied phases of the habits, manners, and customs of byegone generations of Scotsmen of all ranks and classes.
We have several chapters up...
Chapter I. The Old Scottish Wild Cattle
Chapter II. The Wolves
Chapter III. The Deer Forest and the Grouse Moor
Chapter IV. Fox Hunting
Chapter V. The Salmon River
These chapters can be read at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...astimesndx.htm
Scottish Yeomanry in South Africa 1900 - 1901
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A Record of the Work and Experiences of the Glasgow and Ayrshire Companies By Trooper A. S. Orr (1901)
Here is the Preface...
COMING home from the Cape on board the "Tintagel Castle" a very general desire was expressed amongst us to possess some such record of our small share in the great South African struggle as is contained in the following pages, but it seemed that no one was willing to undertake the task of writing it. After being some time at home, and seeing that otherwise the proposal was likely to come to nothing, I was persuaded to take the matter in hand. I have endeavoured to write a plain story of our work and experiences during sixteen months of service, but I fear it will be found to have lost much of what might have been its chief attraction -life and vigour - from having been written almost entirely from memory after some lapse of time. While intended primarily for the members of the two West of Scotland Yeomanry Companies, it may prove of interest to the friends who, in our absence, showed such a lively and practical interest in our welfare; and last, but not least, it will answer the two questions they one and all ask us:- "Did you have any fighting in Africa?" and—"Did you see any Boers?"
My best thanks are due to Mr. J. Hannan Watson of our company, who has so enlivened the book with his sketches, and to Mr. R. E. Wilson for a chapter on the Bethlehem fighting.
We have several chapters up...
Chapter I.—Mobilisation—January 1 till February 23, 1900
Chapter II.—On Board s.s. Carthaginian—January 23 till March 21, 1900
Chapter III.—Base Camps—March 21 till May 9, 1900
Chapter IV.—.With General Sir Archibald Hunter—May 9 till July 1, 1900
Chapter V.—With General Hunter (continued)—July 1 till July 19, 1900
Chapter VI.—With General Bruce Hamilton—Wittebergen (by Trooper R. E. Wilson)—
July 19 till August 4, 1900
Chapter VII.—With General Macdonald—August 4 till August 31, 1900
These are all fairly small chapters so here is the first chapter complete for you to read here...
THE week that followed the dark and anxious Christmas of 1899 saw arrangements being made to raise and equip 10,000 Yeomanry Volunteers for service in South Africa, under the name of ' Imperial Yeomanry?' The new year saw the officers and staff of the different Scottish Yeomanry companies busily engaged receiving the applications of intending Volunteers, examining their soundness, their proficiency in riding and shooting, and hurrying forward the necessary preparations for mobilisation and training.
By Monday, 22nd January, 1900, the four companies forming the Scottish Battalion were brought together at their respective headquarters to undergo drill and training till such time as the Government could place a transport at their disposal. The Queen's Own Glasgow Company—to be known as "The 18th Company Imperial Yeomanry "mobilised at Maryhill Barracks, Glasgow; the Ayr and Lanark, or 17th Company, at Ayr; the Lothian and Berwickshire, or 19th Company, at Edinburgh; and the Fife Light Horse, or 20th Company, at Cupar in Fife. Colonel C. R. Burn was appointed in charge of the battalion, with Major Coke second in command.
Four and- a half weeks elapsed before we sailed, and the time was spent in drills—mounted and foot—gymnastics, and learning cavalry methods of managing horses. The old mansion-house of Ruchill was fitted up for our accommodation, and, thanks to Colonel Neilson, of the Queen's Own, we fared well and lacked nothing. Owing to frost, which prevailed the greater part of the time, we did not get much mounted work; and those whose first experience on a horse's back had been gained in one or two lessons in a riding-school were only too pleased to be excused from making an exhibition of themselves at a jump, or of their capacity to stick on without stirrups. They feared lest they might get plucked, even at the eleventh hour, should they come too prominently under the The Regimental Sergeant-Major's notice or the regimental sergeant-major, our riding instructor.
It was a time of enthusiasm, excitement, and restless expectation. Each man could hardly believe his luck in being among the chosen, and caught his breath at the thought that some condition might still be imposed which he could not fulfil, or some test be applied which he could not pass. One or two men had been rejected at a second medical examination, after having left their situations, done a week's drill at the Barracks, and received all sorts of presents and farewell banquets. So we could not feel safe till we were clear away.
I think our many friends must have appreciated our motives and the sacrifices we were about to make better than we did ourselves. We were very much carried away by the novelty and excitement of the moment, and considered we were extremely fortunate to get the chance of going out to the war under such exceptional circumstances. Too much, of course, was made of us, but it was all extremely pleasant, unless, perhaps, the reception in St. Andrew's Hall, where we received at the hands of the Lord Provost and Councillors the much-prized burgess tickets. There, so much was said and sung in our praise, that, had we been allowed, we might have lost our newly-gotten, but still unearned, reputation for bravery by running away from the place altogether.
On 23rd February—a Friday—three companies of the Scottish Battalion, with complete outfit and horses, sailed from the Clyde on board the Allan Line steamship "Carthaginian." The Fife Company went by Southampton. The enthusiasm of our send-off at Prince's Dock baffles description. The citizens of Glasgow turned Out by the thousand, and their numbers were swelled by friends of the other companies from Lanark, Edinburgh, and Ayr. It was a scene that we can never forget, and was a final proof that we carried with us the kindly thoughts and good wishes of those who had already done so much for our comfort and success by showering upon us everything that could possibly be of use in our future campaigning.
"Will ye no come back again?
Better lo'ed ye canna be;
Will ye no come back again?"
You can read the rest of the chapters at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist.../yeomenndx.htm
DNA research article on Scotland's R1a1 Highland Clansmen
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DNA Genealogy and the search for Somerled
By Andrew Mceachern and Anatole Klyosov
Whilst there is much to do about Somerled being Norse and Professor Bryan Sykes "research" work, this is simply not true.
Clan Donald carry an SNP, which is L176.1. SNP's are mutations that we get from our deep ancestors, they do not change their values.
The Norse DNA that Sykes makes reference to DOES not carry this SNP, therefore Clan Donald did not get their ancestry from the Norse. Its this simple. For your reference I am also attaching the research work that Sykes produced, as immature as it is.
You can download this article which is in pdf format at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...ndClansmen.pdf
Fallbrook Farm Heritage Site
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Fallbrook have changed their name and produced a new constitution which can be downloaded in pdf format at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...nstitution.pdf
They have also procuced a new leaflet which can also be downloaded at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...armBrochLR.pdf
Everyone is invited to the inaugrial meeting at Halton Hills on 8th September.
And to finish I got in an interesting email from Nola Crewe...
The History of 'APRONS'
I don't think our kids know what an apron is.
The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few. It was also because it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and aprons used less material.
But along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.
It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.
From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.
When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.
And when the weather was cold grandma wrapped it around her arms.
Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.
Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.
From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables.
After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.
In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.
When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.
When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men folks knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.
It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.
REMEMBER . . .
Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.
To-day’s generation would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.
I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron - but love . . .
And that's it for now and hope you all have a good weekend :-)
Alastair
http://www.electricscotland.com
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