Stories

In 1954 my brother, John, & I went for a holiday with Aunt Helen & Uncle Will, who was a gamekeeper on an estate on Islay. John was 12 at the time & I was 20. We went by train to Glasgow then by boat to Islay, bus to Bowmore and by road for 2 plus miles to Keeper’s Cottage. We both remember well a “duck” experience en route – Aunt Helen had ducks & wanted to change her breeder, so we had to take a drake from the farm for this purpose. My Mum packed it carefully in a cardboard box & we stowed it on the overhead luggage rack in the train & sat back to enjoy the scenery. Unfortunately we had overlooked the fact that ducks pee too & by the time we got to Glasgow & took the box down the bottom gave way & the drake spent the rest of our journey under John’s oxter. The cottage was next to the blacksmith’s & John spent his days there & evenings out with Uncle Will hunting for the next day’ dinner. Aunt Helen was a wonderful cook so I learned a lot of new recipes from her. I remember one night they took us fishing on Loch Gruinart & the lines they gave us had a bar at the end with 4 or 5 hooks , I think, plus a lead weight. We fed the line over the side, gently lowered the baited hooks until we felt the lead touch bottom, lifted it a little & waited for a bite. If you were super lucky you got a fish on each hook! Islay Show took place just before we left, & as the cattle sale took place on Friday they started “ driving them” on Thursday at 5am as no transport was available. Major Morrison invited us into his house on Show Day, and his mother died that night, so they sent for our aunt to help dress her. Local connection? My uncle was brought up at Maidenswell Brow (the Toll House), jumped a train at work & went to WW1 while underage & won a medal. He married Aunt Helen, a widow with 2 sons, housekeeper at Lawhead House to the 2 brothers McEwan, one of whom was Director of Education for Lanarkshire.

Grace & John.

NEWSLETTER – FEBRUARY 2023.

GOING TO SCHOOL (1939 to 1951).

I began my schooldays at Forth in 1939 & remember Miss Bryce, the infant teacher, had a tiled fireplace in her classroom & when it was cold or wet we were allowed to spread our gloves on the hearth to dry & get warm. When the blackboard duster got too chalky she would choose one of us to take it outside & “dadd” it on the wall. She was a strict lady, but obviously had a heart of gold. Every year we had a visit from the school dentist & you would get a letter home to say that you would need a tooth out. Mine seemed to be a bit soft & I always had to go every time. You had to take one of your dad’s hankies & a scarf for your mouth, join the queue waiting on chairs outside the medical room till your name was called. The only bonus was going home afterwards. I recall one year I was having a back tooth out & when the dentist pulled the pliers the tooth broke up & I screamed. One of the boys in the queue ran away & I met him in the street on my way home! In 1945 I sat the “grading exam” & went to Lanark Grammar, travelling by bus. One year the snow shut the Lanark road so we walked to Wilsontown station & got the train to school.

In 1948 we moved to Easterhouse farm & the journey to school was a bit more complicated. Winifred Smith’s dad was the local postman, paperboy & taxi, so he took us down to Auchengray station, where we boarded the train from Wilsontown to Lanark, via Carnwath & Carstairs, picking up passengers at each place on the way. Later on we got our own designated school bus for Tarbrax, Woolfords & Auchengray, owned by Gordon Wilson’s dad, who started his business with a converted hearse in Carnwath. You only got a pass for the school bus if you lived more than 3 miles (I think) from the school, otherwise you had to walk or get a lift. Most class sizes then were around 40 pupils & I don’t recall any extra-curricular activities at primary school. We got “gym” in the hall once a week, & music was singing from a book if the school had a teacher who could play the piano. At Lanark I got hockey, & twice I was on a Lanimer lorry at the time when you had to produce an item for the concert at night, where I expect I got the bug for singing & dancing. How I appreciate the talent & dedication of those teachers I had all those years ago.

I would like to thank Janina, Yvonne & all the others who gave our children such lovely memories at Santa’s Grotto & other events over Xmas. Someday one of them may do what I am doing now.

Thank you.

Grace.

NEWSLETTER – MAY 2022.

HUNTYGOWK!

Sorry this is a bit late but I did not know that this word had gone out of use. When I was at school we would all try to be the first to play a trick on our friends, usually by saying something that wasn’t true, & when they believed it we would say “Huntygowk”. This happened on April 1st, All Fools Day, & meant “Hunt the Gowk”, gowk being the Scots word for fool. I was really surprised at the number of people who did not know & I thought to add it to your vocabulary.

Washday.

When I was about 11 in 1945 we lived in Forth & we did have running water & electricity but the washing was entirely by hand. My Mother would light the fire under the boiler in the boilerhouse next to the cows’ byre to heat the water that had been “pailed” into it earlier. Monday was always washday & the wooden tub was placed on a stand like a large chair, with the wringer attached to its back. The washboards had a wooden frame with a ribbed panel down the middle, initially of aluminium, later of glass. The soap was in a footlong block which my Mother cut a piece from, using a shovel. The washboard had a little ledge along the top for holding the soap. Warm water from the boiler was put in the tub, the clothes were dunked in it then washed by rubbing soap on them & kneading them on the board. When they were clean they were fed through the wringer & dropped in the basket ready for hanging out on the clothesline. When the large items like sheets were dry I would take one end with my Mother & we would fold them carefully, then they would be puy through the mangle to make them nice & smooth, with me at the back to catch them as they came through. The mangle was a brute of a thing, about 4 feet wide & 5 feet tall, made of iron with large wooden rollers which exerted pressure by being attached to a pair of 56 lb weights which lifted up & down when you turned the handle. The rest of the dry clothes were ironed at the kitchen table with a blanket pad on it, as there was no such thing as an ironing table, at least not in our world. I hated in the winter if the washing could not be dried outside, then they had to be hung on the large wooden winterdykes round the range in the kitchen, so that you could not sit near the fire. An amusing anecdote apropos of that was that a farmer friend of my parents used to go to Lanark market every Monday & would have a little tipple while he was there, & as he dare not return to his wife with the drink in him he would stop off at our house to sober up. He was the only one I ever knew to be allowed to sit inside the washing. (He was on foot, of course!)

Grace.

NEWSLETTER – JUNE 2022. Seafield Cottage, Tarbrax – a little history I hope you will enjoy.

I was christened there in 1934 by Rev Richmond Scott who had retired there from his ministry in North Ronaldsay. He actually did the same for my siblings Betty, John & George & was nearly blind by the time George came along. I was 12 yrs old then in 1946 so I can remember that. The 4 villas were built by the shale mine owners to house the managers, so when the mine closed the houses were sold in 1927. Rev Scott had a local lady, Nancy Dick, as his housekeeper & when he died he left the house to Nancy. She married Thomas (Tam) Kerr, who had one leg which could not bend. I can remember him cycling to the Inn at Auchengray on his bike with only one pedal at the weekend and it did not seem to stop him from working & leading a normal life. Nancy died before him so he lived in the house alone for his final years but gave up on its maintenance eg. When he got a leak he just closed off the lead pipe & eventually the only water was from a standpipe outside. When I was a teenager I remember the Arthur family coming to stay on holiday at Seafield (they had a dishy son, Bert,) & when Tam died it was left to one of the Arthurs. They had known Johnny years before & got in touch to get his help to sell the house, so being up for a challenge he bought it himself & that’s how we ended up living out of buckets of water, & a dirt floor as the wooden one had gone ! There was a large tree in front of the house, making it very dark, so it had to go. The following is obviously before health & safety but I hope it will give you a smile as no animals or humans were harmed. Part of Johnny’s job with British Rail was to maintain the telephones on the Forth Bridge, housed in small huts on the underside of it. Back to Seafield he warned the neighbours that their phones would be off for a short time, then he disconnected the wire to avoid damage from falling branches & he & brother-in-law, Archie, attacked the tree with saws. Afterwards he re-attached the phone & all was well. It was a great benefit to us & our neighbours on both sides. We did a massive amount of work on the house & garden & it was my favourite as I would still be there if my legs had not let me down. In the days before monoblocks we laid an area at the back with bricks salvaged from the Bing using a roll crate in the boot of the car.

Today’s Smile.

Noo, is a dove a doo, Dad, is a doo a dove, and is a cow a coo, Dad, a sparrow jist a spyug, & is a wall a wa’, Dad, is a dog a dug. She’s gonna warm my ears, Dad, instead o’ skelpin’ ma lug.

Grace.

NEWSLETTER APRIL 2021 EVACUEES.

During World War 2 most children living in large towns like Edinburgh & Glasgow were sent to live in the country with people who had spare accommodation & were willing to take extra child(ren) into their homes. I was 5 when the War began in 1939 & lived in Forth with my parents & my younger sister, Betty. My parents were friendly with a couple from Edinburgh & their son & daughter were evacuated with the other children from Bellevue Crescent, but they were very unhappy with their new situation. Mr & Mrs Mills told my Mum & Dad about this & that is how Betty & I soon had an “adopted” brother & sister, Dan & Jessie, who lived with us for the duration of the War. They went to Forth Primary School, Dan joined the Scouts & Jessie the Girl Guides, & they were our brother & sister for the rest of their lives. When I was young most of us spent “holidays” with an aunt & uncle & I was often at Greenfield Farm with Aunt Jean & Uncle Peter (who was my Dad’s uncle).

They received 2 brothers from Glasgow, Hugh & Tom Gavigan, & I got to know them quite well. They were Catholics & walked up to Tarbrax Chapel every Sunday. They had to fast before the service so Aunt Jean gave them a wrapped sandwich each, which they hid in the stone dyke before entering St. Magdalene’s. It always amazes me the details of life which stick in your memory so long, I mean 70 odd years.

Johnny was 12 when the War started & remembered the Tarbrax evacuees better than me. If you are not a newcomer you may remember a while ago I told you about the initiation that the evacuees had to complete to join the Tarbrax “gang” – they had to go down the east side of the bing on a makeshift sledge which was a corrugated sheet or “berge” bent up at the front, preferably landing in the Burn at the bottom.

TWA NEWSLETTER, APRIL 2020. THE BELT,

I started School at Forth Primary in 1939 & loved it from day 1. I was lucky to know what I wanted to do & never thought of anything other than being a teacher. In those days the accepted form of punishment for misbehaving was the belt, but as I didn’t misbehave I didn’t get the belt, except for once. After intervals it was the custom to line up in twos in the corridor outside the classroom, & normally the teacher would be standing waiting to let us in. One day she wasn’t there when we arrived & as we were not allowed to enter the classroom if she wasn’t there we just stood quietly at first but gradually we started talking, & the noise got louder. When she finally arrived she was furious as we were advertising her absence to the rest of the staff so she fetched her belt & gave us all 1 stroke as we entered the classroom. I think I was in P4 at that time. The School had a Junior Secondary Dept. then & my brother-in-law told me about a teacher he had who would say to him every morning ”Right, Muir, out you come & hold out your hand”. Then he gave him the belt & Archie would respond “What was that for, Sir?” & he replied “It’s not for what you have done, but for what you’re going to do!”

My next experience of the belt was in 1956 when I started teaching at Niddrie Marischal School (now Castlebrae). We had been told at Moray House College that a belt was an essential piece of equipment & we were given the name of the supplier, Mr. Dick from Lochgelly, so I duly sent for one & got it posted. I still have the receipt for 10/6 (52 1/2p) but it was stolen at West Calder High about 1982. I didn’t replace it.

At N.M. one custom was that when it was your week on line duty (you went out & lined the classes up after intervals) all latecomers had to report to you. You took them outside the classroom, administered one stroke of the belt & gave them a timed, signed note for their own teacher to prove that they had reported. I found that I only needed to use the belt for the first week or so of the session & it was relegated to the back of the drawer for the rest of the year. First encounter of each year’s classes was kind of like a bear-baiting by the bold ones, trying to find your limit of endurance, and after they saw that you would use the belt if pushed, teaching & learning could proceed. After the belt was banned, I think in the 1980’s, the usual punishment was an exercise, lines (I must not....) or an essay. I well remember the plea, especially from the boys, “Aw, Miss, can ye no’ jist gi’e me the belt?” I am glad the belt has gone as some teachers could be quite sadistic with it. Some pupils could be monsters too, but the majority are wonderfully rewarding. I suppose I have laid myself open to criticism of my “barbaric” actions, but these were the times I lived in.

Grace.

THE TOLL HOUSE.

Most of you will know the ruined cottage on the A70 (usually referred to as “The Lang Whang”) on the border of Lanarkshire(now South Lanarkshire) and Midlothian(now West Lothian). This little house used to be where travellers in the olden days had to stop & pay a toll charge to pass from one region to the other. There were 2 large rooms at either side & a small boxroom in the middle, & stables underneath at the rear so that travellers could change horses if required. My Grandmother & her family – she had 10 children – lived there in the early 1900’s & the stables became a wash-house with a large boiler with a fire beneath it to heat the water. There was no water or electricity in the house, so water had to be carried from the spring at the side of the house. This spring was called “The Maidens Well” & the house was called “ Maidenswell Brow”. In 1914 at the start of WW1 her eldest son, William Kennedy, was working on the railway & jumped on a train, lied about his age & enlisted. He fought at Ypres, was awarded a medal for bravery & happily survived the war. To my shame I can’t remember what medal or even his regiment but several years ago my uncle who had care of the medal consulted the family & we decided to give it to the regimental museum at Edinburgh Castle, & I remember going to see it there.

My Grandmother was the local midwife & walked down across the fields to Tarbrax when she got a message that she was needed. My Mum would get her instructions who to visit & check up on as she went to school at Tarbrax. I recall her telling me that her saddest visit was to a lady whose baby had died & she wanted to give it a cuddle. When she left school my Mum was hired as a maidservant to Peter Robertson at Greenfield Farm & she had to help in the house, do milking which was by hand then, & even work in the fields eg. Shawing turnips, & at haytime & harvest. They got paid every 6 months then & when Mr Robertson asked my Grandmother what wage she was asking for my Mum she replied:” You will pay me what she’s worth after 6 months”. When that time came my Mum was bought a new pair of working boots & a length of material from Woolworths to make herself a dress. My Mum & Dad did some of their courting in the washhouse keeping the boiler fire going for the washing, & on June 14th 1933 they were married at the Toll house. I could go on but that will do for now – I just wanted to record some of its history before it falls down & fades from living memory.

Grace.

THE DISCO.

You may not know that probably the first Disco took place in a wash-house in Woolfords about 1950. I was living with my Aunt Mag at No.13 at the time & she had a wind-up gramophone with a big horn for the sound. There were a number of wash-houses to be shared by several people who were each allocated a certain day or half-day & the key was passed from person to person. In those days nobody would dare to do a washing on a Sunday so guess what day my Aunt had the key? Yes, it was Saturday, so I asked her if I could borrow the gramophone on a Sunday & she agreed. Us lads, Wullie, Neil, the Jamiesons & me took records & played them. The girls soon got wind of our activities & wanted a part of the action, Margaret, Alexa, Doris, Ruby, Sally are some of the ones I remember. This was in the winter as we played football in the summer & had nothing to do when the dark nights arrived. We lit candles in the wash-house, but one night Wullie blew out the candles & the girls screamed the place down – all good clean fun in those days. This was in the days before we had electricity, hence the need for candles! The electricity arrived in 1953, just before the Queen’s Coronation. My aunt was a forward-thinking woman & actually purchased a T.V. set about a year before she had electricity & on the day of the Coronation had a full house to watch it. After the inside was choc-a-bloc the others crowded on to the pavement outside the window & watched from there.

This prompts a memory from the same era about the time that Cobbinshaw Loch was frozen over & we were able to play a game of football with our jackets for goalposts. Cars & a tractor also drove across it, and at night people from Edinburgh drove out & shone their headlights across the large loch to let their children skate on it.

Grace

THE TARBRAX DAMBUSTER.

A couple of weeks ago we had a visit from Chris & Debbie Henderson from Devon. Chris had been researching his Dad’s history & discovered that he was born in Tarbrax at No.123 on 17th June 1920 & he attended Tarbrax School, then went to West Calder High School from 1932 to 1934. His name was Robert Jack Henderson but he was known as Bob. On leaving School he is recorded as Haulier with Scottish Oils at Uphall for 2 years then joined the RAF on 21st September 1937. Bob served throughout WW11 & flew with the DAMBUSTERS in 617 Squadron in May 1943. He survived the War but died suddenly aged only 40 in 1960, still serving in the RAF. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM) which he received from the Queen’s father, King George V1, at Buckingham Palace on 31st July 1945, when Chris was only 3 months old. Johnny took Chris & Debbie in the car round the village & showed them where Bob’s home would probably have been & they were thrilled with all they had learned.

After leaving us they went to visit Mary Higgins & after some conversation were even more thrilled to discover that Mary remembered Bob well as he was in her class at school. The visits were organised by Jane Wilson, WATIF lady in charge of welfare for older people locally & she certainly earned her corn that day. Didn’t she do well? Chris & Debbie have promised a return visit.

Grace & Johnny Kenneway.

TARBRAX CHURCH – October 1913 to October 2011.

The school was used as a mission at Tarbrax from 1885, followed by the Public Hall in the 1890’s. From 1908 the new Works Institute was used for religious services by the Rev. Hugh Young, minister of the United Free Church at South Cobbinshaw, and by the Rev. Richmond Scott, minister of the Established Church of Scotland at Auchengray. In 1913 a new established Church of Scotland was opened at Tarbrax, with the Rev. Richmond Scott serving as minister both here and at Auchengray until 1920. Tom Bryson of Pumpherston Oil Works provided the bell and the Directors gave half the cost of the organ. The Church had accommodation for 204, and the pews were presented by the minister and Kirk Session of Langholm Parish Church.

On 28th February 1930 the Midlothian Advertiser reported that the W.W.1. Memorial Stone which was erected in Tarbrax Institute had been removed to Tarbrax Church. The Church also contains the “Scrap of Paper” from Cobbinshaw Church.

In 1928 Rev. Hugh Young retired from Cobbinshaw, but was prevailed upon to serve at Tarbrax . There is mention of a Mr. S. White as missionary here in 1933. After this we had Mr. Miller, whose son, Stewart, had an illustrious career in the Church, including service at St. Giles in Edinburgh. Later ministers were Mr. W. Gourdie (whose stipend was £250 per year), Mr. James Watson and Mr. Claydon. After the Manse at Tarbrax was sold we were served by the ministers of Carnwath, notably Rev. Beverley Gauld from 1978. During the time of missionaries in Tarbrax Manse, weddings etc. were carried out by the Carnwath ministers, Rev. Henry Willox (1939 to 1971),Rev.William Middleton (1971 to 1978).

Sunday School at Tarbrax was taken by Rev. Richmond Scott from 1913 to 1920. More recently I remember Sunday School Teachers Christine Orr, myself, Mary Wang and Campbell Fisher, who created Kompleat Kaios and lovingly refurbished the fabric of our Church.

The last service is on Sunday 23rd October 2011 at 11.30am.

( Grace & John Kenneway).

The Cauther Poem

Dae ye mind o’ auld lang syne, When Cauther was in its prime,

Westwood Works and Addiewell, West Mains and number nine,

Dae ye mind the Poly Hall, Where we gathered one and all,

And danced the night through till the morning.

Dae ye mind the Happy Land, Where lived the greatest worthies in the land,

Mossend, Gavieside and Shutleha’, Now only in our memory stand,

Dae ye mind o’ Harriet Raw, Raeburn, Breich, Oakbank, them a’,

And walkin’ ower the Drove Loan in the morning.

Dae ye mind Pie Jock and his pies, Nanny Mullen’s picture hoose, oh my,

The chummy seats in the back row, It brings tears tae yer eyes,

Noo they are nae mair, Cauther’s no the same, I’m shair,

As ye walk doon the street in the morning.

Dae ye mind the wee auld shops, Nan Duncan’s watches, rings and clocks,

The Beehive and the Buttercup, Dick Mullen’s wee fruit shop,

McCowatt’s high class millinery, Mick Muny’s wee shop tae,

Where ye got yer woodbines and yer papers every morning.

Dae ye mind o’ J D Brown the printer, The Blacksmith shop, the auld Smiddy,

Lipton’s and Keirsley the cobbler, At the top o’ the Cleugh Brae,

Santini and Tapaldi they came here frae Italy,

Noo instead o’ sunshine they get rain every morning.

Dae ye mind o’ Gillon’s licensed corner shop, The personal service that ye got,

And Grant’s vanilla slices, they just couldna’ be forgot,

The big Co-op Gala day, the weans shouting hip-hooray,

As they marched doon the street in the morning.

Dae ye mind auld Johnny Boyle’s billiard ha’, a meeting place for a’,

The chaff was great and the atmosphere as the players hit the ba’,

Noo ye watch it on the screen, it goes on for weeks it seems,

Until the wee sma’ hours o’ the morning.

Dae ye mind the auld High school, where ye were taught by rod and rule,

Cauther street on divi day, Annie Wilson’s wee tea shop packed full,

Aye ye don’t half miss the Co-op when ye need a new claes rope,

Or a teapot for yer tea in the morning.

Dae ye mind auld Tommy’s barber shop, the razors then, yon big cut-throat,

And Sneddons if you once got it, was an Aladdin’s cave I aye thought,

Watson’s ironmongery was right across the way,

A’ daein’ brisk business in the morning.

Dae ye mind o’ Cauther sports, the procession and the floats,

The streets were lined wi’ folk and weans, some o’ them gey wee tots,

Jack Sleigh and his china stand, hobby horses and pipe bands,

And the sair heids ye had in the morning.

Dae ye mind Tam Halliday the butcher, a right auld wag was he,

And Wilson’s fish in Union street, where ye got kippers for yer tea,

McBryn’s bicycle shop, where ma Raleigh bike I bought,

That was a long time ago in the morning.

Dae ye mind the auld polis station, next door was Ogilvey,

And whit’s his name, ye mind auld wheesht frae the local library,

Kate Tennant’s quaint old shop where as a lassie I hae got,

Ma pencils for the school in the morning.

Dae ye mind the nine penny rattler, the good auld puffy train,

Packed wi’ local lads and lassies, frae the big Toon comin’ hame,

Well the station it’s still there, Now it’s £1.40 single fare,

Tae get ye back hame tae Cauther for the morning.

Dae ye mind the auld lodging hoose, The model was another name,

A place o’ rest for travelling folk, and casual workers far frae hame,

A bed for the tattie howkers, And dry stane dykers till they moved,

On their way doon the street in the morning.

Aw weel I suppose things hae aye tae change, But it’s nice tae bring tae mind,

Tha way things were when we were young, and we were in oor prime,

We aye mind the good auld days, and a’ the freens we made,

And the ones we’ll meet again in the morning.

Grace

NEWSLETTER – JUNE 2021.

SOME DAYS ARE DIAMONDS, SOME ARE STONES.

I am going to share some of my emotions as I am guessing that many of you are having down days like me, hopefully balanced out by ups. I think of all the things I won’t ever be able to do again because the person I did it with is gone, eg. The Monday shop at Morrisons & the weekly lunch at a Garden centre with Johnny, having lunch with Barbara at my house after getting our hair done then going to the Tuesday club every week, also WRI etc. Helen Doig also came to have her hair done & go to the club & we will not forget her, the “hardy wee wumman” as she always called herself. I know that you will all have your own people & memories that I don’t know about, & I do believe that Covid has had a bad effect on everyone’s health, even if it was not directly responsible.

So much for the stones, now for the diamonds. I got a new great granddaughter on 31st. January. Her name is Orlagh (Golden Princess) & a few days ago Calum & Leanne brought her to see me. I am amazed at how alert she is already & as she lay in my arms smiling up at me with Johnny’s eyes I was back to singing lullabies & my signature Scarlet Ribbons. What joy! I hope that you all have an “up” experience too. I am rich in family who care for me & hope you each have someone too.

Now for a couple of Johnny’s boyhood escapades:

From the age of four he lived with his grandparents at Maryfield & during the summer 2 of his cousins from Edinburgh would come to live there too so mischief was on the cards with 3 lively boys. They decided to go fishing in the burn but having no tackle they had to improvise, so they unpicked a bit of his red jersey & got a length each to use as line & bait as it seemed to them to resemble a wriggly worm in the water. Needless to say they caught no fish & Granny was not pleased about his jersey.

Another day they decided to hunt for peewit eggs on the moor. The plan was to get as many as they could & give them to the women in the village for baking & maybe get some treats in return. The search was very successful but unfortunately they had omitted to take a bag with them, so improvise again! They took off Johnny’s bomber jacket, zipped it up & tied the sleeves tight to close the neck, thus forming a makeshift bag. Sadly they got too greedy & packed too many into it, & by the time they got home most of the eggs had broken, there were only 3 left whole, & the jacket was ruined. Granny was angry again, but they did chores for her to make up for it. I wonder if the big man up there is having any bother with the 3 of them now?

Grace.

NEWSLETTER – DECEMBER 2022.

CHRISTMAS PAST.

I came here in 1948 just before my 14th birthday & remember the customs & the people from then & the 1950’s. There were 2 main events at XMAS, the children’s party & the Xmas dinner, both organised by Tarbrax W.R.I. in the “old hall”, formerly St. Magdalene’s chapel owned by the education authority after the school closed about 1947. The WRI ladies & the parents provided the food for the children, & they got juice while the parents had tea or coffee. The children sat on the floor at food time & the parents sat on chairs round the hall, & like feeding the 5000 there was always enough for all. We played games to taped music when required, eg. Musical arms, statues, grand old duke of York, farmer’s in his den, out & in the dusting bluebells, pass the parcel, etc. Santa visited & each child received a tangerine & a chocolate treat. A lovely memory!

The Xmas dinner was well attended & of course the gentlemen swelled the numbers. The WRI ladies set the table with their best tablecloths & china. They were used to taking these to the basket whists, but for the dinner they also brought their best candlesticks & the final display looked lovely. The ladies also prepared all the food, soup, turkey & all the trimmings, trifle, mince pies & tea. I don’t recall us having wine as it was an acquired taste then, but there was sherry & whisky. We had a solo musician but I can’t remember who.

Back then there were a lot more people here & most married women didn’t have jobs so they were more involved in things, & there were also a lot more children. There was a Youth Club, a Junior Youth Club, & a Senior Club. Everyone from the 3 villages were welcome at Tarbrax where most things took place. Auchengray had events also to which we were all welcome, but I don’t recall things at Woolfords in my time here, although I believe they had a busy hall there before then. In any case we have always operated as a combined community, especially at Xmas, & hopefully that will continue in the future. I wish you all happy season’s greetings, & a better 2023 for us all!

Grace.

Some interesting facts about the history of Tarbrax & its Shale Mines.

18/7/1885 97 pupils enrolled at new school at Tarbrax.

Oct.1906 48 new houses built at Tarbrax, & people waiting to move into them.

14/11/1908 Tarbrax Welfare Institute Hall opened.

Apr.1913 First 24 new houses built at Woolfords.

Oct.1913 Tarbrax Church opened; the oil works company gave the bell & half

the cost of the organ.

11/9/14 Tarbrax Hall extension for Picture House (cinema).

Nov.1914 Total number of Tarbrax men in WW1 army & Territorials = 150.

4/2/1921 New Infant school opened at Woolfords.

6/2/1925 Woolfords new hall opened at a cost of £2000.

23/9/1927 The Tarbrax Lum(chimney) taken down.

28/2/1930 War Memorial moved from Tarbrax Institute to Tarbrax Church

Aug.1930 More houses at Tarbrax demolished.

Nov.1930 Pupil going from Woolfords to Tarbrax school was hurt on old

railway line, so parents were given the option of Auchengray.

Jul.1938 Cobbinshaw Church to close.

Jul.1947 Tarbrax School closed & the remaining 12 pupils were taken to

Auchengray.

NEWSLETTER – NOVEMBER 2022.

ANYONE FOR TENNIS ?

The tennis court at Tarbrax was opened in 1933 with local dignitaries in attendance, eg. Schoolmaster, councillor, & Miss Claasen, the lady who made it all possible. She lived in Viewfield Road, & when her sister died & left her property in Glasgow, she sold it & used the money to buy the ground & develop it to form a tennis court, a putting green & a bowling green, along with all the accoutrements to take part in these activities, & a shed to store everything & use as a changing room. As a teenager in the 1940’s Johnny remembered playing with Bill Russell (an uncle of Florence Provan’s), Jock Borthwick, Muldoon (Brown), Maysie Robertson from Greenfield Farm, to name a few. Maysie was a Wren during the war & became grandmother to the Baillie’s at Calla Farm & she was a lovely lady. All the players wore “ Whites” & that continued for a long time. I first played in the 1950’s along with the rest of the Youth Club members who came from the three villages & met in Tarbrax old hall (formerly St. Magdalene’s Chapel). The original base of the court was tarred & by then was cracked & breaking up so we approached the Council for help. We got a compromise & formed a work party to dig up the tar surface & the Council removed it. It was replaced with fine blaes & we were provided with a roller to keep it smooth & flat after use. The court was enclosed by a high metal framework with wire mesh, & there was a doorway at one corner. Maysie Robertson’s family had given a silver cup for the tennis players & after the putting green & the tennis court went out of use the bowlers played for it, & it is still with us. The portacabin was named “The Claasen” in honour of our benefactor. I never knew her but was told that she was a little bit eccentric, & when the workmen were laying the bowling green she checked their work by testing the level using an HP sauce bottle filled with water as a spirit level!

Grace.

NEWSLETTER MAY 2021.

DUKE of EDINBURGH AWARD.

Usually we don’t have personal association with items in the national news, but this time I do & I feel that Prince Philip deserves this little local accolade to add to the others.

I went to work as a Maths teacher at Lanark Grammar School in 1958 & over the years I was promoted to Special Assistant & later as Senior Housemistress with responsibility for all aspects of the school life of my 300+ pupils, eg. Morning Assemblies, Parent Evenings, Report cards, Discipline etc. In this capacity I was approached by a group of girls who wished to achieve their Duke of Edinburgh Hostess Award. I got permission to use a “Cookery” room after school & the girls & I started to practise the required skills to get to their goal. I taught them how to set a table as part of their Presentation, how to make starters, main courses, sweets & also scones, pancakes & sponge cakes etc. When we were happy to be assessed I organised a lunch hour date when each pupil could invite a member of staff as a guest for a meal. The girls worked in pairs to serve their guests. Bearing in mind that this was in the 1960’s I can’t for the life of me remember the Menu we had chosen, except for the ambitious Sweet, Baked Alaska, which had to be prepared in situ by each pair. It was 100% successful with no melted ice cream as they emerged from the ovens.

I am sure there are many of you who have taken part in this wonderful award scheme & we would be happy to share your experience eg. My sister-in-law Barbara has a lovely gold brooch, her Duke of Edinburgh Award gained when she was in the Girls Guildry, I think, & lived in the Borders.

Grace.

NEWSLETTER – SEPTEMBER 2022.

HERE in MY MOTHER’S TIME.

My Mother was born in 1910 & spent her young years with her parents & family at Maidenwellbrow (the Toll house). She was 4th youngest in a family of 10 & as i have mentioned before her Mother was the local midwife. My Mother’s name was Jenny Kennedy & she walked down across the fields to get to school at Tarbrax (situated at the gap site between Donkor Dee (Margaret Addo’s) & the old Police Station (Steve Midgeley’s). When she was 14 it was time to leave school & as she had been a very bright pupil the Headmaster asked my Gran if she would allow Jenny to stay on for further study, but the answer was :”No, I’m sorry to say that I need her wages”. I think my Mum would like to have studied to become a nurse. At any rate my Gran took her to see Peter Robertson at Greenfield Farm & a deal was made – in those days workers were paid by the term as I remember going to the term sales twice a year at Lanark market when I was at school. When asked what wage she was seeking for Jenny my Gran said : “After the 6 months is up you will pay me what she is worth”, & so the deal was struck. Note that my Mum was not consulted, but knew she would be treated fairly by both parties to the arrangement. ( As a note of interest, 2 years previously my Mum’s older sister, Grace, left school & got a job at Loanhead farm with ( I think) Miss White, but as my aunt was not so robust as my Mum, my Gran sent her for a holiday with one of her sister’s for 2 weeks while my Mum went to Loanhead farm to do her work meantime). After the 6 months & the wages had been paid to my Gran she bought my Mum a new pair of boots for her work & money to buy a dress length & necklace from Woolworths, & she was delighted. A woman’s work on the farm was quite hard as they did most jobs the men did, forbye doing anything the farmer’s wife wanted as in preparing food, scrubbing floors, blackleading the range, etc. She milked cows, fed calves. Planted & lifted potatoes, shawed turnips, stooked corn etc. All bed & board was included in wages. My Mum was very happy there from 1924 to 1933 when she left to marry my Dad, who was a shepherd & incidentally Peter Robertson’s nephew. Her bridesmaid was his daughter, Maysie. My Mum was a wonderful person, & no wonder when you think of the people who influenced her, all loved & respected by their peers. I think I should stop there for now.

Grace.

NEWSLETTER APRIL 2022.

“ ARE YE DANCIN’?”

The translation for those who are not familiar with Francie & Josie is “May I have the pleasure of this dance?”. That was usual when I was young but if the gentleman was very shy he would cross the hall, stand in front of you & simply stretch his hand out in invitation. Most local dances had Jamieson’s band, but Grace Bruce would come and play her accordion. Once I remember a dance at Auchengray where Will Hannah’s recording band played. As I have mentioned before we had a good youth club in the old hall at Tarbrax & about 1955, I think, I had a friend who was a T.V. engineer & he converted an old cabinet gramophone to work off the electricity, so as I had a collection of 78’s (records) with dances in strict tempo (mostly Jimmy Shand) I organised wee dances which were well attended by the teenagers & adults. We charged 1/6 (7 1/2p) & we had a tuck shop. The cabinet had 2 doors on the front which opened to let out the sound & I remember when the record finished I had to abandon my partner & dash to put the needle back to the start, or change the record. I kid you not, but what fun we had then. When Jimmy Osmond had his hit with Long-haired Lover from Liverpool & The Slosh was born I learned how to do it & taught it to the youth club & the local teenagers were first to show off their skill before any of their schoolmates. The hall had a cloakroom & toilets inside for the females, & outside toilets beside the boiler room for the gents. One of these days I will run out of memories, but if you get fed up of them just let Margaret know & maybe one of you could take over, but as long as I am able I feel that at my age (87) I am helping to record some local history, with a little humour thrown in.

Grace.

Grace Kenneway's local stories and memories