tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46341724104986979452024-03-14T12:59:32.326+00:00Nancy Jardine AuthorNancy Jardine - Where Prehistory Comes Alive Nancy Jardine Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12366248895961876075noreply@blogger.comBlogger1664125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634172410498697945.post-29339534740700362712024-02-15T15:04:00.000+00:002024-02-15T15:04:01.865+00:00Pre-Valentine's Day Promotion Banners 2 <p><b><span style="font-size: large;"> Hello! It's Day 2 of presenting the banners I made for my recent promotion. </span></b><br /><br /></p><p>What would your favourite be from this selection? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX5U899UUAKpZCL4oUuhR3JSF1_-lo6VXGSxYgzSWWGUEzSgQNPRTKWTrJLxiah2oBQ4OlVDEBFNeX51RTHUMq9uHQTg7k5bHtTJ9jTLCqmBT6xrzwpCb08tkWhPI073f5wnwGphUO3iqc6ur0LunQfN0IgQHViZbGMzRgp91Um5kxtI2eUGOhkD4bDlI/s1115/feb%208th%20fb.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="1115" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX5U899UUAKpZCL4oUuhR3JSF1_-lo6VXGSxYgzSWWGUEzSgQNPRTKWTrJLxiah2oBQ4OlVDEBFNeX51RTHUMq9uHQTg7k5bHtTJ9jTLCqmBT6xrzwpCb08tkWhPI073f5wnwGphUO3iqc6ur0LunQfN0IgQHViZbGMzRgp91Um5kxtI2eUGOhkD4bDlI/s320/feb%208th%20fb.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcqDSHde9adkbWa5kpV0Dzy0CWc6Nlh-0ovIwcZZSBrJcPMFkDsRHFQ7GFbJl5G_-UaLKIADMq7f-uZ475x2KhTqc0QV6RM1V6xDZB0zKgxnfO1c1yhNpUnLV2f00aIIRVmuanxAxiE8Oa0mL6IGOMyQCvBhWafu267wPGeW0dXw7Q9lOILdJ54H6Rg8/s1196/fb%209th%20Feb.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="1196" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcqDSHde9adkbWa5kpV0Dzy0CWc6Nlh-0ovIwcZZSBrJcPMFkDsRHFQ7GFbJl5G_-UaLKIADMq7f-uZ475x2KhTqc0QV6RM1V6xDZB0zKgxnfO1c1yhNpUnLV2f00aIIRVmuanxAxiE8Oa0mL6IGOMyQCvBhWafu267wPGeW0dXw7Q9lOILdJ54H6Rg8/s320/fb%209th%20Feb.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieBgYm6X5sN8hyphenhyphenhSXiuA3h1L8aC21ChQq2WM-YbAaN5fhckWY5DTXC75EtsIvj5sagmYQ5NW8-qOvmkNJxejhyphenhyphenZWMVRRvQsL8tnzapvxVju_CaQzYap-Q22ALEaaL5yXrbTOF7ytH_mDKs-3-S2ibU31gMse6ehjROexZf9FIDcXAwMPlXl0Tp1TEuYW8/s1200/fb%20feb10th.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1200" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieBgYm6X5sN8hyphenhyphenhSXiuA3h1L8aC21ChQq2WM-YbAaN5fhckWY5DTXC75EtsIvj5sagmYQ5NW8-qOvmkNJxejhyphenhyphenZWMVRRvQsL8tnzapvxVju_CaQzYap-Q22ALEaaL5yXrbTOF7ytH_mDKs-3-S2ibU31gMse6ehjROexZf9FIDcXAwMPlXl0Tp1TEuYW8/s320/fb%20feb10th.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi45mNCFJc3sqYbpwcrdDK5BezFd1fvoC-e30lUrl1CCpi-zGu6tHLVnsqbH-x6qkq_NqOkmbCCSnNZ92uUlYzzkzRXuvNYe0H6qeMA2pWRAQy3YyTAaIVRqiDRrse3ldsyzd8Wx7qoBBkhJOutx4-FglquEFIbQWNE2lvpN8Ke6OyKICVkvIupAUrhNtI/s1200/for%20fb%2011th%20Feb.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1200" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi45mNCFJc3sqYbpwcrdDK5BezFd1fvoC-e30lUrl1CCpi-zGu6tHLVnsqbH-x6qkq_NqOkmbCCSnNZ92uUlYzzkzRXuvNYe0H6qeMA2pWRAQy3YyTAaIVRqiDRrse3ldsyzd8Wx7qoBBkhJOutx4-FglquEFIbQWNE2lvpN8Ke6OyKICVkvIupAUrhNtI/s320/for%20fb%2011th%20Feb.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnX2X2ikofjmBrpQiYu4OrlLBFx4kRtU9_aQjKLOF9wCImQKY9J8KsUBB39H5pWt_Pn9kUofcnAGo0SNO0qKlLF0iuPOo0EoqIFy1A6QNKofUUP-59ipA3I688XD9in4Ra_gJcpl9GDdv4v1qQz8IW4jyhcYugNO_17ie-MTZLKHZZZZi47ZyVAKBnbUs/s1196/fb%2012%20feb.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="737" data-original-width="1196" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnX2X2ikofjmBrpQiYu4OrlLBFx4kRtU9_aQjKLOF9wCImQKY9J8KsUBB39H5pWt_Pn9kUofcnAGo0SNO0qKlLF0iuPOo0EoqIFy1A6QNKofUUP-59ipA3I688XD9in4Ra_gJcpl9GDdv4v1qQz8IW4jyhcYugNO_17ie-MTZLKHZZZZi47ZyVAKBnbUs/s320/fb%2012%20feb.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2nolrasE5K-9nDaklx080za7I5sU8fTuhVTo-0MxRgEOYpWzfGH_1qUQFBrMkn0uEJGIaPaQuNw9hnS2-1hwjrpGsUDwRIleS-M_V5F80MEA-bs3la1wFcCdTdx-Q1Ht2Dd9EvpMdGllfwj1khIX571VsLTJ5uYewwsv4c55KXwZ-AnWyZD8qR51Erbw/s1200/fb%2013th%20feb.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2nolrasE5K-9nDaklx080za7I5sU8fTuhVTo-0MxRgEOYpWzfGH_1qUQFBrMkn0uEJGIaPaQuNw9hnS2-1hwjrpGsUDwRIleS-M_V5F80MEA-bs3la1wFcCdTdx-Q1Ht2Dd9EvpMdGllfwj1khIX571VsLTJ5uYewwsv4c55KXwZ-AnWyZD8qR51Erbw/s320/fb%2013th%20feb.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVdPV-zJWaCI-PcQGQm5qBRUJMscfCdYdyiS6dYd3G0UvYIsdeYx2x-4UxJk0cIo9vRy59XJT7KNrs16JREpvV5uEUhwB7yNVA_cNgJhOi9dXxZsTS1xxsNrwSp-D50dFy8SdZanjNi3y5HP0PkpTb3MFR0XxmqtXw1csGWjaEctHC04-TuICODDosDA/s1200/fb%2014th%20feb.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVdPV-zJWaCI-PcQGQm5qBRUJMscfCdYdyiS6dYd3G0UvYIsdeYx2x-4UxJk0cIo9vRy59XJT7KNrs16JREpvV5uEUhwB7yNVA_cNgJhOi9dXxZsTS1xxsNrwSp-D50dFy8SdZanjNi3y5HP0PkpTb3MFR0XxmqtXw1csGWjaEctHC04-TuICODDosDA/s320/fb%2014th%20feb.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Slàinte!</span></b></p>Nancy Jardine Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12366248895961876075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634172410498697945.post-1034593023211766552024-02-14T19:51:00.000+00:002024-02-14T19:51:34.431+00:00February pre-Valentine Promotion<p> <b><span style="font-size: large;">February 2024, so far, has been a busy and entertaining month for promotion. </span></b></p><p>This year of 2024, I decided to do something a bit different in early February. I ran a promotion between February 1st through to 14th February with Before Beltane, the Prequel to the Celtic Fervour Series, being offered at 99p/ 99c across Amazon, along with Book 1 of the series, The Beltane Choice. </p><p>As part of my promotion during that fortnight I created a number of banners to highlight the promo on Facebook, Twitter, Bluesky and on Instagram. I've thoroughly enjoyed making the graphics, simple to do and only taking around 15 minutes a day. </p><p>I didn't create one for every single day, but for most as you can see below. In retrospect, I should have been displaying them on here each day, but it's too late for that. Instead, I'll post half of them today and the other half tomorrow (in case of system overload!) </p><p>1.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mBo1lmFzXMdw6rJykPbNv6j9gPqhnWHuR86PYx9QNdkwOXNTQHQt7xyHJpGPbLnwquEzVRyprr5xDOdFAoX8Qd6VuXRJzwOJLPutKVJiUip5z0U_PUSOEgGzwSCCGA22FRurOTdLOX3AY5V2AWLEvR-LN3kEypUQFsNTo1t6zDTGSBxkVbtqKEra17U/s1200/promo%20feb%201-14.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mBo1lmFzXMdw6rJykPbNv6j9gPqhnWHuR86PYx9QNdkwOXNTQHQt7xyHJpGPbLnwquEzVRyprr5xDOdFAoX8Qd6VuXRJzwOJLPutKVJiUip5z0U_PUSOEgGzwSCCGA22FRurOTdLOX3AY5V2AWLEvR-LN3kEypUQFsNTo1t6zDTGSBxkVbtqKEra17U/s320/promo%20feb%201-14.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>2.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_6_lu5k-HSQlebzlZyGKLf9qb-UMXGUi2LTFLMLGTixhxKF4umPxdmlGg-lMS1-a0u1EPnMFUpBX1jfHB5znkwWZd431HbBdHWmvjir2BPRXG82rZYS0WAAJWsi4hQVkwgAhErSGY9LZXwGcyCjWgRJnhGBlQ0VuHNsCPE5BgVKBuXus-JvAdlkTA4U/s1200/feb%202024%20promo%202.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_6_lu5k-HSQlebzlZyGKLf9qb-UMXGUi2LTFLMLGTixhxKF4umPxdmlGg-lMS1-a0u1EPnMFUpBX1jfHB5znkwWZd431HbBdHWmvjir2BPRXG82rZYS0WAAJWsi4hQVkwgAhErSGY9LZXwGcyCjWgRJnhGBlQ0VuHNsCPE5BgVKBuXus-JvAdlkTA4U/s320/feb%202024%20promo%202.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>3.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwYnwY_HofIT5llYsBpwC0hmM0QEjSM_fD2cEbNDBaJ3hQ85N1zU_TM-Um_L-KrG7BriDM-Vp8kxlazTdfvVP_REYlZrvdeHvfSwNM3AeFkCX8zerVycTIUfGInzz9Ph-mZJmWIVXZ3fbRTyu3bmHTzfY_A3gYEzOcsses1MNFetU3r8Z6NPLMAtLY-Y/s1200/feb%20promo%20%202024%203%20.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwYnwY_HofIT5llYsBpwC0hmM0QEjSM_fD2cEbNDBaJ3hQ85N1zU_TM-Um_L-KrG7BriDM-Vp8kxlazTdfvVP_REYlZrvdeHvfSwNM3AeFkCX8zerVycTIUfGInzz9Ph-mZJmWIVXZ3fbRTyu3bmHTzfY_A3gYEzOcsses1MNFetU3r8Z6NPLMAtLY-Y/s320/feb%20promo%20%202024%203%20.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>4.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwC20JPqXGbX-aeYBDSLaH5PcvRfUvZtYVxuwvXADbUGruC2DHCTrCZmwALkFpVTZsECq-w0qHVqmn5G8oN5P8ZbLb7yecuJ48b_QzED3hOk3_V_bmbGVrKJteiyUs0Y2bJBf9VbyKsIurt1C1woj5-HwXiu_kXG6yJ-T0va39b6kcUtGQry2Jc3ymLQQ/s1200/feb%204th%20.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwC20JPqXGbX-aeYBDSLaH5PcvRfUvZtYVxuwvXADbUGruC2DHCTrCZmwALkFpVTZsECq-w0qHVqmn5G8oN5P8ZbLb7yecuJ48b_QzED3hOk3_V_bmbGVrKJteiyUs0Y2bJBf9VbyKsIurt1C1woj5-HwXiu_kXG6yJ-T0va39b6kcUtGQry2Jc3ymLQQ/s320/feb%204th%20.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>5.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKHk0IaVv7UBJzNTefZkB8adn9MkSZEAC9hc9uJqtygfxZBErX9TJrGB3UnytCb-GuRQ1drgRes399jiFwRAcs85o64-RKO1mQX0gypn7XpjR2d2lXBtQ48F0ZLRaUyumVd93YCIfKIlW3x4pQ22SHlsWot8iYU1HzGWwDt9GnW6RwdNil5t65W6EOp-E/s1920/fb%205th%20feb.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1920" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKHk0IaVv7UBJzNTefZkB8adn9MkSZEAC9hc9uJqtygfxZBErX9TJrGB3UnytCb-GuRQ1drgRes399jiFwRAcs85o64-RKO1mQX0gypn7XpjR2d2lXBtQ48F0ZLRaUyumVd93YCIfKIlW3x4pQ22SHlsWot8iYU1HzGWwDt9GnW6RwdNil5t65W6EOp-E/s320/fb%205th%20feb.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>6.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXcsxXMML_YSJvETztaGTVrh0YRdSUFU483cjZdVnxGwpQMdml_rVllX14GlZeHAC7GUepvimtOaB7TE5DgCqIRZ0IIecSpzeuOlUXfWNu7xahvNuSnroqcKdYifS0kfAJXKxLyO83yiFW4MXeHNHky-I84g-5odxU9SKQJ66nuwRaaQzucgZ77zvEikw/s1071/feb%206th%20insta.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1071" data-original-width="1071" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXcsxXMML_YSJvETztaGTVrh0YRdSUFU483cjZdVnxGwpQMdml_rVllX14GlZeHAC7GUepvimtOaB7TE5DgCqIRZ0IIecSpzeuOlUXfWNu7xahvNuSnroqcKdYifS0kfAJXKxLyO83yiFW4MXeHNHky-I84g-5odxU9SKQJ66nuwRaaQzucgZ77zvEikw/s320/feb%206th%20insta.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>7.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBbzUpKDnBze0UWO-62Kj1SAaxqURsirfrmCtS7jefOYx6NeX-n6UT2eoIvd-DJdfZ-U_gvtfFc7p66wEO6Af9UjdSb5jv9s-fsV4CkkBgI1h81ZMtKAYM17x48sxM_FGfBkpQrHyIR9y3nZutIwikBPwcL2-Go_zTjKE1zZ2XhLNlOJp-w8eiHmFvO1M/s1200/promo%20feb%202024%204.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBbzUpKDnBze0UWO-62Kj1SAaxqURsirfrmCtS7jefOYx6NeX-n6UT2eoIvd-DJdfZ-U_gvtfFc7p66wEO6Af9UjdSb5jv9s-fsV4CkkBgI1h81ZMtKAYM17x48sxM_FGfBkpQrHyIR9y3nZutIwikBPwcL2-Go_zTjKE1zZ2XhLNlOJp-w8eiHmFvO1M/s320/promo%20feb%202024%204.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Which is your favourite so far?</p><p>Slàinte!</p><p><br /></p>Nancy Jardine Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12366248895961876075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634172410498697945.post-33115055044725586192023-10-11T17:54:00.001+01:002023-10-11T17:54:27.097+01:00At the Edinburgh Women's fiction Festival!<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Wednesday already!</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">It's now a few days since my wonderful weekend at the <b>Edinburgh Women's Fiction Festival</b>.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The weather was atrocious! Serious flooding occurred across many parts of Scotland during the past weekend but I'm pleased to say that the venue - Morningside United Church - was dry and warm. Only when I nipped out - to grab a coffee from the nearby Costa shop, or when I ventured further down Morningside Road in Edinburgh with Julie George, to pick up a sandwich for lunch - did I get very wet in a very short time. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">The venue was a bit strange in that sitting on a traditional bench pew for hours and hours was a novelty, listening to various authors talk about their own books, or the main topics of their writing. Thankfully there was a cushion to stave off serious bottom ache! Nevertheless, the organisers of the festival did extremely well to source the use of the venue whilst keeping the cost down to a bare minimum for the attendees. There was a small bookstore available in the front foyer run by <b>The Edinburgh Bookshop</b> (Bruntsfield), their main store being located only a few doors up the road. The groaning tables in the church foyer were naturally geared towards those authors who were participating in the discussions. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I don't read many fiction paperbacks these days, mainly reading fiction via my Kindle, but I did come home with a couple of new books. One is by <b>Danielle Devlin. <i>'Burnt Offerings'</i></b> is set in Scotland 1589, and my interest was piqued after a 'Witchery' session with two writers Anya Bergman and Stacey Thomas (whose novels I may likely read as well).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The other paperback is by one of my fellow <b>Romantic Novel Association Scottish Chapter </b>members, <b>Nina Kaye</b>, her novel being titled <b><i>'One Night in Edinburgh'</i></b>. I bought my copy after the Friday night inaugural session and began it on my return to my hotel. The choice of Braid Hills Hotel was a very good one (once I found it on the Friday afternoon) since it's on a main Lothian Bus Route which linked the hotel to the event venue, and to Princes Street in central Edinburgh. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVHriuPgOnLut5ICjMaDoUcTewGdVT7atfLTzkoCGMRK8u6AoOwEgo0ycvDxIGwPe4m7s-Iw8dcBIauMM92YhAZFT6NbUKC5AaVYPSxBIe3p_IsPuRQJ1vlGgDJeM4n3eCpfUNDQTTAht9DftlSIOUsylevIT6lYG1XfRcLVGl1d-mNPi6R7EAG9n6cPI/s3004/20231008_105538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3004" data-original-width="2954" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVHriuPgOnLut5ICjMaDoUcTewGdVT7atfLTzkoCGMRK8u6AoOwEgo0ycvDxIGwPe4m7s-Iw8dcBIauMM92YhAZFT6NbUKC5AaVYPSxBIe3p_IsPuRQJ1vlGgDJeM4n3eCpfUNDQTTAht9DftlSIOUsylevIT6lYG1XfRcLVGl1d-mNPi6R7EAG9n6cPI/w197-h200/20231008_105538.jpg" width="197" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Braid Hills Hotel</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">My lovely RNA Scottish Chapter author friend <b>Mairibeth MacMillan</b> picked me up from the hotel after I checked in, and we went for a quick dinner in a restaurant very close to the venue. After the evening session, I headed back to my hotel by bus, the service absolutely excellent compared to transport in the Aberdeenshire boondocks! </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWVvUNh7VutzWJloGurHCQxhk6P2K7sMP8aO1RCOjqvg_LuLhvFEzquuR11jOCvlr8k8k7CD7wACzgiW2gjanEWZUMSF2tw5D-YwKngP88GJNIXBcC6mJ3Sbc0DfzhngWg2ZZiuI88Ut1J3WmWSb4RXEv4VSRIm3lcQgW0-CmtZwhC6zz4eEBym6XyTQ/s1876/20231007_122850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1876" data-original-width="1710" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWVvUNh7VutzWJloGurHCQxhk6P2K7sMP8aO1RCOjqvg_LuLhvFEzquuR11jOCvlr8k8k7CD7wACzgiW2gjanEWZUMSF2tw5D-YwKngP88GJNIXBcC6mJ3Sbc0DfzhngWg2ZZiuI88Ut1J3WmWSb4RXEv4VSRIm3lcQgW0-CmtZwhC6zz4eEBym6XyTQ/s320/20231007_122850.jpg" width="292" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jackie Fraser, Milly Johnson, Eva Verde</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><i>'One Night in Edinburgh' </i></b>was an entertaining engrossing read, perfect for my long journey home from Edinburgh to Aberdeen by coach on Sunday. The excessively heavy rainstorms had crippled a lot of transport across Scotland and I was glad to have booked my coach ticket in advance, since many disappointed rail travellers were trying to find an alternative route home. My train journey northwards from Aberdeen was cancelled but an Inverness-bound coach got me to my nearest county town where my lovely son-in-law collected me in still-dire weather and got me home. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">The main point of the last rambling paragraph is that I spent some of the travel time reading my new novel and actually finished it by Monday. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>And the festival itself? </b>It had as many as possible hour-long discussion sessions crammed into Saturday, beginning at 10 a.m. though it was surprising how quickly the day passed. The authors and their 'interviewer' were well organised, responses to the prepared questions seamlessly answered. I knew it was going to be mostly geared to romcom/ chick-lit/ feel-good fiction - not my usual writing genres - but it was great to hear what drove the authors to write what they do, whether newly published authors or those of long-standing like Jenny Colgan and Mike Gayle whose session wound up up the event. All in all, it was great to just sit and listen and not need to do any presentation myself, or talk about my own writing.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg48wkkkZTiaYo4jg7Iwqp-U13dfEPL6ZV6a0Z45YLf9X2rojfuCrI2HghJvTf_KSupROhgkeDrCRLJHP-y5EA53K3vPO3hjU3-fJPSKqjPezZEuBfPHkxu4AZvJqrX1VwKRfDLNixvG8LL53GsMuvqmg6B5QdGH_62dNtI0UUsevXjzr0pfjBnm2TyrUM/s1627/20231007_101148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1494" data-original-width="1627" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg48wkkkZTiaYo4jg7Iwqp-U13dfEPL6ZV6a0Z45YLf9X2rojfuCrI2HghJvTf_KSupROhgkeDrCRLJHP-y5EA53K3vPO3hjU3-fJPSKqjPezZEuBfPHkxu4AZvJqrX1VwKRfDLNixvG8LL53GsMuvqmg6B5QdGH_62dNtI0UUsevXjzr0pfjBnm2TyrUM/s320/20231007_101148.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catherine Hokin and Karen Swan</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Where I was seated meant taking photographs was very difficult so, sadly, I had to delete most of what I'd hastily snapped. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Another lovely aspect of the whole event was that in addition to meeting up with members of my RNA Scottish Chapter group, I met a new author friend Julie George who had come all the way to Edinburgh from Cornwall. Another far-flung attendee who joined our little RNA group for a short time was a young writer from Georgia, USA, who was on her honeymoon. Both of these attendees indicate the power of advertising on behalf of the organisers! </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Would I attend next year? Absolutely!... and I might sign myself up for some of the workshops if available, which I chose not to do this time around. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Well done to all who organised the <b>Edinburgh Women's Fiction Festival</b>! </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Slàinte! </span></b></p>Nancy Jardine Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12366248895961876075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634172410498697945.post-6242187720491910282023-10-03T13:04:00.001+01:002023-10-03T13:04:43.037+01:00Edinburgh Women's Fiction Festival! <p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Hello!</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The next big event on my 'writing' calendar is a brand new, inaugural event named the <b>Edinburgh Women's Fiction Festival </b>which will take place in a few days on Friday 6th October, and Sat 7th October 2023. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxzYjv_oUye2a_kqCQxUbRW0DtN1PvxarvhaZrUXrtgpCfSpKLNFpmnXiWuj-i_Qp4U07uada2aDdirqk0nI0WT6HfiDP1GfR7ferJExOvr6pe-IsSQhBlsWpeuN-bj-M_7yhkZZR_srZyZ0rD42SBHW2HlbMqj6HEd-eHdCMGJZI8JoL6jF4B0z3Di8/s2666/20231003_121823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2180" data-original-width="2666" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxzYjv_oUye2a_kqCQxUbRW0DtN1PvxarvhaZrUXrtgpCfSpKLNFpmnXiWuj-i_Qp4U07uada2aDdirqk0nI0WT6HfiDP1GfR7ferJExOvr6pe-IsSQhBlsWpeuN-bj-M_7yhkZZR_srZyZ0rD42SBHW2HlbMqj6HEd-eHdCMGJZI8JoL6jF4B0z3Di8/s320/20231003_121823.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of my Roman Britain selection</td></tr></tbody></table><br />As seen in its title, this event will be held in Edinburgh, Scotland, the venue being Morningside United Church. I've booked transport and a hotel for myself and I'm really looking forward to attending the talks. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">The ones I'm really interested in will be with authors who are speaking about writing saga fiction and historical fiction in general. I'm hoping that I'll learn more techniques about polishing my current writing which is set in Victorian Scotland. I'm envisaging my whole story will cover three books in a series. At my current stage, with Book 1 about 3/4 finished and a tiny part of Book 2 already done, I'm still not entirely sure if I'm writing a saga or if it fits into some other niche. I hope to glean ideas on how to resolve my category dilemma! </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'll be meeting up with a number of my Romantic Novelist Association Scottish Chapter author friends in Edinburgh who are an extremely supportive bunch of ladies. As well as looking forward to the series of talks (a pretty full-on programme) I'm also going to enjoy having a meal out with above mentioned friends after the conference is over.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Updates, as and when, to follow! </p><p style="text-align: justify;">p.s. oops!...I clearly need to create a Victorian Scotland source book image. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Slàinte! </span></b></p>Nancy Jardine Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12366248895961876075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634172410498697945.post-32974299523450169212023-07-15T17:02:00.088+01:002023-07-27T08:12:07.028+01:00Eboracum Roman Festival York 2023<p><b><span style="font-size: large;"> Eboracum Roman Festival was fabulous fun!</span></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcN5W8W52FqxTL0NKD5U7eAR6v6Ztko5ljAxuaweoVJO17mNbV5P_EZh1gUFiBUfk1aT4ZYUvbJyDo1yB4si5q5P1waz8BPlJo3cVpZ-L1VBizeS8HUJijbUwWJbmsAK0z1I_WtuxDWqtwtzR3BHzYyljgeY3j1f55yUEt553mzQNirO27ACv_x4ElGj0/s4032/359690813_594091782753400_3989644177487729309_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcN5W8W52FqxTL0NKD5U7eAR6v6Ztko5ljAxuaweoVJO17mNbV5P_EZh1gUFiBUfk1aT4ZYUvbJyDo1yB4si5q5P1waz8BPlJo3cVpZ-L1VBizeS8HUJijbUwWJbmsAK0z1I_WtuxDWqtwtzR3BHzYyljgeY3j1f55yUEt553mzQNirO27ACv_x4ElGj0/w150-h200/359690813_594091782753400_3989644177487729309_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>This year of 2023, my train travel to York proved to be on
time and, thankfully, not disrupted.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnaZ4_rGbkIqbKa7erVTPFwGa3M4UxuU3dCWtZ9n-K80qMBmX24OYfEjOVlusfYjygRjuDCaJ-j-s9MOKqDtcpOpe-rr9I0hyzkR4ObjqQeFmkomgC9o8QqwN7DQifIP0I_85Zw-YL0W8neW-qjDaJLwZUg0vZobO3mtKseQl5TujtbLxzRlB6POmQYFk/s2048/360081702_1066599918052477_8199027183174898580_n.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnaZ4_rGbkIqbKa7erVTPFwGa3M4UxuU3dCWtZ9n-K80qMBmX24OYfEjOVlusfYjygRjuDCaJ-j-s9MOKqDtcpOpe-rr9I0hyzkR4ObjqQeFmkomgC9o8QqwN7DQifIP0I_85Zw-YL0W8neW-qjDaJLwZUg0vZobO3mtKseQl5TujtbLxzRlB6POmQYFk/w200-h200/360081702_1066599918052477_8199027183174898580_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />L to R- Me, Graham Sumner, <br />Jacquie Rogers, Simon Elliot, <br />Jason Monaghan, Linda J Trafford, <br />Alison Morton, Ruth Downie, <br />Kate Cunningham, Simon J Turney</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-align: justify;">It was a brilliant short trip. I’m so glad to have had the
opportunity to get down there and meet up with lots of lovely authors [some new,
some met last year], some of the re-enactors, and the browsing/buying public who
came to talk to us at our Bibliotheca (author tent).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">My thanks to Jim Butler, Event Manager, and the team of organisers
at Yorkshire Museum for giving us an excellent pitch for our marquee. The
marquee had no frontage which meant we could be easily seen but was a tad short
at the sides to fit in x 10 author tables. I’m so very thankful that the light
rain was fleeting and that my books weren’t damaged, always a problem with open
air venues.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtl7HiVFgKR71JiQ6onUVpZovu6P7PTLkDONdq6ceO_6DG9MHA9RyO6CCBm6qqXNyeIRtPm3-Qb7EljlxmKK3_8q_eHzkKK3Rm1dhdYgO4WUN67G1_WQLT4Y61jBZqon-4a9YPb_5x0-4TtAsgLLCaPKc7XOiHTbrNDww0xiTuen-BjoqIsle1jjr0E0U/s2048/358399950_6276659309049983_3869313399916159965_n.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtl7HiVFgKR71JiQ6onUVpZovu6P7PTLkDONdq6ceO_6DG9MHA9RyO6CCBm6qqXNyeIRtPm3-Qb7EljlxmKK3_8q_eHzkKK3Rm1dhdYgO4WUN67G1_WQLT4Y61jBZqon-4a9YPb_5x0-4TtAsgLLCaPKc7XOiHTbrNDww0xiTuen-BjoqIsle1jjr0E0U/w150-h200/358399950_6276659309049983_3869313399916159965_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fraternising with the enemy!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-align: justify;">Deciding how many books to take was driven by the size of my
wheelie suitcase though more so by what weight I could lug up and down staircases
in train stations (lifts not always available). Since I was only spending an
extra day in York on the Friday, my changes of ‘civvies’ clothes were minimal, and not weighty, but my new re-enactment Celtic outfit is quite bulky and
certainly heavier than a normal dress. I packed 27 books, and I’m utterly
delighted to say that I sold 21 of them and gifted x 1 book for our Prize Draw.
Hardly any to bring home, yet I’m still mystified that my case remained heavy!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhywUcoJDgIgafiMERODjd2n5LEhINV1IvrBqnN29Y3KikvUTMlhM2fkqRbv4KK38h6XoH9DuWFbP11zDu2y4ARmSctiCS4SYXOL81mcABEmvyhocI3Oi-yB7OfHbDbshTT4bP88qAHq62n3t6s5PFWA6kONXos6gEUgcHGRuKqsJVhDrm6CwszKbBvr4k/s1134/Fortuna%20Y%20Museum.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1134" data-original-width="828" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhywUcoJDgIgafiMERODjd2n5LEhINV1IvrBqnN29Y3KikvUTMlhM2fkqRbv4KK38h6XoH9DuWFbP11zDu2y4ARmSctiCS4SYXOL81mcABEmvyhocI3Oi-yB7OfHbDbshTT4bP88qAHq62n3t6s5PFWA6kONXos6gEUgcHGRuKqsJVhDrm6CwszKbBvr4k/w146-h200/Fortuna%20Y%20Museum.png" width="146" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fortuna favours the brave!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-align: justify;">Meeting up with an ex-Crooked Cat author friend Angela Wren on the Thursday night for dinner and a chat was marvellous. Since Angela is reasonably familiar with the area, being a Yorkshire lass, she booked a table at a fabulous French Bistro which I thoroughly enjoyed.</span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6AKwfuu3nRqj186Ob487qLQyge_GRk2ZxhyHTY1WbxUPteHUr_-jH5QNwXpNqx6WWb2uyyIZ_VGZ8KZVPq6LaU-7emO90h8dOr9k4WcsAMXPS5Ziukib091d4dnPCQabL0ygVzb52qvjgYNd4AZLTK_qDGZCAfYQRRaPmEoyul-II_OgnfRx5F1a34kM/s4000/20230709_153245.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6AKwfuu3nRqj186Ob487qLQyge_GRk2ZxhyHTY1WbxUPteHUr_-jH5QNwXpNqx6WWb2uyyIZ_VGZ8KZVPq6LaU-7emO90h8dOr9k4WcsAMXPS5Ziukib091d4dnPCQabL0ygVzb52qvjgYNd4AZLTK_qDGZCAfYQRRaPmEoyul-II_OgnfRx5F1a34kM/w150-h200/20230709_153245.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at your fabulous phalerae!<br />Meeting the Legatus- <br />legion commanding officer</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">My Friday was taken up by a good wander around the central
area of York, unencumbered by any luggage, and I spent about 3 hours in the
Yorkshire Museum. I’d not visited since 2016 and took plenty of time to view, and photograph, the Roman exhibits. I don’t recall on any previous visits to the Yorkshire Museum spending time in the upstairs library but I had the room mostly to myself this time for a
good browse. There were some fabulous early copies of non-fiction published
about Roman Britain, amongst many other interesting topics. The evening was
delightful in the company of new-to-me author Jacquie Rogers. A few drinks and
dinner set us up for the Saturday!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXBaHAXGobvcutj-NZnfU_47eGHNJKnT4mZfSyXyn0UwoL3GL5HZGNLNj5EJCfWZJSoxEr5c_ZE3zuIYAPdXfH3GyLSYv-hEu4ci95tTcx4e8Zi6huYmuSKnPMKoIdrD0J6iVFvYJy99vZw844chmkEDrzcM5h0NNeG4Hqf0xfFqsCT8WqHzvWlGST7ZQ/s4000/20230709_120018.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXBaHAXGobvcutj-NZnfU_47eGHNJKnT4mZfSyXyn0UwoL3GL5HZGNLNj5EJCfWZJSoxEr5c_ZE3zuIYAPdXfH3GyLSYv-hEu4ci95tTcx4e8Zi6huYmuSKnPMKoIdrD0J6iVFvYJy99vZw844chmkEDrzcM5h0NNeG4Hqf0xfFqsCT8WqHzvWlGST7ZQ/w150-h200/20230709_120018.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the <br />supreme commander! </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Saturday was mostly dry, just the lightest of showers sending
visitors to the event scurrying under umbrellas or trees along the main
pathways. The event was busy right from the opening of the Museum garden gates
at 10 am, which was great for us at the Bibliotheca because the interest was constant
as the day wore on. Many people just browsed, many bought from all ten of us (9
authors plus Graham who is an illustrator), and some were return customers from
previous years. I sold a few copies this way though my neighbour Simon J Turney
sold many. Simon has an impressive fan following who come to York Eboracum Festival every year
just to buy his latest novels – signed, of course. </p><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDG4k7zrPuZzxkXjXKhyTE4zm3jluIoIf5Jh07q2p5os_HELo2NP1iexsy-N6LLdZvktQg6yOB5bk-ZcHap6Q2XOUiwlKuxcvIyNl21V_ZkVthGq9RQwgTqBzzd9w5WSXCmpLBWd3qECyQ02kXAixdYsPgIFFWardrRW956T9MOuvLqUZJevc0CNr9W_U/s4000/20230708_105220.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDG4k7zrPuZzxkXjXKhyTE4zm3jluIoIf5Jh07q2p5os_HELo2NP1iexsy-N6LLdZvktQg6yOB5bk-ZcHap6Q2XOUiwlKuxcvIyNl21V_ZkVthGq9RQwgTqBzzd9w5WSXCmpLBWd3qECyQ02kXAixdYsPgIFFWardrRW956T9MOuvLqUZJevc0CNr9W_U/w150-h200/20230708_105220.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Our Saturday evening was super-convivial, meaning we had a few drinks in the Eagle and Child pub before wandering along the few streets it took to reach the restaurant that Tracey Turney (our spectacular special author event planner) had booked. The Ask Italian restaurant is in the most spectacular building which was in former days the Assembly Hall of the regency era. (I'm not sure if there was more than one). </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Sunday was a repeat though a hotter day with no rain. I thoroughly
enjoyed the conversations with potential customers and signed a fair-few books
myself. When it was time to change and head for my train home it was
bittersweet. The experience was made so much better by the excellent and
congenial company of my fellow authors.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I was naturally very delighted to meet some impressively
kitted-out Romans and I also got a glimpse of Queen Cartimandua and her Druid
(didn’t quite talk to them but next time for sure) <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcsUeSiN88USfpguqLKI4gOqidji_DjwCtjkPA-VQ3VpJv1qq4wr2ZBJcK2elO2Ryza6O8aD2elvpeV_jeSn9mY4nWKwlyKFrBcwNKcpaQfU8lyzknFYJmqqT0-4w4g399ZBMxNdWeaIan8qJL3z1Gr8MriS8K3ZgQVC2Cs4_Ba2zZCrJihOW1KOnoEc/s2048/360088557_6852038121482771_8412910900330931428_n.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcsUeSiN88USfpguqLKI4gOqidji_DjwCtjkPA-VQ3VpJv1qq4wr2ZBJcK2elO2Ryza6O8aD2elvpeV_jeSn9mY4nWKwlyKFrBcwNKcpaQfU8lyzknFYJmqqT0-4w4g399ZBMxNdWeaIan8qJL3z1Gr8MriS8K3ZgQVC2Cs4_Ba2zZCrJihOW1KOnoEc/w200-h133/360088557_6852038121482771_8412910900330931428_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Queen Cartimandua and her Druid, <br />with a legionary soldier! </td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My thanks also go to Tracey Turney, Simon J Turney's wife, for keeping us all in the loop and very organised. She's a star!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwH2ivqrjNhRRGlh9PoXVhX9ynqM_ZL0PS4B2lmp1JkxWy-7WlKbTy7xjnGbMh3k9nzeoKlg5jLI0w7n1c82A9pfffBz1KY8hI_DMUgOQjlqRRLaQfrnIJgxer-EG3hy9inmq9PxaievBH5i7I4qNYKApFg1Tn3a57KWwYrJ0b1cXxs9RLrYyQQPRiXM/s4032/356460353_798241291757075_7754858667273956154_n.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwH2ivqrjNhRRGlh9PoXVhX9ynqM_ZL0PS4B2lmp1JkxWy-7WlKbTy7xjnGbMh3k9nzeoKlg5jLI0w7n1c82A9pfffBz1KY8hI_DMUgOQjlqRRLaQfrnIJgxer-EG3hy9inmq9PxaievBH5i7I4qNYKApFg1Tn3a57KWwYrJ0b1cXxs9RLrYyQQPRiXM/w200-h150/356460353_798241291757075_7754858667273956154_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tracey Turney on the right! </td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">That was my far-flung book signing/selling event but I’m
gearing up for another few large events in Aberdeenshire this summer.</div></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">On Saturday July 22<sup>nd</sup> I’ll be at the Banchory Agricultural
Show, a fair which I’ve not attended for some time. I’m looking forward to
donning one of my Celtic outfits for the day, but which one is yet to be
revealed. (This might well be a late decision depending on whether it is hot or
cool)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Slàinte!</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>Nancy Jardine Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12366248895961876075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634172410498697945.post-87141164001320720792023-07-04T20:44:00.000+01:002023-07-04T20:44:06.529+01:00Eboracum here I come!<p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Hello!</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1NShgRhhPwEU8SQ6jk-L2JcwZY44finUKa1LeWYY-oaJuBEeImepEjmUnvD6Mq-615pw8LNunjYuA4FXodJ-PMilyQgqSgRzr-2HXf9JmTqg4t-agMBzGKUVW07FeC0H8NsPhu4NyMbGOaZKch0eV7ha-sawX1nTyNbwRWbrIjTl-9Kesyd_0xoeCafY/s1080/357036755_110096965467807_3719947057334348119_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1NShgRhhPwEU8SQ6jk-L2JcwZY44finUKa1LeWYY-oaJuBEeImepEjmUnvD6Mq-615pw8LNunjYuA4FXodJ-PMilyQgqSgRzr-2HXf9JmTqg4t-agMBzGKUVW07FeC0H8NsPhu4NyMbGOaZKch0eV7ha-sawX1nTyNbwRWbrIjTl-9Kesyd_0xoeCafY/w200-h200/357036755_110096965467807_3719947057334348119_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">It's almost time for me to journey south for the <b>Eboracum Roman Festival</b> in York, England. The festival is held over two days : the 8th and 9th July 2023. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Last year I went down by car since the rail strikes were on during the summer of 2022. This year the railway companies are still in industrial action mode but, I'm hopeful that the train I've booked will get me to York with no problems.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">This year, I'm arriving at York more than a day early because once I'm in the <b>Bibliotheca</b> tent in York Museum Gardens with the other wonderful attending authors, who all write, or are graphically creative, in the Roman Era, I'll not have time to do any wandering of York and the Museum itself. Some attending writers will be old friends from last year but I'm also excited to be meeting some new faces. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">You can see from the timetable below that the York Museum organisers have a fantastic set of activities for those attending the festival. To enter the Museum Gardens is FREE, so if you are anywhere near pop in and ENJOY! Come and meet us and have a lovely chat while you browse the fiction, non-fiction and graphics books on offer.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbn5Q6nNqFQMJbZgZiiPShUTOMI_12ye8GjtbAhZvi-AVPdmlFlAWxe_0G-EGLbdoyGejmvoD2qO3Kr2L3SNYnXy5GhbNBJgksw8H1LOqv5im6yZn1nUoqBOT67drqjw6NO48zniwCoy6vJhYiaXDT0G-FVyC27BBIV5T6GF1dxV_JeZPnIv8Mum7qDo/s1080/357631908_786256503144216_413420635733636935_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="763" data-original-width="1080" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbn5Q6nNqFQMJbZgZiiPShUTOMI_12ye8GjtbAhZvi-AVPdmlFlAWxe_0G-EGLbdoyGejmvoD2qO3Kr2L3SNYnXy5GhbNBJgksw8H1LOqv5im6yZn1nUoqBOT67drqjw6NO48zniwCoy6vJhYiaXDT0G-FVyC27BBIV5T6GF1dxV_JeZPnIv8Mum7qDo/s320/357631908_786256503144216_413420635733636935_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">There's even a PRIZE DRAW for you to enter to win a bundle of books.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPEPZ37THKXOS_HoILhZ-ixbTRXOMNps_QWmPn8hKRtNBqGE1o98H8inWU_DiAJLDwNH17KSNgf6yS23A_nBNMZeggZNarqZ2oQDM2RMwlqX4pg_j2y3eB9l9xnpbX8kXDQUAKHeuL0Xo4Vi6rBoxT2H60M374rR2tOFKXU0olSyG0eoGAEVBrRUE5viU/s1456/353784472_919356932493022_4180986199422618564_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1456" data-original-width="1060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPEPZ37THKXOS_HoILhZ-ixbTRXOMNps_QWmPn8hKRtNBqGE1o98H8inWU_DiAJLDwNH17KSNgf6yS23A_nBNMZeggZNarqZ2oQDM2RMwlqX4pg_j2y3eB9l9xnpbX8kXDQUAKHeuL0Xo4Vi6rBoxT2H60M374rR2tOFKXU0olSyG0eoGAEVBrRUE5viU/s320/353784472_919356932493022_4180986199422618564_n.jpg" width="233" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Writers/ Artists attending are:</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Alison Morton, SJA Turney, Ruth Downie, LJ Trafford, Jacquie Rogers, Simon Elliot, Joseph Chittenden, Graham Sumner, Kate Cunningham, Jason Monaghan, and me.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">On Friday, I intend to revisit York Museum since my last foray was in 1016, and I didn't see nearly enough of the Roman section to satisfy my insatiable research curiosity. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">As well as meeting up with some author friends for drinks and dinners, I intend to have a really good wander around central York and reacquaint myself with the Shambles and York Minster area. I've visited the city a good number of times, even have a vague familiarity with the very city centre, but there will still be lots of new things for me to experience.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I have to get back to preparations now because the big quandary is how many books should I take in my suitcase? </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Slàinte! </span></b></p>Nancy Jardine Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12366248895961876075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634172410498697945.post-67991201442783630842023-07-02T16:12:00.006+01:002023-07-02T16:12:52.139+01:00The Warrior's Prize- And what a lovely win it was for me!<p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Good Morning!</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">It's now July and time for a different kind of post. For various reasons, I've not been posting book reviews on my blog here for some time, but it's definitely a time for change. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'd like to share a little bit of my last read -<b>The Warrior's Prize by Jennifer C. Wilson - </b>a friend and fellow author with Ocelot Press. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">It's a really lovely romance set in Border country between Scotland and England. Historically, some people - who were born in and lived in the border areas - often thought of themselves as neither Scottish nor English. [Though, perhaps some people from the area feel like that today, as well!] The landscape of the Borders could be very harsh in places making it difficult to scratch a living growing crops, since it didn't boast the same fertility as the Scottish Lowlands, or that of England's very green, lush and level southern farmlands. Tough times made tough people and life was not always peaceful. Neighbours could be pleasant and agreeable, or quite desperately awful! Border reiving was rife, the theft of livestock not an uncommon happening which generally prompted some form of retaliation. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">The Warrior's Prize gives a nicely rounded flavour of what life was like back in the Borders in 1498.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgShLktbePCMfv_N1XOwRXPo3749xsRe_V1JHVDmCVT2eCYf5vljpjUe8GU6h0TVW_CG4eyDmVCSneVlE8N7mXPkhSUeOEWy6VBsMit1oRT8AVoQhcJLmqVhfN5nq-O2CsoDisMoNhS_AZg_ZvGupPUMaM2I2X01QZgJkk7ZIm9ghdSOV65BsKf5Ky2pyk/s1280/JCW-TheWarriorsPrize.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="806" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgShLktbePCMfv_N1XOwRXPo3749xsRe_V1JHVDmCVT2eCYf5vljpjUe8GU6h0TVW_CG4eyDmVCSneVlE8N7mXPkhSUeOEWy6VBsMit1oRT8AVoQhcJLmqVhfN5nq-O2CsoDisMoNhS_AZg_ZvGupPUMaM2I2X01QZgJkk7ZIm9ghdSOV65BsKf5Ky2pyk/s320/JCW-TheWarriorsPrize.jpg" width="202" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>The Warrior's Prize </b>by Jennifer C. Wilson, beginning in 1498, is a story which definitely rings true of the times. When a woman was an heiress, she was generally regarded as chattel, a mere commodity through which a father, or guardian, could make alliances - trade-offs of money, land or property. If the heiress was unmarried and in sole charge of successful lands and keep, then she was an even more important bargain to be acquired. This is the situation for Lady Avelina Gordon who, from the outset, is reluctantly aware of her worth as a bride. Any marriage, she fears, will affect her status in her own home. She is determined to remain the competent mistress of her people at her castle named Berradane, yet dreads the complete upheaval a marriage may bring. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Lady Avelina appears to her own people, neighbours, and visitors as a strong woman of independent mind, privately suppressing any insecurities about overcoming circumstances presented to her that are not under her control. James, the current king, a man she regards as a platonic friend (in as much as one can be friends with a king), orders her to marry his trusted warrior Sir Lachlan MacNair. Avelina knows she must ultimately marry but finds it galling that she's given no choice over who she will wed, even though Lachlan MacNair is a man she is actually drawn to, like no other man before him. Avelina fears that on arrival, and after a relatively immediate wedding, Lachlan will take over the running of her lands and will make all the operational decisions, leaving her bereft. Giving way to her natural inclinations is something she also resists very successfully - for a while! I liked the gradual development of changes to her attitude regarding her initially unwanted husband's role at Berradane. Their relationship post-wedding is perhaps a tad unusual but Avelina slowly realises the treasure she has acquired in Lachlan. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Lachlan is indeed a warrior suited to Avelina's cautious approach. Not only does he bear the fortitude of the well-tested soldier, but he has just as much resolve as Avelina to not cave in to the inevitable tumble into a deep, abiding love. His fears that a loss of control will diminish his overall performance as a protector of people and lands seem insurmountable, leading him to maintain a strained relationship with Avelina. There is a likeable innocence to his staunch resolve to let their relationship develop in its own time. He quietly and steadfastly eases himself into the role of landowner and meets challenges that could be deadly with thought and careful planning. One of Lachlan's great strengths is his ability to reason and to think through all eventualities, which lead him to the correct conclusions. Acting on gut feeling isn't always a successful way forward for a warrior and Lachlan knows this only too well. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Historically, it seems so many marriages during the middle ages were for dynastic and political supremacy and it must have taken more than a touch of Cupid's arrow for the relationships to become more than a mere duty. This lovely story highlights the possibilities that with patience and endurance, between two people who are virtual strangers, an initially strained relationship can develop into a harmonious, fulfilling and lasting love.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Yes, there is a baddie in the story, who is a thoroughly nasty specimen, but it is via his machinations that the author presents situations for both protagonists to confront their true feelings. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I thoroughly recommend this heart-warming story to any readers who enjoy immersing themselves in an era fraught with dangers and dastardly dealings. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi43QUiaIilV3rN5rNSWR0cDBaTD9osFR6ITUpwZmmNKjJlFFMesLRM-WM1-GXnJf4uHpciEzNa4ChDX8kD2IQLCVzilCYzNKkE5T_82JsOS-0Mdr1PHNl99LEpwW1lfoB8DS8yGfU14IECfptH4N4cM_fd-EZ2MpIplYj_aiN9nCc1ssjGbtKuME0X_YI/s1280/JCW-TheWarriorsPrize.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="806" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi43QUiaIilV3rN5rNSWR0cDBaTD9osFR6ITUpwZmmNKjJlFFMesLRM-WM1-GXnJf4uHpciEzNa4ChDX8kD2IQLCVzilCYzNKkE5T_82JsOS-0Mdr1PHNl99LEpwW1lfoB8DS8yGfU14IECfptH4N4cM_fd-EZ2MpIplYj_aiN9nCc1ssjGbtKuME0X_YI/w126-h200/JCW-TheWarriorsPrize.jpg" width="126" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="elementToProof"><div style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: times; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;"><b>Stirling Castle, 1498</b></span></div><span style="font-family: times;"><span class="ContentPasted1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Visiting court for the first time since her father's death, Lady Avelina
Gordon finds herself drawn to the handsome warrior, Sir Lachlan
MacNair. But as a woman who has seen too many of her friends lose
everything for 'love', she keeps her heart guarded.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
</span><span class="a-text-bold ContentPasted1" face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Castle Berradane, 1502</div></span><span class="ContentPasted1" face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Lady Avelina is unceremoniously told to expect her new husband within the month. The man in question: Sir Lachlan.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Lachlan arrives in Berradane carrying his own secret, and a
determination to control his heart. As attraction builds between the
couple, they find themselves under attack and fearful of a traitor in
their midst.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Can the teamwork they've shown in adversity so far pull them through one
final test, and will they find the strength to risk their hearts, as
well as their lives?</div></span></span></div><div class="elementToProof" style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">
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Universal buy link: <a href="https://mybook.to/TheWarriorsPrize" id="LPlnk422076">https://mybook.to/TheWarriorsPrize</a> </span></div><div class="elementToProof ContentPasted0" style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="elementToProof">
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">J</span><span style="font-family: times;">ennifer C. Wilson – Historical Fiction With Spirit!</span></i></b></p>
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Find me online at:</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.facebook.com_jennifercwilsonwriter_&d=DwMF-g&c=ZWY66qCYUTYUcOev9C2GlDEcKuYKzoWDVNR_L93Z9mQ&r=6KMDNDzGEjXi7Y9RM3ppOFwJa9v04Sx8bKdW-R9uEPY&m=IHxfhW3Th1lZH_m6hLv9TjxbLsH0g6bHlZ3ivxdDgsU&s=uNn-w5wpJ0u_ImfZ2kGNvDYj3wHQ3LW0d8gzul82wXQ&e=">https://www.facebook.com/jennifercwilsonwriter/</a></span></p><p style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><b>Slàinte!</b></span></p><p style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p></div></div></div>Nancy Jardine Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12366248895961876075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634172410498697945.post-68573754812082253022023-06-27T17:55:00.010+01:002023-06-27T17:57:57.238+01:00Making sense of Ardoch<p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Hello again.</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">June is disappearing fast but I've been quite busy, lately. On the way back home from the wonderful 100th Birthday party of a lovely lady - mother of one of my best friends from primary school - held in Stirling, I took a little long-overdue detour.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhATqmhjdGlH0zTcZABT4enEdb0MLjZP8cohpcwFymBTBPlOdbTlj3Yhs3y95ykaIXpsZYUouellxl_xl8JZFZHX6J4mNhjgV-h03soKLtpCLBO0bQk1kqKOs1xgf8d6lxTgL7HOMFf2O8lmwxiICUjuBcERqGiujnyzzPgRh2WazhvqxSXXw45tYENSVw/s4896/P1010019.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3672" data-original-width="4896" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhATqmhjdGlH0zTcZABT4enEdb0MLjZP8cohpcwFymBTBPlOdbTlj3Yhs3y95ykaIXpsZYUouellxl_xl8JZFZHX6J4mNhjgV-h03soKLtpCLBO0bQk1kqKOs1xgf8d6lxTgL7HOMFf2O8lmwxiICUjuBcERqGiujnyzzPgRh2WazhvqxSXXw45tYENSVw/s320/P1010019.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Many times, when driving north from the Central Belt of Scotland, I've thought of visiting <b>Ardoch</b>, the site of the (probably) best preserved earthworks of a Roman fort/ encampment in Scotland; in Britain; and likely in Europe as well. Yesterday, I indulged myself since time was not pressing, as it usually is. I spent about an hour and a half wandering around the incredible site, thinking, imagining the Ardoch area when occupied by hundreds of Roman soldiers. However, conjuring up a credible image was not an easy job. It's a truly amazing place but, when on the ground, making sense of the multiple dips and hillocks, so closely set together, is something else entirely. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTE3eP81iStZN9H2S9oacpgXNELm87Nwuzh93hsoWHDMB0syBVGlWD27GZFCjuxh5dtswTAPZGn_885yooNNDacej188SvV5CufoB3xyfd-iLoPhYXjqwJa9k7OlXwss7QU_ubLi8E0UaxudRTjY1we6J2YaEX0eyat9NYS6wOAj4effZ5cYZLkdBeoQM/s3000/20230626_120530.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2859" data-original-width="3000" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTE3eP81iStZN9H2S9oacpgXNELm87Nwuzh93hsoWHDMB0syBVGlWD27GZFCjuxh5dtswTAPZGn_885yooNNDacej188SvV5CufoB3xyfd-iLoPhYXjqwJa9k7OlXwss7QU_ubLi8E0UaxudRTjY1we6J2YaEX0eyat9NYS6wOAj4effZ5cYZLkdBeoQM/s320/20230626_120530.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The rectangular central area of about two hectares is surrounded by a rampart and up to five ditches in places. Visiting towards the end of June isn't the best seasonal time to get the best impression of it, though, as the surrounding vegetation makes it less easy to discern the depths of the ditches and their spans than it would be in winter (cue for another visit!) </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgCqQc_QWSbnHhWXDS8aKhqbB1k5BydRL7y1qSa8dUwhOacKsDe23_dZYZzNhIsoOgQ9-OUT4QkwI9_c1UVykaD5UZYAGMB2EzOUDmJVpR0fKJWpGZgpB_yD-Hmz6dCe_krziybdMMf3qLS1LnO7jnStTIAgRWW2DNm4shwhoEtnItOq-P8fDHWMAL14/s4000/20230626_122733.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgCqQc_QWSbnHhWXDS8aKhqbB1k5BydRL7y1qSa8dUwhOacKsDe23_dZYZzNhIsoOgQ9-OUT4QkwI9_c1UVykaD5UZYAGMB2EzOUDmJVpR0fKJWpGZgpB_yD-Hmz6dCe_krziybdMMf3qLS1LnO7jnStTIAgRWW2DNm4shwhoEtnItOq-P8fDHWMAL14/s320/20230626_122733.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I meandered my way around the site, using the pathways, some currently overgrown with beautiful clumps of ferns, the occasional lupin and campions - all adding a hint of colour. I could see where the central fort area was, and probably the <i>'principia' </i>headquarters building but I found it difficult to decide where the later post-Roman church had been sited that I'd read about. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUt7bCG-UMtTLHlLrtS9wCVmABIPuf9kHJP9zh7M5Lr9JUNBqKbbv8F5eBl894DTmEAFCxz6rqf_VtAwaeBtymFi5lwXmaAmWPK9j4Qnvo5Cft6L_gr9VzJ89jHI5eWuhXuiPLw4-iZiVrpLlYaVNL_P_rPVeYWdf3uvxKKViHVyT2H87uuJ3axeJYf8s/s4896/P1010031.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3672" data-original-width="4896" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUt7bCG-UMtTLHlLrtS9wCVmABIPuf9kHJP9zh7M5Lr9JUNBqKbbv8F5eBl894DTmEAFCxz6rqf_VtAwaeBtymFi5lwXmaAmWPK9j4Qnvo5Cft6L_gr9VzJ89jHI5eWuhXuiPLw4-iZiVrpLlYaVNL_P_rPVeYWdf3uvxKKViHVyT2H87uuJ3axeJYf8s/s320/P1010031.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">As I walked along the perimeter pathway, close to the boundary wall at the edge of the road, the A822, I wondered if I was actually walking along the outer rampart defences. I think I was, in fact I'm pretty sure I was, and I was imagining myself as on a daytime patrol and stopped at one of the guard towers built along the wooden palisade. The landscape isn't flat around the area of Braco, but I could imagine sightlines where signal stations might have been erected to be visible from my guard tower.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYs1xSyPSMmH_E0ulRAPgS2hKoNHi6HpNviUtr9EFJjkPWToOcc8lIBmu8ue0R-2jEJfWYBHuxHd8De1mqmXMCHLmzrZuT5tLPaRTfPAeRC49nnF7xM3cOlG0gxwyFhU_ZFLoSeZWzblM7ycBERY-_Qciw29VdfqKUPKZpLTOVNlSla4Gs30JPegRjOKY/s4896/P1010052.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3672" data-original-width="4896" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYs1xSyPSMmH_E0ulRAPgS2hKoNHi6HpNviUtr9EFJjkPWToOcc8lIBmu8ue0R-2jEJfWYBHuxHd8De1mqmXMCHLmzrZuT5tLPaRTfPAeRC49nnF7xM3cOlG0gxwyFhU_ZFLoSeZWzblM7ycBERY-_Qciw29VdfqKUPKZpLTOVNlSla4Gs30JPegRjOKY/s320/P1010052.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">During the late Victorian era, the fort area was identified as being originally built by Agricolan forces in the late 1st Century, and then had Antonine occupation during the middle of the 2nd Century AD, some material finds attesting to this. The original oblong shape had been shortened during a subsequent occupation, resulting in an elaborate set of defences. Further excavation and investigations indicate that the whole site (it straddles the current A822 road) has a possible annexe and further extensive marching camps, which may also have been used by Severan forces during Emperor Severus' invasions of the early 3rd Century.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">There aren't many recorded material finds but a Miss Elizabeth Moncrieffe of Moncrieffe had a collection of coins of which two were worn denarii of Vespasian, and one of Trajan found in the Ardoch area. (1966) </p><p style="text-align: justify;">A recent find in 2002 was part of an intaglio from a Roman ring. There is sufficient left of the carving to identify the figure as being of Fortuna and it is thought to have been carved during the Antonine era. (Perth Museum)</p><p style="text-align: justify;">It has been suggested that this fort site is the one which appears on Ptolemy's Geographical information and subsequent maps as ALAVNA though it is still speculation. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">My own photos don't show the fort area as well as any of the aerial photography that's on (copyrighted) sites like Canmore, but what I can add here is a little video which is absolutely excellent to supplement the information above.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/d6JzuH7iugE" width="320" youtube-src-id="d6JzuH7iugE"></iframe></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you're interested in visiting Roman sites, i absolutely recommend a visit to Ardoch but perhaps later in the year than June. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'm now off to get on with my current writing which is not set in Roman Scotland but is in Victorian Scotland, just for a change.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Slàinte! </span></b></p>Nancy Jardine Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12366248895961876075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634172410498697945.post-14461191814788553472023-06-14T16:11:00.002+01:002023-06-14T16:11:23.139+01:00June is blossoming! <p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Hello!</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The month of May has come and gone most of it on various trips away from home. My current writing is still very slowly progressing, but since two of my visits during May were to places of interest for my writing research, I've - at least - been doing useful work.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">En route to a wedding in the Borders town of Kelso, I stopped off at the museum in Kinross to do some sleuthing. The curator wasn't there on the Tuesday but an appointment was made for me to consult with him on the Thursday on my way home. I spent a marvellously useful 3 hours that Thursday gleaning a general feel of what the next-door town of Milnathort was like in the 1840s and 1850s. So all told, including the couple of hours spent on the Tuesday, I clocked up more than five research hours on the Kinross area. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">The ruin of the Muckle Kirk (Secessionist Free Church) below gives an impression of what it might have looked like when in use. It features as a newish building in my novel!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ksSXp1DjbPTVBwI7-Q2sLU-yB7CUoyMv0cHnLImhFwMDoNWJxGPW4qZkUYLLmDsjAK0Sjwq3ap-ldovZsY4pqqolajd-gIugBxGh2OkqgdE1LIYs-FVo8NSCqdGuKMiW-IrstzT1FbKvbvU9B4sLvLsfGLcSr9czsZnzblyHAtWaXY0usvGUbbLQ/s4896/Muckle%20Kirk%20old%20Free%20church%20oldd%20secessional%20kirk%20P1010008.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3672" data-original-width="4896" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ksSXp1DjbPTVBwI7-Q2sLU-yB7CUoyMv0cHnLImhFwMDoNWJxGPW4qZkUYLLmDsjAK0Sjwq3ap-ldovZsY4pqqolajd-gIugBxGh2OkqgdE1LIYs-FVo8NSCqdGuKMiW-IrstzT1FbKvbvU9B4sLvLsfGLcSr9czsZnzblyHAtWaXY0usvGUbbLQ/s320/Muckle%20Kirk%20old%20Free%20church%20oldd%20secessional%20kirk%20P1010008.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Muckle Kirk Milnathort</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The wedding was wonderful at Kelso in between, a delight to see my author friend, Amelia, tie the knot with her equally lovely husband Richard. I would certainly like to visit Kelso again and do more pottering about around the Borders. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Another jaunt away from home was to the New Lanark Mill Hotel, part of the New Lanark Preservation area. The New Lanark Mill project of the late 1700s and early 1800s was an incredibly innovative initiative and was so successful, the mill was still operating, in part, all the way towards the end of the 1900s. Though Robert Owen gets most of the recognition for the establishment of a mill village, where good housing and schooling were part of the whole concept, he was just one of the people involved in encouraging better working conditions in mills, which could be incredibly dangerous places to work for children and adults alike. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Since the New Lanark Mill is about a 3 hour drive away for me, I decided to stop off on my home at yet another Roman Scotland site that I'd not yet visited. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Strathclyde Park, near Hamilton in Central Scotland, is home to the ruins of a Roman Bathhouse, and a fort site (invisible today to the visitor). The Bothwellhaugh Roman Bath House (Clotagenium) has been known for a few centuries but since the ruins were in danger of becoming flooded the whole area was lifted and the stones se-sited, exactly as they were found, in a new location just out of the danger zone. This makes it an interesting, though not quite authentic, site to visit. </p><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQnY2ozpHsBFcWQGZ5v4dj0FW5BozKKAu_84bb3XOVwzAMhggLbrsfisG_fonF_igwolBmPCyKA7RowsdAXK92SiGD6Yicc3nMrJtuObOpOqDcF2j6fsHh0sDP0GiE3lNrIWmaX0txo-mjvOrNV8KxV1tOjiNfL9uphTvvx-KU7aGXUn0rt0vV_kI/s1000/1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="958" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQnY2ozpHsBFcWQGZ5v4dj0FW5BozKKAu_84bb3XOVwzAMhggLbrsfisG_fonF_igwolBmPCyKA7RowsdAXK92SiGD6Yicc3nMrJtuObOpOqDcF2j6fsHh0sDP0GiE3lNrIWmaX0txo-mjvOrNV8KxV1tOjiNfL9uphTvvx-KU7aGXUn0rt0vV_kI/s320/1.png" width="307" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>This month of June is mainly devoted to garden maintenance and new planting work though my intention is also to add a good bit more to my ongoing writing set in Victorian Scotland. </p><p>Till the next time....Happy Reading! </p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Slàinte!</span></b></p><p><br /></p>Nancy Jardine Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12366248895961876075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634172410498697945.post-25387581453130480822023-04-30T15:40:00.001+01:002023-04-30T15:40:51.331+01:00Its a busy 30th April! <p><b><span style="font-size: large;">This post of the 30th April has a two-fold objective. </span></b></p><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>First:</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Today, the 30th April, means it is one day before the ancient Celtic Festival of Beltane, celebrated on May 1st. It's therefore, just before Beltane and an excellent day for BEFORE BELTANE, the Prequel to my Celtic Fervour Series, to be out and about vising at the Coffee Pot Book Club. </div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">As part of the beautifully-presented feature, I've given my reasons for writing the prequel. If you don't yet know that, click this link <a href="https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/04/sunday-snippet-before-beltane.html" target="_blank">HERE </a>and find out. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwD5GSawnDXpZoRnXN1RrJTLuSxp0HJgBShjp2q1-Sz-WEuL7_D2gKzuXZy819leInMMG8CzVD46tzqZtaQgmRLe1NZ2UuJKOytG4TrAF14_8kZN1sgDItBlxZ5bdgywhhqNH0A1misdYnr6SDQK90khbn2NUYsEbMbaWMqZ60W0WCCTVodGg1KzUF/s640/Before%20Beltane%20Sunday%20Snippet.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="640" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwD5GSawnDXpZoRnXN1RrJTLuSxp0HJgBShjp2q1-Sz-WEuL7_D2gKzuXZy819leInMMG8CzVD46tzqZtaQgmRLe1NZ2UuJKOytG4TrAF14_8kZN1sgDItBlxZ5bdgywhhqNH0A1misdYnr6SDQK90khbn2NUYsEbMbaWMqZ60W0WCCTVodGg1KzUF/s320/Before%20Beltane%20Sunday%20Snippet.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><u><br /></u></p><p class="MsoNormal"><u>Second:</u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Here's my April A to Z Blog Challenge Update.</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">My posts are now well and truly done for my personal April challenge
and my update is that having written upwards of 25, 000 words for it, I am
determined to add a similar amount to my WIP writing over the next six weeks.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">My research is wider that it was before I started the
challenge and some of my notes now have a better structure. As I sifted through
what to include in my challenge, I clarified other aspects that will fit into my
writing very well, so it was again very worthwhile for that reason. I just need
to keep that list of those ‘do includes’ handy for reference as I move on.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy_Nt2j5zC-uIai04E4WO9x2IWYOsltsJQ3o9g3kDU4_awIfgKKhhuV8QKpRAoWR5TuL1iTZAsCjaMajQEcuKr-P3nnnWzyG3VTS19BeJt2JrsQd3hfuPcyFLFVOWg8ZWLxh-prUxibx5Tyjer9mPFeepfGQAMoXPMKzQnb0JUsIJ4THXfPuLJoycD/s1188/A%20to%20Z.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1188" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy_Nt2j5zC-uIai04E4WO9x2IWYOsltsJQ3o9g3kDU4_awIfgKKhhuV8QKpRAoWR5TuL1iTZAsCjaMajQEcuKr-P3nnnWzyG3VTS19BeJt2JrsQd3hfuPcyFLFVOWg8ZWLxh-prUxibx5Tyjer9mPFeepfGQAMoXPMKzQnb0JUsIJ4THXfPuLJoycD/s320/A%20to%20Z.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I’m saying I want to add something like 25,000 words to my writing in progress during the next six weeks, and not during the month of May, because I’m attending a wedding this coming week down in the Scottish Borders. That means not too much writing will be done in the coming days. Kelso is a
drive of some 5 – 6 hours for me so I need to spend three days in total for
this lovely jaunt. As part of the trip, I'm staying one night with a friend
from school that I’ve known for almost 60 years. It’s always wonderful to catch
up with her and her husband. I’m also really looking forward to spending one night
at the wedding-venue hotel in Kelso, since I’m not sure if I’ve ever visited
this border town before!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">May is also a ‘holiday’ time for me because, later in the month,
I’m driving down to spend three nights/four days at the New Lanark Mill Hotel,
as part of an extended relative’s 80<sup>th</sup> birthday celebrations. The hotel
is a prime example of the reinvention of a historic building for commercial purposes.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">New Lanark village was a place I first learned about at secondary
school during my history classes. When it opened in 1786, New Lanark was
celebrated for having extremely efficient mill workings, but also for the fact
that a village was created around the mills to house the workers in decent
accommodation. The mills themselves were powered by water mills which, in turn,
generated the energy from the only substantial waterfalls on the River Clyde.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Though the mill village was opened by David Dale, and the
mill-powering made possible by the genius inventions of Richard Arkwright, it
was Dale’s son-in-law, Robert Owen, who made the concept of the mill-village
famous. Robert Owen proved that the type of environment at New Lanark made conditions
for mill workers much better than in most parts of the Great Britain. Better
mill conditions ideally meant better productivity, though compared to today the
conditions and hours worked were still harsh. Over time, Robert Owen became one
of the most influential social reformers across Great Britain.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Again, my days at New Lanark this May will mean fewer
writing days in May, but as well as having a lot of fun with lovely relatives,
I imagine I can learn more about New Lanark while I’m in the restored building.
I’ve visited the heritage village at New Lanark before during the 1980s, with
my late husband and my children, but it’ll be lovely to go again.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">So, onwards to Beltane tomorrow! </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Slàinte!</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>Nancy Jardine Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12366248895961876075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634172410498697945.post-81102465448119011182023-04-28T09:36:00.003+01:002023-04-28T09:36:44.153+01:00We're going to the Zoo...<p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Zoological Gardens in Scotland</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span>Welcome to my last post in this April A to Z Blog Challenge. It's been good for me to consolidate information I've researched and it sharpens my focus on writing something every day that will most likely be used in my current writing. and if not that, it's an interesting exercise! </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span>The letter of the day is Z and Zoos are the subject matter.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Zoological gardens, or parks, no longer have the popularity
that they once had. In the past, when information on the animal kingdom was
harder to access, going to see a real live animal in a zoo caused quite an
excitement – especially amongst the younger people in the family. The advent of
better video photography of today makes seeing the animals in their own wild habitat much
more realistic, much more sensible, even if it lacks the ‘day out’ festivity of a family, or visitor
group, to a zoo.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The present Edinburgh Zoo facility, at Corstorphine, was officially
opened in 1913, but that was not Edinburgh’s first zoo. The first zoological garden
in Edinburgh was opened in the 1840s, in East Claremont Street, a nice little stroll from
Edinburgh Castle.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYVRaJ4j9IMn5FBXWRj2A9DDX_2kJVBcoEMp2u53nGRKDwcjrpCHaMODQsEQW-H754tm6BxTSt3ofO8oEQFAR9XSJgOGETfZXSMz9sLaa1MMvTdA_J2kkTzfNhASP0YOoEBQ0PJ2KSWni63Rbzqu9MeBWLYAFhWGBX2gV4a_yi_2mzyIJ1e4Xt5-mM/s857/Castle%20and%20first%20Zoo%201840.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="857" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYVRaJ4j9IMn5FBXWRj2A9DDX_2kJVBcoEMp2u53nGRKDwcjrpCHaMODQsEQW-H754tm6BxTSt3ofO8oEQFAR9XSJgOGETfZXSMz9sLaa1MMvTdA_J2kkTzfNhASP0YOoEBQ0PJ2KSWni63Rbzqu9MeBWLYAFhWGBX2gV4a_yi_2mzyIJ1e4Xt5-mM/s320/Castle%20and%20first%20Zoo%201840.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NLS map 1840s</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Though small at only some six acres, the zoological park on East Claremont Street had an enclosure for large carnivores;
a bird house, and a monkey house. A large aviary was built in the style of a
Chinese pagoda, and it housed a collection of pheasants and pigeons.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">An 1842 guide to the zoo gives information that an elephant
enclosure would be built in 1843, with a bathing pool for a male Asiatic
elephant from Sri Lanka. The specimen was about eight years old and had been the
mascot of the 78th Highlander Regiment for about five years. There was also a sizeable,
circular bear pit with a central climbing pole that was seventeen feet high. Nowadays, animal lovers will shudder at the descriptions of what were actually pretty confining enclosures but attitudes were different in the 1840s.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In 1850, the East Claremont Street zoo was granted royal patronage by Queen Victoria
and it was re-named ‘The Royal Edinburgh Zoological Gardens’. However, by 1855,
the zoo was already losing popularity and to draw in custom various entertainments
were taking place that were more like those at a cheap showground.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTrhPLtOGIqu8qReKLRialZUGcGV4QD84rB8Wxp09pNkdGZbRn8H2sF2-0QkvkMTmKFkUr3ZkZcuSRR_TUEck0PB5LfbwPZbgCc9AtHrOD19vKnBbunJxcKp5rFXDW83oYP9CXQcePMFuuvS5MT9Qlm6TYZklj7x2paMbCbdo3tLD_Fn0RzDdKLwb8/s525/375px-Sir-william-jardine.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="375" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTrhPLtOGIqu8qReKLRialZUGcGV4QD84rB8Wxp09pNkdGZbRn8H2sF2-0QkvkMTmKFkUr3ZkZcuSRR_TUEck0PB5LfbwPZbgCc9AtHrOD19vKnBbunJxcKp5rFXDW83oYP9CXQcePMFuuvS5MT9Qlm6TYZklj7x2paMbCbdo3tLD_Fn0RzDdKLwb8/s320/375px-Sir-william-jardine.jpg" width="229" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sir William Jardine</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Initially the zoo had the support of some influential people
like Sir William Jardine. Sir William Jardine was a naturalist and ornithologist. and was the Seventh Baronet of Applegarth
(Applegirth, Dumfries, was the seat of the Jardine Clan) </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">[He is, therefore, in some form, a somewhat distant relative of my late husband
Alan Jardine and has a nose a little bit similar to my late father-in-law.]</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_William_Jardine,_7th_Baronet">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_William_Jardine,_7th_Baronet</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Edinburgh Zoo at Corstorphine is still open for visiting,
though it becomes more and more difficult for any zoo to comply with the strict
rules in place for animal welfare.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I haven't written it yet, but my character Margaret will probably pay the zoological gardens at East Claremont Street a little visit, since it's not very far from her employer's house. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Meanwhile across in the west of Scotland, in Glasgow… also in 1840, the first zoological garden
in Glasgow was opened at Cranston Hill. <br /><br /></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXO_iIar7so_nuHwtpslgNWf2Ju0-Hpr8kV6UW701KWNZIAFiWUiUNXgXGN0UjwC6ToaVqZmXZKNVh-eZqCG5vJtnibIYF3IN5odxtI-VsCM2gYyxbLr3OZUc1j5v-hdG8FrqIWKu9Nj7nqPtZMxyCcVFGk5GCAFkHQFRVmwGmBOiCoi-lPWG-iOro/s1191/Glasgow%20Zoo%201%20Cranston%20Hill.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="491" data-original-width="1191" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXO_iIar7so_nuHwtpslgNWf2Ju0-Hpr8kV6UW701KWNZIAFiWUiUNXgXGN0UjwC6ToaVqZmXZKNVh-eZqCG5vJtnibIYF3IN5odxtI-VsCM2gYyxbLr3OZUc1j5v-hdG8FrqIWKu9Nj7nqPtZMxyCcVFGk5GCAFkHQFRVmwGmBOiCoi-lPWG-iOro/s320/Glasgow%20Zoo%201%20Cranston%20Hill.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NLS maps 1841</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">A very small site of no more than three
acres at Cranston Hill, the first Glasgow zoo was on the edge of Henry Houldsworth’s estate. Houldsworth had hired
Thomas Atkins to run it (Atkins was the founder of the first Liverpool Zoo) but the Glasgow facility was not a long-term successful venture. It probably only operated for
one summer season in 1840 (?). Atkins had tried to import Alpacas, important
probably to Houldsworth for exploiting their wool. There may also have been a
golden eagle; a pig-tailed macaque monkey, and an Indian goat. It must have been
an odd venue since adverts of the time make mention of an ‘erupting’ model of the
volcano Vesuvius, pyrotechnics being used to display the phenomenon. Reports
indicate that some 40,000 people viewed the spectacle, both inside the park and
from the outside, so it must have been a sizeable feature!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNI7LAlwyds6p4rBaqvqJP5mxhht0N8kf_lx43yE9Q9z8yJByZ07CL8mtZxC2gvyC0tvvscbq2-csQAVGv38N-IlVXbTaINa0X2VeA32LMhjkN6Vpx8kPSnXGaGO5xXevGxNCvHZlPOva_wFlwhsxUwRrVHLExyxW97cAQtnj1YoA5aNt9kG2h6GDq/s400/Henry%20Houldsworth.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="260" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNI7LAlwyds6p4rBaqvqJP5mxhht0N8kf_lx43yE9Q9z8yJByZ07CL8mtZxC2gvyC0tvvscbq2-csQAVGv38N-IlVXbTaINa0X2VeA32LMhjkN6Vpx8kPSnXGaGO5xXevGxNCvHZlPOva_wFlwhsxUwRrVHLExyxW97cAQtnj1YoA5aNt9kG2h6GDq/s320/Henry%20Houldsworth.jpg" width="208" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Henry Houldsworth</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Henry Houldsworth was likely much more interested in his business concerns close by than in ensuring a long-term success of his zoo. Originally, Houldsworth had come from Manchester to Glasgow in 1799 to manage a water-powered spinning mill at Woodside. Houldsworth purchased the mill a couple of years later and built a second mill in the nearby Anderston district. The second mill was steam driven, powerful at the time, and made Houldsworth one pf Glasgow's most successful cotton 'spinning' mill owners. He then went on to purchase an iron foundry in Anderston and even later, became the founder of the Coltness Ironworks (1839) and the Dalmellington Iron Company (1848).</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">After 1840, a number of other places in Glasgow had small animal
collections open to the public but the Glasgow Zoo, at Calderpark, was the most
well known of these.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Calderpark Zoo opened in 1947 and was closed in 2003. I visited
the Calderpark Zoo a few times during my childhood while living in Glasgow, the
last visit I remember being as a teenager on a school day-trip to the zoo. I
thought then, during the late 1960s, that the poor polar bear was looking
extremely neglected, its fur a dull, matted, dirty-white. It appeared demented as
it prowled around its relatively small enclosure. It was probably an old
creature and naturally a bit sad looking, but by then I was already thinking
that animals ought to be left in their own wild habitat.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Glasgow is now one of the few larger European cities without
a Zoo, or an Aquarium, for the visiting public. I don’t know if Glasgow City
Council have any plans to build a new zoo though I doubt it, cost-wise and ecology-wise.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">We can now watch fantastic worldwide-photography documentaries
via video from the likes of the fabulous broadcaster David Attenborough, and
other wonderful nature photographers, so why confine the animals to un-natural
habitats?</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">This brings my April alphabet series on Victorian historical
research to a close. I hope you’ve enjoyed my research notes as much as I’ve
enjoyed compiling them.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Sl<span lang="GA">à</span>inte!</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sir-william-jardine.jpg">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sir-william-jardine.jpg</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://maps.nls.uk/view/216443412">https://maps.nls.uk/view/216443412</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSA03590">https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSA03590</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Nancy Jardine Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12366248895961876075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634172410498697945.post-87382572797597611552023-04-27T08:56:00.002+01:002023-04-27T08:56:57.509+01:00Young? Which Young are we talking about?<p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Welcome to this next post in my alphabet series for researching
Victorian Scotland.</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I confess, hands held high I the air, that I’m about to blatantly
cheat for the ‘Y’ letter.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMBzoeviiUx2rNjtoL1pnlUcvDoidxrqZyeFSBvpr0S9oRcZOR3GXymrC23WmJ2Pty4c3w0PVF4F4ji4s5qGLY5s2HtBbWtBwj2wqPGMldqprwxKXE-lIimYhpS_je37qxGr3Z7g1kxUJNGMSvl2OzT1GHRDyzQwqiIBt2YmoY_GDzJN-llvhRWHyj/s899/Simpson.James.Y..jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="611" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMBzoeviiUx2rNjtoL1pnlUcvDoidxrqZyeFSBvpr0S9oRcZOR3GXymrC23WmJ2Pty4c3w0PVF4F4ji4s5qGLY5s2HtBbWtBwj2wqPGMldqprwxKXE-lIimYhpS_je37qxGr3Z7g1kxUJNGMSvl2OzT1GHRDyzQwqiIBt2YmoY_GDzJN-llvhRWHyj/s320/Simpson.James.Y..jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James Young Simpson</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There was a man called James <b>YOUNG </b>Simpson who became
quite famous for his dinner parties! Really, you say? How come?</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Well, that story might be a tad embellished but James Young Simpson
did indeed become quite famous in medical circles in Victorian Scotland. In
fact, he is actually the first doctor ever to be knighted for services to medicine.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">So, who was he?</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">James Simpson was born in Bathgate in 1811, the son of a
baker. He attended a local school, and at
the age of 14 he enrolled at Edinburgh University, initially to do an arts degree.
However, by 1830, he became a licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons, and was
awarded a medical degree in 1832. By 1839, he was Professor of Medicine and
Midwifery, obstetrics and the mechanics childbirth being of great interest to him.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">He improved the designs of some obstetrics equipment (Simpson’s
Forceps and Air Tractor) but what made him most famous was the use of anaesthesia during childbirth. Chloroform had been invented in 1831, had been used to anaesthetise
animals, but its uses for humans were not at first clear. James Young Simpson had
already rejected the use of ether for helping during childbirth, but became convinced that
chloroform could be used on people. The story goes that he used some colleagues
(friends) as ‘guinea pigs’ in experiments at his home. Along with James Young Simpson, Dr George Skene Keith, and James Matthews Duncan tried out different chemicals to see if any of them had sleep-inducing powers.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hF31kxGvaEnGr2peLloFLdCR8bTLmqt1d_MZj5J0dnReZRMllRWamIatSgMw2KRtAu6j1svs_ka-bkYJ-6rzE0JAM1b8vwCOLblkwCn4G5bOsLSPY7wYGPz1yD2tZ3GZuKibRWMiOhvEYgY6-CleefANZuZhbX2LRi85H6BRxvdFzrdK3UnoIx9u/s665/JYS%20and%20friends.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="665" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hF31kxGvaEnGr2peLloFLdCR8bTLmqt1d_MZj5J0dnReZRMllRWamIatSgMw2KRtAu6j1svs_ka-bkYJ-6rzE0JAM1b8vwCOLblkwCn4G5bOsLSPY7wYGPz1yD2tZ3GZuKibRWMiOhvEYgY6-CleefANZuZhbX2LRi85H6BRxvdFzrdK3UnoIx9u/s320/JYS%20and%20friends.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy Wellcome CC<br />About 1847 Artist unknown</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Chloroform did the trick! At first, it’s said, after
inhaling the chloroform, they all experienced a general feeling of euphoria,
were laughing and very cheerful. They woke up the next morning realising they
had all lost consciousness and none remembered the exact moment it happened. It
was just as well that the dosage had not killed them, the amount administered
being crucial to waking up safely.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Within a short time (a week is mentioned in some sources),
James Young Simpson had experimented with the use of chloroform: to put a woman
to sleep; he had mastered the doses needed; and had then used chloroform in its
very first use as an anaesthetic for childbirth. Queen Victoria herself was
said to have commented that the use of chloroform was ‘a blessed relief’ during
the birth of her eighth child.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">James Young Simpson may not have found all the answers to administering
the sleep-inducing, pain-relief during surgical procedures, but after his
‘discovery’ better methods (and better equipment than a basic hankie) were
found by other surgeons, who adopted the use of chloroform for obstetrics, and
for other operations.</span></p><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm3ry6YD3tEJFe8zGftuF15_oz_73FPlRWr-sZgNFfqn1oodMWJwYqDSaDMQ3D8K8V83UCJCfwV9r-hIKdVD8buwoukTkDcua7V6ANTd8cKatiXHvizVQKk51E32CGzmZO7Lnjr-ydbvDqVSy8FD152RbW8IC2UHKuwcrZPow8G6NLtgelltbo7pPN/s640/James_Young_Simpson_statue.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm3ry6YD3tEJFe8zGftuF15_oz_73FPlRWr-sZgNFfqn1oodMWJwYqDSaDMQ3D8K8V83UCJCfwV9r-hIKdVD8buwoukTkDcua7V6ANTd8cKatiXHvizVQKk51E32CGzmZO7Lnjr-ydbvDqVSy8FD152RbW8IC2UHKuwcrZPow8G6NLtgelltbo7pPN/s320/James_Young_Simpson_statue.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James Young Simpson<br /> Statue in Edinburgh</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">James Young Simpson and his wife Janet Grindlay (landed
gentry, Glasgow and Liverpool shipping family) had nine children. I’ve not, yet,
found out if chloroform was used during any of her labours!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I gave birth to two daughters but never needed an anaesthetic
at all, so I can’t say how effectively chloroform, or its current equivalent substance,
works.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Something which I plan to do further research on, but not
today, is that James Young Simpson became a member of the Society of
Antiquaries Scotland, and made contributions in both the fields of medicine and
archaeology. He became interested in medicine in Roman Britain. I must endeavour to find out his conclusions on that. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The middle name of YOUNG does not appear on James Simpson’s register of birth, and not on his marriage certificate (as far as I can tell), either. Where the
YOUNG came from is a bit of a mystery (to date), but I've decided that I’m not too bothered since I was able to
use James YOUNG Simpson for my letter ‘Y’.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">One more post to go in this April series so, please, stop by again soon. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><b><span style="font-size: large;"> Slàinte!</span></b></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:James_Young_Simpson_statue.jpg">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:James_Young_Simpson_statue.jpg</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Simpson.James.Y..jpg">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Simpson.James.Y..jpg</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div>Nancy Jardine Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12366248895961876075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634172410498697945.post-7201670623313998852023-04-26T09:32:00.000+01:002023-04-26T09:32:17.863+01:00Not my sister, but a Xyster!<p><b><span style="font-size: large;">What is a Xyster?</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When working the way through the alphabet for a Blog challenge
like this current April one, it’s always difficult to find something beginning with the letter
‘x’.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is, therefore, going to be a very short post relating to
the word xyster.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What is a xyster? - It’s a medical instrument for scraping bones; a surgical
rasp; or file.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">N.B. There may also be a more current use of the same word ‘xyster’
for a ‘Fandom Singing Animal’ from something called Magical Sanctum, but I’m ignoring that one.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF1VuOcckrRgeee6U58ew4i-aKz6fT0iyuC8joohSb0ryveLJp5VVSYkoITDJ0Ug118YBSlRBEUjzr8Q3QcNHuj6o2BRDt7REDw88hzClbWDkhOTFw-Br3Lm3EQ-UeRANAg4WXs7mM9qKeJ9zG_nK5m9hZzsCgIe0tWUsCFjOj0JRr9NlgY3g2EyBg/s450/xyster%20medical%20bone%20scraper.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="331" data-original-width="450" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF1VuOcckrRgeee6U58ew4i-aKz6fT0iyuC8joohSb0ryveLJp5VVSYkoITDJ0Ug118YBSlRBEUjzr8Q3QcNHuj6o2BRDt7REDw88hzClbWDkhOTFw-Br3Lm3EQ-UeRANAg4WXs7mM9qKeJ9zG_nK5m9hZzsCgIe0tWUsCFjOj0JRr9NlgY3g2EyBg/s320/xyster%20medical%20bone%20scraper.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">xyster</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Actually, since I’m not sure I want to really research a lot
about how a medical surgeon actually uses a zyster, I might be better to research
the cute little breeding animals!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">An up-to-date model xyster has two functions for the surgeon:
it can be used as a knife; or a curette for scrapping away unwanted material. Being
able to use the single tool, it appears, enhances the efficiency of the surgeon who does not require to change his instruments so frequently. This reduces the duration
of the operation and can therefore be less stressful and less painful for the
patient.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Did surgeons in Victorian Scotland use an instrument for bone surgery like the one above? They would have used something similar, though probably not one guaranteed to produce less pain during the event. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I’m done with the xyster for today. Should you wish to do
more research yourself on the xyster, feel free! You can view Victorian surgical tools on the internet, and some of the collections images may contain a xyster, but I'm not adding them here.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">But…tune in for the next post in this series, because it is about
another medical theme in Victorian Scotland. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Sl<span lang="GA">à</span>inte!</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span>image: Buxton<b style="font-size: x-large;"> </b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Nancy Jardine Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12366248895961876075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634172410498697945.post-52465368891210924472023-04-25T10:25:00.002+01:002023-04-25T10:25:33.751+01:00Worship in Victorian Scotland<p><b><span style="font-size: large;">What was church worship like in Victorian Scotland?</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I’ve already covered a little about the Great Disruption to churches in Scotland
(1843) in a post earlier this April, partly explaining why it caused such a ripple across the
landscape.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Therefore, this post will be more about the effect on the
population due to industrialisation and how the established ‘parish’ structure
of worship was in decline, mainly in the major cities and towns in Scotland.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">When more and more people moved to the cities in the late 1700s, and during the first quarter of the 1800s, to work in the larger factories, many of them became ‘unchurched’. Those who came from the more traditional country parishes had been used to the system of almost compulsory attendance for Sunday worship at the local parish church. Therefore, when away from the parochial ‘prying eyes’, many of those factory workers became estranged from established religion, no doubt for varying reasons.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The established Church of Scotland was concerned about this estrangement and determined to do something to pull back the straying flock now living in the cities. For many of those poor factory workers, I’m sure that the awful conditions they were living and working in meant Sunday was not a day of rest for them, and possibly church attendance was the last thing on their mind. Around this time, the established church was dominated by the Evangelicals and the more Moderate groups.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9kn9j-iuMO4P_JuamQpdtFXysNDhnlgzQiS7kwP9ZsNEjDYNQulcbB8Ua5P71-eo3h8Hi_UdoS9xD4O3S3DsbCfU9TBHi-INdC0msJ8paeH90PyPLluoF-qop4EhzLeq4lvqvhFc3xFzsQCPUV6usaagbp9Lhgt6h_mYYfkGl-qaGnUdGld7TbE7/s400/TGSA01099_m%20gorbals%20parish%20church.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="400" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9kn9j-iuMO4P_JuamQpdtFXysNDhnlgzQiS7kwP9ZsNEjDYNQulcbB8Ua5P71-eo3h8Hi_UdoS9xD4O3S3DsbCfU9TBHi-INdC0msJ8paeH90PyPLluoF-qop4EhzLeq4lvqvhFc3xFzsQCPUV6usaagbp9Lhgt6h_mYYfkGl-qaGnUdGld7TbE7/s320/TGSA01099_m%20gorbals%20parish%20church.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorbals Parish Church, Glasgow</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">By 1810, Gorbals Parish Church was opened, on the south bank of the River Clyde. At this point in time, the River Clyde looked vastly different from today, as is seen from Stockwell Bridge in the painting below. [William Simpson 1823-1899. Sketch from sometime during the mid-1840s] Before the 1840s, the Gorbals area had been a relatively affluent one. </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhumJlpfaHV8VbTcqb6TS9HXjc4ttfT0HpUN6YbRoBkA4LVcx8uuvc-dx694Kdmdx5fp8e9e1aOhwtmkzRA4zFfPsDxrnteGBXHXSKIQuDDcnXANJ-gN_GtqN7qZChvqrTXo0HeItjLnd43E8gm9_hVI849kxKpYekM6rxWIS8J3wulA6m4PRgEFV36/s400/TGSE00810_m%20Gorbals%20Parish%20church%20from%20the%20riverside.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="290" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhumJlpfaHV8VbTcqb6TS9HXjc4ttfT0HpUN6YbRoBkA4LVcx8uuvc-dx694Kdmdx5fp8e9e1aOhwtmkzRA4zFfPsDxrnteGBXHXSKIQuDDcnXANJ-gN_GtqN7qZChvqrTXo0HeItjLnd43E8gm9_hVI849kxKpYekM6rxWIS8J3wulA6m4PRgEFV36/s320/TGSE00810_m%20Gorbals%20Parish%20church%20from%20the%20riverside.jpg" width="232" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorbals Parish Church<br />-sketched approximately 1845</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Behind the church image you see above, by the mid-1840s, the first tenement-block housing of the Gorbals was being thrown up as fast as possible, to accommodate the many immigrants who were still flocking to Glasgow to find work. The name Gorbals, a century later, became synonymous with extreme poverty in those tenements originally built in the 1840s, and which by the end of the 1940s were rat-infested slums.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Whether the housing was substandard, or not, the inhabitants of the areas in the larger cities across Scotland had increasingly more and more churches to choose from, built generally at the end of every other street.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">St. Stephen's Church, Edinburgh, was opened in 1828 (built to a design by reputable architect, Wm. Henry Playfair). Though built in a relatively affluent part of Edinburgh New Town, the first minister William Muir operated an evening school for the illiterate in the vaulted basement. Through education, it was deemed a way of improving the lot of the workers and, it was hoped, would be a vehicle for those 'unfortunate non-worshippers' to return to regular church attendance.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZMUhLMpHg7HiEfRn63AwuIiVCVHjGAbw5x79xA-GmkLOw8Qtuivhz4sDqdqD4bjPuhl-2CprNuAAyO4VdUFnVxN-qdZxTNX5SjVyQRNPkQU_9arIe05onXz1Ep2DL5A9G2E1ukhd6aelIfObTzj_R4RKUCozvJiYOI6eDOEioLiXL-sEWlFsecP_/s1818/St-Stephens-Edinburgh.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1818" data-original-width="1228" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZMUhLMpHg7HiEfRn63AwuIiVCVHjGAbw5x79xA-GmkLOw8Qtuivhz4sDqdqD4bjPuhl-2CprNuAAyO4VdUFnVxN-qdZxTNX5SjVyQRNPkQU_9arIe05onXz1Ep2DL5A9G2E1ukhd6aelIfObTzj_R4RKUCozvJiYOI6eDOEioLiXL-sEWlFsecP_/s320/St-Stephens-Edinburgh.jpg" width="216" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Stephen's Church<br />Edinburgh New Town</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Religious enthusiasts like Thomas
Chalmers promoted attendance and regular worship. Chalmers began as a more moderate
figure but developed into an evangelist. Essentially, evangelist doctrine allowed people to
become ‘born again’, via a personal conversion, whereby lapsed worshippers could
redeem themselves by re-adopting the authority of the Bible. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaUMshupJzozTF0CYWZWvS76iqjRBij3hU2B4Gh-lIR15TDLSITQq_v0sEW6DgrZjVd3nJtxGsj2OqgBS5_6W8QP7pheyI4nXfpnPBSWsERDzByKaycc7NR6sCDZp4neFnXmrDBuLvASbONDxMECELRE3nB-C4K89v95_0SRfov6TYHING2HAGO6sr/s904/104224%20Thomas%20Chalmers%20Nat%20Gal%20Ed.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaUMshupJzozTF0CYWZWvS76iqjRBij3hU2B4Gh-lIR15TDLSITQq_v0sEW6DgrZjVd3nJtxGsj2OqgBS5_6W8QP7pheyI4nXfpnPBSWsERDzByKaycc7NR6sCDZp4neFnXmrDBuLvASbONDxMECELRE3nB-C4K89v95_0SRfov6TYHING2HAGO6sr/s320/104224%20Thomas%20Chalmers%20Nat%20Gal%20Ed.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thomas Chalmers<br />National Gallery Collection<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The Moderates in the established Church of Scotland were
more concerned with religious Christian conduct and personal discipline in society, rather
than a more encompassing adherence to an individual statement of faith or creed.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In 1851, the British Government organised a Census which included religion. The
results showed that some 60% of the population in Scotland considered
themselves regular worshippers. The established Church of Scotland rated 19.9%;
Free Church 19.2%; the United Presbyterian Church 11.7%; and ‘others’ 10.1%.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">This result led to lots of societies springing up to reclaim the
lost souls who had given themselves to the demon drink, and other devilish
pursuits. Temperance Societies; Home Missions; Sunday Schools; Bible Societies
and Improvement Classes all sprang up to encourage better adherence to religious practice, and promoted a more Christian daily discipline. Many publications; posters; and broadsheets began to circulate, many of them declaiming the evils of demon drink and the depravities it led to. On the other hand, posters also encouraged those sinners to repent, to redeem their souls and join this or that movement which would see them renounce all the bad and embrace the good. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">During the 1950s, I can vaguely remember my maiden aunt, who stayed with my grandfather, telling me about her aunts who were in the society below- The Independent Order of Rechabites. The sons and daughters of Recab, was a 'friendly society' which promoted 'teetotalism', the abstinence from alcohol. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKLMmHcoYAGU6mrhrCBbmTj4qtpEA-ArVHftMMCMEIIaHXc3mujsLx2fcuJFllnyZ8kF_txX4h5p4xpAgPRN5ICUmwBra9lkFsLohbDCfQCpInVHxVhdSS_7uux6kEj4LsnFCN6hVJtS3Khm2JJDcsl83At8YUIOu4zhh5rp6Ud0_UHosR0HVwdBdR/s667/IOR_Postcard.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="375" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKLMmHcoYAGU6mrhrCBbmTj4qtpEA-ArVHftMMCMEIIaHXc3mujsLx2fcuJFllnyZ8kF_txX4h5p4xpAgPRN5ICUmwBra9lkFsLohbDCfQCpInVHxVhdSS_7uux6kEj4LsnFCN6hVJtS3Khm2JJDcsl83At8YUIOu4zhh5rp6Ud0_UHosR0HVwdBdR/s320/IOR_Postcard.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Some of the 10.1% of ‘others’ (or as part of the 40% of non-
worshippers?), in the 1851 Census of Religion in Scotland, could be attributed to
the increasing conscription to societies like the Masonic Lodge; Templar
Societies; Freemasons; Orange Lodge and other similar groups which were
expanding. They each had a doctrine of their own which their attendees adhered
to.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Other churches and movements like the Roman Catholic Church, Episcopalians,
Baptists; Congregationalist; Methodists, Salvation Army were all active in drawing in members,
and some had their own temperance societies.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">By the second half of the 1800s, the re-introduction of music during a church service - mainly in the form of hymn singing - altered the styles of worship in the established Church
of Scotland, and in some of the other protestant denominations. Impressive, often very large, pipe-organs were installed even in smaller churches to help keep the worshippers in tune and to bring a sense of awe into the building. Worship became much more participatory, more inclusive than just repeating prayers.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">During my own early childhood, I knew some people who attended my aunt's local church regularly, just for the opportunity to hear the incredible organ it had, and to sing the hymns. [MacGregor Memorial on on Crossloan Rd/Craigton Road, Govan]. My aunt lived directly across the road from the MascGregor Memorial and was a regular church attendee, but my grandfather was not.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Born in 1874, my grandfather's own parents had been very strict Sunday worshippers, attending church every Sunday morning and evening, with long bible readings in between during the afternoon. Grampa was quite dogmatic about being an atheist, but never attempted to prevent my aunt from attending her worship.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">My Aunt Nan took me as a pre-five year old across the road on a Sunday morning to the 'Kindergarten' Sunday School, when my older sister and I stayed with Nana and Grampa most weekends. The end of the church buildings you see below, towards the bottom right on the photo, was one of the halls tacked on. In the mid-1950s, it was rare for the 'youngest class' to be taken into the actual church. I vaguely remember only being taken in at Christmas, Easter and at Harvest time but the organ music was awesome, and I use that word in the correct sense. The sound of it playing had shivers running down my back and even now, when I hear organ recitals, that sense of awe returns, even though I am not religious in any sense at all now. Should I want to recreate that feeling, all I need do is reach for my collection of George Frideric Handel's music and I'm back there. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjel6BgOdo7Y4JzdnuVs6_IyE4pZyV2NF4nQO9i_sZnw_2Um4dGWuhx9OxR7OTYozTqYblgTRDsOr5_q9LiUFYWUxHClclHcwhvn9ZbpScsN8gbii4eqGOnrcbN_IgYP1psZbuxrdTBiunyIrae9R0x4AbXH1eHiWDscJnGC3dmwzDIos-z0tjxX7H6/s629/MacGregor%20Memorial.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="629" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjel6BgOdo7Y4JzdnuVs6_IyE4pZyV2NF4nQO9i_sZnw_2Um4dGWuhx9OxR7OTYozTqYblgTRDsOr5_q9LiUFYWUxHClclHcwhvn9ZbpScsN8gbii4eqGOnrcbN_IgYP1psZbuxrdTBiunyIrae9R0x4AbXH1eHiWDscJnGC3dmwzDIos-z0tjxX7H6/s320/MacGregor%20Memorial.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MacGregor Memorial, Church of Scotland</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Back to the 'other' categories that appeared in the 1851 Census of Religion. <p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Judaism was rare in Scotland before the late 1800s. But by Queen Victoria's death in 1901, some synagogues had been built in Scotland and an influx of refugees from mainly
Eastern Europe had swelled the Jewish community.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Like Judaism, followers of Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism were very rare in the mid-Victorian era in Scotland. It would take almost a century for those numbers to increase when people began to settle in Scotland from India and Pakistan and from places that had been part of the British Empire. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In the Religion part of the Census of 2001, Scotland, 65.1% claimed to be of the Christian faith.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In the 2011 Census, Scotland, those professing to be of the Christian faith had dropped to 53.8%. Approximately 37% declared
they were of no religion. Others were of minority religions like Islam; Hinduism;
Sikhism.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The results of the 2021 Census for religion are not available
to me, but I believe that the numbers of those claiming to be Christian will have dropped below that 50% mark, though actual church attendance across Scotland shows that regular worship to be much less than that. Established Christian churches have amalgamated, due to low attendance and lack of funds, some ministers covering wider areas and holding Sunday services less frequently.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Would the Victorian evangelists approve of what worship is like today? I'll leave you to decide the answer to that one.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Till next time...Enjoy whatever you happen to be reading.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Slàinte!</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St-Stephens-Edinburgh.jpg">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St-Stephens-Edinburgh.jpg</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSA01099&t=2">https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSA01099&t=2</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSE00810">https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSE00810</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:IOR_Postcard.jpg">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:IOR_Postcard.jpg</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><br /><p></p>Nancy Jardine Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12366248895961876075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634172410498697945.post-58918724314731257782023-04-24T08:37:00.003+01:002023-04-24T08:37:43.620+01:00Victorian Velocipede Fun! <p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">What is a velocipede? Victorian or otherwise...</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The Dictionary definition is simple:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>A velocipede is a human-powered land vehicle with one or more
wheels. The most common type of velocipede today is the bicycle.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">How did Victorian era velocipedes differ from those of today?</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">First, we need to jump back a little to the earliest known velocipedes.
In the early 1800s, in Germany, inventors aimed to find a way of improving the
speed that a person could move along at, yet still empower that speed by the
use of their own muscles. This meant going beyond a rate of fast-walking, but
with some form of aid that would maintain a good running speed without the
person becoming exhausted too quickly.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0tsvBs_a0IdqhEqgZmKPh08gZas_w11XWxqvE_kh20qE-xPf0WX9S3eh_ofrUZgYyuOncq0paUBlcEOKju4YFeo5eFUavblMHAVM8BB4iJf5xBJB7pYkbXJ74iRTveZpUfuDh1LTDIjq8SVJ1xMffRXX9wTs_XDV6Zn4W-oCV25-A2Qi_wrr-7tNY/s1024/Hobby-horse_fair-LCCN2006681691.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="1024" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0tsvBs_a0IdqhEqgZmKPh08gZas_w11XWxqvE_kh20qE-xPf0WX9S3eh_ofrUZgYyuOncq0paUBlcEOKju4YFeo5eFUavblMHAVM8BB4iJf5xBJB7pYkbXJ74iRTveZpUfuDh1LTDIjq8SVJ1xMffRXX9wTs_XDV6Zn4W-oCV25-A2Qi_wrr-7tNY/s320/Hobby-horse_fair-LCCN2006681691.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The DANDY HORSE was invented using two wheels. Steering was
not guaranteed as the user only had a small hinged handlebar for manoeuvring the
front wheel, but with the user sitting on a small seat a reasonable degree of
speed was achieved. The user could walk the dandy horse if desired, or they
could ‘run and rest’ alternately by lowering their feet to the ground, or
lifting them up when desired speed was achieved. Its popularity was variable as each vehicle tended to need to be custom-built according to the leg length of the user. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">N.B. The Dandy Horse vehicle had no chain mechanism converting
user power to turn the wheels.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Parents, today, very often buy a similar bike to the Dandy Horse (balance-bike) for their toddlers, to get them used to gaining their balance for proper bike use, and to become used to speed.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The German <i>‘laufmaschine’</i>/ running machine design became popular across Europe, including in Britain. A version with a large wheel and a smaller wheel became known as the <i>Velocipede</i>.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tYv7Cfr-0V8saniYNHSrRcwDzP6sK-naG6nEPF3fpzPYbghuVZDo1YpxoB5xNR5xXpiCKhm2X70B7thnPnnI935vW1eju7tqbIBT9ktQ9e64JmkUjaxsOe56UMYb3G-Bkd65tfdtPPOd8AvOhATM9vIJqL_JXdtgqu4Nlkvv1zlbG_6OC1_6jRmE/s940/McCall1869%20Kilmarnock.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="940" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tYv7Cfr-0V8saniYNHSrRcwDzP6sK-naG6nEPF3fpzPYbghuVZDo1YpxoB5xNR5xXpiCKhm2X70B7thnPnnI935vW1eju7tqbIBT9ktQ9e64JmkUjaxsOe56UMYb3G-Bkd65tfdtPPOd8AvOhATM9vIJqL_JXdtgqu4Nlkvv1zlbG_6OC1_6jRmE/s320/McCall1869%20Kilmarnock.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">T. McCall, 1869, Kilmarnock</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">By the 1860s, other velocipede designs appeared with rotary
crank, pedal-driven mechanisms. There was the monowheel; unicycle; bicycle; dicycle;
tricycle; and quadracycle.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I’ve tried using a segway a few times as a tourist, and they
are an amusing way to speed around the hotspots – though with no physical
effort, as would be needed when pedalling a Victorian dicycle. The Victorian dicycle in the
image (two large equally-sized parallel wheels) looks like a lot of fun where the user sits between two large wheels
flanking them, though getting on and off might be an interesting experience!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLIWA8NGxbVT1lbgVqLrPJXWDdOfEQ4gUv583mD29u9PPhpdv6xWyeYEX3AsR0lDbG2AjjJ-9YPMvph_-IHxqwshmTqR4XgMxdlNaisTmZ7Ycqq9eNgmj007469cLJ3oQ-wGZJrO9yM41SsemmD_zw9yZ8AuTEYOGGQ2sMLNDcuelCdY1DxHjVMEDU/s598/Otto_Dicycle.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="598" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLIWA8NGxbVT1lbgVqLrPJXWDdOfEQ4gUv583mD29u9PPhpdv6xWyeYEX3AsR0lDbG2AjjJ-9YPMvph_-IHxqwshmTqR4XgMxdlNaisTmZ7Ycqq9eNgmj007469cLJ3oQ-wGZJrO9yM41SsemmD_zw9yZ8AuTEYOGGQ2sMLNDcuelCdY1DxHjVMEDU/s320/Otto_Dicycle.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Otto Dicycle</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It took until the mid-1900s for chain-driven vehicles to
appear. The Michaux Company in France began to produce a chain-driven, wooden-wheeled
version that earned its nickname of the ‘boneshaker’. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In Britain, the ‘penny-farthing’ appeared with one very
large wheel and one small one. Though its popularity didn’t last it became a
symbol of a late Victorian pastime, a way of exercising for those who could
afford it. Going out and about with one's spouse meant interesting variations of the velocipede as in the image below. I'm not sure if the woman actually had to do anything except look decorative, and not fall off! </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1gyXJ_NnwPLAQ17Lo9FIOoZaZY1fW0f62sFM0Yj8wHuV-_0I5t5WHIVsbSfthIm2V3E6C0whxqNg8Gz-uK1R-o3_KcNuUHCFOKA5Moc_Us7NupkXn9tZFaOBGMKseuTOh4iTBbK5ghq2mVFEZDDrQfje48e7cZmGH_hoM6iXZBQR23HW1q_H3wr7Y/s1158/Bicycle_two_1886.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1158" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1gyXJ_NnwPLAQ17Lo9FIOoZaZY1fW0f62sFM0Yj8wHuV-_0I5t5WHIVsbSfthIm2V3E6C0whxqNg8Gz-uK1R-o3_KcNuUHCFOKA5Moc_Us7NupkXn9tZFaOBGMKseuTOh4iTBbK5ghq2mVFEZDDrQfje48e7cZmGH_hoM6iXZBQR23HW1q_H3wr7Y/s320/Bicycle_two_1886.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A version for two! 1886</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The advent of the safety bicycle heralded a more standard
use of two similarly sized, rubber-tyred wheels, with the rear wheel chain-driven. And brakes, eventually on both wheels. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">So, over time, the velocipede was supplanted by the bicycle,
a name we are much more familiar with nowadays.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Enjoy your reading…whatever that may be.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Sl<span lang="GA">à</span>inte!</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hobby-horse_fair-LCCN2006681691.jpg">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hobby-horse_fair-LCCN2006681691.jpg</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:McCall1869.jpg">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:McCall1869.jpg</a></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Otto_Dicycle.jpg">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Otto_Dicycle.jpg</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bicycle_two_1886.jpg">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bicycle_two_1886.jpg</a><o:p></o:p></p>Nancy Jardine Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12366248895961876075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634172410498697945.post-79269990445974178452023-04-23T09:41:00.002+01:002023-04-23T09:41:21.836+01:00Turnpikes and potholes! What’s that about?<p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Turnpikes and Potholes! Is this a new thing?</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">My postings, during my April alphabet self-induced contest, took a bit of a set back last week. In order to improve on the glitches, this post was really intended to be for the twentieth of April but I'm squeezing it in now.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">People might bemoan the state of roads in Scotland these
days, and complain bitterly about the potholes which regularly damage car tyres
and suspensions. It can’t be denied that roads in some districts are much worse
than others, but how did the roads come into being and how were they initially
constructed?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Whilst researching a route for the main character in my
current writing to go from the town of Milnathort (Kinross-Shire) to Edinburgh,
I looked at which roads might have been available to use in 1851. That led me
on a little detour to investigate more about the turnpike system.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">And...before even the turnpike system was initiated, what was
there already?</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYS1R6hM1RTxKEjZKPNUTXdIuP_UNSINgtWjq371_j20uc0BL8c8e_i_gxZZSTccajGa_9tkJvdKwJNz-p_V1Go0GUjVcU764T6pSNjKgLbJdbEUfTEbcFPN6YYoGW_fGuka0QKMXDSu3ybH0mLBMfiinEBvTBzhFBGZ77QH3_wf7YXAEaVcnWB_pC/s640/Old_Drovers_Path_at_Cotkerse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYS1R6hM1RTxKEjZKPNUTXdIuP_UNSINgtWjq371_j20uc0BL8c8e_i_gxZZSTccajGa_9tkJvdKwJNz-p_V1Go0GUjVcU764T6pSNjKgLbJdbEUfTEbcFPN6YYoGW_fGuka0QKMXDSu3ybH0mLBMfiinEBvTBzhFBGZ77QH3_wf7YXAEaVcnWB_pC/w320-h240/Old_Drovers_Path_at_Cotkerse.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drovers path - Potkerse</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><u>Pre-history</u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Across the landscape of what became Scotland, a series of
well-used trackways linked settlements of varying sizes. Along these routes, there was a regular movement of people and animals. The beasts were moved from place to place, taken to
new locations, or even bartered for other goods. The tracks were well-trodden, but most would likely have become
impassable, for beasts and man, in seriously inclement weather.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><u>Roman era</u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">When the Ancient Roman legions invaded, and settled in more
and more of southern and central Scotland, some stone roads were laid down
between the forts they had constructed (e.g., along the Antonine Wall corridor).
A small road network has been identified creating links between some of their
more northern installations as far as Angus and the Mearns, though it appears that
the legions didn’t remain long enough to build any permanent roads in the far northern
areas of Aberdeenshire that they
invaded. Interestingly enough, some local Aberdeenshire maps created in the
late Victorian era have short stretches on them that are named ‘Roman Road’.
Sadly, though, since they were not attested by any archaeology department at
that time, they are not considered to be authentic Roman roads.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">An effective road system was crucial to the effective
running of the Roman Empire. In general, they built their stone roads to last a
long time but who were the main users of their roads? Was it the local
population? Certainly, it’s thought, there would have been some trading use of
the Roman road system by local tribes. However, in all areas of occupation
across the Roman Empire, it was essential for them to move their own troops at
pace across the landscape when relocation was needed. It was even more
important to ensure swift and regular communication between the invading, or
settled armies, and the ‘top’ administration back in Rome itself. Having
thousands of legionaries at hand to build metalled roads, when not engaged in
subduing local populations, meant relatively quick road building. Good quality
roads mattered!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtVwv8SzYPaW-OWo1_jLY7nRBh4mNItCjKLPYJDXRn2jVaItCOkUHY2psA-z_c7R3pMtn97jQRU5eYCNxSJjUn4KP93MWYFlTA6Moa1OKQ0EBxlGVUNIdXj-qIp498TAkZFc2lLUx8OoXHMP6wfPK1p7H87bVpTn8PsXa9O47ATKEqwEtOxvIXV-z/s640/Ae_-_Hawick_path,_Langshawburn_-_geograph.org.uk_-_969472%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="359" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtVwv8SzYPaW-OWo1_jLY7nRBh4mNItCjKLPYJDXRn2jVaItCOkUHY2psA-z_c7R3pMtn97jQRU5eYCNxSJjUn4KP93MWYFlTA6Moa1OKQ0EBxlGVUNIdXj-qIp498TAkZFc2lLUx8OoXHMP6wfPK1p7H87bVpTn8PsXa9O47ATKEqwEtOxvIXV-z/s320/Ae_-_Hawick_path,_Langshawburn_-_geograph.org.uk_-_969472%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roman Road, Hawick</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><u><br /></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><u>'Dark Ages’/Pre- Norman</u><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">After the Roman armies retreated back to the Hadrian’s Wall
area, and then out of Britannia completely, evidence for further roads being
constructed is scant during the post-Roman period. The lowlands and southern Scotland were under threat from
different aggressors: tribes from Ireland; Vikings; and Angles from Northumbria. Though limited, there is some evidence of movements of these invading peoples and of the
connecting roads they used and/or created for their own purposes. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><u>Middle Ages</u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There was relative peace during the reign of King Malcolm II
(Canmore), during the second half of the 1000s, which meant trade had more
opportunity to flourish across Scotland and to the south. Effective trade and commerce meant some decent roads being
laid between the new towns that were built to the local market areas, to the great
abbeys, and to other religious sites.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><u>Parish System</u><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">After the era of the Magna Carta, and the baronial expansion
in Scotland, the parish system emerged. This meant roads became the
responsibility of the ‘parish, and it was their job (the council) to ensure the
local roads were maintained. The main problem here was the system became inefficient
and even corrupt. There was supposed to be a rule where able-bodied men gave 6
days of their labour free, per year, to improve the road conditions. This
wasn’t enforced well and to get out of the hard-labour aspect, some
parishioners vowed to pay a sum of money instead. Often the money wasn’t
collected and there were considerably fewer men to call on to repair the roads.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">That said, there were some improvements: new roads and
bridges built during this period. After the 1715 Jacobite rebellion, there was
more road building across the highlands, built mainly to ensure British
Government troops got to troublesome, rebellious areas of the highlands as
quickly as possible. In some ways similar to the reasons for Roman road building. By the 1750s, General Wade and his team were creating
well-constructed ‘uniform’ maps showing all available roads and tracks, including the latest built roads across the highlands, in accurate locations. It's fascinating to pour over these maps made by Wade's teams, which were essentially the format and process of labelling that was adopted soon after for the official Ordnance survey maps that we still use today. The National Library of Scotland Map Collection is an amazing resource that's free to use for researching maps of Scotland. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><u>And we eventually come to the Turnpike era!</u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Some toll roads had been built during the parish system era, but it was only towards the end of the 1700s that paying a toll was deemed a
better way to ensure safer passage of animals, goods, and people to markets,
and to make transportation of industrial goods easier on good roads. Since
living conditions were gradually improving in the countryside, due to better
farming and animal husbandry techniques, the rural population had grown and
there were more people on the move. Industrialisation had changed the landscape
across Scotland in the late 1700s with more coaches, carts and carriers needing
to use the existing roads which were inadequate. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Acts of Parliament were granted to counties which allowed
them to set up a ‘Turnpike Trust’. This meant the trusts could raise money to
pay for the construction of new roads and bridges in their immediate area, or
to improve existing routes. The plan was to gradually recoup that invested money
from toll collections, over a long period of time. This was more successful in
producing and maintaining better roads till the advent of railways around the
early 1830s, which were so competitive they caused road maintenance issues. By
the 1880s, newly formed county councils took over the supply and maintenance of
roads and the ‘turnpike trusts’ were abandoned.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">So, why the name turnpike? The ‘turnpike’ was the gate which
blocked the road until the toll was paid. A pike was an infantry weapon with a
pointed iron or steel head on a long shaft. Were pikes used by the toll-keepers
to turn back anyone who could not, or would not, pay the toll fee? </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I haven’t absolutely confirmed that, yet, but if you can
please let me know your source!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW0I8_nlTz2DpAkX1BHA7TMFUGNk6cZFJ8y6gDaekuAQaty-aoAC8u94Yph5yuZipXh_KKZlSy-2KkiiMm9FzajsArlcnYUmA47F44yBYEdWoJTd1FsOt_bhuGgh-seWX9a1DOuvU3561treBbdq_zv2u81IBMH9u3tA5CNBOotphHqk99uIngLaDQ/s1200/Former_tollhouse_(geograph_6694599).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW0I8_nlTz2DpAkX1BHA7TMFUGNk6cZFJ8y6gDaekuAQaty-aoAC8u94Yph5yuZipXh_KKZlSy-2KkiiMm9FzajsArlcnYUmA47F44yBYEdWoJTd1FsOt_bhuGgh-seWX9a1DOuvU3561treBbdq_zv2u81IBMH9u3tA5CNBOotphHqk99uIngLaDQ/s320/Former_tollhouse_(geograph_6694599).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barnhill Tollhouse, Perth and Kinross Road</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Were there toll roads and turnpikes near Milnathort when my
character was growing up? Map evidence indicates there definitely was a toll/
turnpike on the road out of Milnathort to the south. Since that 1 ½ mile long
stretch was the main road leading to the county town of Kinross, then it was
likely a busy enough one that recouped a reasonable amount of the building
money before the Turnpike Trust was disbanded. The image above of Barnhill Tollhouse is near the city of Perth, and stands on the road to Dundee. Built during the early 1800s,it's architectural style is quite elaborate, but I'm sure the countryside boasted some substantial turnpike/ toll house buildings. I have written-in a lovely old character who lives in a turnpike/toll house just outside of Milnathort on the road south to Kinross. He is no longer collecting any money, which is just as well because my five-year-old Margaret doesn't have any to pay him! </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Till more on my researching…enjoy your reading,</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: left;">Sl</span><span lang="GA" style="text-align: left;">à</span><span style="text-align: left;">inte!</span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Images- Wikimedia Commons -Geography Project</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Former_tollhouse_(geograph_6694599).jpg">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Former_tollhouse_(geograph_6694599).jpg</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Nancy Jardine Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12366248895961876075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634172410498697945.post-1524136914866871882023-04-22T09:31:00.000+01:002023-04-22T09:31:08.861+01:00Victorian schools in Scotland<p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Schools in Victorian Scotland </span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Victorian, as you know, begins with the letter 'v' but actually this particular post was meant to be all about 's' at the beginning of schools. However and undaunted, since Mr. Gradgrind, in Charles Dickens novel 'Hard Times' was all about drumming 'Facts' into the minds of the schoolkids, this contains a lot of facts about schools in Victorian Scotland. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Researching schools in Milnathort, Kinross-Shire, was one of
my first tasks when I began to write about my character named Margaret. She’s
aged almost five when her story begins and I wondered which school she might
have gone to. My initial thoughts were not actually ‘Did she go to school’ but
definitely more of ‘Which school and for how long’?</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHGsQp9g5PsM23WIcDvlPb7N5KE96OQ3XWYQT7OgtekWn8WWLIvU1iHYehTcxF-qDgA-vdZs-GvJ6kyPJNtn0bY2SOUARW8uvPNDiRjTeXMDJLhXvFJbSKLo_dqeWzra8eDIyjJWhkx2-2Yp_DEgFIJSR5EM3b-cMlI7R1kpRivP-KAVFz8Hv3GSC/s450/450px-The_Scotland_Street_School_Museum_(Glasgow)_(3816540623).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="450" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHGsQp9g5PsM23WIcDvlPb7N5KE96OQ3XWYQT7OgtekWn8WWLIvU1iHYehTcxF-qDgA-vdZs-GvJ6kyPJNtn0bY2SOUARW8uvPNDiRjTeXMDJLhXvFJbSKLo_dqeWzra8eDIyjJWhkx2-2Yp_DEgFIJSR5EM3b-cMlI7R1kpRivP-KAVFz8Hv3GSC/s320/450px-The_Scotland_Street_School_Museum_(Glasgow)_(3816540623).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I’ve studied enough of Scottish Victorian era schooling
before to know that, in 1845, many children were educated to at least the
basics of reading, and of writing their own name. Luckier pupils were able to
stay at school longer to learn to read well, to write and spell, and to do
basic arithmetic. I knew already that schooling in Scotland had a greater
uptake than schooling in England at this time, but that it was not compulsory
to send a child to school in Scotland till after the Education Acts of 1872.
So, in 1845, my character Margaret would only have gone to school if her
parents had paid for it.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">As an ex-primary teacher in Scotland, I knew that quarterly
school fees were commonly paid to the schoolmaster, and that payment for basic
reading lessons had to be supplemented by a further fee for the child to learn
to write, and to count.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">What I did not know was what kind of schools were there were
in Milnathort in 1845. I knew that many areas had parochial (Parish) schools
but, that in some cases, these places tended to only educate boys. Since girls
were destined mainly for domestic service, factory work, or running a household
of their own, the priority was often to only give girls basic reading lessons.
They spent the bulk of the time at school learning household crafts like
cooking; laundry; cleaning and sewing. Some of these girls’ establishments were
familiarly named ‘Dame’ schools, i.e. establishments run by females for
females. These schools for females perhaps charged less than the parochial
schools? Another question to find an answer to!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">For the more well-to-do parents or guardians, in the
Milnathort area, those who did not employ tutors to teach at home (relatively
common for wealthy girls), there were boarding schools their offspring could be
sent to, from where a pupil only returned home a few times a year, at special
times. In the large cities in Scotland, some pupils (mainly boys) went to
schools which were intended to give them a better education than in their
parochial, local schools.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In Edinburgh, there were the 'Merchant Company' Schools set
up to educate the offspring of Edinburgh merchants, like Melville College,
founded in 1832 for boys. Even older, the Mary Erskine School for Girls,
founded in 1694, was well-established by the time my character, Margaret, ends
up working in Edinburgh in 1851. The Mary Erskine School for Girls is one of
the oldest schools for girls in the world. The High School of Glasgow had been
established in the late 1100s as the Choir School for Glasgow Cathedral and
still exists today, though clearly not in any original building. Robert
Gordon's College in Aberdeen was originally begun as a school with
accommodation for educating boys in the mid-1700s. When it opened in 1750, it
had 14 pupils. It grew to become Robert Gordon's College Day School in 1887.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7H6D7kMwhR8j-0p1MXCy8b_-qN7KheaGX-6EX9Ewo9zjXOmh2jVKI9Vo19YGEZqJZUnUgjqCGTCohqW6F5vpMnTyEG-I3-YwGNYHA18lSPcrhTK88g-B-qzUjZKsk6KqMg3xpEJzczrPgrCMus8wt7he6dSGq8wvjtb4zGOMtUxCM7msYrpnRSzGF/s2888/fcgduICo2zfHQkoUzY0i0XrJy8GEJbreiSikpTIC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2664" data-original-width="2888" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7H6D7kMwhR8j-0p1MXCy8b_-qN7KheaGX-6EX9Ewo9zjXOmh2jVKI9Vo19YGEZqJZUnUgjqCGTCohqW6F5vpMnTyEG-I3-YwGNYHA18lSPcrhTK88g-B-qzUjZKsk6KqMg3xpEJzczrPgrCMus8wt7he6dSGq8wvjtb4zGOMtUxCM7msYrpnRSzGF/w200-h184/fcgduICo2zfHQkoUzY0i0XrJy8GEJbreiSikpTIC.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">slate </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">But back to Milnathort...and some questions. Did Milnathort
have a Dame School that Margaret would have gone to? Did Milnathort have a
parochial school that she would have been allowed to attend along with the
local boys of the town?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">She is a well-educated young woman, evident later in her
story (a 3-book series), but she doesn't come from a well-to-do background. Her
parents aren't the poorest in Milnathort though are not the richest either, and
are unable to send her to board at any of the above mentioned 'higher fee
paying' schools. They manage a draper’s shop, originally owned by her late
grandfather but now owned by an uncle who oversees a grocer’s shop in the town.
Her father wants her to have the best education possible, and wants to provide
that education for as long as he can pay for it. He doesn’t ever want to see
Margaret go into domestic service.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">So, what school can she go to in Milnathort, in 1845, that
would be suitable and historically accurate? I found evidence for a parochial
school that was associated with the established Church of Scotland, up on Ba’
Hill (towards the N on the map above) that had long-been established in
Milnathort. What wasn’t easy to prove was that girls attended that school for a
more thorough education than just basic reading.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">On the 1846 map above there is a Free Church, and also
marked is a United Presbyterian Church (National Library of Scotland
Collections). The United Presbyterian Church is towards the west of the town
square on a road named Cockamey, parallel to Stirling Road. The Free Church is
marked north-east of the square. Both of those churches would have emerged
after The Great Disruption in 1843 (see a to Z post for Dis is for the [Great]
Disruption), so those church buildings in Milnathort were built fairly soon
after 1843.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">On Cockamey, a bit west of the United Presbyterian Church
there is a Subscription School. To date, I've not found sufficient evidence of
exactly what that meant. Does 'subscription' have to do with how the school was
funded other than by parents’ fees, e.g., a collection of some kind?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I decided that the subscription school was built associated
with the United Presbyterian Church and that is the one I have Margaret
attending. Again, using my interpretation as an author of fiction!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Because some of the old ideas of the established Church of
Scotland had been rejected during the 'Disruption', the new churches were more
forward-thinking. From research, I noted that the United Presbyterian Church
set up teaching colleges to train their own ministers, so it seemed reasonable
that Milnathort would have a United Presbyterian School which accepted girls,
for as long as the parents or guardians would pay for them to attend.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_nUrqWyXODuzLN2qwpCYRhnHAYy-WH_JMHolyxmGg_5QMHe9bjiPuNpZi43Nhy6ip33HCSLMDgD4O-P4zUCzEAr7wWe7Eox4VCdnvz_-xtMOTonGlndWKNFyk297-eY6nDRZJazRswJnS4FORFxjA_Gza8fm1H62WAAe1ynZWhvMcmgyTEUIlh8k/s1200/1200px-Museum_of_Lincolnshire_Life,_Lincoln,_England_-_DSCF1722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_nUrqWyXODuzLN2qwpCYRhnHAYy-WH_JMHolyxmGg_5QMHe9bjiPuNpZi43Nhy6ip33HCSLMDgD4O-P4zUCzEAr7wWe7Eox4VCdnvz_-xtMOTonGlndWKNFyk297-eY6nDRZJazRswJnS4FORFxjA_Gza8fm1H62WAAe1ynZWhvMcmgyTEUIlh8k/w200-h150/1200px-Museum_of_Lincolnshire_Life,_Lincoln,_England_-_DSCF1722.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">abacus</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Most Scottish schools during the 1800s had extremely large
classes. Sometimes 70 or so pupils were educated in the same room. To help the
schoolmaster maintain the strict and regimented teaching environment, there
were a few pupil teachers/teaching monitors in the room. Some Scottish schools
had more than one room in their building, if in a more populated area, but that
didn’t mean teaching was easier. Classroom discipline was paramount in small,
or large, classes!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The image of desks above would have been commonplace in the
second half of the nineteenth century, the bench and table combination meant
for two pupils, perhaps even three at the infant stages if the class roll was
very high.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I started primary school in Glasgow in 1957, close to a
century after my character is at school in Milnathort, yet some of my earliest
teaching was done in similar Victorian classrooms to the one above. Some
furniture was very, very old and very, very chipped! The tiered seating was to
enable the teacher to view all the pupils from front row to back row. Where the
floor was flat in a Victorian classroom, the teacher's desk was sometimes built
on an elevated platform at the front, again giving the height needed to see all
the way to the back. Sometimes, it was too easy to trip when descending the
steps, if I was too eager to escape the classroom at playtime.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">A system of regular assessment was common and a simple
strategy established. Pupils who were learning the fastest went to the back
rows of the room and those who needed most guidance, and often more control if
unruly, sat near the front nearest the dominie, or pupil teacher. An aisle/s
separated the long rows of desks enabling the dominie, or the pupil teacher, to
walk between, within relatively easy reach of the pupils. and if they
themselves could not reach over to reprimand a particular child for
inattention, or for making errors, then a blackboard pointer could do the job
admirably.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I read somewhere (many years ago) that in some very early
Victorian schools, where a level-floored hall was used, the pupils were
segregated into smaller ‘units’, and sat down in what was effectively different
teaching groups. This would have been in schools which had only bench seating
and no individual desks. Pupils who had progressed well would be expected to do
their work largely unsupervised while the teacher, or pupil teacher, gave
instructions to younger pupil groups. In some schools, in a room of 70 pupils,
a bright pupil could ‘move up the ranks/ groups’ quickly if they were achieving
at a faster rate than most of their peer groups. Ability mattered. Not age.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Rote learning was the regime in most schools, and memory
stretching was paramount to become adept at progressing in all subjects. There
was a high degree of chanting from learning the alphabet letters, to doing
complicated arithmetic sums. If you read my post on M is for Money a few days
ago, you’ll realise how complex it was to do ‘money’ sums pre-1971.
Multiplication tables didn’t stop at the twelve times table for the more able
learners. Recall of multiples of more difficult prime numbers like 13 or 17
were drummed in to the older pupils.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Spelling was also rote learned and chanted till the pupils
were blue in the face, but that system of recall worked for many pupils who
could spell ever after till the cows came home!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPnzQ7AbpQ0OeRAJQKy6wU7zshxLxnpDgFh45I6-0rxQg5QAezQYfdqHum1bkhSzTxiitBEYdhQ3ieKoVZ8vmeT_oisDCdJBXONKtipiaXZjQhaz4LF7LCC0qgstcF9s0WYNuV2rqes3ObTvGeocvhMumSkxqJoLZmhJ2Xhg2bJpha49G5StExXOSe/s2000/Image2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPnzQ7AbpQ0OeRAJQKy6wU7zshxLxnpDgFh45I6-0rxQg5QAezQYfdqHum1bkhSzTxiitBEYdhQ3ieKoVZ8vmeT_oisDCdJBXONKtipiaXZjQhaz4LF7LCC0qgstcF9s0WYNuV2rqes3ObTvGeocvhMumSkxqJoLZmhJ2Xhg2bJpha49G5StExXOSe/w200-h200/Image2.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">School pens were terrible<br />to write with! Drippy ink everywhere.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">When a pupil achieved a degree of reading competence,
special writing lessons were offered (for a fee) but sometimes these classes
had to be taught after the main bulk of the pupils were sent home for the day.
It was often a similar case for extended arithmetic lessons, mathematics, and
for other studies like the classics, or sciences.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Schools have definitely changed over the decades since my
character Margaret goes to school in Milnathort in 1845. Schools have also
definitely changed since I personally began my teaching career in 1974!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Time for a break? You bet! Till next time...</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Slàinte!</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">images: Wikimedia Commons </p>Nancy Jardine Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12366248895961876075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634172410498697945.post-71637268503774750912023-04-21T14:19:00.001+01:002023-04-21T14:19:50.202+01:00The Glasgow Underground... sometimes called the Subway<p><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Glasgow Underground </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The 14<sup>th</sup> December 1896 was a memorable time in
Glasgow, it was the date that the original Glasgow Underground opened. It had
taken five years of building works, and a lot of money for the era but it was a
major development in the transportation systems that were running in the City
of Glasgow. At the time it was the third municipal underground railway system
to be built – the first being one in Budapest and the second in London.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">By the late Victorian era, the City of Glasgow was rapidly
expanding with more and more industries offering employment. The needs of the
almost one million inhabitants were stretched and the ‘Glasgow District Subway’
would enhance movement around the city at a much faster pace as not everyone
could find work extremely close to where they lived. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">However, the first day of operation to the public was not as
smooth as the organisers had planned for. The carriages (familiarly named tram
caurs [caw-er]) were hauled by cables over two lines: an inner circle; and an
outer circle. The huge cables were powered at a dedicated power station on
Scotland Street.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">For opening day, a fixed price of one penny was decided
upon, and that allowed the ticket buyer to stay on as long as they wished
around the 6 ½ mile track. Very early on
inauguration day, it was soon clear that the innovation had caused such a stir
of interest that queues to try the system at all of the station entry points
were enormous.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Unfortunately, there were two crises that day. Over-use
caused a couple of accidents which resulted in some injuries, some light and
some more severe. One particular victim of head injuries was found to have been
riding the underground for more than 8 hours. Such was the novelty! Again,
unfortunately the underground operations had to be postponed till better safety
measures were installed. A telephone system was set up to connect the stations
and a guard was employed to ‘ring ahead’ if there were too many passengers down
on the platform between the train tracks. That triggered the ticket office on
the surface to hold back the queue till it was safe for the passengers to
descend the steps down to the platforms. Also, to avoid the novelty factor, the
ticket price was raised to encourage only genuine travellers to use the system.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">When a small child in the 1950s, I travelled regularly on the
‘subway’ on a Friday night from the station called Kelvinbridge, because I
stayed most weekends with my grampa, and a maiden aunt who lived a short walk
away from Govan Cross station. The return journey was made on a Sunday. That
journey meant travelling under the River Clyde on what was by then carriages
that were mostly more than sixty-years old. The wooden interiors were difficult
to maintain by then and they journey was quite rickety. For a child of less
than seven years old the ‘shooglier’ the better, and some parts were more
thrilling because the ‘caurs’ could speed up along the line where stations were
further apart. I adored the subway. I remember the end carriages having a
destination board that I could memorise. At first it was rote learning, because
I personally couldn’t yet read, but the station order was dictated by my dad.
When I could read it myself, it was a revelation. My grampa died when I was
seven, the same year that I moved house, so my travelling on the subway/underground
was rarer after that. The smell that whooshed out of the tunnel when the car
was slowing down on approach to the platform was foul, and was so fierce at
times it could almost knock young kids off their feet. It is, however, one of
those things that need to be experienced to be believed! And is highly
memorable!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">By the late 1970s the system was closed down for
modernisation. The old wooden carriages morphed into brand new ones dubbed the
Clockwork Orange, the tatty peeling tunnel walls in the stations were renewed,
as was the rest of the infrastructure.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I travelled the Glasgow underground during the autumn of
2023 when I took my grandkids on it to visit the Kelvingrove Museum. It was so
pristine clean and efficient that the comparison with the 1960s version is hard
to find words for. I am very glad that the system is still operating for
locals, and for the occasional tourist like I am now.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1aYoOCO97P4" width="320" youtube-src-id="1aYoOCO97P4"></iframe></div>Video Part 1<p></p><p>Continuing video HERE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2wY5uMBgSI</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Slàinte!</span></b></p><p>https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Glasgow_subway_car_in_Buchanan_Street_station.jpg</p>Nancy Jardine Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12366248895961876075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634172410498697945.post-85332853043304352442023-04-18T10:14:00.000+01:002023-04-18T10:14:01.833+01:00R is for Railways -April A to Z Blog Challenge! <p><b><span style="font-size: large;">R is for Railways</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIX_t0EQjUpVKg6piZ7MCqGlhNYInc4fGsy8dlhu17D_MnJEoHX2b-Zp_kUcJbITdz3es0AtffzAn-Hx9cz6a6XPgrx5DTN4pqiRBmUf8fH-WUXLVTYxurRKbX_Mv49kFEIEeo0hEx2TcZc8g0L6SpPaX1RlMBAaf2ezJBZVCcpiEUXUkNJUOtdGNB/s1188/A%20to%20Z.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1188" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIX_t0EQjUpVKg6piZ7MCqGlhNYInc4fGsy8dlhu17D_MnJEoHX2b-Zp_kUcJbITdz3es0AtffzAn-Hx9cz6a6XPgrx5DTN4pqiRBmUf8fH-WUXLVTYxurRKbX_Mv49kFEIEeo0hEx2TcZc8g0L6SpPaX1RlMBAaf2ezJBZVCcpiEUXUkNJUOtdGNB/w200-h114/A%20to%20Z.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">My April A to Z Blog Challenge continues and today's post is about railway development...which eventually makes travelling easier for the characters in my current Ocelot Press writing set in Victorian Scotland.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The building of railways to transport passengers and goods was
a considerable improvement in many parts of Scotland, especially for those outside
the central belt corridor. Though, many of the railways were developed in very measured stages. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Some areas of Scotland were slow to cross by road,
especially those regions surrounded by substantial hills, mountains, or lochs.
Often, it meant long treks around the obstacles which caused extensive delays
when the weather was poor, and road conditions impossible for coach travel.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">As industrialisation developed, mainly around the major cities, the
need to transport goods efficiently across Scotland, and beyond, became especially important. It
was long known that transporting by water could be more effective than by road, but
not all Scottish rivers were suitable for this. By the end of the 1700s, some
canals had been created to connect major cities with market towns. These canals
were less affected by adverse weather conditions, but the barge transportation
was often a very sluggish process. Time was lost when sluice gates had to be
opened to raise, or lower, the water levels of the locks in the canal. Horses
trekking along the tow-paths, were used to pull the barges along – their possible
speed dependent on the loads carried.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Technically, rail lines had been created around 1722 on the Tranent Waggonway, which ran from Tranent
to Cockenzie, on the East Lothian coast. Wooden wagons, set upon a double-depth
wooden track, left the Tranent pits filled with coal, and were pulled along by horses who walked between the wooden rails. They trundled down the hill,
picking up speed as they crossed the fields on the 2 and 1/2 half mile journey to the salt pans at
Cockenzie. There seems evidence for a brakeman who sat at the front, operating a lever which pressed against
a wooden wheel to slow down the wagons as they hurtled round curves and bends. The
skill of the brakeman was impressive, his task to keep the momentum going till it reached
the off-loading point at Port Seaton Harbour, at which point he couldn’t afford
to stop short, and he definitely couldn’t go too far, either! The person out front who led the horses was also well-practised along the route.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There were at least three phases of use of the track, since the wood deteriorated before a decade had passed and needed to be replaced, the gauge between the tracks changing over time from over three feet to accommodate wider wagons of almost 4 feet.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">None of these narrow-gauge track-widths at Tranent were what was adopted almost a century later when metal tracks were laid by engineers like George Stephenson, at the standard of 4 ft 8 1/2 inches. That odd size, adopted in the late Georgian era, was a legacy from Ancient Roman roads. Legend has it that the earliest rail tracks were laid at the same width between the wheels as the Romans had on their carriages and wagons. The ancient 'straight' roads in England and Wales (attributed to Roman builders) were used as a guide for the distance between wheel rims, the ruts in those ancient stone roads used to gauge the width of the Roman vehicles that used the roads.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The video below tells the story of Tranent Waggonway (slightly differently perhaps?) and gives a great visual impression of how the waggonway operated. Period dress is a useful guide, too! </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wgPSzIkykbw" width="320" youtube-src-id="wgPSzIkykbw"></iframe></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Railways began to be laid in Scotland to transport goods
over cast iron tracks, mainly carrying coal in hoppers from pits to delivery
points for industrial and household use, though these wagons were also initially
horse-driven. An example would be the railway line established in Ayrshire to carry coal from the
Kilmarnock pits to the sea-going harbour at Troon.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNI1yfOcuM-snPk0ouulrC13nQDX71VWiNQdZ3Rud1ZykecN_SVmJbGlMzVVW3WUHz3Jj_L5JoIinqVlo01_8r4JLq1_F5kWjmsGuiavwOFIdj4ng6WwnLFyotBzBnz8l49QWm6tJAdnrzJR8yHjYQ78YZubAfszVdTTLmbl3JSIhM5WrV8dk6RpJp/s1024/Kilmarnock_and_Troon_Railway.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="1024" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNI1yfOcuM-snPk0ouulrC13nQDX71VWiNQdZ3Rud1ZykecN_SVmJbGlMzVVW3WUHz3Jj_L5JoIinqVlo01_8r4JLq1_F5kWjmsGuiavwOFIdj4ng6WwnLFyotBzBnz8l49QWm6tJAdnrzJR8yHjYQ78YZubAfszVdTTLmbl3JSIhM5WrV8dk6RpJp/s320/Kilmarnock_and_Troon_Railway.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The iron rail tracks had to be
laid over suitable terrain, within certain elevations for the efficiency of pull,
but within a few years the horses were replaced by steam engines. Wagons and carriages
could then travel much more quickly on the tracks. During the first half of the 19th century, civil engineers across Britain like
Richard Trevithick and George Stephenson, gradually developed steam power for
use on railways to transport goods, and then for passenger transport.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Railways supplanted some of the existing canal systems. An
example of this would be the Aberdeenshire Canal which only lasted a short
duration of almost 50 years, linking Aberdeen with Port Elphinstone, near
Inverurie (roughly 20 miles). After the canal was no longer financially viable,
some parts of its straight lines were drained, filled in, and rail tracks laid
on top in the mid-1850s.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">However, it wasn’t a simple process to lay a new railway
from a point A to point B, even when the finance was raised and available. During the 1830s and 1840s, there
were many different rail companies being formed across the UK who were gathering funds to create stretches
of railway. This set up quite a degree of competition, however, their building
operations were controlled by Acts of Parliament.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I'm finding it confusing to research which was the very first dedicated
passenger railway to operate in Scotland. Thankfully, for my current writing, I’m most interested
in when the railways appeared across Fife and Eastern Scotland, but as with many
other developments, it’s the countryside that tends to get the improvements last
of all. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Because of the need to regulate railway building across the
UK, and the insistence of following edicts laid down by Acts of Parliament, it was
sometimes years between the conception of a rail link and its actual opening.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYPDS3RSRxM7hc9_Z78uJjEBS5t0B6oJz7GTm3aX1VZKp6zT2qqjTeASenBDlH0Xfbr7d5ymTiy-GN-ba5-9RNRAl99HqWCx9Z2O3g2EBF-LRXKQe2WmZb4OJ6NAgc_Uqs26HMoKPlwspInyxk4fuzYcwJjyqHk0Il_4CYVjYXlHCM399NZjmRVWJd/s1200/E&GR_1832.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="1200" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYPDS3RSRxM7hc9_Z78uJjEBS5t0B6oJz7GTm3aX1VZKp6zT2qqjTeASenBDlH0Xfbr7d5ymTiy-GN-ba5-9RNRAl99HqWCx9Z2O3g2EBF-LRXKQe2WmZb4OJ6NAgc_Uqs26HMoKPlwspInyxk4fuzYcwJjyqHk0Il_4CYVjYXlHCM399NZjmRVWJd/s320/E&GR_1832.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The main line railway between Edinburgh and Glasgow today (2023) runs partly on the same bed as the one conceived in 1838. Opened to
passenger traffic on 21 February 1842, the <b>Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway</b>
ran between Glasgow Queen Street railway station (also called Dundas Street in
the Victorian era) and Haymarket railway station in Edinburgh. Stations along
the track outside the greater city areas were, Polmont, Falkirk, Castlecary,
Croy, Kirkintilloch (later to be named Lenzie) and Bishopbriggs. Cowlairs Junction
also had a ticket platform.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In the five years following its opening, the line was extended
from Haymarket to Waverley Station in the city centre of Edinburgh when the lines and tunnels were constructed across
what had been the Nor’loch below Edinburgh Castle, the land below the castle at that time still being developed into Princes Street Gardens. By 1850, the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway Company needed 58
locomotives and 216 coaches to handle the traffic, the use of the trains much
out-stripping the original estimates. Goods traffic also increased, enhancing the
viability of the lines.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHpw1fif0YOJw3GSGawDkEMiMGfJTOjx3nXiLIFlr5gGbxB1jxWLodHHFKCEflKUQz-zBV3RnLrji9TaeOFpW04-Q88B53fd_1ynB5byERKZhLV9PsfVfTZ3eNtovV7JZ7Z4U5zBmtBcvByy8gXqiYYlvK8M4rJ2mZXWwQdODTJwI0x0rOAZNqEew0/s3180/Scottish_Central_Rly_1848.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2323" data-original-width="3180" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHpw1fif0YOJw3GSGawDkEMiMGfJTOjx3nXiLIFlr5gGbxB1jxWLodHHFKCEflKUQz-zBV3RnLrji9TaeOFpW04-Q88B53fd_1ynB5byERKZhLV9PsfVfTZ3eNtovV7JZ7Z4U5zBmtBcvByy8gXqiYYlvK8M4rJ2mZXWwQdODTJwI0x0rOAZNqEew0/s320/Scottish_Central_Rly_1848.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The <b>Scottish Central Railway</b> company was formed in 1845. This
linked Perth and Stirling, serving the Central Scotland area, and joined the
Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway near Castlecary.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Railways serving the Kinross-Shire and Fife areas were slower
to appear, and seemed to be built piecemeal.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Kinross, due to its geographical site rather than its own volume
of industry, was chosen to be a focal point where three different train company
lines would meet. By 1850, a line was laid by the <b>Edinburgh, Perth, and Dundee
Railway </b>(this line eventually included two ferry crossings over the Forth and the Tay estuaries).
A second line was laid to Kinross by the <b>Scottish Central Railway </b>from Perth,
and the third was the <b>Stirling and Dunfermline Railway</b>.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0LIfq_F4deW5mMa4SEK2Hev8UUD0IqSXz0gpCYg194yVGQEiKG5BGGKyysoZzvUrG6DN6AD4b5fe-JiEWhsCc3kOy6zOnkjvHwUWdU2sR5-jFtJk2R7IzClwk3x-QxE1J4HV73XLHMSHBzKDBpDtRuHp9U6JBle4nDybu0gQuA2bQOhoGcj8bJKBq/s956/Kinross_lines_1872.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="956" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0LIfq_F4deW5mMa4SEK2Hev8UUD0IqSXz0gpCYg194yVGQEiKG5BGGKyysoZzvUrG6DN6AD4b5fe-JiEWhsCc3kOy6zOnkjvHwUWdU2sR5-jFtJk2R7IzClwk3x-QxE1J4HV73XLHMSHBzKDBpDtRuHp9U6JBle4nDybu0gQuA2bQOhoGcj8bJKBq/s320/Kinross_lines_1872.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">All was not simple though, and construction delays happened due to disagreements
between the different companies. By the time there was a junction point at Kinross (closer to
Milnathort itself) in 1857, it was some six years after my character had left Milnathort to
work in Edinburgh. She had no money for train travel when she left at almost thirteen
years of age in 1851, but I can declare that she'll be travelling by trains from Edinburgh to
Dundee, to Aberdeen and even further north, during the decade that follows as
her story unfolds!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipw2CAe9mI85v8DviqkP0bQQq-mgwH9vniur_PqKIzycrBmX3zK9g_vOrta1DfIJZHAXqcR94UpHQLpX92WyIK0QCi1copIhDcLBTvPl6yX4ry1gpKbezkjyhZdS8PuJnwGpSipxVXTY1fuyvXyU159Xuis33rqFkoxNJUHHZPsDajrqMd533pSs-9/s1569/St_&_dun_rly_1852.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1569" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipw2CAe9mI85v8DviqkP0bQQq-mgwH9vniur_PqKIzycrBmX3zK9g_vOrta1DfIJZHAXqcR94UpHQLpX92WyIK0QCi1copIhDcLBTvPl6yX4ry1gpKbezkjyhZdS8PuJnwGpSipxVXTY1fuyvXyU159Xuis33rqFkoxNJUHHZPsDajrqMd533pSs-9/s320/St_&_dun_rly_1852.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Railways made travel to the northern reaches of Scotland so
much easier as the decades rolled on!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Till my next post...enjoy your reading!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Sl<span lang="GA" style="mso-ansi-language: GA;">à</span>inte!</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Scottish_Central_Rly_1848.gif">https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Scottish_Central_Rly_1848.gif</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:E%26GR_1832.gif">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:E%26GR_1832.gif</a></p><p class="MsoNormal">(NB possibly a dating issue with this map 1832, as opposed to 1842)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_%26_dun_rly_1852.png">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_%26_dun_rly_1852.png</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kinross_lines_1872.png">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kinross_lines_1872.png</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/Scotlands-First-Railway/">https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/Scotlands-First-Railway/</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kilmarnock_and_Troon_Railway.gif">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kilmarnock_and_Troon_Railway.gif</a><o:p></o:p></p>Nancy Jardine Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12366248895961876075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634172410498697945.post-46810978272289435592023-04-17T10:29:00.001+01:002023-04-17T10:29:25.814+01:00Q is for Queen Victoria!<p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Q is for Queen Victoria! Bet you didn’t expect that one?</span></b> <span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Emoji", sans-serif;">😉</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p>It's Day 17 of my April A to Z blog Challenge, and the challenge for today is to select only the barest minimum of information from the plethora that's out there about <b>Queen Victoria</b>! </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUCMD27S5hhk31Vj20SyLmZm0_DSsAsaRSmwPk2wBOocZKFlCW7t1IJ33de7-eCcr2jzk_D7U2ekvPohhoZwO0Nqw6qRwfOdA-RFHwxOUBO4xaoqiexBev7RrjC2zuhe3Wvfe3MnI4DGVkKE2slZ6YNf6o7h5PdhXu9FxUKZSHl15nzn7UW9O5Z1la/s1188/A%20to%20Z.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1188" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUCMD27S5hhk31Vj20SyLmZm0_DSsAsaRSmwPk2wBOocZKFlCW7t1IJ33de7-eCcr2jzk_D7U2ekvPohhoZwO0Nqw6qRwfOdA-RFHwxOUBO4xaoqiexBev7RrjC2zuhe3Wvfe3MnI4DGVkKE2slZ6YNf6o7h5PdhXu9FxUKZSHl15nzn7UW9O5Z1la/w200-h114/A%20to%20Z.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In my introductory post for ‘A’ it was all about Victoria’s
accession to the throne. This post for the letter 'Q' will be more about her and her life,
although there are so many great publications out there if you need/want to
learn lots more of the nitty gritty of Victoria’s life.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Victoria was born in Kensington Palace on the 24<sup>th</sup>
May 1819. She was an only child, her father dying before she reached her first
birthday. Initially, she had little expectations of becoming queen of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, having three uncles who were in line
before her.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Her upbringing was very regimented, controlled by her German-born mother (Duchess of Kent and Strathearn), who in turn was very much in the control of Sir John Conroy. A British officer and official comptroller of her mother's household, Conroy was also the Duchess of Kent's private secretary throughout Victoria's young life. Though said to be a very close relationship between the Duchess and Conroy, it was insinuated even intimate, they were not popular in Royal circles. Conroy and the Duchess' situation caused a hostile environment to develop around the child Victoria.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJRuMLxAN3LAhn1CBPZatbC52gQJBYszW3H-HoyivHaqJsjwtiZWNLaIDPSQE2KLwNsIIGrTOxFrMMhayYWQ4NEbkaUWUmsGWhUYnlQy8jqrswcLZB6Fq15x7v4_nLALSQH8NePBEexvdpIOC5yumc7rzqLG0Fx4OI9mfP-6hUkhMaY-qYbK2nljj/s1200/William_Beechey_(1753-1839)_(after)_-_Queen_Victoria_(1819%E2%80%931901),_as_a_Child_with_Her_Mother,_Maria_Louisa_Victoria_of_Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield_(1786%E2%80%931861),_Duchess_of_Kent_-_436114_-_National_Trust.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="911" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJRuMLxAN3LAhn1CBPZatbC52gQJBYszW3H-HoyivHaqJsjwtiZWNLaIDPSQE2KLwNsIIGrTOxFrMMhayYWQ4NEbkaUWUmsGWhUYnlQy8jqrswcLZB6Fq15x7v4_nLALSQH8NePBEexvdpIOC5yumc7rzqLG0Fx4OI9mfP-6hUkhMaY-qYbK2nljj/s320/William_Beechey_(1753-1839)_(after)_-_Queen_Victoria_(1819%E2%80%931901),_as_a_Child_with_Her_Mother,_Maria_Louisa_Victoria_of_Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield_(1786%E2%80%931861),_Duchess_of_Kent_-_436114_-_National_Trust.jpg" width="243" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Young Victoria and the <br />Duchess of Kent and Strathearn</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The 'Kensington System' prevailed (though whose idea for the regime is unclear) which meant that young Victoria was shielded from most of what was happening outside Kensington Palace. She was not allowed the freedom to make friends with anyone, or be educated with any other girls. She was accompanied within the Palace by a servant, ensuring nobody could harm her. She slept in her mother's room till she acceded to the throne. The virtual imprisonment was a ploy between Conroy and the Duchess, their plan being for the Duchess to become the 'Regent' (ruling in Victoria's stead) when Victoria became queen. Conroy was seeking elevated status to a knighthood, but this did not happen. When it became clear that Victoria would accede to the throne, she would not sign any 'Regency' papers. After her uncle died she rejected their control and moved out of her mother's room to her own apartments.<br /><br />Victoria was educated at home, her governess encouraging her to keep a diary which became a regular routine during the whole of her life. It's been said that Victoria wrote in excess of an average of 2000 words a day, even on days when she undertook Royal commitments, She
was artistic and many of her drawings and paintings survive today.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">At the age of 18 she became queen, but was not really prepared for being a queen. Her lack of experience of outside Kensington Palace meant she knew little of the ways of the world. Lord Melbourne, her first prime
minister and said to be a 'charmer' was a large influence in the early part of her reign, instructing and
guiding her in being a constitutional monarch. That meant she did not make the
laws herself as an absolute monarch would. She was subject to the parliament in
Westminster though, as she grew older, her influence became considerable.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtRnABD_ZudlB4FbB4_z3DjPlZieAZvEzUsWZ1lQPr6SmkVIMi-e43eBWVAHWwH6g3Htqr4gaNfAPKpx7tdpgsTjqfP6ySdHOghWPSfqSo3tyiCVkz7xSnTF2Zes_vy_4yFNBbFxjaOEbRO9G5jpIJ3TbPs9ekKY6HmOaOvYb2S9apxsCIJkh8wRE7/s465/Victoria_Marriage01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="329" data-original-width="465" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtRnABD_ZudlB4FbB4_z3DjPlZieAZvEzUsWZ1lQPr6SmkVIMi-e43eBWVAHWwH6g3Htqr4gaNfAPKpx7tdpgsTjqfP6ySdHOghWPSfqSo3tyiCVkz7xSnTF2Zes_vy_4yFNBbFxjaOEbRO9G5jpIJ3TbPs9ekKY6HmOaOvYb2S9apxsCIJkh8wRE7/s320/Victoria_Marriage01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">She married her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe Coburg
and Gotha, in 1840. He was also a great influence in her life, both of them
being interested in the arts, sciences, trade, and industry. As mentioned in
the ‘G for the Great Exhibition’ post, Albert’s encouragement was considerable
and led to the Great Exhibition being held at the purpose-built Crystal Palace,
London.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Victoria and Albert had nine children born between 1840 and
1857. The bulk of their children married into the Royal families of Europe,
making the already complicated European Royalty relationships even more
complex. A nickname for Victoria was that she was ‘the grandmother of Europe’
which was reasonable given the circumstances. What was less good was that the
haemophilia that was prevalent in British/European royalty spread even further
via two of her daughters: Alice, and Beatrice being carriers. Victoria's youngest son Leopold suffered
from the Haemophilia B blood clotting disorder. Victoria and Albert also had 42
grandchildren scattered throughout European Royalty.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynLOXh_HTOLx0Tnv8nqTiBhgrfTEkHdyqly1ANJezA2_AcZz05yhiGOoDV2G5hPvpXIADPIkscLd-kuVnaydIKS0bKfoAWvTHy8QnMj8rX1Auqs-91dCJ6NyfI_NVbDcaz783ImHajCHBcNw7IUW4Ws9y3ONBmoGUJsUJj3PpBpd2YN3yEk9T3NgR/s900/Queen_Victoria_the_Princess_Royal_Victoria_c1844-5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="692" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynLOXh_HTOLx0Tnv8nqTiBhgrfTEkHdyqly1ANJezA2_AcZz05yhiGOoDV2G5hPvpXIADPIkscLd-kuVnaydIKS0bKfoAWvTHy8QnMj8rX1Auqs-91dCJ6NyfI_NVbDcaz783ImHajCHBcNw7IUW4Ws9y3ONBmoGUJsUJj3PpBpd2YN3yEk9T3NgR/s320/Queen_Victoria_the_Princess_Royal_Victoria_c1844-5.png" width="246" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the earliest photographs of Victoria <br />with her eldest daughter, <br />also Victoria - the princess Royal.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I have read that Queen Victoria hated being pregnant and
thought that newly-born babies were ugly. Breastfeeding was, apparently, a
disgusting experience. Whatever the truths of those statements, Victoria and
Albert had a total of nine children.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Victoria (b. 1840), Albert Edward (b. 1841), Alice (b.
1843), Alfred (b. 1844), Helena (b. 1846), Louise (b. 1848), Arthur (b. 1850),
Leopold (b. 1853) and Beatrice (b. 1857).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigpuo7lqabXDDw1wa5tuKSWFlQb16CYMVbfCsn0GgXAvibTSnSTF9-Uqe1MuXgLbi2MyWf4Nqo85wbqmqZXQJPjcWK3TAgZapLioRMFxqrV7XL8DyQ3o1AWjCVYMe6XvKEUQvzUyP1JjmaiSRri587d5roFPbHRvPfJEaE1YKb9sNopcVrAb3GkEWf/s1199/Queen_Victoria_Prince_Albert_and_their_nine_children.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="543" data-original-width="1199" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigpuo7lqabXDDw1wa5tuKSWFlQb16CYMVbfCsn0GgXAvibTSnSTF9-Uqe1MuXgLbi2MyWf4Nqo85wbqmqZXQJPjcWK3TAgZapLioRMFxqrV7XL8DyQ3o1AWjCVYMe6XvKEUQvzUyP1JjmaiSRri587d5roFPbHRvPfJEaE1YKb9sNopcVrAb3GkEWf/w400-h181/Queen_Victoria_Prince_Albert_and_their_nine_children.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">From Left to Right:<br />Alice, Arthur (Duke of Connaught), Prince Albert, Prince of
Wales (later King Edward VII), Leopold (later Duke of Albany), Louise, Queen
Victoria with Beatrice, Alfred</div><div style="text-align: justify;">(later Duke of Edinburgh), Victoria (Princess royal), Helena.</div><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">When Albert died of Typhoid at 42 years of age in 1861,
Victoria went into a long time of deep depression. For the rest of her life,
she wore only black, mourning her most trusted adviser and devoted husband. It's recorded that she had a valet set out clothes for Albert every day after his death till Victoria's own death in 1901. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Her husband may have died in 1861, but Victoria was still a
queen and after a period of isolating herself from public duties they were resumed, and continued for many decades afterwards.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2Fj5VXcQLneqjZbq-rp4vtIPd_BJwdar9rA1uqOhkzrMHG52GuO0kEe39kIJeoBMhWOgzKifetdQ5VNpcZbdoH1bOtGwF26COIHXP80KaC_DllVDaS0DGDrhh3SpbFnG0I6YGBCXqZOLNr8Wzb0A_oPqquBykkM9cXOu6oOagKueS_AzflsygJa_/s899/669px-Queen_Victoria,_photographed_by_George_Washington_Wilson_(1863)%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="669" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2Fj5VXcQLneqjZbq-rp4vtIPd_BJwdar9rA1uqOhkzrMHG52GuO0kEe39kIJeoBMhWOgzKifetdQ5VNpcZbdoH1bOtGwF26COIHXP80KaC_DllVDaS0DGDrhh3SpbFnG0I6YGBCXqZOLNr8Wzb0A_oPqquBykkM9cXOu6oOagKueS_AzflsygJa_/s320/669px-Queen_Victoria,_photographed_by_George_Washington_Wilson_(1863)%20(1).jpg" width="238" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">During the 1860s Victoria relied increasingly on John Brown, a
manservant from Balmoral, Scotland. She highly favoured him but the rumours of
them having a romantic relationship, and even a secret marriage, are unproven.
He appeared, though, to have served as a personal, loyal bodyguard for many years,
constantly at her side and keeping her from danger. John Brown died in 1883.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Another man of influence, though for a shorter duration, was
Abdul Karim. Karim, originally a waiter, became her ‘munshi’, effectively a
tutor. Karim taught her Urdu and did
some clerking work till it was discovered he had lied about his origins and,
possibly, lied about other things he had told Victoria, things which had
impressed her.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Ih72j4zjJhlTcnyJfijh9-WVd37S0JzAXhzse1a1UsgD3D1fCQPaRdvHoQ6s-KDFW8_pQDEu93o-qsT5qIoMdNCwF2bqv0LSDVQpyRedFXTvx3Z1lDyNbrTRJ5dNw82mOO4VL5fGC7RuFC-5ysexb9Xkhqe6p9XM9lfqMoVMh-Vnl3w1ox6jfbwq/s899/Queen_Victoria_60._crownjubilee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="681" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Ih72j4zjJhlTcnyJfijh9-WVd37S0JzAXhzse1a1UsgD3D1fCQPaRdvHoQ6s-KDFW8_pQDEu93o-qsT5qIoMdNCwF2bqv0LSDVQpyRedFXTvx3Z1lDyNbrTRJ5dNw82mOO4VL5fGC7RuFC-5ysexb9Xkhqe6p9XM9lfqMoVMh-Vnl3w1ox6jfbwq/s320/Queen_Victoria_60._crownjubilee.jpg" width="242" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Victoria's official <br />Diamond Jubilee Photograph 1897</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">She died on the 22nd January 1901 at Osborne House, Isle of
Wight, after a reign of almost 64 years. She was buried beside her beloved
Albert, in the Frogmore Royal Vault at Windsor Castle. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There were many major events and developments during
Victoria’s reign, far too many to mention here.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Till next time, enjoy your reading!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Sl<span lang="GA">à</span>inte!</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_Beechey_(1753-1839)_(after)_-_Queen_Victoria_(1819%E2%80%931901),_as_a_Child_with_Her_Mother,_Maria_Louisa_Victoria_of_Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield_(1786%E2%80%931861),_Duchess_of_Kent_-_436114_-_National_Trust.jpg">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_Beechey_(1753-1839)_(after)_-_Queen_Victoria_(1819%E2%80%931901),_as_a_Child_with_Her_Mother,_Maria_Louisa_Victoria_of_Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield_(1786%E2%80%931861),_Duchess_of_Kent_-_436114_-_National_Trust.jpg</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_Marriage01.jpg">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_Marriage01.jpg</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_the_Princess_Royal_Victoria_c1844-5.png">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_the_Princess_Royal_Victoria_c1844-5.png</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_Prince_Albert_and_their_nine_children.JPG">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_Prince_Albert_and_their_nine_children.JPG</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_photographed_by_George_Washington_Wilson_(1863).jpg">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria,_photographed_by_George_Washington_Wilson_(1863).jpg</a></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_60._crownjubilee.jpg">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_60._crownjubilee.jpg</a></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Nancy Jardine Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12366248895961876075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634172410498697945.post-24102034054976741862023-04-16T11:10:00.003+01:002023-04-16T11:24:24.916+01:00P is for Pounds, Shillings and Pence!<p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Welcome to Day 16 of my April A to Z Blog Challenge!</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqn681diMDUTi0rQMEI3a_4UuD4n7d88UgxnNmJzByvuOad6ryMVvTZeMULWKf4Kvg1UzU4cl3Q2mCy_IkHtA1M154h5s17snuz2k1DM-WQIzCZeOG2fkhprWhV5J5vKEABWj7tNm9--09-iYaf7Il4GrprWK__Azgan9PMxd2_TNZe9V8LZPeS2p0/s1188/A%20to%20Z.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1188" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqn681diMDUTi0rQMEI3a_4UuD4n7d88UgxnNmJzByvuOad6ryMVvTZeMULWKf4Kvg1UzU4cl3Q2mCy_IkHtA1M154h5s17snuz2k1DM-WQIzCZeOG2fkhprWhV5J5vKEABWj7tNm9--09-iYaf7Il4GrprWK__Azgan9PMxd2_TNZe9V8LZPeS2p0/w200-h114/A%20to%20Z.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>A Victorian Scotland theme...</o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><b>P is for Pounds, Shillings and Pence! In the United Kingdom...and the Penny Post!</b></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Ah, yes that old money that lasted in nearly the same form
from 1850 till the 15<sup>th</sup> February, 1971, when decimalisation took
place. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The money system in the United Kingdom pre-decimalisation
was quite a complicated one. The older generations (at 71, I name myself one
of them) remember what it was like to have to count money in your head. As a
mid-teenager in 1967, working in a shop in the city centre of Glasgow, there was a large till to add cash to, or remove change from, but the calculations had to be done
in my head. People handled cash with care and attention since every penny, and
half-penny counted!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">My character, Margaret, in Edinburgh 1851, had only a couple of extra coins to work with than in my pre-decimalisation days. I'll make an attempt to show the differences below with references to <b>1851 in BOLD. </b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><u>Paper Notes in 1951</u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Notes above £20 were rare in circulation for most of the public, though not unheard of (£50; £100). £20
notes were around, but were of high value and only used occasionally. The £10 note was
in circulation though more often transacted were the paper £5 (Fiver), £1, and 10 shilling notes.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>1851</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>Before 1844, in England and Wales, privately owned banks issued
their own notes. </b></span><span style="text-align: left;"><b>Pre-1844/1845 the bank notes tended to be white. They were a promissory note between the person receiving the money, and the person 'handing over' the amount from their bank account. [A similar system existed in Scotland and Ireland]</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDj7bxaJM-qflKoq63iYXRPtPdXw1-YIoxfSnotVhQ6ZQyhxW-C6NtYSRvB4tivDS3uvRJZ1iP6RzIGzrhcJvF3SPk9HN2uxKJ2-stdoyXGnzF7USweTpWc0w8CyMhp-giMP9gL7geKIcY5EUYxjVgnZ9QdElfkaKBUCPkxjEDQJs3dODZexhzydDA/s330/330px-%C2%A31_Gloucester_Old_Bank_note_for_Charles_Evans_&_James_Fell_1814.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="330" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDj7bxaJM-qflKoq63iYXRPtPdXw1-YIoxfSnotVhQ6ZQyhxW-C6NtYSRvB4tivDS3uvRJZ1iP6RzIGzrhcJvF3SPk9HN2uxKJ2-stdoyXGnzF7USweTpWc0w8CyMhp-giMP9gL7geKIcY5EUYxjVgnZ9QdElfkaKBUCPkxjEDQJs3dODZexhzydDA/w320-h200/330px-%C2%A31_Gloucester_Old_Bank_note_for_Charles_Evans_&_James_Fell_1814.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /><br /></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>After the Bank Charter Act 1844 was passed, exclusive powers for
note issuing were handed to the Bank of England. [This did not apply in Scotland
and Northern Ireland but, in 1845, a Bank Charter Act allowed three different Retail
Scottish Banks, and four different Irish Retail Banks to issue their
own notes, pegged to the values of the Bank of England.]</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>By 1855 (England and Wales) bank notes were all printed by Bank of England and were able to be transacted more widely with the promise of the bearer receiving the money without their personal name being on the transaction note, as before. The money could change hands more freely with the Bank of England having the responsibility of sorting out accounts when notes were issued to a customer, on demand. </b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>[A similar system was established in Scotland and Ireland]</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="text-align: left;">During the second half of the 1800s, a £2 and a £1 note were issued by the Bank of England but not on a regular basis. </b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="text-align: left;">At the outset of WWI, the British government issued a £1 note and a 10/- note (a ten shilling note; a ten ‘bob’
note). These notes replaced the £1 sovereign, and the half-sovereign coin, which
were no longer minted.</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><u>Back to 1951. </u><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Guinea:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There was a nominal value still in use for a Guinea, though
there had been no note or coin in circulation for this for more than a century. A 'Guinea' was worth £1 and 1
shilling (21 shillings). Originally a Guinea was a gold coin of specified
purity and weight. Around 1815, the coinage was recalibrated and the guinea was
no longer minted as its value had fluctuated so much during the centuries of
use, due to the changes in the price of raw gold. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">p<i>.s. When I worked in Birrells, a sweet shop in Glasgow in 1967, some very large boxes of chocolates were still priced at one Guinea. Larger boxes of chocolates; baskets of fresh fruit; flowers; were items that I learned to gift wrap in coloured foil, adding a pretty bow as a flourish. The Glasgow Royal Infirmary was just along the road and there were quite a few very lucky patients who received those gifts. (along with some lucky ladies who may not necessarily have been the wives of the businessmen who shopped at Birrells on Buchannan Street!)</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Before 1851 Guinea coins may still have been in circulation, though new minting had long ceased. In the late 1700s, there had been a 5 Guinea coin (worth 100 shillings), though it's debatable how many of these would have been tendered in 1851. </b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>£5 Coins</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOc1F170yPu_EShcDPeTGhyOz9SVEovUABG4rlFrCngJVyxMFTEKi56N2A8bHL6anXLH_pe4YJQ74u9fKP5s3boy14s2lTZWCUUcfGj9jTQk6eKvh6FILJkWGMNnsTDChbo3QgHz08FyfKHJhRwqVnypAhpVRucsveZUUDCULf-Bz_raQav_cUFCQr/s198/GoldFivePound1839.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="196" data-original-width="198" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOc1F170yPu_EShcDPeTGhyOz9SVEovUABG4rlFrCngJVyxMFTEKi56N2A8bHL6anXLH_pe4YJQ74u9fKP5s3boy14s2lTZWCUUcfGj9jTQk6eKvh6FILJkWGMNnsTDChbo3QgHz08FyfKHJhRwqVnypAhpVRucsveZUUDCULf-Bz_raQav_cUFCQr/s1600/GoldFivePound1839.jpeg" width="198" /></a></b></div><b><br /><br /></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>A special £5 coin was issued in 1821, and there were further issues, sporadically, till just after the death of Queen Victoria in 1901. Any £5 coins during this time (and later) were mainly collectables and would rarely have been tendered.</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Early in Queen Victorian's reign the 'Una and the Lion' coin (image above) became famous among collectors of this value coin. The obverse side has the head of Victoria facing left, and the reverse side facing left shows Victoria leading the lion. </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><u>Back to Coins in 1951</u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There was no pound coin in 1951, but the coins were as
follows, from highest to lowest:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">[1 pound (sovereign) = 20 shillings]<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">1 crown = 5 shillings (4 crowns = 1 pound) [2 crowns to a 10
shilling note] n.b. crowns were discontinued in 1965, though remained mainly
commemorative for some years. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">1 half-crown = 2 shillings 6 pence (8 half-crowns = 1 pound)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">1 florin = 2 shillings (10 florins in 1 pound) [not minted
after 1968] [a two-bob bit, two-shilling piece]<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpfS7gOCyWYEam_twSjcLG4656nZscwv3MHG5yBZO1Wzlzn_LakSuBI2iMnBWC_2ARJLiJP8Nr3FWR8AzwYjACpJ5NB7m4CAneL8sK_EoNXoh5YUSPfktpr9wtLbsXS8l0HjaSbAHqH_8otLQaEdsEhfpaJzq3KdfVEyfkhCnAKG3bk7eqzKFXmMjS/s316/Scottish_Shilling_Reverse.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="316" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpfS7gOCyWYEam_twSjcLG4656nZscwv3MHG5yBZO1Wzlzn_LakSuBI2iMnBWC_2ARJLiJP8Nr3FWR8AzwYjACpJ5NB7m4CAneL8sK_EoNXoh5YUSPfktpr9wtLbsXS8l0HjaSbAHqH_8otLQaEdsEhfpaJzq3KdfVEyfkhCnAKG3bk7eqzKFXmMjS/w200-h200/Scottish_Shilling_Reverse.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scottish shilling reverse 1966</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">1 shilling = 2 sixpences (40 sixpences in 1 pound)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">1 sixpence = 2 three-penny bits (pronounced thrupp’nny) [80
three-penny bits in a pound]<o:p></o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcnKoMAJcT0jpq052QmOLFshkOgRSrcffBwA-rDAU9BTeBURAnIEqf9QsKCqsiHe9ncivjcilycelCVVxfaocpQLxDVvAFuMXUVncSSDTHu7kmPK1NxqgCgtBsBOy1zhdhzCdmxsiQhyGV0x0NB12_KGUaLeIHnsVMlhgtwb9PFxG26tJGA8vS2Yn5/s2043/British_threepence_1967_obverse.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2043" data-original-width="2041" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcnKoMAJcT0jpq052QmOLFshkOgRSrcffBwA-rDAU9BTeBURAnIEqf9QsKCqsiHe9ncivjcilycelCVVxfaocpQLxDVvAFuMXUVncSSDTHu7kmPK1NxqgCgtBsBOy1zhdhzCdmxsiQhyGV0x0NB12_KGUaLeIHnsVMlhgtwb9PFxG26tJGA8vS2Yn5/w200-h200/British_threepence_1967_obverse.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">thrupp'nny bit</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-qGlUxeDsuWaC_yYAmZRvY6n7whQ4lVyS0iIq0SEbO86wAm2qf9spHPcwfJ4j1t3GWZBkwddhMSSPfz2GqW0zbWanHnps22fI4f01bXB5DULPbCpaj8bUoSkQz2I8byBP3V1gAcrUebBsMul9IzMMHeu8JhO38-j2I5PdTvUrwC9HK79Hc3IR5VJb/s284/British_threepence_1899.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="145" data-original-width="284" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-qGlUxeDsuWaC_yYAmZRvY6n7whQ4lVyS0iIq0SEbO86wAm2qf9spHPcwfJ4j1t3GWZBkwddhMSSPfz2GqW0zbWanHnps22fI4f01bXB5DULPbCpaj8bUoSkQz2I8byBP3V1gAcrUebBsMul9IzMMHeu8JhO38-j2I5PdTvUrwC9HK79Hc3IR5VJb/s1600/British_threepence_1899.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">silver threepence 1899</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">n.b. There had been a silver three-penny coin, replaced by a
brass one.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">1 shilling =12 pennies (240 pennies in £1)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">1 penny = 2 half-pennies (pronounced ha’penny) [480 ha’pennies
in £1]<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">1 half-penny = 2 farthings (960 farthings in £1)<o:p></o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOukttaZWzX0hU_ZXL9fWdTHoLTF0iJTS1-MqeNyue7KOcf85E5VfhJT6LIkODgsqptbP4I0_jTND_4dZ_BcAoO9lZtC73i6raVyOTuY4Tg-Wug5QikIKyuWj62Be1Kuf2VzroEUnMpq41v45Ez7WJeAlhcLMeiJpcXl9udGdpmtVJxKo3fmyE-zUq/s911/Victorianewfarthingobv.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="911" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOukttaZWzX0hU_ZXL9fWdTHoLTF0iJTS1-MqeNyue7KOcf85E5VfhJT6LIkODgsqptbP4I0_jTND_4dZ_BcAoO9lZtC73i6raVyOTuY4Tg-Wug5QikIKyuWj62Be1Kuf2VzroEUnMpq41v45Ez7WJeAlhcLMeiJpcXl9udGdpmtVJxKo3fmyE-zUq/w200-h198/Victorianewfarthingobv.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Victoria farthing 1893</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>For some of Queen Victoria’s reign half-farthings were
issued but they were not popular as they were so tiny and easy to lose.</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Complicated? It definitely was. And I've not covered what else might have been in circulation, though extremely rare, when my character Margaret goes to Edinburgh in 1851. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Charles Dickens</b> was a master at showing just how tortuous calculations could be. Click <a href="http://www.web40571.clarahost.co.uk/currency/PreDecimal/predecimal.htm" target="_blank">HERE </a>to read of some of the exploits of Dicken's characters when discussing money! The site also has loads of other coinage information. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I'm tagging in a little about the <b>Penny Post</b>! Before the Victorian era, there had long been a postal system for sending letters and documents around Great Britain. It had it's moments, though, and was inefficient. The 'Penny Post' of novels and journals set up towards the end of the 1600s only served to send paper communication within the city of London, and some of its immediate suburbs, for the price of one penny. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGIhztDvSn4LDAoL724hGrg9KbE6qhJtSARVSWeHLG2xCOmxe01_PfCqI8ys3TbL8vfhTIOg3rFyAbowsHwAqZgd1QRsrRJc41Ucuwi5_uzWz4pbZVxkRILnkFnzoLxFYVl5wfID9TS1sib9erA5odHoo1FuXoD79Ax6hItMvQRjM5YKPtd7jR39UO/s570/Penny_black%20(1).jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="491" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGIhztDvSn4LDAoL724hGrg9KbE6qhJtSARVSWeHLG2xCOmxe01_PfCqI8ys3TbL8vfhTIOg3rFyAbowsHwAqZgd1QRsrRJc41Ucuwi5_uzWz4pbZVxkRILnkFnzoLxFYVl5wfID9TS1sib9erA5odHoo1FuXoD79Ax6hItMvQRjM5YKPtd7jR39UO/w173-h200/Penny_black%20(1).jpg" width="173" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><br />Early in Queen Victoria's reign things changed. 1839/ 1840 saw major reforms to the postal service. Across the whole of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland letters could be sent for a uniform price of 'One Penny' for pre-paid post; and two pence (the plural of penny) if the recipient paid on delivery. The first adhesive postage stamp, <b>THE PENNY BLACK</b> (attributed to Rowland Hill), came into use, making it the world's first-ever postage stamp.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">After only months of using the PENNY BLACK, it was decided that it was not a good colour choice as the franking marks were difficult to see, so in 1841, the colour was changed to bright red. Thus the PENNY RED came into use and was used for decades during Victoria's reign. As with coinage, her image changed on the stamp as she grew older. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgS4GMk-a6ahx_wXoLVEVZzA2BjFcYS22ynk8y6Xfw6sQQDuw1MSd79WRXlNWdBvcUN5hb719_SWQLAKKm7hLgITUgd337wIj4dHYdlvSjVUCLpb-YFfxlILbYeFSj-T0jbUP4eb5k7KjYCRIl-aZcF7bJ5Xcu3mldREVjrM58Vv7YfYlwucf8Ogfy/s534/Stamp_UK_Penny_Red_pl148.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgS4GMk-a6ahx_wXoLVEVZzA2BjFcYS22ynk8y6Xfw6sQQDuw1MSd79WRXlNWdBvcUN5hb719_SWQLAKKm7hLgITUgd337wIj4dHYdlvSjVUCLpb-YFfxlILbYeFSj-T0jbUP4eb5k7KjYCRIl-aZcF7bJ5Xcu3mldREVjrM58Vv7YfYlwucf8Ogfy/s320/Stamp_UK_Penny_Red_pl148.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Penny Red- probably post 1871<br />edge perforation was a development</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The short duration of use of the PENNY BLACK has what made it so....incredibly valuable now. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Decimalisation in 1971 made counting money a whole lot easier in the UK. And yet, in 2023, a shop assistant will obediently count out what the till tells them is the correct change! It is, however, even easier in 2023 to make a purchase using 'plastic' (credit card type), or via a mobile phone account, as in contactless transactions. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There are too many numbers above to list what notes and coins are presently changing hands in the UK but, as one who has used both systems, a number system based on ten is so...much easier. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I need a rest after that, so till next time…enjoy! </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">p.p.s. Any mistakes are my own, though I hope I didn't make any!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Sl<span lang="GA">à</span>inte!</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_pounds_(British_gold_coin)">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_pounds_(British_gold_coin)</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:British_threepence_1899.jpg">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:British_threepence_1899.jpg</a></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Scottish_Shilling_Reverse.png">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Scottish_Shilling_Reverse.png</a></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victorianewfarthingobv.jpg">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victorianewfarthingobv.jpg</a></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Penny_black.jpg">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Penny_black.jpg</a></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stamp_UK_Penny_Red_pl148.jpg">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stamp_UK_Penny_Red_pl148.jpg</a></o:p></p>Nancy Jardine Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12366248895961876075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634172410498697945.post-90902159397671023062023-04-15T09:25:00.000+01:002023-04-15T09:25:12.059+01:00O is for Occupations<p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Hello! It’s Day 15 of my April A To Z Blog Challenge.</span></b></p><p>O is for Occupations in Victorian Scotland.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1X0JsoWiM8pYEpvJ0YUrEWBe9H5qd1d6PfPQWfsvgnW2AlP7oL8AJND1ehVhlUDk8d3GnIsHrnnravLnE1Jl--7O8_zwcm7oumQGWcWQIxdTrvGtinRP4eQNbjVgaSC4ajmQhmHZu4-5oxWkqaya2ImgdPhWIiNcvl0nk2lk-I9MP2_Fp_cUHrjjd/s1188/A%20to%20Z.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1188" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1X0JsoWiM8pYEpvJ0YUrEWBe9H5qd1d6PfPQWfsvgnW2AlP7oL8AJND1ehVhlUDk8d3GnIsHrnnravLnE1Jl--7O8_zwcm7oumQGWcWQIxdTrvGtinRP4eQNbjVgaSC4ajmQhmHZu4-5oxWkqaya2ImgdPhWIiNcvl0nk2lk-I9MP2_Fp_cUHrjjd/w200-h114/A%20to%20Z.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">And…It’s a ‘numbers’ game today! It had to happen sometime. I find getting to grips with some (appropriate) numerical data can help me set a better, more believable, scene for the era I'm writing about.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Margaret (the main character in my current writing set in Victorian Scotland) cannot remain at school beyond twelve to become a pupil teacher, due to a dramatic change in family circumstances. Her parents must find her a job. However, for Margaret's future further down the line in the novels, it cannot be just any job! (It's planned as a 3-book-series)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">To get an idea of what jobs were actually available at the time for young females, I had a good look at a Prime Source named the <b>Pigot’s Directory</b> for 1837 for Milnathort and Kinross, both towns being on the same listing, This is the nearest date I can access. The Post Office related Pigot directories list the main point of contact for a business, so the jobs for females contained in it are few, and are of a slightly more 'elevated' status. (Possible jobs working in the local woollen mills; on local farms; or as domestic servants are therefore not listed on Pigot's directories. )</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The Pigot Directories list all of the local professions and trades for a geographical postal area or parish. I found shop owner/managers; what we’d currently term self-employed professions or trades; the gentry; the clergy; and schoolmasters.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There are approaching sixty people mentioned who lived and worked in Milnathort, thirteen of whom are grocers, though only two, or perhaps three, are female. There's a Miss Reid [grocer]; Miss Robertson [grocer]. A Miss Reid is also listed as under Linen &Woollen Drapers and Haberdashers. (Whether as proprietors, paid managers or actual owners is unknown)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Did a Miss Reid sell groceries as well as linens in the same shop? Or is it a sister who runs the other shop, or even an unrelated person named Miss Reid? I have no way of checking, at present, but I’m sure there were many females who worked behind shop counters, or assisted in some other way in other professions, especially if they were offspring, or spouses, of the owner or proprietor. I can't see a small town like Milnathort (population about 1,500) having thirteen grocers/ general stores, so perhaps a few of the people named worked in the same larger shop? There are questions galore!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Would Margaret get a job in any of the shops belonging to those females? Possibly, but if the establishments are very small it's unlikely those women would need much help.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhEkeyBVDDYOAt2lY4rvlw1nLZ2Hn96w6fLaZ6LxDR6ERcwXQxnHV2mHNClP-uYm_WlovDey4jYeU0mF5q3rWP7RGIYwuye4JpEZ_iwdkXzR5HagSVmYCI2XUSs9R0-UPn_ZIQ2gUUFbDVLplKvJ4IbOVtN87dl3-nkcGkgN8KV2FdeeaZuC3D-hff/s1074/640px-Philosophical_Milliners_Store_LCCN2003663743.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1074" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhEkeyBVDDYOAt2lY4rvlw1nLZ2Hn96w6fLaZ6LxDR6ERcwXQxnHV2mHNClP-uYm_WlovDey4jYeU0mF5q3rWP7RGIYwuye4JpEZ_iwdkXzR5HagSVmYCI2XUSs9R0-UPn_ZIQ2gUUFbDVLplKvJ4IbOVtN87dl3-nkcGkgN8KV2FdeeaZuC3D-hff/s320/640px-Philosophical_Milliners_Store_LCCN2003663743.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Milliners Shop 1832</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><u><br /></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><u>Other Jobs for females</u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Kinross, a little over a mile away from Milnathort and close enough for people to walk between to go to work, has more female proprietors. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">A Mrs. Kirkland and a Mrs. Thomson are associated with a hotel/ and or inn in Kinross. If Margaret worked for them, she'd essentially be a domestic servant, doing cleaning, or perhaps serving in a tap room. Her father is trying to avoid her ever having that kind of job! </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Three female milliners and dressmakers are listed for Kinross, but none from Milnathort. It looks as though the females of Milnathort either made all of their own clothing, including hats, or they walked to Kinross to buy what they needed. Either of these jobs are possible for Margaret, as her mother has ensured she can sew very well.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There are females in Kinross who have a school – the Misses McGregor who do ‘boarding’, and a Jane Greig who runs a Day school. I wondered if any girls from Milnathort went to Kinross for their schooling with Miss Greig? However, to work for them, Margaret would have to have already become a pupil teacher with a certificate to prove it, and that is what she now can't afford to do!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9CFBeB1m-a4BXYKbQyZhMpbjUo3lrDarwMmUZEOCA1-oowo7BGRybljyolgGSogXf0omK3WGwFSElwm8GbRtv28Eq22g25vxfMT8U1LB7MdnWqSDPzjHu4gyXUuWN8BJitCQjV1g4x9E6pfO7gnwGYq3CbsEdJs1rhLtmXcDNdH2kVOILbmESPzCL/s640/Beamish_Museum_Shop_-_geograph.org.uk_-_262640.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="640" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9CFBeB1m-a4BXYKbQyZhMpbjUo3lrDarwMmUZEOCA1-oowo7BGRybljyolgGSogXf0omK3WGwFSElwm8GbRtv28Eq22g25vxfMT8U1LB7MdnWqSDPzjHu4gyXUuWN8BJitCQjV1g4x9E6pfO7gnwGYq3CbsEdJs1rhLtmXcDNdH2kVOILbmESPzCL/s320/Beamish_Museum_Shop_-_geograph.org.uk_-_262640.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beamish Museum</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In Kinross, there’s a Mistress Mailor who is a Ware
Dealer, as in a seller of general goods and unspecified merchandise. Perhaps, if the shop is big enough?</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Some of the names listed, I find are amusingly appropriate. There’s
a Mrs, Beveridge who is a Vintner in Kinross, and a Mister Glass is a Vintner in
Milnathort.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There are no actual confectioners shops listed in Pigot's for Kinross or Milnathort, but I'm sure that Margaret would come across something like this in one of the larger towns in Fife, and definitely in Edinburgh. Being a shop assistant in this kind of 'luxury' goods shop would be a more prestigious employment. The city of Edinburgh now becomes a better possibility for a job for an upwardly-mobile young lassie!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8wjd4znTb667FvCG4B-quUSklter65T930GMZ5wwaH0sQE193qSRhmjJU3vPxc7zI8Liz_TmlnvXU8Oovr2pK9RQKvFS2ej5tRYq-iRxPcbfFo7oZftsuflJYYR4F3SSsgfdoMI9D1IT6uGSvf32MM77eOz47A-qppqLAaIZjxaRkWwfoPlD43xi/s640/Jubilee_Confectioners_interior,_Town,_Beamish_Museum,_21_November_2013.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8wjd4znTb667FvCG4B-quUSklter65T930GMZ5wwaH0sQE193qSRhmjJU3vPxc7zI8Liz_TmlnvXU8Oovr2pK9RQKvFS2ej5tRYq-iRxPcbfFo7oZftsuflJYYR4F3SSsgfdoMI9D1IT6uGSvf32MM77eOz47A-qppqLAaIZjxaRkWwfoPlD43xi/s320/Jubilee_Confectioners_interior,_Town,_Beamish_Museum,_21_November_2013.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The males listed for both Milnathort and Kinross cover professions
and trades similar to today like painters and plumbers. However, many of the
trades listed are no longer common like saddlers; smiths; tanners; tinsmiths; wrights. Even the term 'glaziers' has gone out of fashion, though in 2023 there are still plenty of firms who will install new windows. However, making repairs to a single pane of glass might be difficult nowadays. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Women working in any of these 'male' jobs would have been extremely rare, so not something I could contemplate for Margaret who has had more years at school than most girls of the era. However, the data does make me ask lots of interesting questions. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6gP_rt7gH4uxjEppojVTo9lToXalxeeHhnKEXz2MBKHLPgbCpvIO2RuuBuk6ZK8G2C0BZ4ScoJqLJYm1KJy7ub7-_iziWd1wQwpajHXITQRxPcaa1bQiUaJMJUeo0mMW3-x36vTv4nOMEHhUTipLuRwusdEeguf5O_YE_jz-WZxdk1Vd_RnYq6qo_/s640/640px-The_English_farrier_(BM_1876,1111.324).jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="640" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6gP_rt7gH4uxjEppojVTo9lToXalxeeHhnKEXz2MBKHLPgbCpvIO2RuuBuk6ZK8G2C0BZ4ScoJqLJYm1KJy7ub7-_iziWd1wQwpajHXITQRxPcaa1bQiUaJMJUeo0mMW3-x36vTv4nOMEHhUTipLuRwusdEeguf5O_YE_jz-WZxdk1Vd_RnYq6qo_/s320/640px-The_English_farrier_(BM_1876,1111.324).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Farriers</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There were a lot more farriers around in the 1840s and 1850s than today, there being many more horses used for transporting people and goods. There are a good number of carriers of various kinds of
goods operating from their own houses as a start point in both Milnathort and Kinross -
probably like many of our delivery drivers of today! And those carriers may well have owned their own horse/s. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There are still plenty of ‘fleshers’ shops around, though we
now term them butchers. There was one for Milnathort in the list, and three for
Kinross. Does that mean people ate more meat in Kinross? Or were there just more people in Kinross who could afford to buy meat? </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I don't have population figures for Milnathort and Kinross for the same year but Kinross was not much bigger. [Kinross was 2062 in 1841; Milnathort was 1605 in 1846] From the Pigot listings, it looks like Milnathort may have been less-well-served by trades and professions
than Kinross was, though to be fair, since the distance between was so small,
it was maybe just a matter of a shorter or a longer walk to buy what was needed.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">But back to Margaret and her new job. I'm writing fiction, so it's a much less common employment that she finds, and being a tutor is much more suited to her skills and aspirations! An additional bonus is that it's in Edinburgh, a big city with lots more possibilities than a wee country town. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Till tomorrow, enjoy your reading! </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Sl<span lang="GA" style="mso-ansi-language: GA;">à</span>inte!</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_English_farrier_(BM_1876,1111.324).jpg">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_English_farrier_(BM_1876,1111.324).jpg</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jubilee_Confectioners_interior,_Town,_Beamish_Museum,_21_November_2013.jpg">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jubilee_Confectioners_interior,_Town,_Beamish_Museum,_21_November_2013.jpg</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beamish_Museum_Shop_-_geograph.org.uk_-_262640.jpg">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beamish_Museum_Shop_-_geograph.org.uk_-_262640.jpg</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Philosophical_Milliners_Store_LCCN2003663743.jpg">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Philosophical_Milliners_Store_LCCN2003663743.jpg</a></p>Nancy Jardine Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12366248895961876075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634172410498697945.post-4604959637335746332023-04-14T09:36:00.000+01:002023-04-14T09:36:23.631+01:00N is for Needlework!<p><b><span style="font-size: large;"> Welcome to Day 14 of my April A to Z Blog Challenge!</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXm94iOWO9DllQiijce_XSYwcDp1pUSklEOvORZFG8W3Lup9keLicGFBGUOaNxFcg1yO-omrlEuTcKZ6_kVICUracZgWu1ETIQI5zeLYx11RHaz4nK2OwS2PVDMVBI4UT5FXHaACUfk4KKge33uUaoB99xPGm62OpLsckhRRjiIvwPArzJo-1U-kz/s1188/A%20to%20Z.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1188" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXm94iOWO9DllQiijce_XSYwcDp1pUSklEOvORZFG8W3Lup9keLicGFBGUOaNxFcg1yO-omrlEuTcKZ6_kVICUracZgWu1ETIQI5zeLYx11RHaz4nK2OwS2PVDMVBI4UT5FXHaACUfk4KKge33uUaoB99xPGm62OpLsckhRRjiIvwPArzJo-1U-kz/w200-h114/A%20to%20Z.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>N is for Needlework</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Does that sound like a boring theme for the letter ‘N’? I’m sure
that pulling out the workbasket in the Victorian era was definitely boring for
many females but learning to sew was also almost a necessity.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">If you were from a well-to-do family like the Duncans, my main
character Margaret’s employers (current WIP writing), you were expected to do
the more decorative kinds of stitching. Rachel, bedridden after an unfortunate
accident in Edinburgh, cannot walk but she can use her upper limbs so long as
she is propped up comfortably in bed, or on her daybed. Since the little girl is only
six years old, the sewing she had learned prior to her injuries was limited to
basic running stitches for hemming a piece of material. That changes when Margaret becomes her tutor. Little Rachel cannot
be expected to spend all day learning the ‘3Rs’ – reading, writing and
arithmetic! Margaret has to become quite creative to inspire Rachel into channelling her frustrations at not being able to walk into something tangible. Encouraging the girl to produce something
that she enjoys, and is capable of completing, is a challenge.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Margaret has quickly found that Rachel is quite gifted at
drawing. She thinks developing Rachel’s artistic skills could be a godsend in
lifting the girl’s morale. Unfortunately charcoals and watercolours are not
conducive to keeping the bedlinen clean. Pencil is just about manageable when
the white cotton bedspread on Rachel's wrought iron bed is well covered, the others are so far disastrous and need to be left for her daybed. Currently, that means persuading Mistress Duncan that any mess in the parlour, where afternoon-tea visitors are welcomed, is only temporary till they work out a better routine. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfTqVy3xYHdIJ_Z2XqWYDFnJID9aNBvjsPQFkKHXkUzLnYnUk_JyDDRUeptO4mdAJ7jvuYCeu0ZdIgDG8GJ6cZEChHuPjXBGM6r2tKbp5iJJcyhQ4Q5UH4V3UIAGaO3KFDo4TOET8BXs7ReAaF9h8WkxBM7xCPInhgbKcHXFvkx1mA8xwa4O_OOBK/s640/Girl_playing_with_a_doll_in_a_19th_century_kid_room,_Auckland_-_0881.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfTqVy3xYHdIJ_Z2XqWYDFnJID9aNBvjsPQFkKHXkUzLnYnUk_JyDDRUeptO4mdAJ7jvuYCeu0ZdIgDG8GJ6cZEChHuPjXBGM6r2tKbp5iJJcyhQ4Q5UH4V3UIAGaO3KFDo4TOET8BXs7ReAaF9h8WkxBM7xCPInhgbKcHXFvkx1mA8xwa4O_OOBK/s320/Girl_playing_with_a_doll_in_a_19th_century_kid_room,_Auckland_-_0881.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The image above is what poor Rachel should be doing, playing with her dolls and setting them around her room in a play scene, but she can only play with them from a recumbent position now. Though Margaret encourages imaginative play with the dolls, the inability to move around makes it a tedious task for Rachel. Margaret hasn't yet worked out how to fire up Rachel's imagination with this yet, though, when the girl learns to read more fluently, Margaret sees an opening beckoning in writing imaginative stories with Rachel. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">More sedentary pastimes are essential for the time being.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It's useful that Margaret herself has been taught many
sewing techniques by her mother. Margaret’s background hasn’t been privileged
like Rachel and her siblings, but Margaret's father managing a draper’s shop has meant her
mother has already taught her many types of sewing. From even younger than
Rachel's current six years of age, Margaret learned how to hem
handkerchiefs with tiny stitches. From that she progressed to adding a delicate piece of embroidery on one corner, like a fleur-de-lis. When not much older, Margaret helped her mother to baste cut material for customer underclothing that was sold in their shop. Even the most basic chemises had some ruching at the neck and armholes. Rachel isn't yet ready for a full garment for anyone but Margaret is toying with teaching Rachel how to dress her dolls in home-made clothes. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmdhH2NhbafPIHfeLXFMNErW7YAuulQthSKnrusvMyPjpFGfPafTC4Jq3lL0gDcYmU64NY1N277wyv1WUZAKdR6Jn-OBkjBEC3UFmnbhhVmZFshE9SCew0oC26jkfwvE37s9-E7DAQ99v6wopJ1IM3zacGI3K7_PSjs24jsvn0OTKJ60Dox-aahuJ/s2666/chemise.._adc527d327b9693758a2369e6eba40ce.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2666" data-original-width="2000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmdhH2NhbafPIHfeLXFMNErW7YAuulQthSKnrusvMyPjpFGfPafTC4Jq3lL0gDcYmU64NY1N277wyv1WUZAKdR6Jn-OBkjBEC3UFmnbhhVmZFshE9SCew0oC26jkfwvE37s9-E7DAQ99v6wopJ1IM3zacGI3K7_PSjs24jsvn0OTKJ60Dox-aahuJ/s320/chemise.._adc527d327b9693758a2369e6eba40ce.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">A draper mainly dealt in selling cloth, whereas a haberdasher’s
shop tended to also sell other sewing accoutrements. Margaret’s father’s shop
in Milnathort is a hybrid in that his stock included cloth cut from the bales
from the mills; ready-to-wear-off-the-shelf underclothing for men, women and children; but it also boasted a made-to-measure service which Margaret helped her mother create to order, during her after school time. On the shop shelves there was a small
range of buttons and fastenings; table linens; and small personal items like
handkerchiefs. Cloth and sewing of some sort would have been Margaret's future had she not become a tutor for Rachel. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3SZw_y5sklhWAjWrZGlYEw0OFAoz-N51-A8OktRzGsdzVhqoxKtOZMbilXLIzOE6Xr8ULoaUqQ7Y6bnfnlMQnOrEGF7ECcSyxGSmHJzw3-Hy7JevC2iuV4QiAxJTZLERskUy0oIZYXSWd_YU2amqZWrFkNhp98grE19DhttD42-EfjMcf3IL2SXvw/s557/56802-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="557" data-original-width="408" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3SZw_y5sklhWAjWrZGlYEw0OFAoz-N51-A8OktRzGsdzVhqoxKtOZMbilXLIzOE6Xr8ULoaUqQ7Y6bnfnlMQnOrEGF7ECcSyxGSmHJzw3-Hy7JevC2iuV4QiAxJTZLERskUy0oIZYXSWd_YU2amqZWrFkNhp98grE19DhttD42-EfjMcf3IL2SXvw/s320/56802-large.jpg" width="234" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">At almost thirteen when she arrives to tutor for the Duncan family,
Margaret has long learned how to cut a dress for herself from a paper pattern. She
has sewn a few dresses now for herself when given the necessary tools of the trade. Since her mother
used lace to adorn female underclothing and to trim dresses, Margaret also has
the skills to do that for herself and for others. Lace making itself is a
tedious job, Margaret would rather use already produced lace or even better
spend her time reading a book but she knows the basics. Creating a pair of hand made lace gloves as in the photo below would be a challenge Margaret would rise to if necessary, but thankfully Rachel is too young yet for such delicate work, </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkn9jiDLM4bU53rElL4-WMjuEuyTveywe8ENXrkXCQogen9wtgWzy048Jx0J_4BTKiSmTlA9GS4NF6sAnmPJnbD8rNfhSjZ9zEqb-m1VlEZeEMvQ25QvkeT91vQD9E5J8WlnMwrqx9J5UcoPgP5gWVufZK5LQdDaQf44s33v6CeAZd8V0HbQCShGBt/s500/red%20bg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="375" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkn9jiDLM4bU53rElL4-WMjuEuyTveywe8ENXrkXCQogen9wtgWzy048Jx0J_4BTKiSmTlA9GS4NF6sAnmPJnbD8rNfhSjZ9zEqb-m1VlEZeEMvQ25QvkeT91vQD9E5J8WlnMwrqx9J5UcoPgP5gWVufZK5LQdDaQf44s33v6CeAZd8V0HbQCShGBt/s320/red%20bg.png" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Embroidering a sampler or doing intricate embroidery isn’t Margaret's favourite pastime but she knows how to do most of the used stitches and can work
her way around the necessary instructions to try new stitches. Rachel's talent for artwork can definitely be encouraged in this kind of needlework and, in fact, they have already embarked on a sampler which will be made entirely by Rachel.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79mxveF3FETOPCwhUzZrGs2c_S28Wu04HkkwJiAWqxv_1J3nU9r7sUWVZjS4eBbzfJ4v5RRXeUOSfOpM_RNV_iKXL8U37H1AbSllfSX_sN905jFlskqscydVc5Ss2qgV4GyeVevdRlLRCPOiGXTw0yQhXywm4AbjBjyWz_Wuto54ihDT59BsoA7My/s640/640px-Sampler_(AM_1949.71-1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79mxveF3FETOPCwhUzZrGs2c_S28Wu04HkkwJiAWqxv_1J3nU9r7sUWVZjS4eBbzfJ4v5RRXeUOSfOpM_RNV_iKXL8U37H1AbSllfSX_sN905jFlskqscydVc5Ss2qgV4GyeVevdRlLRCPOiGXTw0yQhXywm4AbjBjyWz_Wuto54ihDT59BsoA7My/s320/640px-Sampler_(AM_1949.71-1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Knitting is also a skill Margaret learned and she can knit a pair of stockings, if necessary, though turning a heel often takes more patience than she wants to
give for it. Gloves are much fiddlier to knit but she has a pair of somewhat battered
lace gloves that she knitted with only a small amount of help from her mother. The
new-fangled crochet that has been popular in the fashion journals arriving from Paris, and other European cities, is something she’s read about but not yet tried
herself. Though using only one implement, one needle, just might be a challenge
for both her and Rachel to learn the basics! The crochet work she's seen, so far, looks easy enough.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0TiyTQr6CvNMxVMYFxWVsNzsWBkkHfMKkzCh2zBPgNqfllRD8xMg530MuR_YwEf6FstBiAV8QjYeyy1kHghvzExsv2osLEhkAmVSQMtCr_kmzr69VSwGfcqlbYIFLNxl9Tj9dfkdjjcFLi-cG7I1hdi20Bl6pjc8Z6GUcU9kbXsGKtaWrQeVqp5eA/s731/crochet.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="437" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0TiyTQr6CvNMxVMYFxWVsNzsWBkkHfMKkzCh2zBPgNqfllRD8xMg530MuR_YwEf6FstBiAV8QjYeyy1kHghvzExsv2osLEhkAmVSQMtCr_kmzr69VSwGfcqlbYIFLNxl9Tj9dfkdjjcFLi-cG7I1hdi20Bl6pjc8Z6GUcU9kbXsGKtaWrQeVqp5eA/s320/crochet.png" width="191" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Pondering on all the kinds of stitching she can teach Rachel has taken up some time after Margaret’s arrival in Edinburgh. Knitting needles have
tended to get caught up in the little girl’s bedding so that skill has been set
aside for now. Cutting and creating a whole garment is equally too challenging
but embroidery, crochet, and basic lace making is possible. Now all Margaret has to do is
inspire the little one to believe in her capabilities. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Down in the kitchen, Margaret’s childhood friend Jessie also
knows how to sew but as a scullery maid come every-other-kind-of-servant (bar the cooking), Poor Jessie is expected to do lots of the household mending. Mending is a
never-ending chore and since Jessie has her chapped hands in water, often
freezing cold for chunks of the day, any delicate mending is really tricky. Jessie
is just as capable at sewing as Margaret is but doing delicate embroidery and stitching
proverb samplers seems out of the question.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The reader, when my Ocelot Press novel is published (late 2023) will find some interesting intertwining quirks about the lives
of Jessie and Margaret!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Till my next post… happy reading!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Sl<span lang="GA" style="mso-ansi-language: GA;">à</span>inte</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">PS. You’ll find lots of wonderful stories written by my
fellow Ocelot Press authors. Search Ocelot Press on amazon to find out details.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><a href="https://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/projects/a-chemise-for-clean-comfort">https://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/projects/a-chemise-for-clean-comfort</a></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=Victorian+embroidery+sampler&title=Special:MediaSearch&go=Go&type=image">https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=Victorian+embroidery+sampler&title=Special:MediaSearch&go=Go&type=image</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Wikimedia Commons for other images</p>Nancy Jardine Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12366248895961876075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634172410498697945.post-24932255204878171642023-04-13T08:55:00.004+01:002023-04-17T12:55:29.492+01:00M is for Milnathort and the Loch Leven Area<p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Welcome to M is for Milnathort... and the Loch Leven area.</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwlvch1Fzxg_9N9CCckhOGsCofRhkSz9fnYQaDfrXBCvZCnJyb_ZsPp8oWCCRHbUNTin09lrBDLEW-f_vYxH5OGcv4w2LX3N-xT00CNCSBp8AUXbBXavIpfS-KhI3nfE8aj8ssoVLomIvnftiYUeLmXFK9PQi5TyrOG3qDtYWZTfWApx94L2JW8VON/s1188/A%20to%20Z.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1188" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwlvch1Fzxg_9N9CCckhOGsCofRhkSz9fnYQaDfrXBCvZCnJyb_ZsPp8oWCCRHbUNTin09lrBDLEW-f_vYxH5OGcv4w2LX3N-xT00CNCSBp8AUXbBXavIpfS-KhI3nfE8aj8ssoVLomIvnftiYUeLmXFK9PQi5TyrOG3qDtYWZTfWApx94L2JW8VON/w200-h114/A%20to%20Z.png" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Why Milnathort? Why not some other small Scottish town to
use for my main character’s upbringing?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It’s a simple answer, really. Some of the ideas for my
Victorian Scotland WIP (work in progress) come from my own ancestry researches.
My fraternal great-grandmother came from Milnathort, Kinross-Shire Scotland, according to a distant
relative of mine. On the certificate for her first marriage, the event in Dundee,
it states her father was a draper.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn6ZNSuo-2V9Nr_nkDD6KgcM1NXCHdA-Rx-fIP2YkR7wSB9V99CcxkzKUT2MPnnFqo0YQ5naFbzl5oxrXd_9IKZplGdcBY5t7e3qywdYm3JAdrMlyRnfM_mlY1BRPQh_NOIKDDYCTfVeb5eZOfMtv4BDqu2QPNs4uV0ylfADmqYP3JIvD3mxbrARHy/s640/Jolly_Beggars,_Milnathort_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1654336.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn6ZNSuo-2V9Nr_nkDD6KgcM1NXCHdA-Rx-fIP2YkR7wSB9V99CcxkzKUT2MPnnFqo0YQ5naFbzl5oxrXd_9IKZplGdcBY5t7e3qywdYm3JAdrMlyRnfM_mlY1BRPQh_NOIKDDYCTfVeb5eZOfMtv4BDqu2QPNs4uV0ylfADmqYP3JIvD3mxbrARHy/s320/Jolly_Beggars,_Milnathort_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1654336.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Milnathort </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I have no birth certificate for my great-grandmother, who is
thought to have been born in 1839, but what I did find during my searches in
Pigot’s Directories for 1837 (Post Office directories of local tradespeople) is
a reference to a J & W Laurie in Milnathort– under the section for Linen
& Woollen Drapers and Haberdashers. Interestingly though, J & W Laurie
are also listed as Grocers. (Perhaps a grandfather of my character, or an
uncle?). My great-grandmother’s surname is Lawrie on most of her certificates
that are available but I believe that a misspelling occurred at some point, or for
some other reason she changed the spelling. It was fairly common at that point in
time for official documentation to be recorded wrongly. The registrar, or person
collecting the information, sometimes had to guess at the spelling of a surname, if the person informing didn’t know how to read, or spell, properly.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Nhzn2ImVdmw" width="320" youtube-src-id="Nhzn2ImVdmw"></iframe></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The connection in the Pigot’s directories is tenuous but I
decided since I’m writing fiction that was sufficient for me to have my main
character be born in Milnathort in 1839. The rest of the novel is not the history
of my own ancestor (just some juicy borrowed bits!).</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Regardless of any truth, I’m delighted to be finding out
more about what Milnathort was like from 1839 onwards, information which I like
to think I can use somewhere in my novel/s (It may well develop into a 3-book
series.)</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AHsc0zxZpYs" width="320" youtube-src-id="AHsc0zxZpYs"></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><i><u>From Historical Information for 1846.</u><o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>MILNATHORT, or Mills of Forth, is a village in the parish
of Orwell, county of Kinross. It is one mile north of Kinross (now considered 1
and a half miles apart by Google Maps) and has a population of 1,605
inhabitants.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>This considerable village is pleasantly seated in the
south-eastern part of the parish, and on the high-road between Kinross and
Perth. (This was the main 'post' road between Perth and St. Andrew's, with branches to Fife coastal towns like Burntisland.) Of very
neat appearance, it is lighted with gas.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>Its inhabitants are partly engaged in weaving for the
Glasgow merchants, who have regular agents here. The chief manufacture,
however, is that of tartan shawls and plaids, which has in a great measure
superseded that of cotton goods wrought by the hand-loom. Spacious workshops
have been erected, adapted to the use of larger looms, appropriate for
employing a greater number of persons on a regular basis.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>A market is held weekly, and is well attended by the agents
of distilleries in distant places for the purchase of grain, this being the
only grain-market in the county. An attempt was made to establish also a market
for cheese, butter, and poultry, but without success. Fairs for cattle are held
on the Thursday before Christmas, and the second Thursday in February; and for
cattle, sheep, and horses in the beginning of May, July, and November, and the
end of August.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><b>(Please watch the videos which have important information about the area around Loch Leven and Kinross, one of which explains extremely-well the farming situation by 1846.)</b></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8_MwBciiqSc" width="320" youtube-src-id="8_MwBciiqSc"></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>Milnathort has latterly much increased in population and
has now, among other institutions, a post-office. It also has a public library
(supported by subscription) under the management of a proprietary of forty
members, having a collection of 1500 volumes. It boasts a parochial library of
about 500 volumes, in connexion with the Established Church. There are also two
other libraries in connexion with dissenting congregations <b>(Free Church and
United Presbyterian Church - this information comes from 3 years after THE GREAT DISRUPTION, see A to Z post for D for the Great Disruption)</b><o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>A constabulary force is maintained by assessment of the
landowners, and the chief officer resides in the village.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>The members of the Free Church have a place of worship.
(<b>There is no mention in the source but it’s likely that the United Presbyterian Church was also there in some form by 1846)</b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I’m still attempting to find out more about the woollen mills in Milnathort, and lots of other details, but it’s a lovely wee village in a very nice area.
The videos added here give a really neat overview of Kinross and the Loch Leven
area, so try to find time to get acquainted.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Till the next A to Z post. <b>(YAY! I’m now officially over
half the way through!)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Slàinte!</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/scotland/pp244-255#h2-0035">https://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/scotland/pp244-255#h2-0035</a></span></u></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span><a href="https://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/scotland" style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #006a71;">A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland</span></a></span></p><p><a href="https://tour-scotland-photographs.blogspot.com/2013/10/old-photographs-milnathort-scotland.html" target="_blank"> https://tour-scotland-photographs.blogspot.com/2013/10/old-photographs-milnathort-scotland.html</a></p><p><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Town_Hall,_Milnathort_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1861298.jpg">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Town_Hall,_Milnathort_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1861298.jpg</a></p><p><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jolly_Beggars,_Milnathort_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1654336.jpg">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jolly_Beggars,_Milnathort_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1654336.jpg</a></p><p><br /></p>Nancy Jardine Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12366248895961876075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634172410498697945.post-70257710349052296492023-04-12T09:11:00.000+01:002023-04-12T09:11:18.810+01:00 L is for Life Expectancy…and Living Circumstances!<p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Welcome to Day 12 of my April A to Z Blog challenge.</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqO0Od8qGtFPxylYYSNJo5NDRiLjr6Kal_nM3aef8nDgNn6iDRhi_rQPTxoorHBMcctakmuoym9Jfc6bv4KNKechUtAHCuY4DCWq40BY7zw2vnTGspUzn_uVIe8XY-O9IQn1IMH6nO0Z5nZ7OLAUvLw_vxhtKuKEqWq_kYckrcSRyxPhjLxh7ok5fX/s1188/A%20to%20Z.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1188" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqO0Od8qGtFPxylYYSNJo5NDRiLjr6Kal_nM3aef8nDgNn6iDRhi_rQPTxoorHBMcctakmuoym9Jfc6bv4KNKechUtAHCuY4DCWq40BY7zw2vnTGspUzn_uVIe8XY-O9IQn1IMH6nO0Z5nZ7OLAUvLw_vxhtKuKEqWq_kYckrcSRyxPhjLxh7ok5fX/w200-h114/A%20to%20Z.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Life Expectancy? What does that mean?</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The meaning from the Oxford dictionary: <i>“The average period that a person may expect to live.</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>(2023: The British male now has a life expectancy of 77.6
years)<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Average life expectancy can fluctuate depending on the
inhabited part of the planet, but it can also be very volatile depending on the
<b>living circumstances </b>that people endure as they progress through their lives. Life
expectancy also changes according to the age a person has reached, having
survived that duration without succumbing to the many reasons for death!</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihk2MS_7aHK2rCBuAylwELXEG1RWwUgjLOIxpDR0nPt8nHh5Vk-zOAvFbTkZO8RvT3r35dLJFlQ_3SrN6tFSVlWdaeVIWsICiq4kHMHxIJp4riut9cIF7NIGxHkx8D40dASLisdfJnLBqB9ojeAPP7SBAwgZP5o8GR_xFc-_UyzFeRi0aP_yMxggeD/s900/Libberton_Wynd,_Edinburgh.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="573" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihk2MS_7aHK2rCBuAylwELXEG1RWwUgjLOIxpDR0nPt8nHh5Vk-zOAvFbTkZO8RvT3r35dLJFlQ_3SrN6tFSVlWdaeVIWsICiq4kHMHxIJp4riut9cIF7NIGxHkx8D40dASLisdfJnLBqB9ojeAPP7SBAwgZP5o8GR_xFc-_UyzFeRi0aP_yMxggeD/s320/Libberton_Wynd,_Edinburgh.jpg" width="204" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Libberton Wynd <br />(pulled down<br />before 1850)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Naturally the life expectancy of someone who laboured, as
opposed to the life of the idle rich, affected their average life expectancy. In
many respects, that applies now just as much as it did in Victorian Scotland in
1851. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Hardship can reduce the average life span dramatically, even
without the associated diseases that often go hand in hand with poverty and
toil. In 1851, the year that the main character in my current writing moves to
Edinburgh to take up employment as a tutor, the average lifespan in Scotland was
about 40 for men and about 42 for women. Compare that with the present-day figures
at 77.6 years for men, and more like 80+ for women, this being because infant
mortality is relatively low compared to 1850.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Average life expectancy tables can definitely be skewed by
the rate of infant mortality. The figure of 40 for a man, and 42 for a woman in
1850 was highly influenced by the fact that in 1850 infant mortality was such
that 25% of infants died before the age of five. For every year that an infant
survives, their life expectancy increases.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Some Victorian people certainly lived much longer than that
average of 40 or 42 since 10% of people born in 1850 lived to over 80 years of age.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMU-rdqKwkWrRDxCN_mUbfQ0g4ds8eGXUlIXnf8gYtOfYWX82yC5Gpqueqo3v5lAkTgRwebCcf25moz3ZEnWWJYhRQIbN9hVb_ECEZWHS6yGdKRtQfOCh5VjnYPkRJOmjxqWHiBL7kwOQ5Rk2WqBTXRDm3lF3I9WZLuuxPuSndTt-BeYchi7nRsCBF/s2048/Cowgate%20Capital%20collections.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="2048" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMU-rdqKwkWrRDxCN_mUbfQ0g4ds8eGXUlIXnf8gYtOfYWX82yC5Gpqueqo3v5lAkTgRwebCcf25moz3ZEnWWJYhRQIbN9hVb_ECEZWHS6yGdKRtQfOCh5VjnYPkRJOmjxqWHiBL7kwOQ5Rk2WqBTXRDm3lF3I9WZLuuxPuSndTt-BeYchi7nRsCBF/s320/Cowgate%20Capital%20collections.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cowgate</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">However, from birth there were many hurdles for a person to
jump to live to an old age. Infants died for many reasons, and not all those
who came from poor households. Infant diseases affected the houses of all.
Premature birth; low birth weight; what we now term sudden infant death
syndrome; suffocation from sharing beds with older siblings, or parents, all
played a part in infant death. Diseases were huge contributors - infants
contracted lung infections leading to acute respiratory disease; acute
digestive disease from contaminated non-breast and tainted breast milk; and contaminated
early solid food. Convulsions were also common leading to early death.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">If infants grew to become older children, they often had to
battle with other diseases like cholera; scarlet fever; measles - these diseases
affecting poor as well as rich children. Damp housing exacerbated diarrhoea and
tuberculosis, though these could also affect rich children, too. Rickets (lack
of Vitamin D) were a scourge, mainly affecting the poor, and it was prevalent
in the UK till around 1950 when children were given cod liver oil from the government
(fledgling NHS) as a source of vitamin D. Rickets didn’t always kill, but like
the disease polio, it maimed to the extent that disability often led to other
reasons for an early death as in falling under the wheels of a coach, or an
inability to move away swiftly form dangerous situations in factories or
workplaces.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ma2f1iVDJH-oBYFOuvsOgHDg4ttJwVdG5JLIemD2y5sqQ0IPv2zaYHy6GrU5-c4pZ9ETAd-pQcciDLUT9NlYgn-oaCYxTwpf8IQs8NysTuEwr-bpGgNRHQJfnv4z3OFWwR4sD-ja6-DT4qq6GiXYY-iNtG2m3qYFAiE5y7uoDm7dAGKtRvXu641a/s480/download%20(1).png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="431" data-original-width="480" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ma2f1iVDJH-oBYFOuvsOgHDg4ttJwVdG5JLIemD2y5sqQ0IPv2zaYHy6GrU5-c4pZ9ETAd-pQcciDLUT9NlYgn-oaCYxTwpf8IQs8NysTuEwr-bpGgNRHQJfnv4z3OFWwR4sD-ja6-DT4qq6GiXYY-iNtG2m3qYFAiE5y7uoDm7dAGKtRvXu641a/s320/download%20(1).png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Older children and adults had to survive accidents at work
in the mines and the factories, some of the injuries from accidents so severe
that amputation was common. If the person survived the medical intervention of
the amputation, and survived the likely blood infections that were often a
result, then they had to afterwards find employment that suited their
disability. If that wasn’t possible, they had to live off the charity of family
or friends, or go the dreaded workhouse!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO05vBUhr_MEWYfJSIJ3DOyaUr_j44BAZLpZKpGvxNxEH80aHcWd0fFnAMc8z_-sJD1a6ADcP3gH70DJSPWABJbatSjLwvMCrTQEhoFhd6Ilz2GhPUBGzO1V7VAesjWyu0Mz22XovEWWjlWksiMfq6FFCFLI8znElgDMz7kB8PQpVxmdiNAh8bUe0h/s480/download.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="431" data-original-width="480" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO05vBUhr_MEWYfJSIJ3DOyaUr_j44BAZLpZKpGvxNxEH80aHcWd0fFnAMc8z_-sJD1a6ADcP3gH70DJSPWABJbatSjLwvMCrTQEhoFhd6Ilz2GhPUBGzO1V7VAesjWyu0Mz22XovEWWjlWksiMfq6FFCFLI8znElgDMz7kB8PQpVxmdiNAh8bUe0h/s320/download.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The living conditions for many Scottish city dwellers were dire. Unsanitary housing went hand-in-hand with overcrowding, leading to other less debilitating but persistent diseases and infections like lice and scabies. It's no excuse, but it’s easy to see that many poor people
turned to alcohol, gin in particular, to make their lives more bearable.
Unfortunately, an excess consumption of alcohol also contributed to a shorter
life expectancy in 1851.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrnvXZGLKzJ9W0yTJ3nkY_d72-Fs1sLSLP7s-d7dYcAMoKp9y7ZalDF8nS_mWaVrP3e5hJOEegTO4SNMU1iakiaTf5ICXU_SK31h5-qxbJ50S_WTZoySZyUDdSJ_KHrdFSmZoqEimg--Xsoq9udvjIabvY0AJoadpuGsD5gv-4VGyLca3di9Yj6U97/s500/possibly%20Reids%20close.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrnvXZGLKzJ9W0yTJ3nkY_d72-Fs1sLSLP7s-d7dYcAMoKp9y7ZalDF8nS_mWaVrP3e5hJOEegTO4SNMU1iakiaTf5ICXU_SK31h5-qxbJ50S_WTZoySZyUDdSJ_KHrdFSmZoqEimg--Xsoq9udvjIabvY0AJoadpuGsD5gv-4VGyLca3di9Yj6U97/s320/possibly%20Reids%20close.png" width="307" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Possibly Reid's Close Edinburgh </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Till the next post…</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Sl<span lang="GA" style="mso-ansi-language: GA;">à</span>inte!</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Capital collections: West bow and Lawnmarket; Cowgate showing Cardinal Beaton's house</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Libberton_Wynd,_Edinburgh.jpg">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Libberton_Wynd,_Edinburgh.jpg</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Nancy Jardine Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12366248895961876075noreply@blogger.com0