This weekend sees the culmination of the Galashiels Braw Lads celebration.
It was with some surprise that I saw our video was on their Get set to go for Galashiels' Braw Lads 2012 article.
I wonder whether someone saw my Excerpts from the Braw Lads Procession blog, or whether they just found the video on YouTube. There's two more videos on my blog.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Friday, June 29, 2012
East India Company Bonds and Covenants
The huge and powerful British East India Company was originally formed to trade with the East Indies but at different times traded not only in India and Sri Lanka (Ceylon), but also in Hong Kong, Burma, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore. Its main trade was in cotton, dyes, opium, silk, tobacco, salt, saltpetre and tea but it also carried manufactured goods from Britain to sell.
Company employees, soldiers and sailors frequently took (against Company rules) small quantities of goods to trade as well. The Company eventually came to rule large areas of India and other places with its own private army and navy exercising military power and assuming administrative functions which lasted until 1858. It issued coinage in India and Malaysia.
Until 1833, people who wanted to visit India and the Company's other territories were required to observe their rules and to deposit a Bond guaranteeing their good behaviour. Traders had to sign a covenant agreeing not to undertake unapproved business. Bonds were usually to the value of £200 for a visitor and £500 or more for traders. Each bond applicant had to be recommended by two 'Sureties' (essentially referees). In the 18th and early 19th centuries, joining the East India Company was a likely route to wealth, if you survived.
The Families In British India Society have indexed the important information in some of the bonds and covenants in the British Library. There are over 3,000 bonds from 1607 to 1770 and 12,500 bonds and other documents from 1814 to 1865. It’s worth looking at this source, if there were members of your family who went to India in these periods.
Company employees, soldiers and sailors frequently took (against Company rules) small quantities of goods to trade as well. The Company eventually came to rule large areas of India and other places with its own private army and navy exercising military power and assuming administrative functions which lasted until 1858. It issued coinage in India and Malaysia.
Until 1833, people who wanted to visit India and the Company's other territories were required to observe their rules and to deposit a Bond guaranteeing their good behaviour. Traders had to sign a covenant agreeing not to undertake unapproved business. Bonds were usually to the value of £200 for a visitor and £500 or more for traders. Each bond applicant had to be recommended by two 'Sureties' (essentially referees). In the 18th and early 19th centuries, joining the East India Company was a likely route to wealth, if you survived.
The Families In British India Society have indexed the important information in some of the bonds and covenants in the British Library. There are over 3,000 bonds from 1607 to 1770 and 12,500 bonds and other documents from 1814 to 1865. It’s worth looking at this source, if there were members of your family who went to India in these periods.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Railway Stations Quiz Results
Entries for our prize quiz of jumbled up railway station names closed last Saturday.
There were just 21 entries from as far away as Ballindalloch and Otterburn but only 9 were completely correct.
Several people gave non-existent places as stations, others, stations that haven't existed for over 60 years.
Many, including I, thought it was a hard quiz. Comments included "That was very difficult but passed 3 damp evenings in a caravan in Bellingham ! Thanks !", "Sorry, stations don't seem to be my forte but I have tried. Hope your quiz has been a big success."
We feel our quiz was a big success, and our thanks go to Barbara Scott, our Secretary's sister, who devised the quiz, to all those who sold quiz entry forms for us, including Dean & Simpson, Hawick; From Me to You, Jedburgh; Taylors, the newsagents, Jedburgh; McCuddens, the newsagents, Selkirk; Lunch Box in Newtown St Boswells.
The winner lives in Selkirk, and will get £10.
Those who provided an SAE will get the answers in the post, but for everybody else, you can download the quiz answers.
There were just 21 entries from as far away as Ballindalloch and Otterburn but only 9 were completely correct.
Several people gave non-existent places as stations, others, stations that haven't existed for over 60 years.
Many, including I, thought it was a hard quiz. Comments included "That was very difficult but passed 3 damp evenings in a caravan in Bellingham ! Thanks !", "Sorry, stations don't seem to be my forte but I have tried. Hope your quiz has been a big success."
We feel our quiz was a big success, and our thanks go to Barbara Scott, our Secretary's sister, who devised the quiz, to all those who sold quiz entry forms for us, including Dean & Simpson, Hawick; From Me to You, Jedburgh; Taylors, the newsagents, Jedburgh; McCuddens, the newsagents, Selkirk; Lunch Box in Newtown St Boswells.
The winner lives in Selkirk, and will get £10.
Those who provided an SAE will get the answers in the post, but for everybody else, you can download the quiz answers.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Recording Gravestone Inscriptions at Jedburgh Castlewood Road Cemetery
There’s still time to volunteer for recording gravestone inscriptions at Jedburgh, from 1pm to 4pm on both 9th and 10th June. If you have not been to a previous transcribing session - don't worry, you will be made very welcome and full training will be given. Bring along a picnic, notebook and pen/pencil, a kneeling pad, a light brush, gloves and some chalk (optional). It's wonderful if you can manage the whole day, but if that's too long for you, no problems at all - all assistance on the day is very welcome. We’re looking forward to catching up with you and meeting some new faces.
Come to our Coffee Morning in Jedburgh on Saturday
Just a reminder that our first fundraising event for next year's SAFHS Conference is this Saturday, 9th June in Jedburgh at the British Legion Hall in the High Street opposite the Bank of Scotland. As well as a local selection of our own publications there will be a cake stall, a tombola, a raffle, and second-hand books. There’s lots of easy parking nearby. We hope to see as many of you as possible. The doors will be open at 10am and we’ll close at 12 noon in order to prepare for recording gravestone inscriptions at Jedburgh Castlewood Road Cemetery in the afternoon. We also have an interesting prize quiz of jumbled railway station names. Entries cost £1, and forms can be obtained on the day.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
R SMAIL & SONS: From the Archive
R SMAIL & SONS: From the Archive:
Recently Peter Munro and I met staff from the Heritage Hub. A conversation about a World War I schools project got me looking in the archive at Robert Smail's Printing Works with the result you can see if you follow the link to Smail's Blog..
'via Blog this'
Recently Peter Munro and I met staff from the Heritage Hub. A conversation about a World War I schools project got me looking in the archive at Robert Smail's Printing Works with the result you can see if you follow the link to Smail's Blog..
'via Blog this'
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