What Did Your Ancestor Sound Like ?

If your ancestors came from another area of the country or if you're outside the UK, you may not be familiar with different British accents.

When I visited America, I was surprised to find that most people I met were disappointed or surprised that I did not speak with a London Cockney accent.

I was astonished that those people thought the London Cockney accent was pleasant - I don't.

On the other hand, I can't determine whether people are American or Canadian by their accent.

The BBC have a quick introduction to the range of accents in Britain but it doesn't have many Scots accents. There are some Scottish Borders people speaking on the Scottish Borders Memory Bank website but it's usually not clear which accent they have and it's difficult to find a particular accent. One set of interviews is with Mary McQueen from Thornielee, near Clovenfords between Galashiels and Innerleithen. The British Library have Walter Elliot from Selkirk but I haven't found any others.

Caddonfoot Primary School History Project

There was a subscription school at Caddonfoot from about 1840. When the school boards were formed in 1872 they took over the running of the schools. A school board was elected in 1873 and they quickly organised a new school to be built which was completed in January 1875. The original Caddonfoot School Log book plus other documents relating to the parish at that time, can be viewed at the Hawick Heritage Hub.

The school is due to close in early 2012, being replaced by a new school in Clovenfords and the pupils are undertaking a project to look at the history of Caddonfoot School through the decades.

If you have any memories of this school, any old photos, or any other knowledge of any relevant history that you would be prepared to share with the children, please contact Megan Hill at megan.hill AT virgin.net, replacing the AT with the @ symbol.