A R Edwards - Photographic Archive

A picture is worth a thousand words is an often used saying. There’s no doubting the attraction of pictures, particularly historical views of towns and landscapes for family history, so that we can see what our ancestors’ surroundings looked like in their own times.

We’ve received a book for review, the A R Edwards - Photographic Archive, published by Selkirk Regeneration Co.

Andrew Edwards was born on 30 December 1847 at Badminton, Gloucestershire, the son of Mathew Edwards and Agnes Campbell. He worked for Blackwoods, Edinburgh as a compositor before moving on to work as a photographer for the Wilson Photographic Co, Aberdeen. In 1879, he opened his own studio in Selkirk. He died in 1891. His son, Robert (1877-1965) eventually took over his father’s business.

The book is a collection of over 400, largely unpublished, mono landscape photographs of Selkirk, the Selkirk Common Ridings, the Ettrick and Yarrow valleys, the Haining, Bowhill, St Mary’s Loch, Philiphaugh, various towns and villages around the Borders and as far east as Berwick, Coldingham and Eyemouth, some famous Borderers and of the Edwards family.
There are short biographies of Andrew and Robert Edwards and colour photographs of some of the cameras used.
The front cover of this 252 page paperback shows photos of Andrew and Robert Edwards and 3 cameras.

This £10 book is a treasure for everyone in the Borders, especially so, for those living in Selkirk or with a Selkirk connection. Every bed and breakfast and hotel in and around the Scottish Borders and North Northumberland should get a copy for their guests, too.

You can buy it from our premises at 52 Overhaugh St, Galashiels, TD1 1DP, any Tuesday or Thursday or Friday from 10am to 4pm for the published price of £10, or order now by clicking the button below and selecting the appropriate delivery option:

Delivery Options

A R Edwards - Photographic Archive - UK - 2nd class £12.70 GBP A R Edwards - Photographic Archive - EU Airmail £19.55 GBP A R Edwards - Photographic Archive - World Zone 1 £26.00 GBP A R Edwards - Photographic Archive - World Zone 2 £30.10 GBP A R Edwards - Photographic Archive - Surface Mail £20.25 GBP A R Edwards - Photographic Archive - UK - 1st class £13.60 GBP A R Edwards - Photographic Archive - World Zone 3 £27.10 GBP

An Eyemouth Maritime Family Story

The last meeting of our 2016-17 season is on Sunday 28th May at the Corn Exchange, Melrose, 2.30pm when the talk will be preceded by the Society AGM.

Please come along to find out what we have been doing and also about our plans.

Will Collin will present an illustrated talk on "William Collin and the ‘Christina Craig’ -  An Eyemouth Maritime Family Story from the Great War". 

2018 marks the 100^th anniversary of the loss of the Christina Craig, one of many Eyemouth fishing boats and crews which were signed up by the Admiralty to serve in the World War I Auxiliary patrol. Many photographs remain in the Collin family and are included in the talk.

Find Your Family History at Bygone Borderlands, Berwick-upon-Tweed, This Weekend

It's almost here, the event that we've all been waiting for.

The popular annual Bygone Borderlands event at Berwick Guildhall is this weekend; from 11am to 4pm on Saturday, 2 May and Sunday, 3 May.

Pose your family history question to us or Northumberland and Durham Family History Society.

Discuss those local history puzzles with Ayton Local History Society; Belford Museum Group; Border Archaeological Society; Bowsden History Group; Chirnside History Group; Coldstream History Society; Eyemouth Museum; Flodden 1513; Friends of Berwick & District Museum and Archives; Glendale Local History Society; Lowick Heritage Group; Northumberland and Durham Family History Group; Old Parish of Bamburgh Group ; Till Valley Archaeological Society (Tillvas).

There's a downloadable programme of talks - 4 each day, starting at noon.
Saturday, 2 May

Sunday, 3 May

Discover The Hume and Robertson Families of Gunsgreen

Our next talk is this Sunday, 26 October and the speaker is Derek Janes. It takes place at the Masonic Hall, 41 Newtown St, Duns, TD11 3AS. Map.

Gunsgreen House in Eyemouth, Berwickshire, was built in the 1750s by a smuggler, John Nisbet. In 1787 he was made bankrupt by the well established merchants, Robert Robertson and Son. After a two year struggle, Gunsgreen House was sold and purchased by Robert’s son Alexander. Thus began a 90 year association with the Robertsons and their close relations, the Homes. Derek’s talk will cover the story of the two families, including Alexander’s daughter Mary, the grandmother of Field Marshal Douglas Haig; her brother, Robert junior, who had an affair with the famous French writer, Madame de Stael; his son Robert, a university friend of Tennyson; and Margaret Hay Home who, although described as “a little dotty”, was a friend of General Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, who once stayed at the House.

Derek will also demonstrate how the resources of family history research can aid the academic historian in his/her work.

I think you'll find this a very interesting talk whether you're interested in Eyemouth, family history, the Humes, Homes, Robertsons or smuggling.

I warmly invite you to attend the talk whether you are a member or not. Doors open at 2pm; the talk begins at 2.30pm.

We'll have a range of family history publications available to buy, and there’ll be light refreshments (donation expected) available after the talk.

If you have a problem with your family history, please discuss it (no charge) with one of our volunteers.

St Boswells Fair/Gypsy Fair Exhibition - First Day (18 July)

This exhibition is in St Boswells Village Hall.

I'm happy to say that we were busy.

Though it wasn't meant to be open in the morning, people drifted in because the doors were open to receive exhibitors, and we were busy all day.
The organisers counted just under 200 visitors, including as we hoped, lots of gypsies.

Lots of interest in John McKale's books and paintings.

The children's table, where there is a competition in 3 age groups to win book tokens, was often crowded.


3 members of the gypsy Royal Family talked to us, and Davina took the family tree on display home to update it.

I met people who had come from south Yorkshire, Berwick, Glasgow, Fife, as well as various places in the Scottish Borders: Eyemouth, Gordon, Kelso, Lauder, Westruther, West Linton as well as St Boswells.

I was also introduced to Mary Hanson (and her husband, Keith) who has done a lot research into the gypsies and into Napoleonic prisoners of war in the Scottish Borders.

Unfortunately, we are limited by table space in the number of items we can display for sale and as luck would have it, there were a number of things we could have sold had we bought them with us.

Lots of the gypsies were interested in the Hawick Heritage Hub's photographs, some wanted copies, others identified family members.

If you come today (1pm to 7pm) or tomorrow (1pm to 4pm), make sure to fill in a feedback form to win a bunch of carved wooden flowers.

Flodden Lectures

With the 500th. anniversary of the Battle of Flodden fast approaching (9th. September) much is happening to mark the occasion. For more information on these events and for more details and background on the battle itself  and on the Flodden 1513 Ecomuseum see - http://www.flodden1513.com/index.php/site/events

Members might be interested in two talks being given by Paul Brough, archivist at the Heritage Hub at Hawick on 11th. of  September one in Coldstream in the afternoon and the same talk in Eyemouth in the evening. Details below;

Berwickshire Monumental Inscriptions research on the road again

Saturdays beautiful clear frosty morning was too good to miss.  Even though it was very cold, I took the chance to go around east Berwickshire, researching for the publication of Monumental Inscriptions.  First stop was Edrom, already recorded and photographed, to look at the Symbolic stones in more detail .The original tablestones were set upright into the ground many years ago, one of them upside down and the supports were incorporated into one of the walls. I was very lucky to get access to the church as one of the elders was there putting the heating on. 

 

Next stop was Chirnside, to photograph the church and to draw a rough plan of the churchyard. Then on to Ayton, to photograph the church and the war memorial.  BFHS published Ayton MI’s some years ago and have now photographed the older part of the churchyard.  Next stage is to photograph the stones in the newer part of the churchyard and to complete the plan of the layout.

 

Eyemouth was the last visit, to look at the old churchyard in the town centre, to photograph the old watch house.  Some of the old symbolic stones and the supports of tablestones have been incorporated into this building. Both old and new cemeteries at Eyemouth were recorded this year, the next stage being the indexing and research into the Militia lists of the early 19^th century.

And after a morning, walking about in the frosty wet grass, lunch in one of the local cafes was most welcome.  There’s lots more research and preparation for the Monumental Inscriptions team to do over the winter months.

Transcribing at Eyemouth

A very successful day transcribing at Eyemouth.

While the turn-out was perhaps just a tad disappointing a great deal was achieved.

To prove that sometimes the sun does shine the above image was taken overlooking the old cemetery as we enjoyed our picnic lunch.

Not many stones too apparent but they are down both the right hand and left hand walls and the wall to the rear - 77 in all and each, almost without exception, very challenging in its own right.

The area is now in many ways a public open space the stones having been relocated round the boundaries, some years ago, by the Local Authority. Unfortunately many were lost in this process and almost all are now very weathered and/or overpowered by vegetation.

The graveyard became full around the time of the Eyemouth Fishing Disaster of 1881 (to which a monument has recently been erected) and a new cemetery was opened off the Coldingham Road. to which we repaired after lunch. Transcribing was just so much easier and substantial progress was made.

The next transcribing day is 18th. August when we are back to Peebles

Ronald Morrison

February 2012 Issue of Borders Family History Society Magazine Just Out

The latest issue of our 44 page Borders Family History Society magazine was posted to members on 27th and 28th February.

Although the first issue of the calendar year was previously in March, the editor has decided that February is more suitable.

This issue contains articles about

• new maps at the National Map Library
• Coldingham monumental inscriptions
• the memoirs of George 'Celery' Taylor
• Borders surnames
• the family of William Oliver (1812 - 1888) and Elizabeth Turnbull (1813 - 1887) who emigrated from Southdean, Roxburghshire to South Australia
• a pair of silver sugar tongs
• Andrew Currie, Border sculptor
• the remaining part of the talk "Granny's Bawbees" about Scottish coinage that I gave on 29th May 2011 (including an illustration of a halfpenny-sized advertising token below issued by John Pringle & Co of Kelso)
• an intriguing story titled "What might have been"
• 17th century Border witchcraft
• Cadwallader Colden
• Gunsgreen House, Eyemouth

The cover shows the Mungo Park Memorial at Selkirk.

Open Afternoon at Coldingham Priory

Borders Heritage Week (Sep 10 – 18, 2011) celebrates the rivers and coast with talks and walks on the rivers Tweed and Teviot, all the way down to St Abbs, Coldingham and Eyemouth. More information at www.doorsopenday.org.uk and www.archaeologyscotland.org.uk.

On Wednesday the 14th, there will be an open afternoon (2.00pm to 4.00pm) at the church, ruins and new garden at Coldingham Priory with informed guides at the medieval priory and the modern church (More information from Julia Carter 01890 771420).

Last year, Borders Family History Society and the Friends of Coldingham Priory recorded the Monumental Inscriptions in the graveyard which surrounds the Priory. The MI is still a work in progress but we will be at the church during the open afternoon. As well as having the draft MI, we will have transcriptions of the names recorded in the Hearth Tax of 1694 and the Militia Lists of the 1801 for the parish. If you are researching your family history in Coldingham, please come along.

If you can’t visit Coldingham on the 14th, there will be two more events on Saturday the 17th. The Priory will be open from 10.00am to 12.00noon. Contact www.stebba-coldinghampriory.org.uk for more info about the Priory opening. Scottish Borders Council Ranger Service (Tel 01835 826750) will lead a guided walk around St Abbs and Coldingham (11.00am to 4.00pm).

Alexander Dow Anniversary Event Gunsgreen House

Next month marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Dow, playwright and orientalist. While Dow was born in Comrie in Perthshire he had connections with Eyemouth, particularly with the brothers, John and David Nisbet, who made a fortune through smuggling and who built the recently restored Gunsgreen House which is open to the public.

For reasons which are not entirely clear it would appear Dow had to leave the country in something of a hurry, possibly because he had been involved in a duel and in this he was greatly assisted by David Nisbet. Whether out of gratitude or perhaps because of impecuniosity and having no means of settling with Nisbet for expenses incurred he made a will in favour “of his beloved friend David Nisbet”.

Dow then joined the East India Company as an ensign in the Bengal infantry on 14 September 1760, and was rapidly promoted to lieutenant on 23 August 1763, and captain on 16 April 1764, then he rose to the rank of Colonel.

On his return to England (past misdemeanours overlooked or forgotten) he translated and edited the History of Hindostan, the first English language history of India.

He also had his portrait painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds, a copy of which can be seen at Gunsgreen.

Dow befriended the playwright, David Garrick, and persuaded Garrick to put on two of his plays although it might appear Garrick did so rather against his better judgment. In the Life and Times of Sir Joshua Reynolds by Leslie and Taylor, 1860, it is recorded:

“The society who dined at the British Coffee House that summer interested themselves in promoting the reception by Garrick of a second tragedy by a worthy well intentioned but utterly unpoetical Scotchman and Indian Officer, Colonel Dow. He had some years before by dint of high protection got Garrick to produce his ‘Zinghis’ , a stilted Tartar tragedy. His present venture was ‘Sethona’ an Ossianic rhapsody in five acts . Garrick did bring it out two years after this, against his better judgment, when it met with the fate it deserved, in spite of strenuous support from the countryman of the author.”

Dow died in 1779 at the age of just 43 leaving a fortune of some £10, 000, over one million pounds in today’s terms.

On his death no other will emerged apart from that in favour of David Nisbet. This was just at the point when the Nisbets were in considerable financial difficulties and facing bankruptcy. They attempted to forestall their creditors claiming ‘Great Expectations’.

However the Will was challenged and referred to Chancery where as in Dickens novel ‘Bleak House’ very many years (nearly twenty) were to pass before the matter was finally resolved – too late to save Gunsgreen House for the Nisbets.

To mark the anniversary of Dow’s birth there will be an afternoon event at Gunsgreen on Sunday 19th June 2011 running from 2pm to 6 pm. This will take the form of a talk by Derek Janes on the life of Alexander Dow, a talk by Anne Buddle of the National Galleries of Scotland about the Scots in India, readings from Dows’ works and a guided tour of the House.

Eyemouth United Secession Church Parish Register Transcriptions 1841-61

Maxwell Ancestry have just published Eyemouth United Secession Church parish register transcriptions 1841-61 at £4.99 plus postage. This contains baptisms, and 3 marriages. If you have ancestors who lived in or were associated with Eyemouth, they might have worshipped at this church. 

The surnames indexed are: Aitchison; Alexander, Anderson, Blackhall, Brack, Brodie, Bryce, Bugless, Burgan, Burgon, Clark, Cockburn, Collons, Craig, Crawford, Deepie, Dickson, Dippie, Dodds, Dougal, Dudgeon, Eddington, Edgar, Fairbairn, Fernside, Ford, Forest, Fortune, Fourtun, Fraser, Gibson, Gillies, Girling, Gray, Grosert, Grozertt, Henderson, Jerdan, Jhonston, Johnston, Johnstone, Leith, Maltman, Millar, Nesbit, Nisbet, Paterson, Paxton, Pearson, Reid, Robertson, Sathem, Scott, Scugal, Sinton, Stott, Tait, Wait, Watt, White, Whyte, Windram, Young.

This booklet can be purchased directly from us via our Contacts page using the contact type ‘Order for Publications’.