Problems with Berwick, Tweedmouth or Spittal Ancestors ? Try Easter Family History Surgeries at Berwick-upon-Tweed

This weekend is the start of the Berwick 900 Festival that celebrates 900 years of Berwick’s history. The theme of the Easter weekend, 3rd to 6th April is “Our Christian Story” that celebrates Christian institutions, religious life and a few of the great Christian leaders in the town.

At St Andrews Church, Wallace Green, Berwick-upon-Tweed, TD15 1ED as well as the “Moments in Time” Flower Festival, inspired by the church’s history, there will be display panels about Robert Balmer, an inspirational minister at Golden Square, Dr John Cairns and Berwick’s well known physician, Philip MacLagan, a church elder.

Although all these men were born in Scotland and at times lived elsewhere, they all had strong links with Berwick.

Like them, John Hamilton Hall, a freeman, was born in Coldstream, moved to Berwick as a child where his father was a doctor, left the town to fight in India, returned when he retired from the army, aged 40, got married and then moved to Edinburgh.

Did your family move into or out of Berwick ?
Why did they do that ?
If your family is associated with Berwick, Tweedmouth or Spittal, the Berwick 900 Our Families Project would love to hear your family stories. 

Tweet them @Berwick900 or contact Linda Bankier at berwickarchives@woodhorn.org.uk .

Normally you need to visit Berwick Record Office to consult the transcripts of church registers of baptisms, marriages and burials for Berwick and Tweedmouth. However, over the Easter weekend, you can look at some of the registers in the churches where the events took place – Berwick Parish, St Andrews and Berwick Roman Catholic churches and Tweedmouth Parish Church.

Look on the Berwick 900 website for opening times.

Are you wondering how to start your family history ?
Perhaps you’ve started researching your family but have hit a brick wall.
If you need some help, go along to the Family History surgeries in St Andrews Church from 12 to 2pm each day from Good Friday to Easter Monday and speak to experienced genealogists.

Last Freight Train to Kelso - Information Wanted

Some years ago, I gave a talk to Borders Family History Society about the Waverley Route.

My interest in Border railways hasn't diminished and I've watched original photographs of locations sell for jaw-dropping prices on an internet auction site. Sadly, these historic shots seem to disappear into a black hole never to appear again.

Recently, there was a negative of Kelso station. The description said it was part of a collection; I suspected that in the normal course of events the usual bidders would win and the collection disappear.

I contacted the vendor and after some to-ing and fro-ing of emails, agreed on a price and I went to pick up the collection. After blethering for a while, he told me to take away a sports bag containing not just the negatives but some 25 reels of ciné film. For all the world, the 'collection' has the hallmarks of a house clearance.

It was, and still is, my intention to make sure that the railway negatives will be available to view once they are scanned and locations identified properly; some 70 of them are easily identified as taken around Kelso station.

I have no facility to watch 8mm ciné, however a friend produced a viewer which was hand-powered. One of the films was, intriguingly, labelled, 'St Boswells – Kelso – Tweedmouth' - a prime candidate for watching. Part of the way through the film were shots of the last freight train to Kelso in 1968. I had had permission to travel on it, and there, on the flickering ciné was a glimpse of me!

Although it was almost 50 years ago, I can recall quite clearly a gent waiting the arrival of the last freight. He had a couple of cameras and I think, perhaps, he was wearing a brown warehousecoat. On speaking to him, he said that he worked at the foundry.

From the locations, many taken between Kelso and Sprouston, and from the subjects of the negatives, I would hazard a guess that he lived and probably worked not far from the station.

However, not only is there 8mm ciné but also 9.5mm ciné. I have only looked at the white lead-in for clues; there are obviously several reels of Kelso and one of a foundry. I would guess a date around late 1960s. I'm hesitant at watching the other reels as I could damage the ciné.

One of the reel containers has “D W K C C” on it could this be DWK and Ciné Club ?

Can you suggest a name for a pretty prolific ciné enthusiast from Kelso and who possibly worked at the foundry? I'd like to make contact with any family members.

By Bruce McCartney

Just to clarify matters, the picture shown above was taken by Bruce and appears here with his permission.

Responses below, please, or via our Contacts page (choosing Contact the Chairman).

Berwick 900 Festival - Our Families Project

As part of the Berwick 900 Festival, there will be a complementary project called “Our Families” which is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. This project will focus on finding out information about various families who lived in Berwick, Tweedmouth and Spittal in the past, particularly ones connected with the various themes represented in the overall Festival. 

The Berwick Record Office plays an important part in this project and is looking for volunteers to help it undertake the research required. We are looking for two types of volunteers – experienced family history researchers who can help us undertake the research straight away and those who have not done any family history before and want to learn how to do it. Training will be provided for both groups on types of sources for research, particularly in relation to different themes – Guild; maritime etc.

If you would be interested in getting involved in the project, there will be a short introductory meeting in the Council Chamber of the Guildhall, Berwick on Saturday 24^th January @ 11.30 am where you can find out more about what is involved. On the same day you can also find out about other projects and elements of the Berwick 900. 

  

If you can’t attend the meeting and would like to know more about the project, please contact Linda Bankier on (01289) 301865 or e-mail berwickarchives@woodhorn.org.uk.

This is a very exciting 16 month  project which will help increase our knowledge about Berwick people in the past. 

Watch out for news about the Bygone Borderlands event on 2nd and 3rd May.

Revive your Family's Connections with Berwick-upon-Tweed and Visit in 2015

The Old Bridge, Berwick-upon-Tweed

Throughout 2015, Berwick-upon-Tweed will be celebrating 900 years of its turbulent history and unique cultural heritage and they would like you to attend.

They're planning a dozen themed weekends running from Easter 2015 to the end of October and they'll be celebrating each theme with a mix of exhibitions, events, talks, workshops, plays and hopefully, even a bit of street theatre. The themes are churches and Christianity, the barracks and World War 1, the annual riding of the bounds, fishing, seaside and maritime activities, food and drink, family history, art and crafts, sport, and the Berwick Guild. 

There are many surnames which have had connections with Berwick-upon-Tweed, Tweedmouth and Spittal over the past 900 years. Some of them are ones which can still be found in the area today but many have now disappeared with their descendants living all over the world.  They’re planning to highlight family names and their connection with Berwick whilst fitting in with the overall themes. They want everybody to come to the themed weekends, especially people whose ancestors left the area – they want people to revive their family's connections with Berwick-upon-Tweed and visit in 2015.

Look at the main Berwick 900 website, their Berwick 900 blog,  and follow them on Twitter, @Berwick900. I suggest you subscribe by email to the blog (there’s a subscription box at the top of the blog under the picture) and follow them on Twitter.

Download the provisional Berwick 900 programme.

See the Flying Scotsman Again

If you're over 60, the sight, smell, sounds of a steam engine will bring back nostalgic memories.

I find they are always a joy to me - a rare joy, admittedly and one that I never experienced in the Borders.

The BBC has a video of the Flying Scotsman on the 40th anniversary of its first public journey. The anniversary took place in 1968 - a non-stop run from King's Cross in London to Edinburgh Waverley where it was welcomed with a pipe band. See Tweedmouth signal box, the train crossing the railway viaduct and Berwick-upon-Tweed in its 1968 colours.

There are several well-known faces on board including Rev Wilbert Awdrey, the author of Thomas the Tank Engine and he describes how he came to write the series.

There are even more steam railway videos in the BBC's collection.