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Glesca Patter 25
Hullawrerr cyber-seancers!
New laptoap, new patter, New Registry Hoose...
‘Wan street an a cloak made ah floors!’ Aht’s how wan notible Gleswegian wance described Embra. Ah hink maist Glesca folk feel ah wee bit uneasy whin thae visit Embra. It’s goat a certin err ah pretentiousness aboot it. Okay, it’s goat a big castle, ah admit aht; bit appert fae aht, whit else hiz it goat? Awright it’s goat eh Royal Mile; bit, be honest, appert fae a castle an eh Royal Mile, whit else hiz Embra goat? Hmm, a suppose ye hiv tae take intae accoont Holyrood Palace; bit appert fae the castle, the Royal Mile an Holyrood Palace; whit’s it goat really? Eh Scottish Parliament ah hear ye say; jings okay, if ye don’t coont eh castle, eh Royal Mile, Holyrood Palace, an eh Scoatish Parliament, whit hiz Embra goat tae offer? New Registry Hoose? Okay, ah gie in, ah canae arggy aht wan!! : (
Ah guess ther’s a loat eh ye thit wid jist love tae spend time at NRH bit urr jist too faur away tae make the trip easily. So ahm sorry if eh foalyin accoont mibby rubs salt in the woond a wee bit; ah assure ye that’s no mah intention. Who knows, mibby it’ll spark aff plans furr a wee hoaliday in Scoatlin some day, takin in eh NRH as a bonus. If ye dae, don’t furget tae visit Glesca as well!
Walkin alang Prince's Street towards it’s eastern end ah felt a bit nervous. Aht furst ah couldnae unnerstaun why. Ah’d done mah homework, ah wiz well prepert, made a list eh mah priorities, hid mah notes an pencils in mah bag. Then it hit meh – it wiz as if ah wiz gaun tae sit an exam! Remember eh butterflies ye used [maybe stull] get whin ye sat/sit a big exam? Whin ye knew ye hid limitit time an ye hoped ye wurnae gonnae make a mess eh it an kim oot wae nuthin! Aht’s how ah felt as ah turnt eh coarner at eh Burger King an made mah wae up the wee lane. Ah used tae hink thit the big building oan mah right overlookin the opin squer wis the NRH, bit it’s no. It’s right at the tap eh this wee lane, nae merr thin aboot a hunner yerds fae the main street.
As ah walked through the big iron gates eh feelin a school grew stroanger. Aheid eh me wis a flight a steps wae three fishull lookin guys at eh tap kerrfully watchin mah approach. Tae reach thim ah hid tae walk acroass an open yerd thit felt jist lik a school playgrun. Thir eyes wurr oan meh aw the wae, an ah felt awfy conspicuous. As ah goat tae the boatim step thae opint eh two big widdin doors wide! Ah thoat tae massell, ‘Ahm surely no that big thit thae needit tae opin baith doors furr meh!’
‘Good morning!’ said wan eh thim cheerily. ‘You’re the first to arrive.’
‘Ah know ahm a wee bit portly,’ ah replied smiling ‘bit did yeez really hink a needit aw that space tae get in!’
A comparisin of bellys showed a mutual unnerstaunin eh the trials a middle age an also served as eh security check! Eh guy oan eh desk wiz jist iz cheery as eh huanitt meh a wee blue ticket wae eh nummer 82 oan it, an a white foarm tae fill in. Ah wiz then directitt intae a wee room thit resembilt a dentist’s waitin room. Ah took a seat oan wan the dozen urr so laid oot roon eh wa’ an stertit tae fill in ma wee white foarm. Nae bother tae eh big man iss! Ah ticked eh boax thit said ‘1 day search’ an pit mah name an address it eh boatim as asked. In eh shoart time it took tae dae this the room stertit fillin up pretty quick! Young an auld. Couples. Wan couple wirr American. Ah wunnirt if any eh thim wurr folk fae the DG thit ah might know. If wae hid a wee bit a time igither ah might hiv fun oot, bit the ‘cloak’ oan eh wa’ buzzed an eh nummer 82 appeared. Ah grabbed mah stuff an headit oot eh door. Ah wiz guiditt intae anither wee room wae a coonter, goat mah wan day pass an paid wae plastic. Ah wis a wee bit disappointit wae the pass; it wis jist a bit a printit paper folditt in four. Ah thoat ye might hiv goat a wee badge urr sumhin.
‘Have you been here before?’ ah wiz asked.
‘Naw, furst time.’
A goat directions, an ither advice, thit went right in wan ear an straight oot eh ither! ‘Seat East 7’ wis the only bit thit stuck.
‘Thanks,’ ah said, an promptly walked in eh wrang direction!
Eh guys it eh door pit meh right. A reckin thae hid meh sussed fae eh stert. ‘This yin’s gonnae keep gettin loast!’ ah bet thae wirr sayin.
Through a couple a doors an a fun massell in the East Search Room.
Eh supervisor lassie behine eh coonter checked mah pass an confirmed, wance again, my NHR virginity. She, very politely, geid meh advice, thit foalyed eh same route iz eh last loat, an pointed meh in eh direction tae mah seat.
‘I’ll come down in a few minutes and explain things,’ she said.
Ah thanked hurr an, true tae form, walked right past mah seat, causin eh lassies tae shout meh back. Finally sat doon, ah hid a look aroon. It wisnae quite how ah expectit it. A long, narra room. Much lik a large sales oaffice urr call center; desks doon either side, some facin intae the wa’, ithers back tae back an doubled up. E7 wiz wan eh the latter an pit meh up against a windae nixt tae a big auld fashioned radiator [it wisnae switched oan an proved very haundy furr pittin stuff oan.] Eh furst hing thit struck meh wis thit thir wisnae much room tae pit anyhin. In front eh meh wis a computer terminal wae aw eh usual computery stuff; monitor, keyboard, an a moose. Tae mah left wiz a microfiche hing; wae a slot thingy an a knob furr twiddlin. Ah wis gled ah didnae hiv mah laptoap wae meh, cos ther wiz nae room tae pit it [apert fae aht it wis nackirt]. Ah dug oot mah A4 notebook an opened it aht mah ‘list.’ A quick glance it mah watch telt meh it wis 0910. Furst oan eh list wiz mah auntie Alice’s marriage certificate; a nice easy wan tae kick aff.
Eh computer screen wiz already oan an hid a menu oan a black backgrun. Ah hit some keys an goat a search screen up. Ah typed in mah auntie’s vitals and hit return… nuthin happint! Efter lookin at it furr a couple ah seconds a noticed a buttin doon oan eh left sayin ‘digros index’ urr sumhin. Ah pressed it an up come anither search screen thit looked a bit merr famiiar an friendly. Ah hid jist stertit retypin auntie's stuff in again whin eh lassie came doon tae see how ah wiz getting oan. She run me through eh basics confirmin thit ah hid bin oan eh right track. She gave eh a laminatit book wae instructions oan how the system worked. Ah pit it oan tap eh the radiator an it stied ther furr the rest eh the day baskin in eh sun fae the windae..
She also explained the wee orange pad a ‘self service marker slips’ furr obtainin microfiche. She went iz faur iz fillin oot a sample wan furr meh so ah could see how it wiz done. She left meh in nae doot thit she wiz ther if ah needit help, an tae come an see hurr if ah goat intae trouble. Please note; NHR staff are among the most helpful I’ve ever met in any public/government service.
So up comes mah auntie Alice’s marriage certificate, the on screen image, jist lik oan SP, except this wis a 1946 image, twenty three years past the cut aff date oan SP! It wis then ah truly realised how much NHR hid tae offer. Aboot this time ah wis jined bae Marion who sat in the seat beside meh an stertit getting hurrsell soartit oot. She hid the look ah sumby who knew urr wae oboot an ah said as much tae urr. She gave meh a few pointers oan daen searches an viewin eh screen.
Eh death eh anither auntie wiz nixt up an ah quickly wrote doon eh details an scored it aff mah list. Eh wifes mither’s side posed mah furst problem. Eh birth search identified eh individual concerned bit nae image appeared. Ther seemed tae bae some technical problems gaun oan, an wan eh the lassies kim doon tae advise evribiddy thit some images wurnae comin up oan screen an thit anybiddy hivin problems should use the microfiche option. Ah stertit tae fill oot eh wee orange slip an asked Marion wher ah should take it. She no only checked that ah'd done it right but volunteered tae take meh through tae the microfiche index area. Oot, an acroass a corridor, intae whit looked lik a circular basement corridor fun us staring at banks a index cabinets against eh curved wa’s. This wiz eh east index wing an it contained aw the microfiche furr deaths an marriages. Eh birth indexes wurr in eh west [urr wiz it eh north?] wing. Marion led meh through the central ‘dome’ area of the building. As wae walked fae the east index room ah couldnae help bein a bit disapointit in the décor eh the place. Ah expectit a much merr impressive interior wae murals an frescoes oan eh ceilin, cherubs haudin fig leafs, elaborate columns an stuff lik aht. The Sistene Chapel iss wiz not. The central area was packed wae desks, people an microfilm machines. A quick glance aroon showed that this was the area tae come furr census research. As wae wurr walkin through towards the oapnin oan eh ither side ah looked up! Ah wiz gobsmacked! Impressive? Ah’ll say it wiz impressive! Above meh, stretchin aw the wae up tae the brightly paintit dome; a height a some four urr five flerrs, through 360 degrees wurr circular row upon row upon row of records. Aw crammed symetrically intae tight shelves, right tae the tap eh the buildin! Who needs frescoes when ye hiv sumhin lik aht? Ah stood staunin furr a momint jist takin it aw in! Here above mah heid wurr eh original records [ah assume] of Scoatlin’s people stretchin back literally hunners a years! Thir lives aw up ther; births, marriages, deaths. Ah stood awstruck. Ah’m no a religious man but ah swear ah could hear whisperin up ther. Millions ah people whisperin, lik spirit voices in eh wind! Ah wiz broaght tae mah senses when ah bumped intae sumdy in front eh meh an nearly tripped headlang ower a microfilm desk. Ah apologised, gethirt mah balance, an scurried efter Marion who'd obviously hid seen it aw afore.
Fae the west index room ah could see the ither search room bit ah didnae go in. Wae Marion's help ah fun mah record in wan eh the wee index drawers an pit mah orange slip in eh space as a marker, terrin aff the stub as she telt meh furst, so's ah stull hid a note eh the refrince nummer. Back tae mah seat, no furgettin tae look up gaun through eh dome, Ah took eh wee fiche oot it's envelope. It looked jist lik a postcerd size negative wae aboot 24 wee images oan it. Marion showed meh how tae pit it in eh machine an ah wiz away. Eh microfiche gadgit wiz fiddly. It took meh a minute tae figure oot how tae focus it, an ah chased eh damn images aw ower eh place afore ah goat eh hang eh it. It squeeked an groaned an wiz difficult tae read it times, bit ah tamed it, an wiz soon scribblin away lik fury in mah note book. Time flew in. Merr orange slips, trips through tae eh microfiche indexes. Eh furst time, ah replaced eh fiche in eh drawer afore ah realised yer no s'pposed tae dae aht! Big no, no! Efter aht, ah returnt thim tae eh trays providitt [black = deaths, red = marriages, green = births]. Mah great aunt's death wiz uncovirt. Eh wife's side eh the faimly emerged fae the mist, solvin some puzzles an creatin merr! Orange slips began tae litter mah wee workspace. Lik an exam ah wiz daen eh easy stuff furst, makin eh best eh the time. Eh harder stuff , urr stuff thit hit problems could wait tae the end, urr inither time. Ah fun masell dodgin between SP type images oan eh computer an microfiche images. Uncles, aunties, cousins aw gave up thir secrits as ah worked mah wae doon mah list. Then ah goat tae mah great aunt Cathy. Ah'd nevir bin able tae fine hurr oan SP. Boarn in 1887, thir wiz a suggestion thit she nevir merrit. If aht wis true she should hiv kept eh Wilson nem. But, lik ah said, ah could nevir fine any trace eh urr oan SP. Ah wisnae gaunae spen a loat a time oan it so ah jist pit ah wide search in spannin through tae eh present day furr sumby bae hurr name [Catherine Louisa Wilson] age range 20 – 100! An whit dae ye hink... up it came! Catherine Louisa Wilson d.1982 in Campsie! Ah hurried aff tae get the fiche an ther it wis. She died in a Salvation Army eventide home aged 95, a retired Salvation Army captain. Ah shared eh moment wae Marion an scurried aff tae the supervisor lassie tae see how a went aboot gettin a printit coapy eh the microfiche image. Wance again she wiz great. Ah payed furr it ther an then an eh certifcate wiz tae bae sent oot tae meh [ah goat it a few days later as proamised.] Ah settled doon back at mah desk an kerried oan, bit aht proved tae be eh highlight eh mah day. The elusive Eliza Jane didnae turn up, despite searchin evry Elizabeth Wilson in Scoatlin between 1891 an 1911! [ye couldnae dae aht oan SP!] Guess she must've done a runner back tae Ireland urr sumwher!
The staff wurr great, helpin evrybiddy roon aboot. The patience, kindness an help shown tae wan auld wummin sittin accroass fae meh deserves special mention. Aw too soon eh cloak oan eh wa' reached four. Ah realised ah hid bin gaun furr seven oors solid withoot a brek! Nuhin tae eat urr drink. Ah hidnae even visited eh toilet! Eh time hid jist flew in. Wae ower eight A4 pages crammed wae notes ah decidit tae wind hings up. Ah collectit aw mah orange tabs an kerrfully pit thim in wae mah notes. Ah walked through tae the dome an stood in eh centre lookin up it aw thae records. How ah'd love tae take a walk up ther, jist tae sense eh history, an eh people. Mah faimly urr up ther, yours as well. Thir lives, signatures... Ah felt ah had completed a journey. One that started two years ago in a registry office when my dad's birth and marriage certificates were laid out on the desk and his death certificate was filled out in front of me. His entire life encapsulated in three bits of paper. My mother signed the final certificate with shaking hand and it was removed from our sight to be replaced with a copy. Now, somewhere above my head lay, not only that document, but my mother's, and indeed those of my ancestors. One day mine will join them. I made my way back, collected my stuff, said cheerio to Marion and the staff and walked out into the bright sunshine of a very busy Prince's Street.
U.V.W.
um –
Him. Can be um or im or even jist 'm.
unner –
Under. As in unnerstaun (understand). Why hiv a 'd' in err whin an 'n' looks so much better?
Uni –
University.
urr –
Or. Sometimes an abreviation of hurr (her), 'Ah saw urr last night wae Jimmy.'
urnae –
Are not. 'SP say eh RCEs urnae ready yit!'
Vicky (The)
Victoria General Hospital, one of the big Glesca hospitals in the south side of the city.
wabbit –
Exhausted. 'Efter last night's pub crawl, ahm ferr wabbit.'
wae –
With.
wallies – (pronounced as in rally)
False Teeth.
'Eh student nurse collectit in aw the auld patient's false teeth furr cleanin bit goat im mixed up!'
'Whit did she dae?'
'She hid tae go roon eh ward an ask em aw if thae recognised thir teeth!'
'An did thae?'
'Naw. Some eh thim hid tae try thim in tae fine oot!!'
'Yuk!'
[True story – I was there when this happened!
] wally – (pronounced as in dolly)
Stupid person or sucker.
or
Wally Dugs (pronounced as in tally). A pair of ornamental china dogs that would sit either side of a fire mantlepiece. They were the 'flying ducks' of their day.
'Ye want tae hiv seen eh perr eh thim it eh dance, thae wurr lik a couple a wally dugs!'
A wally close was a tiled close in a tenement.
wan –
One.
wanner –
To do something first time.
'Ah done it in a wanner!'
or
To hit someone once decisively.
'Eh stole mah cheese piece so ah wannered um!'
watter –
Water. (pronounced as is 'matter')
'Gaun doon eh watter' was the term for when folk fae the city would go on cruises down the Firth of Forth on the various paddle steamers of the day. It's all but died out now.
wean – (Pronounced as in bane or wane)
Child. Bairn. Kiddy. Baby. etc.
wee –
Little.
well-fiert –
Well Fired.
Relates to bread or rolls and the degree of 'burntness'.
A 'well fired loaf' will be one with a darker crust.'
wellies –
Wellington Boots.
Listen tae Billy Connolly's 'Welly Boot Song' furr eh best description eh these!
whack –
The expression 'Cop yer whack furr iss!' is classic broad Glaswegian. It kin mean anyhin fae 'Take a look at this!' to the words spoken afore ye lamp sumdy.
wheech –
To move or remove something very quickly. Tae wheech it away!
wheesh! –
Signal tae be quiet.
wid –
Wood or Would.
wilkies –
Tae tumble ower yir wilkies is tae dae a somersault oan eh flerr either deliberately urr bae accident.
willnae –
Wont do something.
'Naw, ah willnae dae it!'
winch –
To date a lassie. That painful process thit aw young males [an ah s'pose some aulder wans] go through whin thir tryin tae draw in eh wummin eh thir dreams.
windae –
Window.
Remember 'Pick yir windae, yir leavin!' ?
wrang –
Wrong.
'Wher'd ah go wrang?'
wummin –
Woman. Plural = Wimmin.
wurr –
We are.
Wurr comin tae the end a Glesca Patter. Nixt week'll bae eh last ahm afraid. Hope ye'll jine meh as wae round hings aff. Speak tae ye en.
Bob.
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Last wan a moara