Anyone know anything about Eaglesham?

[Alan SHARP]

Greetings from New Zealand.

I was/ am very busy here preparing for a large Agricultural show, and involved in assisting with the aftermath of a big truck colliding with school bus, then a car, out side my house on a 100 kph state highway. (4pm Wednesday). Nearly 40 people walking away with only minor injuries, which is a miracle. Road was closed for four hours. Emergency services, investigation unit, then vehicle recovery and road reinstatement.

Any way, was very impressed with Kenneth's find, (above) and determined would go back to it in the evening, when I could afford more time to study it. Thought I was going mad because spent an hour searching for it on RootsChat, (which I also keep a visitor's eye on) because there are no direct image, postings on TS.

How did you do that Kenneth ?

If anyone can come up with similar material that illustrates the c1800/1840 living provisions/conditions that the Renfrew & Lanark, Grand Homes/Estate gardeners, plus general farm hands, lived in before emigrating to New Zealand. I would be grateful. Have tried already, to find such material on local museum sites, without much luck. Though quite a lot of written material - Rambles - statistical accounts etc. Great that some, even in those days, took the time to put pen to paper, describing their environment.

Alan SHARP.

[Alan SHARP]

PS. Does the white, in the foreground represent a dry stone wall ?

In 1852 our William SHARP (b. Cathcart 1821) uplifted a 21 year lease at Auckland NZ, of a 27 acres which, within three years, had to be "enclosed by a good and substantial Scoria (rock) Wall, and lay down in good English grases". Examples of such walls still exist at the near by Cornwall Park, and associated One Tree Hill, Auckland.

Alan SHARP.

[kennethm]

Hi Sheila,

I've posted a photo of the cottage on Geograph at:

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1897646

It's a narrow street and unusually there weren't many cars about.

Best,

Ken

[kennethm]

Hi Alan,

Glad you liked the old engraving I came across. It is a stone wall that you can see enclosing the kirkyard (churchyard) round Montgomerie Square.

Here's some info about agricultural improvements including enclosure that may be of interest.

http://www.geograph.org.uk/article/Eagl ... ed-Village

In the mid-eighteenth century the inhabitants of the Parish subsisted mainly on a centuries’ old runrig system of subsistence farming. This form of land occupation was characterised by strips of land worked on a ridge (rig) and furrow (run) pattern. Around the fermtoun or dwellings was intensely cultivated (infield) and beyond that an area used for pasture (outfield). Lands lying runrig were invariably associated with an area of rough ground or hill land that was also shared in common. In Eaglesham there were 70 acres of common land on the moors that the villagers had rights to graze animals and cast peat and turf. Some of the land was let as a small farm with the income received being used for facilities to improve village life. Typically leases were short and periodic runrig (re-assignment of strips) typical of lowland Scotland, meant that the tenant farmers would receive a different strip of land the following year. Not surprisingly there was little incentive for tenants to improve either the land or buildings. Landlords keen to increase their profits leased larger farms to individuals. New crops such as turnips turnips for feeding cattle and sheep and of potatoes for feeding people were grown. Land was enclosed by hedges, ditches or stone dykes on high ground so that animals could be kept off the land when wet or during the growing season; the use of grass seed to improve pasture; crop rotation and the use of dung and lime to improve the soil. According to the Statistical Account of Scotland, "The principal object of the farmer is to produce butter and butter milk for the Glasgow market. The butter made here is preferable to any other".

I'll see what I can come up with about living provisions/conditions c1800/1840 that the Renfrew & Lanark, Grand Homes/Estate gardeners, plus general farm hands, lived in.

Kenneth

ps: Secret to making a direct image on a post is to insert a link to the image of the web itself within the image tags. Inserting http://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/01/ ... 06817f.jpg between the Img tags shows the photo of Sheila's GGGGrandfather's cottage. You can just see the stone wall surrounding the kirkyard on the left.

[Alan SHARP]

Greetings Kenneth.

Thank you for the offer. William RUSSELL (b. Eaglesham 1835; M. Agnes SHARP b. Row 1848) emigrated to NZ. His Sister-in-law, Helen SHARP was my Gt Grand Father's 2nd wife. That is why I took an interest in the Eaglesham posts. I have just one image, very similar to your posting, of cottages at the Old Mill Bridge over the White Cart, Cathcart.
Gt G Father William SHARP was born a Linn and worshiped in the new 1834 Cathcart Church, across the Cart, before emigrating to NZ in 1842.

Alan SHARP.

[sheilajim]

Hi Kenneth,

What another great picture. If you enlarge it you can even see the number 8 next to the door. It is so nice to see where my GGGGrandparents, their children including his daughter, my GGGrandmother, lived so long ago.
Before my GGGGrandfather died, he and his second wife, Jean or Jane Campbell, and their children moved from Montgomery Sq. to Gilmore St. (He had a second family) I don't have the number of which house they lived in there.

Thank you so much for taking this picture and posting it. =D> I haven't done much research on Jonathan Kennedy's 2nd wife. I hadn't even noticed that she was a handloom cotton weaver, until I saw what you had written. I have found other working wives among my old rellies too. It just goes to show that women working after marriage is not some recent event, they have been doing this for centuries.

I imagine that in my GGGGrandfather's day, the road wasn't paved
and there were fields in back of the houses.

Thanks Again

[kennethm]

Hi Sheila,

I haven't discovered when the cottage was built - there's no date on the listed building details but I'd reckon that it would have been built at the end of the 18th century. There were fields at the back of the houses till the 1950s when post war housing was built. It'a pity that you don't know the house number in Gilmour Street where your GGGGrandfather's second family moved to as there weren't many houses in Gilmour Street back then and mostly all between the cross-roads running past Montgomery Square. I was fascinated to discover that people had leisure time despite working so hard to make a living. As far back as 1823 there was a gooseberry association which met for competition and a wee bit later a musical association and curling club.

I liked an account of the Eaglesham Tournament from 1868. Sounds like eveyone had a marvellous time:

"The Eaglesham Tournament came off on Thursday the 27th, in a field adjoining the village, and although the day was rather unfavourable a large concourse of people assembled to witness the games, comprising many influential gentlemen and a sprinkling of the fair sex of the village and country; also nut-barrows, turners of the wheel-of-fortune, jugglers &c., who usually patronise occasions. The proceedings were started by the feuars of the village mounted on horseback and carrying the ancient flags, trophies &c. of the village, preceded by the band promenading round the village calling at the various ale-houses and partaking of a refreshment - the old annual custom after the promenade. The race round the area or village green was run, after which the band played up to the field, where the games commenced by the climbing of the greasy pole (which occasioned great mirth to the spectators at the various defeats of those who tried to gain its summit), putting the stone, throwing the hammer, tossing the caber, wrestling, tilting, running, and leaping, and all of which were keenly contested for, and so great was the excitement and interested manifested by the spectators that the police and committee had no effect on them whatever; hence the consequences - the ropes and stabs were flung down, and the people rushed in to be near the competitors; but good order was kept, and all passed off well to the satisfaction of the spectators. After the games, the committee and others, to about 50, met at the Cross Keys Inn, where the, after partaking of a substantial repast, the silver cup, the prize for wrestling, was filled with wines and brandies and passed round the company several times, when toasts and songs followed in due course."

[Alan SHARP]

Hi Kenneth.

Thursday 27th (?) ....but what month ? Would it have been in the spring or autumn to mark the season. Like the start of spring, or end of harvest. Like a harvest festival etc ?

Alan SHARP.

[LesleyB]

My guess would be in the summer - June or July?

[LesleyB]

Ah, close..but no coconut for me!

The following extract is an account of the Eaglesham Tournament held on 27th August 1868.

http://www.geograph.org.uk/article/Eagl ... illage#p51

Best wishes
Lesley