2013

Published byInverclyde Community Development Trust with assistance fromHeritage Lottery Fund Scotland – Heritage Grantswww.hlf.org.uk

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the permission in writing from the publisher, except for the purposes of review.

Printing co-ordinated by New Vision Print, Jamaica Street, Greenock

First published April 2013

Design, colouring and typesetting – Francesco OttavianoResearch and facilitation assistants - Craig McEwan and Craig MillerProject Coordinator - Kay Clark

Photo credits can be found at the back of the book. Every e!ort has been made to contact the relevant sources for permission for use of all artwork.

"anks to all our project volunteers, the Identity team, 7 # John Wood Street, Val Boa at the McLean Museum, St Stephen’s Enterprise Centre.

Proofread by Wordsmith Jones Editorial Services, Inverclydewww.wordsmithjoneseditorialservices.moonfruit.com

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www.identityinverclyde.co.uk

“History’s like a story in a way: it depends on who’s telling it.” Dorothy Salisbury Davis

"is book, Kith and Kin is one of the last parts of a story we’ve been listening to, sharing and retelling for almost two years now. Our Identity project was funded by Heritage Lottery Fund Scotland in 2011 to collect family histories and personal stories relating to over 200 years of migration to and from the area we now know as Inverclyde.

Over the last two years we’ve worked with almost every school in the area to create songs, lea%ets, animations and a 64 page graphic novel which all celebrate our heritage. We’ve had volunteers produce lea%ets and exhibitions on the history of our local boroughs, the grim reality of capital punishment in the area and the stories of those transported from our shores. We’ve even had a group of volunteers stage a drama at the historic Sugar Sheds in Greenock, bringing individual stories of migration to life using theatre, music and archive &lm. All of these have provided more opportunities for local people to explore their heritage, but they have also helped local young people gain quali&cations and employment.

Kith and Kin is perhaps the best example of what the Identity project is all about; people exploring and sharing their own family histories, allowing us to re%ect on our own. "e voices of our volunteers come through very strongly in the book, and that’s how we hoped it would be; this isn’t a history book in the traditional sense, more a treasured family scrapbook which you are being invited to enjoy, perhaps &nding in these stories, something that chimes with your own family’s life and times.

We’ve contextualised each of the stories with a brief exploration of the major events and developments within the area around the same time as each of our families arrived. Perhaps your own family arrived around the same time into similar circumstances. If you don’t know, now would be the very time to start &nding out, rediscovering your own families journey. We all got here somehow.

It’s our intention that Identity will continue in other forms after the end of funding, certainly "e Trust will be continuing to support and explore local heritage through other programmes, most notably "e Dutch Gable House, the historic building we have recently purchased for development.

All the Identity project materials will remain live on our blog but the main way you will be able to continue to stay involved will be through our new project website at www.identityinverclyde.co.uk . "e volunteers who helped pull this book together and who initially shared their own stories, will be continuing to collect personal histories and reminiscences from the area and making the recordings and images available online. You can see some short &lms of the stories from this book online now. It is our hope that the site will remain a living archive, and we need your help to make that a reality.

Paul BristowInverclyde Community Development Trust

IN SEARCH OF IDENTITY

CONTENTS

02 Customs & Contrabandthe History of the Greenock Custom House

04 What’s in a Name? by Ann Williams

09 Pressing Timesthe Impressment O$cers in Greenock

11 "e Comings and Goings of the Mooneys by Grace Binnie

16 John Scottthe Evolution of an Empire

18 Memories by Jean Campbell

23 Mark Khulland the Sugar Capital of Scotland

25 "e Donnellys: An Irish Family in Greenock by Frances M Dunlop

30 William Scoresbyand the Greenock Whale Fishing Company

33 "e Last of the Salvesen Whalersby Alex Hardie

38 John Galt and "e Canada Company

41 "e Smith Family & How "ey Came to Port Glasgowby John Smith

46 Robert "omfrom Cotton to the Cut

48 Following in the Footstepsby June Campbell

53 Father Condonthe Benevolent Broadcaster

56 "e McQuarries: A History "rough Photographsby John McQuarrie

61 Fleming and Reidthe Making of a Mill

64 "e Mill Women of Clark & Struthersby Betty McLaughlin

69 Henry BirkmyreWeaving for the World

71 "e McGeer Brothers: "e Accidental Immigrantsby Joseph McGeer

76 James Lithgow from Port to Parliament

78 Clydesdales: From First to Lastby Walter Pollock

83 "omas M. Hardieand the Palace of the Kip Valley

85 My Family’s Immigration to What is Now Inverclydeby Hugh McIntyre

90 Lasting Memoriesof the Project

92 Credits

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f you take a look at modern day Greenock it is hard to envision a time when it was one of the busiest trading Ports in Britain. It was once

full of grand ships importing sugar from the West Indies; tobacco and cotton from the Americas; silk from India, tea from China and the list goes on. Today, the harbour lies empty and derelict, a mere shadow of it’s former glory days. "e Custom House that stands today at Custom House Quay is the second of Greenock’s Custom Houses. "e &rst Custom House in Greenock was located at Cathcart Street and was a small and modest building in comparison to its successor, a large imposing building that was more suited to handling the high volume of trade that passed through Greenock. Built in 1818 by William Burn ,the &nal cost amounted to £30,000. Although the building does not fu&l the purpose for which it was originally built today, it is still a notable landmark in the town. A particularly striking feature is the Corinthian pillar that is positioned in the middle of the harbour, used in the past to guide steam and sailing ships to the quay at night. Shortly before the opening of the new Custom House in 1818, the smaller building fell victim the work of local criminals. Gaining admission by sawing through a panel on one of the doors, they proceeded inside and found keys in a desk that allowed them access to the safe. Upon pocketing £1200 they %ed and despite the level of noise no doubt created, no alarm was raised until the Custom House was opened in the early hours of the morning for normal

business. On entry to the building it became apparent what had happened and word was sent to the relevant authorities in the hope that the perpetrators would be caught. After some time a suspect was put forward: Murray Stewart, a tide waiter. His trial at the High Court of Justiciary was set for the 4th of August, 1817. However, a lack of evidence swayed in the accused’s favour and the Lord Justice Clark said in his judgement- “Gentlemen after the open and candid charge given you by the public prosecutor, in which he admits that this is only a case of extreme suspicion, the Learned Counsel for the prisoner has, with too anxious a zeal for his client, addressed you in an elaborate and able speech. My opinion is, that in this case there is not su$cient evidence to convict the prisoner; and if you are of the same opinon, I need take up your time no further. If however, you think otherwise, I am ready to go over the evidence.” After the Jury had discussed this verdict they shared the opinon of the Lord Justice Clerk and they declared the accusation not proven. "e next story is not so much about the Custom House but about the Custom O$cers in its employment. Around 1777 there were con%icts frequently occurring between o$cers of the revenue and parties engaged in smuggling in contraband in the attempt to evade these duties. "e battles between them were often bloody and at times led to murder where the smugglers would face the full force of the law at the High Court of Justiciary. "e powers of the Customs O$cers allowed them the

CUSTOMS & CONTRABANDthe History of the Greenock Custom House

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opportunity to board vessels and carry out inspections to ensure all cargo complied with the law. With cases of smuggling becoming more persistent, naturally the number of violent incidents was seen to increase with it. On the 11th of August, 1777, a case of violent retaliation from smugglers took place in Greenock. "e trial is documented in the Judicial Records of Renfrewshire and describes the incident in detail along with crucial information in regards to the trial. "e incident unfolded as follows: “On the 11th August, 1777, the ship “Blackgrove”, laden with cargo subject to import duties, came in to the Clyde and, when near Greenock a boat was put o! from the shore, and into it some goods were removed from the ship, for the purpose of being smuggled and evaded. "is being observed by Hugh Mclachlan, a boatman belonging to a wherry at Inverkip in the revenue service, he, along with Archibald Stewart, John M’Intyre, Hector M’Phail, and Archibald Bell, four other revenue boatmen “went out in the said wherry, in the discharge of their duty, in order to make a seizure of the said smuggled goods.” "e smugglers reacted to the Custom O$cers with violence and sticks and stones were aimed in the o$cers’ direction. "ey were successful in their goal and Hugh M’Lachlan was killed with the four other men escaping with their lives but not without injury. "e men were most likely respected in the town. At that time smuggling was not regarded with distaste by others, in fact it’s not too far from the truth

to even describe it as a popular practice. "e characters who engaged in such activities retained an untarnished character despite the risky and lawless activity they participated in. However, with one of the men having been killed by their reckless acts, a criminal trial was initiated. "ere are no records of the result of the trial but with some of the men %eeing it is likely that the trial was dropped. "e records express an interesting point in regards to the townspeople’s view on the matter: “"e smugglers would still have commanded popular sympathy, as the revenue laws, which were strictly enforced, were generally abhorred, and the o$cers executing them

were considered to be unjustly interfering with the interests and rights of the people.” "e last case of smuggling to take place in the town was in 1888 in Inverkip where it is said that there is a cave aptly nicknamed “smugglers cove” where the smugglers would hide the contraband items. "e town today now lacks a customs presence and it’s hard to imagine the extent of trade and immigrants that made their way to Greenock and were processed by the Custom House here. "e building is still one of the &nest in the town and it is tales such as those described in this story that keep the memory of this side of Greenock’s history alive.

!e smugglers reacted to the Custom O"cers with violence and sticks and stones were aimed in the o"cers’ direction

Top: A painting of Inverkip bay.Bottom: “Robert Burns on Horseback” by James m Scrymgeour.

By Ann Williams

rowing up in Greenock in the &fties, I was quite fond of my surname, Denham. I felt it was a bit di!erent from the run of the

mill names of my classmates: Lynch, Kelly, Mooney etc. Being near the beginning of the alphabet too, meant I was usually near the front of the queue for things that were arranged alphabetically, though that was not always a blessing when they were doling out the regular polio jags! I wondered where my name had originated and came to the conclusion that it was from the town in Buckinghamshire of the same name. In Scotland, the more usual spelling of the name is Denholm, and since there is a town of that name in the Scottish Borders, I deduced that the Scottish line derived from there, and that possibly, if I went back far enough, I would &nd that they were branches of the same family tree. When, as part of the Identity project on immigration, I started to trace my roots, I assumed that I would be able to establish that my family was indeed an ‘immigrant’ clan in the area.

I started with my father’s mother Annie McAlister as I knew that she had moved to the Greenock area from Campbeltown. She was born in Bolgram Street in Campbeltown in 1883 to Archibald McAlister, a carter, and his wife Helen Meek. Her father was also born in Campbeltown around 1847 to another Archibald

GBelow: In the back Joseph and "omas are in the top right, Henry is 4th from right, 1st from right in second row is Mary and Georgina is 3rd from right.

4

McAlister, who was a hawker, and his wife Ann McEwan. Her mother Helen was born in Main, St Campbeltown in 1861 to James Meek, a soldier, and his wife Helen McFadyen. Archie McAlister jnr and Helen Meek married in St Kieran’s Catholic Church in Campbeltown in 1879. "e 1891 census shows them living in Bolgram Street with their four daughters and two sons. Sadly, my great grandfather Archie died in 1893 and his widow Helen moved with the family to Greenock, living in Westburn Street. In 1897 she married Donald MacNaughton, a bachelor from Campbeltown,who was a neighbour in Westburn Street. In the 1901

census, my grandmother Annie was living in Nicholson Street with her mother and stepfather, her brothers Archibald, Henry and Joseph and her two new half sisters, Mary and Jane. On leaving school she had found employment in one of the local rope works and was working there in 1903 when she married my grandfather. My grandfather "omas Denham, at &rst glance appeared to be an ‘immigrant’ as well, but when he moved to the area he was in fact returning to his roots. He was born in Govan in Glasgow in 1883, but his mother, my great grandmother, Georgina Fleming, was born in Greenock in 1844 to John Fleming and Catherine Nelson. Georgina was their third daughter. John Fleming was a Customs O$cer, as the Hutcheson’s Greenock Directory of 1845- 1846 illustrates.

My grandfather !omas Denham, at #rst glance, appeared to be an “immigrant” as well, but when he moved to the area he was just returning to his roots

Top:My Grandparents, Annie and "omas Denham.Middle: Ropeworks in the early 1900s.Bottom: Westburn Street.

Catherine Nelson

Arch McAllisterB: 1850

John Fleming Georgina FlemingB: 1844

Ann McEwan

Archibald McAllister

Annie McAllisterB: 1883Helen Meek

B: 1861 M: 1879

Arch McAllisterB: 1850 M: 1879

"omas DenhamB: 1883Georgina Fleming

B: 1844 M: 1867

Robert DenhamB: 1840 M: 1867

James McIntyreB: 1873Jane McTaggart

Duncan McIntyreB: 1850 M: 1875

Ann DouglasB: 1875Ann Gibb

John DouglasM: 1864

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"ere has been a Customs presence in Greenock since the early part of the 18th century, as a response to the smuggling activities rife on the lower Clyde at the time. "e early o$ces are thought to have been in Cathcart Street and West Quay. "e present Customs

House was built in 1818 by the Edinburgh based company of William Burn at a total cost of £30,000. At the time it was deemed to be the &nest Custom House in Britain and its size re%ects the high volume of trade conducted in Greenock. Although the building is still there it sadly no longer houses HM Customs sta!. On the quay in front of the Custom House stands a handsome Corinthian pillar, on top of which is a beautiful light which was erected to facilitate the approach of steam and sailing vessels to the Quay at night. Unfortunately John Fleming died after the birth of his son in 1847 and in the 1851 census his widow was living on an annuity in Tobago St with her three daughters and four year old son, John. By 1861, she had moved to Dalrymple Street with Georgina and John. "e 16 year old Georgina was described as a straw bonnet maker but by the time of her marriage in 1867 she was living in Kinning Park in Glasgow and had progressed to dressmaker. "e Church of Scotland ceremony between Georgina

Top Left: Excerpt from Hutcheson’s directory from 1845

showing John Fleming was a Customs O$cer

Top Right: "e Corinthian pillar at Customhouse Quay

Bottom: "e Custom House

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At the time it was deemed to be the #nest Custom House in Britain and its

size re$ects the high volume of trade conducted in Greenock

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After their marriage Robert and Georgina settled in Greenock living in St Lawrence Street

Fleming and Robert Denham took place in her home in St James’ Terrace in August 1867. Robert Denham was born in Ashtree Cottage on Port Glasgow Road in Greenock in 1840. He was the fourth son of William Denham, a blacksmith and his wife Jane Campbell. He was still living there and working as an engine &tter at the time of his marriage to Georgina. After their marriage Robert and Georgina lived in St Lawrence St in Cartsdyke. "ey had two sons, William born in 1868 and John born in 1869. By the time his sons were born, Robert was a seagoing marine engineer and in 1875 sailed to Shanghai in China on board SV Foochow.

Top: Kinning Park.Middle: Georgina Fleming’s marriage certi&cate.Bottom: Westburn Street.

"omas DenhamB: 1913

Annie McAllisterB: 1883 M: 1903D: 1944

"omas DenhamB: 1883 M: 1903 D:1943

Georgina Denham

Mary McIntyreB: 1916Ann Douglas

B: 1875 M: 1899

James McIntyreB: 1873 M: 1899

Ann DenhamMary McIntyreB: 1916 M: 1938 D: 1994

"omas DenhamB: 1913 M: 1938 D: 1953

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Shanghai’s history is relatively short in comparison to many other Chinese cities. "e British opened up a concession there after the &rst opium war and ignited Shanghai’s evolution. With a population of 23,000,000 it is now the most populated city in the world. Its location at the mouth of the Yangtze River in the middle of the Chinese coast created the opportunity for a busy trading port. Today it is a major &nancial centre and the busiest container port in the world, but in Robert Denham’s time it would have

!e British opened up a concession in Shanghai

after the #rst opium war and ignited

Shanghai’s evolution

been a bustling port on the main trading routes between Europe and the Far East and Australia. Robert died on 8 July 1875 while the ship was in Shanghai and was buried there. "e accompanying entry in his marine records shows the amount due to his estate at the time of his death but not the cause of death. Details of his death are also poignantly recorded on my grandfather’s birth certi&cate eight years later, but in modern parlance, if you do the maths, he was clearly not his father. Although he had obviously no right to the Denham name (other than it was his mother’s married name) it did not prevent him starting his own dynasty in Greenock. In 1903 "omas Denham married Annie McAlister in St Mary’s church in the town. "e couple had eight children in total, four sons: Archibald, "omas (my father), Joseph and Henry, and four daughters: Georgina (known as Ina), Helen (who died in infancy), Mary and

Top: "e Fuzhou teaclipper as painted by Robert PikeBottom Left: Robert Denham’s marine record

Bottom Right: Auntie Margaret

Margaret. "e 1911 census shows them living in West Blackhall Street with the &rst four of their children (the other four were born later) as well as my grandmother’s stepfather Donald McNaughton, her two brothers Henry and Joseph and half sister Mary. My grandparents subsequently moved to Hope Street where they lived until their deaths in 1943 and 1944. "eir children settled in Greenock, with the exception of one daughter, Margaret, and one son, Henry. Margaret and her sister Mary had worked in the Caledonian Foundry during the Second World War. Women were taken on ‘for the duration’ because of the shortage of men. Of course, when the war ended and the soldiers returned to civvy street, the women were all dismissed so that the men could get their jobs back. "ere was no sexual equality in the workplace in those days! Undaunted, Margaret replied to an advert in the Greenock Telegraph and after an interview in the Tontine Hotel was o!ered a job in an hotel in the Derbyshire village of Hathersage. Despite taunts from her brothers that she’d be home within a week, she settled into life in her English village, marrying a local man and raising three children there. She was in fact the longest surviving of the siblings when she died in Derbyshire in 2010 at the grand old age of 85. Perhaps encouraged by his sister’s move, Henry also left the area, though his was a bit more adventurous. In 1950 with his wife and two daughters he emigrated to Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) where he worked in the copper mines. Henry and his family eventually moved to South Africa, where they lived till their deaths. Bringing the saga to a close, my father, "omas, was killed in a shipyard accident in 1953. My younger sister, Jean, following her grandfather’s precedent, was born after her father’s death, but by a mere 2 months, not the 8 years of her ancestor. "is short narrative covers my father’s heritage. Next I want to investigate my mother’s family history to &nd out if they were natives or immigrants.

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n the year 1760, when Great Britain was involved in a war with France for the protection of King George II‘s interests in Hanover, forcible seizure

was resorted to, both in the army and navy, and under one pretext or another, such as being out of employment or their being seamen or having been engaged in the &sheries, numbers of men were torn from their families, the only privilege accorded to the pressed men being their choice of the army or sea service. No sooner was the “Press Gang,” as then called, backed by the military and the use of arms, than scenes of riot and outrage prevailed in the sea ports.”An extract from Brown – "e early annals of Greenock, 1905. "e Royal Navy struggled to recruit enough personnel to man their ships, mostly during times of war. As a solution to this problem they initated an impress service, more commonly known as a press gang. Impressment is the term used to describe the act of taking men into the Royal Navy, using force, with or without notice. "e word press itself is a corruption of the word ‘prest’ which is a French word meaning loan or advance. Many people believe that ordinary civilians with no prior knowledge or work at sea were captured and forced to life at sea. However, this is a common misconception, in reality it tended to be people with a seagoing background who were likely to be impressed. "at’s not to say however that no ordinary civilains were not inducted in to the service without their permission in times of great need. Some petty criminals were given the chance to volunteer for the service in exchange for serving the rest of their sentence. In later years the press gangs would target vagrants and idlers who were sturdy and who they believed capable of service.

"e press gangs covered every port in Britain, with large ports having Captains and smaller ports having a Lieutenant instead. "e senior o$cer was known as the Regulating O$cer and the headquarters were called the Rendezvous, with Greenock’s located at Cross Shore Street and West Quay Head. "e Regulating o$cer would hire local men as ‘gangers’ to form the press gangs, one of the only sure &re ways to avoid being captured. "ere were age limits set for those eligible to be impressed, set at 18-55, however these guidelines were frequently ignored. Upon being captured by the press gangs you were issued an ultimatum: sign up as a volunteer or remain a pressed man and receive nothing. Some governments issued ‘protections’ against impressment, including Britain. "ey were mainly issued to people of certain occupations; however, this is not to say that you were invincible from the press gangs as even these protections could be rendered invalid in times of great need. "e press gangs were met with hostility at ports as you can imagine. It is said that they were met by at least 27 mobs in the &rst year of their arrival in towns. One mob found in Greenock attempted to burn a boat of the Rendezvous kept in the public square. "is situation is said to be the result of built up tension and animosity that existed between the residents of the town and the press gangs. Shortly before this ill fated incident the town had decided to take the matter into their own hands. At a public meeting they had vowed to stick together and protect one another from the unscrupulous men. Alexander Weir, the gang’s next target was successfully impressed and a crowd of around 300-400 had gathered outside the Rendezvous to demand his release. "e Captain at the time promised his release in an attempt to quell

PRESSING TIMESthe Impressment O"cers in Greenock

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the anger but later broke his word, leading to the event that is described by a passage in “Press Gang: Naval Impressment and it’s Opponents in Georgian Britain”: “"e lower class of people in Greenock became very riotous and proceeded to burn everything that came in their way, and about 12 o’clock they hauled one of the boats belonging to the Rendezvous on the Square and put her into the &re, but by the timely assistance of the o$cers and Gangs supported by the Magistrates & a party of Fencibles, the boat was removed tho’ much damaged.” "is form of retaliation against the gangs was uncommon in Britain and set the precedent on how people could protect themselves from being impressed. "ere are numerous records held containing correspondance between the Admirality and the Lieutenant of the Greenock press gangs. "e letters below are about charges brought on George Gentill’s

account for various expenses resulting from the rioting of men in Greenock in the 13th November 1760 when he and 3 of his crew were apprehended and committed to gaol. "ey are for bail, the attendance of a surgeon, subsisting his men, prosecuting the rioters and his own witness’ travelling expenses. Charges of the such were not usually permitted by the Board; however, he requested an exception on his behalf on this instance. Letter 1- “George Gentill, having drawn a bill on us from Greenock for the sum of Forty pounds Sterling to carry on the Impress service, we desire you will let us know the measure of the R. Honourable the Lord Comm. Of the Admiralty whether we shall accept and pay the said Bill, and such o!ers as he may draw on us while on this service”. Letter 2- “In obedience to the directions of the Right Honourable Lords Commissioner of the Admirality, signi&ed by McStephens’s letter of 27 ins, we send you herewith the several articles amounting to £96.12.9 charged in Lieutenant George Gentil’s account for extraordinary disbursement of various kinds, occasioned by a riot in pressing Men at Greenock, which we desire you will lay before their Lordships and admirality”. Another example of a request for funds to the admirality in relation to impressed men in Greenock can be seen below: “I beg leave to enclose you a voucher for twenty beds and forty hammocks purchased of Mr William Donald at 6s for use of new raised men on board the Pomona. "e amount of which I have drawn for,on your Hon the Board, this day. "e Hammocks are delivered into the Boatsmen charges as for his accepted to me, annexed to the voucher.” A story of particular interest can be found in the Judicial Records of Renfrewshire "ere is an interesting opening paragraph that provides a fascinating glimpse into the times when the press gangs would roam the streets in search of their next “volunteers”. “...But no sooner was the press-gang backed by the military, let loose, than scenes of riot and outrage pervaded the country. In the towns of Port Glasgow and Greenock they were of alarming frequency, in consequence of the visit of parties of seamen, armed to the teeth with pistols and cutlases, scouring the quays and streets, entering public-houses and searching merchant ships for seamen for the royal

navy and the peacable inhabitants were exposed and too often made quitely to su!er the most brutal treatment at the hands of these armed parties.” In 1776 there was an investigation into a particularly brutal incident resulting from Liuetenant George Gentill and his gang’s actions. More often than not the authorities were unwilling to involve themselves in the press gang’s a!airs despite some of the violent behaviour and injuries they in%icted upon their victims. In this case they were forced to intervene into an act that was unwarranted and of such ferocity. On the 13th of November 1760, Captain Auld was the target of the press gang’s attention. It is this action that triggered the attentions of the authorities reuslting in a judicial trial. "e story goes: “...he was standing on the public street along with Ninian Spence, coppersmith, and seeing a naval o$cer and a party of armed men coming from the east end of the town, he went into a close to avoid them, but was followed by them down the close, and there attacked and assaulted, and severely wounded in one of his arms with a cutlass; and that several other persons, and among others Nininian Spence, Ronal M’Donald and Archibald Anderson, were also attacked and assaulted by Gentill and his men, without provocation.” A wide selection of characters were examined in relation to the incident. One witness, Mr James M’Donald saw Gentill and his men approaching and questioned them to as what was their purpose. George Gentill revealed that three of his men had deserted them and as a result they were looking for three more to replace them. Gentill and his gang proceeded up New Street in pursuit of three men and were met with an angry response from the townspeople and eventually a mob advanced on them and threw stones at Gentill and his men. Gentill’s gang reataliated by “striking with their cutlasses everybody that came near them, particlularly Captain Auld, Ronald M’Donald, and Archibald Anderson, and saw blood %owing from Captain Auld’s arm. Ninian Spence, with whom Captain Auld had been standing on the street, saw the “gang” coming along the street, when he and the captain went into the close to get out of their way, when they were followed to the foot of the close and struck with cutlasses, and Captain Auld severely wounded.” On examination by a doctor it was said that George Gentill was at risk of having his arm amputated. Despite the wealth of respectable witnesses to account for the scene that Captain Auld described, no prosecution took place. "e Government still had a tendency to side with gangs who recruited much needed“volunteers” for the Navy. It was not until 1814 that the brutal practice of impressing men was ended.

!e lower class of people in Greenock became very riotous and proceeded to burn

everything that came in their way

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hile looking through family photographs I noticed some of

an old gravestone with a cross, an anchor and what intrigued me, words engraved at the base that looked like some sort of a poem. I spoke to the sta! at the Greenock Cemetery who when I called them immediately said “"ere are twenty people in that grave, there is no room for anyone else!” I assured them I was only interested in who was in the grave so they gave me a map to &nd it and a list of my family buried there, the Mooney Family.

W "e grave was purchased by my great, great grandfather Daniel in 1873, for £1.10 shillings. I was right about the poem, it reads: Short was the warning that came from the Lord above,!at took me from my wife and the children that I love,Forbear to weep tis vain to mournFrom dust I came and now to dust return. From the grave I then decided I would try to trace the people on the list. From the parish records of St. Mary’s, the Watt Library and the Registrar’s O$ce I collected a lot of information.

By Grace Binnie

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In the 1830s a Dennis Mooney, his wife Mary and their son Daniel arrived in Greenock from Ireland, I am still searching for the county, it seems that the name Mooney is all over Ireland on pubs, I guess that’s a ‘hands on’ search for the future. Dennis was a blacksmith and they lived in William St where their daughter Susan was born 1839 and son Henry in 1841. I have little information about Susan, but Henry married in Glasgow. In 1850 Daniel, who had joined the Merchant Navy met and married Elizabeth Dick, from Paisley, in St. Mary’s Greenock. "ey had four children, but three of them died before their third birthday and

I am still searching for the county, it seems that the name Mooney is all over

Ireland on pubs

Daniel MooneyB: 1829

Mary O’Neil

Dennis Mooney Susan MooneyB: 1839

Henry MooneyB: 1841

Sarah MooneyB: 1850

Elizabeth DickM: 1850

Daniel MooneyB: 1829 M: 1850

Daniel MooneyB: 1853

James MooneyB: 1856

Henry MooneyB: 1862

Top: Daniel Mooney’s register

ticket Bottom: An early

blacksmith

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are buried in our grave. When Daniel left the navy in 1854 he joined Elizabeth, who was a fruiterer and poulterer, in her shop. "ey appear in the Post O$ce Directories of 1859 as grocers at 8 Manse Lane, then in 7 East Quay Lane and then in 1879 their shop was at 5 William Street. When Daniel died in 1884, Elizabeth decided to leave Greenock, it was she who put up the gravestone with its inscription, and she bought a shop in Innellan. "e shop was a success. My grandfather used to tell of visiting her and helping in the shop. Elizabeth died in 1897 and, the story goes, most of her son Daniel’s inheritance went to her lawyer. "is possibly happened because Daniel could neither read nor write. Perhaps I should look for his descendants! In 1874 in St. Lawrence’s Greenock, Daniel married Mary Rogers from Belfast.

Elizabeth died in 1897 and, the story goes most of her son Daniel’s inheritance went to her lawyer

Top: East Quay Lane.Middle: Manse Lane.Bottom: A fruiterer and poulterer.

14

"ey were both twenty one and they lived in Stanners Lane where two of their children Daniel and Mary were born. Daniel joined the merchant navy in 1884, I recently found his Ticket of Register, No. 356387, and that the Port of Greenock was No.97, from these I hope to &nd the names of his ships and destinations. On Daniel’s &rst voyage to Australia he and some others were forced, or shanghaied from the ship, to work on a sheep farm. It was two years before he could pay his passage home. Amazingly, a few years later the owner of the farm came to Greenock to apologise and recompensed Mary and the children for all the grief and hardship he had caused. Daniel and Mary moved to 16 William Street where on the 25th of December 1881 my grandfather, Peter was born. "ey had one more child Sarah. She was a character and full

Tommy was called up and sent to Burma. It was to be six years before he

saw Nancy and the boys again

of fun. Peter married Gracie MacNeil from Barra in St. Mary’s in July 1903. He was a foundry labourer and Gracie was a %ax mill worker. "ey lived in West Stewart Street and had six children Daniel, Peter, "omas, Helen, James and Mary. In 1912 Daniel, aged nine, died in Gateside Hospital. Peter was sent to the Watt College in 1919 and trained as a Radio Operator. His &rst voyage, like his grandfather’s, was to Australia and was so bad that he and a few others jumped ship and stayed. He never came home again. Peter married Edna and they had a daughter Joan and son Maxwell. It wasn’t until 1982 after her father had died, that Joan traced, found and came over to meet with our family. At the start of World War 2 Tommy ("omas) was married to Nancy McIver and they had a daughter Grace who died at 18 months and two sons, Peter and James. Tommy was called up in WWII and sent to Burma. It was to be six years before he saw Nancy and the boys again. But they saw him: along with many others Nancy, Peter and Jim went to a Glasgow cinema where they watched a Movie Tone News Reel as all the men marched forward through the mud (it was monsoon time

Top: Stanners LaneMiddle: An

Australian sheep farmer

Bottom: William Street as painted by

Patrick Downie

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15

in Burma); each would stop at the camera and speak to his family. Peter and Jim were about nine and seven, but they still remember their Dad telling them he loved them, missed them and to be good for their mother. "ere was a party in the welfare building when Tommy &nally came home. "e youngest Mary never married but stayed with her sister Helen and her husband Hugh Maloney. "ey had two daughters Elizabeth and May. May died in 1944 aged only 10 months. In October 1939 Jimmy married Bridget MacDonald in St. Lawrence’s. "ey lived in West Stewart St (where Jimmy was born) and had three daughters Joan, Helen and me. Jimmy was a sapper in the Royal Engineers, but his stories about the war were how Bridget would ask him on his next leave to bring home nylons. He was in North Africa and because he had a rare blood type: if you rubbed the khaki uniforms hard against

Daniel Mooney

Mary RogersM: 1874

Daniel MooneyB: 1853 M: 1874

Mary Mooney

Peter MooneyB: 1881

Sarah Mooney

Daniel Mooney

Gracie MacNeil

Peter MooneyB: 1881 M: 1903

Peter Mooney

James MooneyB: 1910

Mary Mooney

"omas Mooney

Helen Mooney

Joan MooneyB: 1940

Bridget MacDonald

James MooneyB: 1910 M: 1939 Helen Mooney

B: 1942

Grace MooneyB: 1947

He had a rare blood type: if you rubbed the khaki uniforms hard against his skin it would come up in great welts

his skin it would come up in great welts and he and his friends put this to good use. "ey would create the welts and take him for medical treatment to the US doctors. He would be admitted and they would visit him at meal times. It had to be the American base because their food was so much better than the British. "ey had a party for Jimmy in the “wash house” when he came home. I have not yet found out the history of all the people buried in our grave but I am now beginning to put together the lives and stories of our family since we arrived in Greenock about 180 years ago.

Top: My parents in Rothesay.Bottom Left: My Grandmother Grace MacNeil Mooney with her daughters Helen and Mary.Bottom Right: St Lawrence’s church.

16

reenock and Port Glasgow have long ties with shipbuilding spanning over two centuries. One of the &rst recorded

shipyards in the area was founded by John Scott in 1711. "e business was set up around Cartsburn and initially specialised in building herring busses and small &shing crafts. By 1728 there existed around nine hundred likewise &shing boats, all locally built. After John Scott’s death, the business passed to his son and the business would pass from father to son like this for the duration of the company. However, the business did not su!er as a result of this and the company passed through the control of eight people and down six generations, all direct descendents of the yard’s founder. In doing so it still managed to maintain its strong position as one of the world’s leading shipbuilding companies. When William Scott took over control of the business he worked with his brother to extend the business in regards to the extent of vessels built. It was not until 1765 that the yard produced the &rst square-rigged ship, which was the &rst built on the Clyde for owners out of Scotland. After the American War of Independence, Scottish owners had no other choice but to order from suppliers in their own country. Scott’s were prepared in advance for this and it allowed them their &rst real chance to build for the world. John(II) Scott who was in control of the company at this point managed to take the company into a bold new age of expansion. He controlled the company with the help of his brother, William(II), until 1838. It is sometimes said

that John Scott(II) was one of the most in%uential &gures in the &rm’s history. Described as ‘Clever, Shrewd and of a Cheerful Temperament’, John had a great deal of success with the company under his control. His father had left him enough capital to ensure continued expansion of the company and John had used the money to do exactly this. However, he also had a &rm place in the development of steam power and was the &rst to make contact with the Admirality- this was in 1806 when Scott’s built the Prince of Wales. Despite the responsibility and demands placed upon him by the running of the company he still managed to be actively involved in the community and was responsible for the construction of Greenock’s Custom House Quay. His other interests included yachts and he was also a partner in the Greenock Bank. Charles C. Scott, the son and successor of John(II), was a pioneer in the construction of steam liners and warships. Seven years after the launch of the Comet, Scott’s began to build what was then the biggest steamships in Britain.At this time the company had worked on a number of di!erent clippers, one notable one being “"e Lord of the Isles”, which made a record voyage from China in 1856. Like his father before him, Charles was a partner in the Greenock Bank, and was unfortunate to be so at a time of a robbery, that garnered much attention, on the 9th of March 1928. "e thieves had carefully planned their assault on the bank, having arrived in Greenock months before and chosen the bank as their target, believing

JOHN SCOTTthe Evolution of an Empire

G

17

it had weak points they would be able to exploit. "is was at a time where the death penalty was still legal in Britain, so theft was not something to be considered frivolously. After %eeing they were pursued by Charles Scott to London. He was unable to catch up with them; however, he managed to make contact with the thieves and agreed to meet at London Bridge, where the stolen money was handed back to him. In the &rst half of the nineteenth century, the &rm continued to produce a long series of sailing ships, while contributing to the development of the steamship. "ere was a close relationship between Scott’s and the family of the inventor James Watt. It only seems logical therefore that they would be among the &rst to enter in to the construction of steamships. "e &rst steamship on the Clyde was built in 1819 by Scott’s and was intended for trade between Clyde and Liverpool. "e company purchased an engine works in Greenock in 1825 and began to build steamers for the long trade routes to the Middle and Far East. "ey were kept a%oat during the Great Depression by warship orders and when work was slow they seized the opportunity to swap East Cartsdyke yard with Mid Cartsdyke yard. "e Cartsburn yard was exclusively for the work of Naval construction during World War 2. After World War 2 the yard reverted back to its original purpose of merchant shipbuilding. In 1914 after a series of rigorous diving tests Scotts was the &rst shipyard in Scotland to build a submarine."e company constantly worked to improve their submarine designs and equipment, keeping their name fresh in the Admiralties mind. Two more subs of the same design were built by the company, named S2 and S3, in addition to the motor driven subs E31 and E52 that had mine laying capabilities. "e last submarine to be built was the Otama in 1975. On the 21st December 1965, the merger of Scott’s Cartsburn Dockyard and the Cartsdyke shipyard was announced. "is merger took e!ect on the 1st of April 1966 and Scott’s had one continuous shipyard which had a been a goal for them for quite some time. After competition from the Far East, it was clear that a radical approach would have to be taken in order for the yards to compete internationally. "e Geddes Committee of Enquiry into the Shipbuilding Industry was set up in 1966 and the &ndings in 1968 led to the merger of Scott’s and Lithgow’s. It was in 1970 that the merger took place and Scott Lithgow Ltd. was fomed with a 60/40 split with Scott’s controlling the larger portion. During the 1970’s the &rm continued to make huge tankers and naval ships. On the 1st of July 1977 the shipyards were nationalised and Scott Lithgows were absorbed into British Shipbuilders. Almost immediately the yards began to run out of

orders."e last ship to be launched from the Cartsdyke yard was on the 8th August 1979 and the last ship launched from the Cartsburn yard was on the 19th of February 1980. "e yard was privatised in 1984 and sold to Trafalgar House Consortium. Trade ceased immediately after this and the last vessell built by Scott Lithgow was the Ocean Alliance, now located o! the coast of Brazil. "is was a self propelled semi-submersible drilling rig. "e company believed that there was a future in building these types of vessels, however the venture in to this market did not yield the results they hoped for. "e fact that the rig was overdue and they had overbid for it, some say was the &nal straw in the collapse of the company. "e demise of the company was attributed to a number of factors. It was said that there was pressure on the yards to modernise, yet there wasn’t adequate investment to promote this. "e Far East, in particular countries like Japan and China, were building their ships entirely from scratch and therefore were able to implement the most modern equipment into their design. Moreover, a lack of subsidization from the government for national industry was said to have contributed greatly to the matter. Scottish shipbuilders were unable to compete with countries whose governments were providing support for their shipyards. "e yard was dismantled between the years of 1987 and 1995 to make room for a redevelopment of the area, ending the 250 year reign of one of the most innovative and renowned shipyards in the world.

It was clear that a radical approach would have to be taken in order for the yards to compete internationally

Top: "e Ocean Alliance oil rig.Middle: “"e Lord of the Isles.”Bottom: An early submarine built by Scotts.

18

his photo of my grandmother Jane Stewart with her husband William and

her son Duncan and daughter Catherine (my mother) was taken in 1911. "e 1911 census reveals that my grandmother was 29 and my grandfather was 28.

"ey were recorded as living at 27 Scott’s Lane, Port Glasgow.My grandfather, William Stewart was born in 1885. In 1907 when he was 22 years old he worked as an apprentice iron plater in the shipyards of Port Glasgow. When he was fully quali&ed he probably helped to build ships launched at Fergusons and Lamonts.

T

By Jean Campbell

19

Martha McCluskyB: 1857Ann Doris

James McCarthy

Duncan McCorkindaleJane Black

Lachlan McCorkindale

Catherine McQuireCatherine Burns

John McQuire

John StewartAnn McCarthur

Nelson Stewart

In 1917, King George V embarked on a tour of the merchant shipyards, marine engine builders and steel mills in the UK. He spent four days in the west of Scotland. It’s almost certain that William Stewart would have witnessed this having worked in one of the shipyards the King visited. When the ships were launched they were then taken to the &tting out bay which surrounded Rodger’s old shipbuilding yard. In the 1890’s these were the harbours and yards of Port Glasgow but during world war 2 Rodger’s old shipbuilding yard and East Harbour on Long Quay were taken over by the admiralty and named HMS Monck. At the time this was largely used for the construction, assembly and repair of troop landing crafts.

HMS Monck was the combined training headquarters commissioned at Largs in 1942. By 1944 the establishment covered operations carrier training, the naval barracks and the landing craft base at Port Glasgow. "e shore billets and accommodation for the base were located south east of the town on the high ground, known locally as High Carnegie. In the early 1950’s the remainder of these buildings became known as the Holy Family area.

When the ships were launched they were then taken to the #tting out bay

Top: An ariel view of Greenock shipyards.Bottom: King George V visting the shipyards.

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On the 11th of September 1946 the Greenock Telegraph printed the following article, describing the council’s plan for the disused Naval Camp. "e article reads as follows:

“Port will use Naval Camp for housing”

Port Glasgow town council has o$cially taken over the naval camp HMS Monck and will turn it into emergency housing accommodation. "e move forestalls intending squatters who will if they move into the camp without permission forfeit any claim they have to a new house. "is step follows several months of unsuccessful negotiations between the Town Council and the Department of Health for Scotland for the necessary grant to enable the camp to be turned into temporary housing accommodation suitable for a period of up to ten years. It was estimated that it would cost £360 per house to carry out this plan which was turned down by the Department on the grounds that skilled labour and materials required to convert the Nissen huts into temporary housing would not be justi&ed.

Warning to Squatters

Mr R. Moore Town Clerk informs the telegraph today however, that the town council has now accepted a proposal by the Department that it should take over the camp for emergency housing for a limited period of say, two to three years. Only the minimum adaptations will be permitted and lavatory facilities will be communal. A charge will be made to occupants to cover local rates and lighting. "e town council is inviting applications from persons who are prepared to occupy the huts on this basis, and applications should be lodged with the Burgh Factor not later than 28 September. It is not expected that the huts will be available before the 31st of October. It is pointed out that any person that applies for and receives the tenancy of a Nissen hut will not thereby prejudice his application for a post-war house. But any person entering the camp will automatically forfeit any right to be considered for the tenancy of a post-war house.

Intending squatters who will if they move into the camp without permission

forfeit any claim they have to a new house

Top: Port Glasgow Harbour

Right: A Nissen hut..

21

"e Holy Family church was opened in 1946 and the &rst mass was said in a Nissen hut onsite of the disused naval facility, the HMS Monck. I found an interesting article from the Greenock Telegraph that describes the opening of the new Holy Family Church. "e article from the 7th of May 1963 is as follows:

Bishop lays foundation stone at ‘Port’ Church

Watched by several hundred people who gathered in the almost completed building, Bishop Black of Paisley, on Tuesday night laid foundation stone of the new Holy Family Church at Broad&eld, Port Glasgow. He also inserted in the stone a casket containing newspapers, current coins and a document recounting the history of the parish and of the struggle of the people to build the new church. In a speech afterwards he said “Please God that it may be many generations hence that this document will be seen again.” In his remarks Bishop Black said that the foundation stone had been set in place as a memorial of this great occasion for the parishioners who were raising on this site a monument to the glory of God.

Jean McCorkindaleB: 1883Martha McClusky

B: 1857 M: 1878

Duncan McCorkindaleM: 1878

William StewartB: 1884Catherine

McQuireD: 1903

John StewartD: 1844

Catherine StewartB: 1910

Jean McCorkindaleB: 1883 M: 1907D: 1966

William StewartB: 1884 M: 1907D: 1940

Years of waiting “After long years of waiting to see your hopes so nearly realised you will not have long to wait now until the work is &nished”, he said. Soon they would gather for the opening ceremony and then it would be truly a house of God in this new part of the old town of Port Glasgow. Bishop Black was assisted by Rev. T O’Dwyer, Rev. P Burke and Rev. Patrick Woods. Also present were a number of canons and parish priests from churches in the district. Work on the new church began 18 months ago and the structure has now been completed. Work on the interior is well under way and the opening ceremony is expected to take place in the mid summer. For some years people of the parish have been attending services in an old war-time building a short distance away from the new building. It was Rev. Father Sweeney who converted the Nissan hut to the church and for 13 years mass was said here before moving in 1959 to the new Holy Family church at High Carnegie.

For some years people of the parish have been attending services in an old war-time building

Left "e Holy Family Church.

22

"e hall had many social events – basket teas, record hops, boxing classes etc. On a Sunday afternoon there was a &lm show, perhaps we would see it, perhaps not – only if the projector was working! I myself was schooled in one of the Nissen huts located in the naval camp and I have many memories of the time I spent there.

"e site was to be the church, school and social hall, but remember, the Nissen huts belonging to HMS Monck, were accommodation for those who worked at the HMS Monck down at the harbour. "ey were split in the middle by a big wall and two families lived in a single hut. One family on one side and one family in another. It was usually a single room and had

What fun we had wading through the puddles, which could

be found in all of the classrooms

a little stove in it but it didn’t have water in it or anything like that and there were no toilets or anything. "ey had to use a block of huts to wash etc. Some of the people from Port Glasgow have very fond memories of these. "e school was not always watertight but what fun we had wading through the puddles, which could be found in all of the classrooms. Also there was a tuck shop, an old building beside the school, where we bought delicious penny treacle scones. "e teachers were quite strict in those days. Some of them did use the belt and throw dusters at us if we stepped out of line. "e teachers I can remember are Mr Mitchell, the headmaster, Miss Ryan, she taught me to knit a cotton face cloth, Mr Watson, Mrs Conway, Mr Morrow, the duster thrower. When he was cleaning the blackboard and someone was talking he would turn around and &re the duster. Miss Richardson and of course Miss Byrne, she was my favourite. "e photo of my husband and I was taken at one of the many basket teas in the Holy Family hall (one of the Nissan huts of the HMS Monck). We were not romantically attached then, just friends. All my friends and I attended these. "ese basket teas were organized by the Ladies Guild of the church. "e ladies would dust o! their china sets, organize tables with food and sell tickets, the proceeds of which went towards the church funds. "ese dances were the highlight of our month when we were &fteen years old. Next door to the hall was the snooker room which held two full size billard tables. "is was where all the boys frequented. When the hall was not in use for basket teas it was used for the boxing club that was organized by Father Patrick Burke. We were extremely lucky when we were young because all our socialising was done within the church and hall when we were teenagers. All in all at that time our whole life revolved around what had been the HMS Monck. Today the then used naval base is now the “dead centre” of the Port – "e Cemetery!

Top: Me with my future husbandBottom: Port

Glasgow Cemetery

23

s the shipbuilding industry began to change the landscape of the town another industry began to make its mark. "e

Industrial Revolution was making changes to agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation and technology. It was to have a profound e!ect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of Britain. "e history of the sugar re&ning industry in Greenock spans over two hundred years. Trade between the Clyde and the West Indies began about 1732. "e &rst sugar re&nery was set up in 1765 by a group of West Indian merchants and was located at the bottom of Sugarhouse Lane, close to where the Oak Mall now stands today. "e promoters of the venture amounted to eight in total, their names being as follows: Messrs Alex Wilson of Glanderstone, "omas Hopkirk, Claud Alexander of Newton and Arthur Connel, merchants in Glasgow, with Messrs "omas Dunlop, Archibald White and William MacCunn, merchants in Greenock. "ey enlisted Mark Khull, a German immigrant who also had one-eighth share in the concern, as their practised partner (boiler). "e company was named "e Greenock Sugar House Company. Germany was home to the &rst sugar re&nery, opened in 1537, and the Germans were considered masters in the trade. However, in Greenock it tended to be wealthy local merchants who owned and ran the factories and the hard labour was left for the Irish and German immigrants. With

the sudden surge in industry in the town it is no surprise that many immigrants arrived in the area to seek employment as they were often leaving behind places with very few opportunities and widespread poverty. In 1747 Andreas Margaraf, a German chemist, managed to &nd a way to extract sugar from beet in a form that was suitable for use in cooking. Europe’s temperature provided the optimum conditions for the crop to grow. "e introduction of this crop was to have a fatal impact on Greenock whose main source of sugar derived from sugar cane in Britain’s colonies in the West Indies. Export of re&ned sugar from Britain began to fall and there began to be an increase in output from mainland Europe, mainly from France, Belgium and Austria. In 1874 the Prime Minister, William Gladstone, made a decision to remove the duty on sugar and make it more a!ordable to the ordinary citizen of Britain. An increase in consumption followed and Greenock began to increase its output. By 1881 Greenock had reached its highest meltings yet at 260,299 tons. Cane sugar was still Greenock’s main source or raw sugar, however beetroot was beginning to become a competitor and out of the 260,229 tons melted that year, 100,000 had derived from beet sugar. Almost ten years later, in 1890, the situation was %ipped on its head and the majority of meltings that year were derived from that beet sugar. Of the 222,000 tons, 213,000 were imported from Germany and only 7000 tons imported from Java.

Mark Khulland the Sugar Capital of Scotland

A

24

With Greenock now becoming a hub for international trade it became clear that the harbours were too small to accommodate the demand placed upon them. "ere was a scheme in place to build new harbours to increase the capacity. Many harbours were created as a result of this, including the Victoria Harbour, Albert Harbour and the James Watt Dock. Construction of the James Watt Dock commenced on the 1st of August 1878. It was completed in 1886 and it was built with the intention of being able to accommodate transatlantic vessels and compete with the Queen’s Dock in Glasgow. "e original budget was set at £242,885 5s 3d however, it proceeded to be a much more costly investment

than initially thought and the &nal cost of the project totalled £634,3438s 3d or (£850,000 if including the price of the land). Despite its high cost the development proved successful and the growth in trade allowed for expansion in the town. By 1864, a quarter of Britain’s sugar re&neries were located in Port Glasgow or Greenock and it was said there was no town outside of London carrying out the trade so extensively, leading to Greenock to be dubbed as ‘Sugaropolis’, the sugar capital of Scotland. "e Westburn re&nery was the last sugar re&nery to operate in Scotland. It was a large multi-period complex incorporating 19th century fabric, but also including buildings rebuilt after damage in the Greenock Blitz of 1941, and some post-

war structures. "e Westburn re&nery belonged latterly to Tate & Lyle. "e re&nery closed in 1998 as a result of falling demand for re&ned sugar. One of the biggest names to have arisen out of the sugar re&ning industry in Greenock is undoubtedly Abram Lyle. Abram Lyle was born in Greenock in 1820. In 1865, with the help of four business partners he purchased "e Glebe Sugar Re&nery. With the help of his three sons he bought two wharves at Plaistow in East London in 1881 with the aim of using is as a sugar re&nery. Abram Lyle and sons merged with Henry Tate and sons in 1921. Before the merger the two men were said to be bitter business rivals with their factories in London located within a very short distance of one another, however they were said to have never met each other in person. Lyle was aware of the fact that the sugar re&ning process created a by-product in the form of a treacly syrup that most often went to waste. However, Lyle saw an opportunity here; to re&ne this product into something that could be used as a preserve and sweetener for cooking. At the beginning it proved popular although it was only distributed locally. However, it was soon selling in large quantities all around the country. "e factory still stands today and over a million tins of syrup leave the factory each month. "ey are still one of the biggest suppliers of re&ned sugar in Great Britain. "e sugar trade was beginning to slow in Greenock by the latter half of the 20th century and in 1997 the last of Greenock’s sugar re&neries, owned by Tate and Lyle, closed and Greenock’s long connection with sugar was severed. "e Sugar Sheds, located on James Watt Dock, is where both the raw and re&ned sugar was stored. It is Scotland’s largest surviving cast-iron and brick industrial structure and is categorized as an A-listed building. "e Sheds lie mostly vacant today; however, the are a legacy of the town’s past and most importantly, a monument to Industry.

A quarter of Britain’s sugar re#neries were located in Port Glasgow or Greenock and it was said there was no town outside of

London carrying out the trade so extensively

Top: An Ariel view of the sugar sheds

Bottom Left: Sugarhouse Lane

Bottom Right: "e Tate & Lyle re&nery

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25

An IrishFamily in Greenock

An IrishFamily in Greenock

hen I &rst started investigating my family tree on my mother’s side I had very little information. I W

By Frances M Dunlop

knew that my grandfather died sometime in the early 1940s, well before I was born. Using the excellent ScotlandsPeople website, I soon found the record of his death in 1941. From there I was able to trace back, and &nd a wealth of information in a relatively short time. It was the story of a fairly typical Irish family, one of thousands who came to Scotland looking for a better life. But there were a few surprises along the way. Below are the stories of some of the people I encountered. My great-great-grandfather John Donnelly was the son and grandson of farm workers in Ireland, possibly near Dungannon in Co. Tyrone, at the time when the country was devastated by the potato famine. In the years 1845 - 1850 over a

million people died of starvation and many more emigrated, seeking a better life overseas. In 1846 or 1847 John, with his wife Isabella, sons Francis, aged about 9, and baby James, left Ireland to settle in Greenock. "ey probably sailed from Derry or Belfast. Given the age gap between Francis and James, it is likely that other children had been born and died. Five more children were born in Greenock: John, Bernard, Edward I, Mary and Edward II. Edward, born in 1851 and named after his maternal grandfather, died in infancy. "e next son was also named Edward. "e Donnelly children were baptised in old St Mary’s, East Shaw Street, and all went to school. "eir parents, John & Isabella, were unable to write. John & Isabella’s eldest son, Francis, was 14 years old in 1851. He was at that

Left: Old St Mary’s church and school, East Shaw St.

26

time an apprentice blockmaker (probably pulley blocks for shipbuilding). So far, there is no further record of him after this. John served in the police for a few years, but later found work as a labourer in one of Greenock’s sugar re&neries. "e work was hard, dirty and dangerous, in almost unbearable heat. Conditions were so bad that it was di$cult to recruit workers, except among the immigrant Irish, many of whom were destitute and desperate. Most of the workforce of Greenock’s sugar industry in the nineteenth century was Irish. "ere is something puzzling here. Why did John leave the police for the di$cult and dangerous work of the sugarhouse? Or was he dismissed from the service for some reason? How unusual was it for an Irish Catholic to be in the police force in the &rst place?

John Donnelly appears as a policeman in the 1851 census, living in Charles Street. Presumably he is the same “John Donnelly, police o$cer”, listed in the Post O$ce Directories 1849-1852. ("e addresses vary, but it was normal for people to “%it at the term”.) "e following year, 1853-1854, there is no entry in the Directory, but in 1855-1856 we have “Donnelly John, labourer, 67 Vennel”. By the 1861 census he is listed as a “sugar baker”, having presumably served his time in the intervening years. So what happened? Unfortunately the Greenock police records don’t go back this far, so we are left to conjecture. I have a feeling about this. "e 1850s were troubled years in Greenock, as in the rest of the country. "e question of Home Rule for Ireland dominated British politics at this time, and there were strong feelings on each side, breaking out into &ghts and civil disorder from time to time. On 27 December 1852 a riot broke out in Sir Michael Street, where St Patrick’s Band were holding a concert. A hostile crowd gathered outside the hall, shouting slogans, and clashed with police who were stationed there in case of trouble. One policeman, unnamed in the newspaper report, was struck in the face by a stone and seriously injured. Could this have been John Donnelly? Could this be the reason why he left the police and found work in the sugar re&nery? Given the correspondence in dates, my feeling is that his departure from the force was somehow connected with the disturbances of these years.

!e “backlands” were ramshackle tenements crammed into every available space,

overcrowded and insanitaryMary McCosker

John Donnelly

Edward ToalIsabella Toal

Mary Donnelly

Simon DonnellyB: 1790 D: 1861

James DonnellyB: 1844

Isabella ToalD: 1873

John DonnellyD: 1882

John Donnelly

Bernard DonnellyB: 1849

Edward Donnelly(I)

Mary Donnelly

Edward Donnelly(II)

Top Left: Greenock Burgh Police

Top Right: "e backlands of the

VennelBelow: One of

Greenock’s sugar re&neries

By 1861 two of his sons, John and Bernard, were apprentices in the sugarhouse with their father. Young John was aged 14; Bernard was 12. It was hard, dirty work for young boys. "e family had settled in the Vennel, one of Greenock’s main thoroughfares. By this time the notorious “backlands” had grown up behind the original houses and shops. "e “backlands” were ramshackle tenements crammed into every available space, overcrowded and insanitary. Eight Donnellys were crowded into a room and kitchen: father, mother, &ve children and grandfather - John’s widowed father who had come over from Ireland to live with them. John’s father died aged 71 of “natural decay”. He was blind at the time of his death.

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!e Sad Story of James Donnelly, !e Blind Fiddler.

John and Isabella’s son James was attending school at the age of six, but lost his sight. Disease? Accident? We don’t know. He learned to play the &ddle, and earned his living as a street musician. When he was 24 he met and married Ann Flynn, a hawker. She was six years older than he was; maybe she felt protective towards him. "ey had a baby boy, born on St Patrick’s Day 1869, and named Francis Patrick. "e baby died of hydrocephalus (perhaps caused by infection) aged 11 months. His mother, Ann, died a few months later in Greenock Poorhouse (Captain Street). Cause of death was given as renal dropsy. In 1871 James was back living with his parents, sister Mary and 14 year old brother Edward. "e following year James had another chance of happiness. On 22 April 1872 he married Sarah Muldoon in Belfast, and brought her back to Greenock, where they set up home in the Vennel, near James’s parents, later moving to Tobago Street. One year later baby Isabella was born, named after her grandmother, James’s mother.

But more heartbreak followed for James with the death of his mother from bronchitis, just two months after the birth of her wee namesake. It was James who registered the death, making his mark with a cross. His father, John, may have been incapacitated by a stroke by this time. He was looked after by his daughter Mary, and moved in with her after her marriage. In October 1874 Sarah gave birth to twin girls, Mary and Elizabeth. Baby Elizabeth died aged two months, after su!ering convulsions for twelve days. As with baby Francis Patrick, there was no medical attendant – they probably couldn’t a!ord a doctor. After this there is no further record of James and his family in Greenock. Perhaps they went to Ireland to be near Sarah’s family in Belfast. Let’s hope that the rest of their life was happier for them after leaving the Greenock slums.

Top: Census records showing that James was a blind street musician.Below: “"e Blind Fiddler” by Sir James Wilkie.

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Bernard Donnelly and !e Kangaroo

In the 1860s Jane Collins was living in Charles St with her parents, two sisters and two brothers. Her father John was a carter at the docks. Aged 13, Jane worked as a spinner in the Merino Mill. She had little or no schooling and was unable to sign her name. Later she was employed as a French polisher, probably in one of the shipyards. In February 1868 Jane married Bernard Donnelly (brother of James the blind &ddler). She was 20, he was a few

Conditions were dreadful and wages were low, so it was no wonder that at

some time after his marriage Bernard

decided to go to sea

Jane Collins

Frances Sarah Donnelly

Bernard DonnellyM: 1868

Lizzie McCall

John DonnellyB: 1868

John DonnellyB: 1868

Robert DonnellyB: 1874

Jane DonnellyB: 1877

Francis "omas DonnellyB: 1880

Frances Mary DunlopFrances Sarah

Donnelly

John Dunlop

months younger. Jane had been baptised in the Church of Scotland, but was married in St Mary’s. (New St Mary’s, Patrick Street, opened just six years previously.) "e young couple lived in West Burn Street. "eir &rst son, John, was born in June 1868. (Oops!) From the age of twelve Bernard had worked as a sugarhouse labourer, following in his father’s footsteps. Conditions were dreadful and wages were low, so it was no wonder that at some time after his marriage Bernard decided to go to sea. His family was growing. In 1874 a second son was born, named Robert Archibald Raven Donnelly. Raven? Well, he was born “On board of the Liverpool steamer ‘Raven’ lying at Steamboat Quay, Greenock”. Archibald is not a family name. Perhaps the baby was given the name of the Master of the vessel. "ree years later a daughter arrived, named Jane, after her mother, and known as Jeannie. She was born, more conventionally, at 11 Bearhope St. Her father Bernard was away at sea at the time. Some time later the family moved to London and lived for a few years in West Ham, where the youngest child, Francis "omas, was born in 1880. In 1882 Bernard, aged 32, sailed as a stoker /&reman on board SS Kangaroo.When the ship was somewhere in the Mediterranean Bernard died of asphyxia, most likely in an engine room mishap, or overcome by fumes when cleaning out a hold. He seems to have been buried at sea, no doubt by John Seymour, Master of the Kangaroo. "rough the miracle of the internet I was able to make contact with Dougal Watson in New Zealand, the great-great-grandson of John Seymour. He commented: “So my great great grandfather ‘buried’ your great grandfather. What an introduction!” Dougal has done extensive research into the voyages of Captain Seymour. He says: “It’s not clear, from what little I have, what exactly happened. It does appear that he died some time, short or long, before they reached Malta.

Top Left: S.S Kangaroo Top Right: Bernard and Jane

Donnelly Bottom: Capt. John Seymour

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"e family came back to Greenock from London and lived in Cathcart Street. Bernard’s widow, Jane, found work as a housekeeper. "e two older boys worked in the shipyards, as riveters. Young Jeannie, at 14, was a message girl. After some years, at the age of 46, Jane remarried. Her second husband was James Meechan, a widower of the same age, who was a sugarhouse labourer. Two years later, in 1898, her eldest son John (Jack) married Lizzie McCall of "e Moy in Co. Tyrone. Jack had relatives in Dungannon, and I presume he met Lizzie while he was visiting these cousins. Returning to Scotland, they settled in Clydebank, where Jack at &rst worked in John Brown’s shipyard, but he built up his own business dealing in second-hand furniture, and later in antiques. Jack and Lizzie had a family of eight, one of whom was my mother.

"e family came back to Greenock, where after a few moves, they &nally settled in the %at where I still live. My mother grew up and married Jackie Dunlop. But that’s another story!

He built up his own business dealing in second-hand furniture

Top Left: Lizzie Donnelly with her daughter Frances, my mother.Top Right: My Grandfather Jack Donnelly.Bottom Left: Jack Donnelly as a very young man.Bottom Right: Jack And Lizzie Donnelly at the time of their marriage.

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hen considering the history of the whaling industry in Greenock it is perhaps helpful to start with the

origin of the word Cappielow. "e name Cappielow is synonymous with football fans throughout Scotland. Home to the blue and white hooped Greenock Morton, the ancient concrete terracing has borne witness to many a historic event over the years, such as a celebratory lap by Olympic Gold medallist Eric Liddle and unfortunately, the &rst football riot in Scotland. But very little is actually known about how the stadium actually got its name. Belief around the club is that it is Scandinavian in origin. However further details are few and far between. While doing a bit of background research on Greenock in general we happened to stumble across a few lines in the statistical accounts for Scotland that we found particularly interesting: “Half way between the towns of Greenock and Port Glasgow, is Cappielow, where (according to tradition, favoured by the name of the place, and several ruinous years, as they are termed,) some'Dutch'&shers, long ago resided.” "is one solitary sentence has added further context on how the stadium got its name, and has opened up a whole new area for investigation, the whale &shing industry in Greenock.

It is believed that as far back as 1752 a white-&shing station was set up near Garvel Point, not far from where Cappielow stands today. With the area looking like something of a ‘hub’ for &shing it was only a matter of time before others made use of it. "e Ordnance Gazette of Scotland is particularly useful in helping us to identify a little bit more about the region and informs us that around the time the white-&shing station was established some Dutch whalers settled in Cartsdyke and had some small success, dispatching four ships to the Greenland seas in one year. "e success of these Dutch whalers was short lived as the venture was not deemed to be pro&table enough to be sustained for a great period of time. "ere was something of a brief resurgence in the industry around thirty years later. According to Daniel Weir it was: “…revived again in 1786, at which time there were three large ships employed in the trade…” In 1810 a gentleman and ship captain by the name of William Scoresby was partaking in a tour of Scotland with his son.It was while visiting a merchant in Greenock that Mr. Scoresby was presented with an interesting business venture. It became clear that Scoresby was a captain of some considerable standing, and spoke often of his ventures as part of the northern whale

WILLIAM SCORESBYand the Greenock Whale Fishing Company

W

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&sheries, and his premier ship, the Ba$n. George Robertson, William Forsyth and David Hyde proposed to Scoresby that the four of them establish a whale &shing company in the town of Greenock. It seemed logical for the captain to do so as he was due to retire as captain of the ship ‘Resolution’ and the business prospect seemed too good to turn down. It was agreed and the four men became equal partners in the newly established “Greenock Whale Fishing Company” each holding one-quarter of the shares. Due to his experience in the northern whale &sheries Scoresby was appointed managing partner, this position allowed him the opportunity to &t out two

ships for the Greenland &shery of which he had select or principal command. One of the ships purchased and &tted out by Scoresby was ‘"e John’, which his son refers to as a ‘316 ton burden’ due to its high cost to seam which stood at 12,700 pounds. It was built in India out of teak and doubled in London with British oak. We are also informed that this ship was ‘rather too small’ for the job for which it had been tasked, however it was still used as a whaling ship and set out on her maiden voyage in 1811 under the captaincy of the highly reputable captain, and obtained an impressive cargo of sixteen stout whales, yielding a total of two hundred tons of precious oil.

!e Characteristics of a Whaling Ship

"ey were between 250-350 tons burthen. Whalers typically used ‘cats’- strongly built ship with a round bow and square stern, capable of carrying up to 600 tons of coal or general cargo. "e ship would ideally have three masts; measure approximately thirty &ve metres long, with a breadth of around ten metres. Due to its size, the ship was best suited for a small crew, around 12 colliers for transporting coal and other cargo; the whaling crew was much larger however, with the average ship containing an average of 50 whalers. However in order to use a cat for whaling it &rst needed to be refurbished; the bow required intense reinforcement to cope with the prospect of icy water, and internally it had to be forti&ed with twelve inch square section oak cross-beams. Davits would be added so that small 6 man whaleboats could be added, and &nally a crow’s-nest would be added so that a member of the crew could be on lookout. It was William Scoresby who essentially reinvented the crow’s-nest, placing a barrel type frame around it, stopping the lookout from being exposed to the elements, and possibly falling to his death. "is entire refurbishment cost approximately £7500 in 1770, an expensive process at the time, however converting that to today’s currency, it works out a bargain price of £80. Scoresby tells us of something of an interesting life while at "e Greenock Whale Fishing Company. Due to the high level of migration, a large number of the town’s population were Highlanders, and subsequently spoke Gaelic. Some of their phrases had struck him as being curious and forcible, among these, one phrase in particular had been &xed in his memory-Cum au greim a gheibhthu;” which, being interpreted in Scottish idiom, he understood to imply, “Haud,” or “Keep the grip you have got.” As an English gentleman of a high social standing, Scoresby was taken by surprise with the phrases and language used by many of the whalers on his ships. Life on these ships was not easy, and every day was laced with the prospect of injury, or even death. Over the four years since its inception, the Greenock Whale &shing Company would go on to capture 103 whales, producing 837 tons of oil in total, averaging an impressive haul of 209 tons being brought in to the port each season. "e companies third year in existence was to prove highly pro&table. "e company took in 190 tons of oil and ten tons of whalebone, which receipts show accounted to a sum of 12,000 shillings. "e oil produced from a whale was used as a source of fuel for lighting, and as a lubricant in many of the machines that were of such importance to the development

One of the ships purchased and #tted out by Scoresby was ‘ !e John’, which

his son refers to as a ‘316 ton burden

“

Top: A map showing the area where

Scoresby set up his whale &shing

companyBelow: “William Lee

in the Arctic”, 1831 by John I Ward

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of our industry. Even simple things like upholstery, umbrellas, brooms were created out of the product of the whale hunt, not one single piece of the animal went to waste. Yes, today it does seem almost barbaric to do such a thing; however our ancestors had no other option than to use what resources they had available. An attachment to the romance of whaling continued in the area until the 1930’s, at which point the industry began to depart Inverclyde’s shores in favour of the more northerly ports of Scotland- ports which allowed for easier transportation. Unfortunately for the Greenock Whale Fishing Company their pro&ts were about to diminish very drastically as a result of &erce competition from other whaling companies, and the falling number of whales in the Greenland Fishery. It is extremely important when examining this subject that we look at it from the eyes of our ancestors, and not through the eyes of twenty-&rst century society.

Unfortunately for the Greenock Whale Fishing Company their pro#ts were about to diminish

very drastically

Today we look at the whaling industry as a cruel and questionable trade, with the death of thousands of whales every year. However when we travel back to the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century we can see that whaling was of vital importance; not only was it a source of income for many men, but the products of the whale itself were used every day by average people.

Top Left: An Illustration of Scoresby’s original crow’s nest, by Dianne Sutherland

Bottom Left:“"e Viewforth, the Middleton & Jane. Beset in Ice”, 1836, by

"omas BinksRight: Two newspaper

articles regarding whaling in the area from the time

Images © "e British Library Board

All Rights Reserved

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eaving school in December 1957, at the age of &fteen years old, left many young men with a very bleak outlook to the future. "e

secondary education system at the time more or less groomed you for employment in the big industries; such as shipbuilding, sugar manufacturing, rope works, builder’s labourers or any of the unskilled manual labour vacancies. I, on the other hand, was determined to buck the trend; my &rst employment was as a van boy with the Co-Operative transport department lasting from 16th January 1958 to 12th January 1959. Four days short of the full year. "e earnings in this employment were slightly more than could be gained in the shipyards at that age, but unfortunately it only lasted a year. Moving on from the Co-Op I gained employment with Clyde Marine Services (Monros of Princess Pier). "is company’s boats provided shore links for the many ships anchored within the Clyde estuary.

"ey also operated a liberty boat service and provided a service for both the Customs and Port Health Inspectors, who visited all incoming vessels from outwith the United Kingdom. "ese ships were arriving day and night, for as the saying goes tide and time wait for no man, meaning we worked shifts. "is was the job that awakened my imagination. Tales of seagoing adventures and exotic places I found fascinating, this is what I wanted; I tried to enlist in the merchant navy without any success. Not enough experience to be considered for a berth, was the answer to my applications. I then spoke to Captain Monro about my problem; he advised that to gain some experience and sea time I should seek employment with either the weather boats or possibly the river steamers; I was accepted by the latter. "e river steamers were for the general public, pleasure boats, and going down the water for the Fair was great fun. But the experience was very di!erent for the crews.

LBy Alex Hardie

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Firstly, living and working aboard the M.V “Glen Sannox”, which sailed a triangular route between Fairlie, Brodick, and Adrossan, starting time, 06:30 &nishing time 21:30 six days a week. "e day consisted of receiving stores &rst thing in the morning before sailing, then setting up for passenger breakfast, then washing up and morning tea, then lunch and afternoon tea, rounded o! by dinners. Most of my time was spent in the pantry washing dishes from morning to night, and we still had to wash and clean the passenger lounges and toilets before we were &nished. "e day o! for me was Tuesday, leaving the ship on a Monday night at Fairlie about 19:30; making my way to Largs to try and get transport to Greenock, but I still had to turn to at 06:30 on Wednesday morning, so I was back on board Tuesday night, due to my reliance on public transport. Fortunately this only lasted two months before I was transfered to the M.V Talisman. Operating from Wemyss Bay with better hours and a more relaxed environment, allowing more time for other things like when tying up for the night in Millport among the happy holiday makers.

It was during this time I came into contact with a former whaler when he came aboard our ship as a relief cook, covering for sick leave. Sitting on deck on the good summer nights, Tony would &ll my head with stories of his whaling days and ports they had visited, this and the fact that the Salvesen shipping line was ‘non-pool’ meant I would be eligible to apply; needless to say I was hooked. Acquiring Christian Salvesen & Co’s address from him I promptly wrote my application and posted it in Millport before sailing the next morning. My time aboard the Talisman had come to an end after only six or seven weeks or 6th October 1959. My application being accepted required me to be at Christian Salvesen & Co’s o$ces 29 Bernard Street, Leith, Edinburgh, 09:00 10th October 1959. "is was quite a task for a sixteen year old who had never been past Glasgow in his life. But the best was still to come. Leaving home just before six that morning, I was facing uncertainty. Starting with a bus to the Greenock West Station, a steam train to Glasgow Central, travel across Glasgow to Queen Street station, steam train to Edinburgh Waverley Street Station, and

Sitting on deck on the good summer nights Tony would fill my head with stories of his

whaling days and ports they had visited

Top: "e Glen Sannox at Largs

Above: My British Seaman’s Identity

Card

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a bus to the Leith o$ces at Bernard Street, and all the time not knowing what lay ahead.On arrival at my destination on time I was logged in. "en I was taken for my interview which was surprisingly in depth as I was only to be a galley boy. After what seemed an age I was taken for a medical (full medical) plus eyes, ears, blood, urine, the works, then a break for lunch at 12:15. After lunch we were transported to a clinic in Edinburgh for X rays, dental checks and colour blind tests, followed by vaccinations against any tropical diseases we may encounter on our travels, and this was the moment I knew I had been accepted, as only those that passed their medical

and interview received the vaccinations. I was then returned to the main o$ce at 16:30 where I was given a cash advance and a railway warrant for the 22:10 train from Waverley street station Edinburgh to Tilbury docks London. "e date and time was 10:10p.m. on the 10th of October 1959. Having spent a long and sleepless night on the train I arrived in London at 7:15a.m. and had to &nd my way across the city to another station for the London to Tilbury train. London rush hour was a big ask: lugging a heavy suitcase and a kitbag on the underground is not for the fainthearted. On hitting the city centre the subway doors opened up and I was propelled by the crowd, holding tight to my belongings, out of the subway into a lift and out into the main street, LOST, but with the help of a London cabbie I got to my connection.Another hour and twenty minutes later I &nally reached Tilbury, though very tired and hungry I was still elated, all I had to do now was &nd the docks.

!e S.S Southern Garden. !is would be my home, workplace, and introduction to life at sea for the next two years

Helen Gibb

Hugh Hardie B: 1853

John FinnieHelen FinnieB: 1853

Mary AndersonB: 1833 M: 1851

"omas HardieB: 1833 M: 1851 D: 1899

Mary Cleavly

Owen BanniganJames BanniganB: 1855

Ann Gallacher

Hugh DochertyMary DochertyB: 1849

Margaret Moodie

"omas John Hardie "omas Hardie

B: 1833

Elizabeth McArthur

Niel AndersonMary AndersonB: 1833

Below: First sight of South Georgia.Bottom: "e S.S Southern Garden.

"at was the easy bit, once in I passed the dock gates I found that there was miles of it, masts and funnels everywhere, gates to cross and docks to go round before I &nally found the S.S Southern Garden. "is would be my home, workplace, and introduction to life at sea for the next two years. We set sail with 45 gallon drums of lubricating oil, some of which was lost overboard in the Bay Of Biscay. My &rst taste of stormy weather came on our way to Venezuela’s Rio Orinoco. Seventeen miles upriver to a place called Carapieto, where Shell Oil had a storage facility; there we loaded fuel oil for the whale catchers awaiting our arrival at South Georgia &ve weeks away. Our duty over this period was feeding the transit crews.

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Each mess boy had two tables, one British and one Norwegian, ten men per table, to be fed three times a day, seven days a week, plus the clearing up, dishwashing and cleaning, but the routine was easy, plenty of time to get to know each other and &nd out more of what would be required of us once we got to our allotted catcher, some of the older hands could tell by our I.D number which catcher we would be joining. Once back at sea fully loaded with cargo and oil we headed south, crossing the Equator with the &rst timers’ induction ceremony, and on into the roaring forties so called for their big storms and high seas. We had them like mill ponds with long rolling swells, but still able to stand at the bow watching the %ying &sh.

!irty plus whale catchers were tied up waiting for their crews to bring them back

to life after their #ve month layup. !e tingle of excitement started all over again

Above: Trimming the tail %ucks to

prepare for towingTop Right: Two of

the Shetland lads messing about

Right: Billy Swan and myself in

our cabin

With the weather getting colder the further south we travelled, the sun shorts were put away, and the warmer clothing started to appear, as did the cloudy skies and the winds picked up more often. We were approaching our destination, South Georgia. Looking forward to a little respite from the inclement weather, and this was spring time in the southern hemisphere, we &nally entered the last part of this leg of our journey. South Georgia appeared on our starboard side, giving us our &rst sighting of what looked like an inhospitable island, part cloud, all mountains with loads of snow, but still o!ering shelter from the persistent gales and sleet. Rounding the headland at the entrance to Leith Harbour I was astonished by the change in the weather. "e harbour was calm, clear and totally awesome with this unbelievable sight of buildings nestling in the shelter of these majestic snow capped mountains. "irty plus whale catchers were tied up waiting for their crews to bring them back to life after their &ve month layup. "e tingle of excitement started all over again. "e next week consisted of getting steam up, taking on stores and fuelling, then each catcher in turn lining up ready to be put to sea, alongside the factory ship the Southern Harvester. Once all eleven catchers were assembled we set forth on my &rst whaling expedition. Due to the rules of the whaler’s treaty &shing started with non-baleen whales, therefore we had to seek out the deep water areas for sperm or toothed whale, this I was assured was the older and non-breeders of sperm, as the younger ones remained in more temperate seas. True to the word every one we harpooned was an old, well scarred male, but very large. Sperm whale oil di!ers from baleen whale oil and is slightly less rewarding, but sperm are more plentiful, and &shing these species has no restrictions.

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Baleen whale &shing was very tightly controlled with the season starting on the third week of December to the end of April, Blue whale, Fin whale, Sei whale and Minke whale were allowed over this period, but humpback hunting was only allowed for three or four days a year depending on which area of Antarctica you &shed. Other restrictions that applied were on what size of the whale species had to be and was it the milk-&lled mother with a calf, and if you wounded any whale, you had to stay with that one to the end, and this could take days. Breaking any of these rules would be punished by a loss of earnings and any bonus due. "e &shing went well for us aboard the S.S Southern Briar. We were the top catcher for the

If you wounded any whale, you had to stay with that one to the end, and this could take days

John Hardie B: 1877

Isabella FinnieB: 1853 M: 1874

Hugh HardieB: 1853 M: 1874 D: 1938

Alice Bannigan B: 1877

Mary DochertyB: 1849 M: 1876 D: 1924

James BanniganB: 1855 M: 1876 D: 1901

Alexander Hardie B: 1916Alice Bannigan

B: 1877 M: 1898 D: 1954

John HardieB: 1877 M: 1898 D: 1940

Top: Makeshift swimming pool on the factory ship.Above Left: Southern Briar in passage to the &shing grounds.Above Right: Group on the Southern Garden. Back Row(l-r); Cristie Rattar, Angus McLean, Joe from Western Islands. Front Row(l-r); Julian Robertson, myself, John Dalziel, Gibby Fraser.

season 1959/60, 1960/61 and 1961/62. But the numbers were dwindling, our &rst season 326, our second season 289 and our third and &nal season 234. Between the seasons 1959/60 and 1960/61 I remained at South Georgia for the winter period assisting the maintenance teams who carried out all repair work on the catchers, from painting, boiler cleaning, dry docking, and engine maintenance. I only looked after their bellies in the warm mess room, but this is another story.

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any people from the local area will know of John Galt and his in%uence on Scottish literature. "e author of

JOHN GALTand !e Canada Company

M“"e Annals of the Parish”, “"e Ayrshire Legatees” and “"e Provost” amongst many other notable titles cemented his place in history as one of Scotland’s greatest novelists. He is sometimes regarded as the &rst political novelist in the English language as he was the &rst person to deal with the issues of the Industrial Revolution in his novels. In Greenock, where he spent a large chunk of his childhood and where he eventually died there is a fountain and plaque to commemerate his achievements. John Galt was born in Irvine, Ayrshire on the 2nd of May 1779. Born to John Galt and Jean Tilloch Galt, he was the eldest of four children. His father was the captain of a merchant ship and traded with the West Indies. When John Galt was aged 10, the family moved to Greenock so his father could expand his mercantile business. It was here that John Galt received the most substantial chunk of his education. As a child he had been described as a voracious reader. His interests were wide and varied ranging from astrology, alchemy to even witchcraft. After &nishing school he was sent to the Custom House to work as a clerk. "is is where he learned handwriting and as a past time he would spend his time composing tragedies. When the Greenock Advertiser started in 1802 Galt became a regular contributor to its columns. Galt spent his time at the Custom House from

1795-1804 before moving to London to seek his fortune in business. However, he was to fall short of success here and spent the next two years travelling around the Mediterranean, where he met Lord Byron. In 1811, he returned to London once again and in desperate need of money, tried his hand at journalism. Although Galt is widely regarded as a novelist of considerable power, his work as a pioneer in paving the way for immigrants to colonize Canada is far less known. In 1824 he co-founded "e Canada Company, a large private chartered British land development company, incorporated by an act of British Parliament on July 27th 1825 to aid the colonization of Upper Canada. "e company provided ships, low fares and land sold at a low cost. In 19th century Scotland, emigration tended to be the result of both force and persuasion. Many people were motivated by the desire to improve their living conditions and at that time emigration provided the best opportunity to do so. However, many were also put in a situation where there was no choice left to them but to emigrate if they wanted to stand a chance of survival. "e Highland Clearances played a major part towards the high number of people migrating to other shores. From the 1840’s, kelp production and black cattle lost their value and landlords saw sheep as a more pro&table alternative. "e knock on e!ect of this however, was the eviction of tenants from their homes. At this time many were reliant on the potato crop as a source of nourishment. "e failure of the

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crop in the late 1830’s and again in the late 1840’s could only have a negative impact. "is left many people with only a few options: move to the mainland, emigrate or starve. While many likely did starve, a huge number of people left Scotland during this time. Between 1846 and 1857 it is said that 1.7 million people left Scotland to start a life elsewhere. So where did all these people go? Well most made their way across the Atlantic to the U.S.A and Canada. John Galt was one of the founders of a company that was set up to help people who were put in this di$cult situation. As a pioneer he paved the way for other migrants to follow in his footsteps and make lives for themselves in the New World. In 1827, Galt founded Guelph in Upper Canada. "e name Guelph comes from a member of the Royal family at the time of Guelph’s inception and explains why some refer to the place as “"e Royal City”. Guelph was founded on St George’s Day, April 23rd, 1827 with the ceremonial felling of a large maple tree. John Galt records his experience of this moment in his autobiography: “"e tree fell with a crash of accumulating thunder, as if ancient Nature were alarmed at the entrance of social man into her innocent solitudes with his sorrows, his follies, and his crimes. I do not suppose that the sublimity of the occasion was unfelt by the others, for I noticed that after the tree fell, there was a funereal pause, as when the co$n is lowered into the grave; it was, however, of short duration for the doctor pulled a %ask of whiskey from his bosom, and we drank prosperity to the City of Guelph”' Galt invested a substantial amount of his time planning how to transform the desolate land into a place people would be attracted to. He decided to model it on a modern European City Centre. Unfortunately, the best laid plans often

don’t go as thought and Guelph did not transform into the city Galt had envisioned until the Grand Trunk Railroad reached it from Toronto in 1856, at which point Galt would no longer be alive. Galt’s contribution to the founding of Guelph is however recognised and there is a memorial plaque of Galt that recognises him as the founder of the city. However, he was not given the credit he deserved by the company. An extract from the Greenock Advertiser sums up the relationship shared between Galt and the company towards the end: “Galt’s farewell to Canada was inevitable. From the viewpoint of the directors he was a hopeless visonary and much too extravagant, having taken out too few settlers and spending too much on them.

From his standpoint, the directors were like a greedy landlord seeking rent before a property was built.” "e company sent over "omas Smith, an accountant, to assist Galt. However, Galt was less than trusting of him, believing him to be a spy. Eventually, Smith left Canada to return to England and lodged mismanagement charges against Galt. "is meant that he was forced to return to Britain to face his charges. He landed in Liverpool in May of 1829. His creditors sought the repayment for debt he had accumulated in England. However, he was unable to repay them as he had spent the money to educate his sons. As he was unable to repay his debts he was arrested on the 15th of July 1829. He spent four months in King’s Bench debtors’ prison in London.

Galt invested a substantial amount of his time planning how to transform the desolate land into a place people would be attracted to

Left: Memorial plaque for John Galt on Westburn Street.Bottom Left: A painting of King’s Bench debtors’ prison in London.Bottom Right: A map showing King’s Bench Prison.

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A debtors’ prison was a common way to deal with people with unpaid debt prior to the 19th Century. "e freedom allowed to the prisoners varied from prison to prison. Some of the prisons allowed the inmates to receive visitors and conduct business. King’s Bench even allowed those with a little money to live a short distance outside the prison which was known as liberty of the rules. It is said that in 1776 a third of the inmates lived outside of the prison under this rule. While Galt was in prison he produced many commercial articles for magazines as well as several books. It was in prison

that he penned “Lawrie Todd”, a story depicting life in a settlement in U.S.A. "e publication of this novel put Galt in a more secure &nancial position and with the rise in shares in "e Canada Company, his venture over there was looked upon favourably and he was hired by a similar company to "e Canada Company: "e British-American Land Company. However, he began to fall victim to poor health and after su!ering three strokes in a period of six years he returned to Greenock for a &nal time. His passion for writing remained and he wrote a number of novels about his experiences in Canada such as “The Demon of Destiny” and “Other Poems” In 1833, he published his two volume autobiography. Due to his worsening condition he had no other option but to write this by dictation. However, he was determined to set the record straight on his ventures with "e Canada Company. He eventually passed away in Greenock on the 11th of April 1839. It is clear that he was a man of considerable standing and was well respected by the time of his death. To the left is an obituary notice from the British newspaper archive. In his absence there is plenty in place to ensure his legacy lives on. He is commemorated in Makars’ Court outside the Writer’s Museum Lawmarket, Edinburgh and by the memorial fountain which can be found on the Esplanade in Greenock. "e city of Guelph, in whose inception he played a monumental part, holds a “John Galt Day” on the &rst Monday of August every year. His family remained in Canada and made successful lives for themselves there. His son, Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt, was one of the “Father’s of Confederation” and Canada’s &rst Minister of Finance.

While Galt was in prison he produced many commercial

articles for magazines as well as several books

Top: John Galt’s memorial fountain

on the Esplanade Bottom: John Galt’s

obituary Images © "e British

Library BoardAll Rights Reserved

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41

The

& How They Came To Port Glasgow

The

o give a proper overview of the background of the present day Smith

family associated with Port Glasgow. "e &rst chart below shows the four strands of family connections that leads to the marriage of Alexander Smith and Maisie Smith (portrayed by their images taken in the 1930s by a Port Glasgow street photographer). Alex’s family is from Strathblane on his father’s side and Northern Ireland on his mother’s side. Maisie’s Family are further a&eld with Arbroath on her father’s side and the Isle of Islay on the mother’s side. Each strand has an interesting history but for this section I have decided to concentrate on one family line and the one I have chosen is the Smith Family line of my

T father on his father’s side which originates with John Smith (our most distant relative) living at Craigton Fields near Strathblane from about 1760. In the census of 1841 there is the record of a John Smith, a widower, living at Craigton Field cottages attached to Craigton Field Bleachworks, with his daughter, Bethia or Beth, aged 35. She would have been born in about 1806. "is John is 80 and is a calico bleacher. "is is oldest bleachworks in the area and is the bleachworks that employed John and his family in 1841. Craigton Fields is a small community which sat two miles north of Milngavie or three miles North North West from New Kilpatrick (now Bearsden). We know our Smiths lived and worked in 1841 from the census and perhaps for some time before.

By John Smith

42

Smith"e Smiths originated in Strathblane near Craigend castle

Dunlop"e Dunlops originated in Northern Ireland near Londonderry

Dick"e Dick family originated near Arbroath

McArthur"e McArthur family originated on the Island of Islay

John SmithB: 1761 M: 1797

Isabella (Meikle) SmithM: 1797

William Dalziel SmithB: 1803

John SmithB: 1804

Bethia SmithB: 1806

Margaret SmithB: 1810

James SmithB: 1813

In the photograph we have a nineteenth century view of the Craigton Fields Bleachworks. Four stone built cottages called ‘the row’ were built for workers’ families close to the bleachworks and were there in 1841. "ose cottages are seen to the mid left of the picture and most certainly one of them was occupied by John and his family. "e original Mill buildings stand to the present day though the cottages where the family would have lived have been replaced. At times up to 60 people worked at the bleachworks. "ey worked from 6am till 6pm six days per week. Some girls were walking from Milngavie and others from Strathblane. "ere was a ‘Wuman Hoos’ for those who needed to stay when weather or distance got too much. It was said that the men couldn’t go into it ‘for all the shouting and &ghting’. John had a family of &ve and his &rst son William Dalziel Smith is the great great grand father of the present Smith family. William was born in

Craigton Fields and was (from the 1851 census) a calico bleacher like his father, John. Something occurred after the 1841 census and William moved away from the Strathblane area . He moved about the years 1844 to 1845 as one of his sons, his youngest son, Alexander, our great grandfather was born in Govan in 1845. He moved to be a calico bleacher at a mill on the River Kelvin at Woodside. "is mill was Glasgow’s &rst and only water powered cotton mill. "e image is from an oil painting looking south over the ‘lade’ (mill stream) where the mill wheel was. It’s a very substantial four story building out in the country at that time. William Gillespie, a cotton printer from Anderston, had constructed Glasgow’s &rst and only water-driven cotton mill on the site. Gillespie was one of the greatest &gures in the history of Glasgow’s cotton industry. He was a great friend of David Dale of New Lanark Mills. Gillespie established Woodside soon after

Top: Craigton Fields Bleachworks

Right: mill on the River Kelvin at

Woodside

Alexander Smith

Maisie Smith

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43

New Lanark was established. Gillespie seemed to follow Dale in his e!orts to o!er decent wages and good housing. Like David Dale, Gillespie was noted for his benevolence towards those that worked for him. At his village of Woodside, at that time far from a kirk or a market place, Gillespie established a school and a mission church for his tenants and cotton workers. "ese were known as the Kelvin Row worker’s houses and school. Between 1861 and 1865 William Dalziel Smith and some of his family, two sons and a grandson moved to a house just round the corner from 6 Kelvin Row, to 79 South Woodside, still a workers’ house but next to the Mill school. "e large house in the picture is the schoolhouse built for the workers and the house next to it is the house that William Smith lived in. Kelvin Row itself is the row of small cottages that is to the extreme left. Note there appears to be cotton laid out for bleaching in the back yards. William Dalziel Smith next shows in the 1881 census where he is staying at his son William’s house at Grahamston near Barrhead. He is 78 and William is married and has a family made up of his wife Janet and four kids. William Dalziel was fortunate to have had a long life and eventually dies whilst

Elizabeth (Adams) SmithB: 1806 M:1823D: 1872

Janet SmithB: 1824

William SmithB: 1828

John SmithB: 1830

Isabella SmithB: 1833

Andrew SmithB: 1835

William Dalziel SmithB: 1803 M: 1823 D: 1892

"omas SmithB: 1841

Alexander SmithB: 1845

still living with his son William and his family at Grahamston in 1892 aged 89 years. Now to my great grandfather Alexander Smith. In 1865 Alexander (aged 19) marries Cathreen Brown on the 2nd June 1865 at the church on 28 Arlington Street in Glasgow a half mile down South Woodside Road. "ey are both given as living at 79 South Woodside and Alexander’s trade was a shoemaker. In the 1871 census Alexander and his three children have moved out of 79 South Woodside to his own house at 11 Kelvin Row leaving his mother and father in 79 South Woodside. "e photograph is of the Alexander Smith Family taken about 1872 just after they had moved houses but still living in Glasgow. It shows Alexander and his wife Cathreen with their &rst four children, William, Annie, Alexander and Elizabeth sitting in front. In 1872, also, Catherine, Alexander’s mother, dies at 79 South Woodside and we know that Alexander was a

Cathreen (Brown) SmithB: 1844 M:1865D: 1929

William SmithB: 1866

Annie SmithB: 1867

Alexander SmithB: 1869

Elizabeth SmithB: 1871

John SmithB: 1873

Alexander SmithB: 1845 M: 1865 D: 1923

"omas SmithB: 1874

David SmithB: 1876

James SmithB: 1878

Samuel SmithB: 1879

Margaret SmithB: 1883

Catherine SmithB: 1885

Andrew SmithB: 1886

Isabella SmithB: 1889

Gillespie established a school and a mission church for his tenants and cotton workers

Bottom: "e Mill School at Woodside Village taken in about 1860.

44

witness at his mother’s funeral and he is noted as living at 11 Kelvin Row. "e record is &lled in beyond this point by the birthdates of the additional children of Alexander. In 1873 John is born and in 1874 "omas was born, both at Kelvin Row.

Before 1876 was complete, however, there is a major change for the Smith family as Alexander had moved to Port Glasgow with his family. He moved to 89 Ardgowan Street where he worked as a shoemaker (as you can see in the photograph by how &ne one year old Elizabeth’s shoes shine). Because we know that in 1876 his son David was born in Port Glasgow in Ardgowan Street and Sam, our Grandfather, was born in Port Glasgow on the 30th December 1879 at 1 Ardgowan Street. Both Alexander and Cathreen lived the rest of their lives in Port Glasgow with

Alexander (who died in 1923) and Cathreen (who died in 1929) both being buried in the Port Glasgow cemetery. "e above photograph shows the full family of my Grandfather Samuel Smith and Bessie Smith. (Seated Front Row Centre.) My own father, the eldest in the family is seated in the front, to the right of my grandmother, Bessie. In line with Identity and where we come from and where we are going to they, as individuals in a family, made large decisions. "ese decisions meant that the family broke apart and away from Port Glasgow over time. Firstly, we

!ere is a major change for the Smith family as Alexander

had moved to Port Glasgow with his family

Top: Back row (l-r); William Alexander Snr, Cathreen

Alexander & AnnieIn front is Elizabeth

Bottom: Back row (l-r); Robert Isabella, William, James

Samuel, Elizabeth & John Front row (l-r); Alexander

Bessie, Samuel Snr & Nina

,,..,,.,.

45

have second from the left and standing is Isabelle who went to live in Luton. Next to her was William who died in Wales. Next to him was James who died in England. Sixth from the right was Betty who died in Durham and then there was John who moved to Canada and died in Vancouver and we have in the front Nina who went to Ontario and then California. A wide ranging set of destinations of a family who travelled. Alexander, Sam and Bessie’s eldest son, and Maisie Dick , were married in 1932 and had &ve sons – David, Robert, James, Alexander and John (myself) . My father died in 1969 aged 64. my mother died in the year 2000 aged 89 . Both parents lived the vast majority of their lives in Port Glasgow. "eir &ve sons were not destined to stay in Port Glasgow. "is is a family photograph of the &ve brothers with my mother ( Maisie ) sharing a joke with her &ve sons in Toronto Canada. As I said she lived the majority of her life in Port Glasgow whilst the majority of her sons travelled far from the Port.

Bessie (Dunlop) SmithB: 1883 M:1903D: 1961

Alexander SmithB: 1904

John SmithB: 1906

Nina SmithB: 1908

Samuel SmithB: 1879 M: 1903 D: 1953

Samuel SmithB: 1910

Robert SmithB: 1914

William SmithB: 1916

James SmithB: 1919

Isabella SmithB: 1921

Elizabeth SmithB: 1927

Of the &ve brothers David (extreme right) Bob, next to him and Jim next to him have all been born in Port Glasgow but have lived at least &fty years in Canada where their children all live. Sandy (Alexander), born in Port Glasgow, standing on the far left of the group, was brie%y in Canada but was the son who remained for most of his life in Port Glasgow and still does. John, myself, the youngest and also born in Port Glasgow, has spent almost twenty years living and working in the USA, Switzerland, England, Wales and South Africa before returning to live in Scotland. So the Smiths emigrated from the Strathblane area into Port Glasgow only to see a further emigration outwards from Port Glasgow within eighty years of coming here.

My mother lived the majority of her life in Port Glasgow whilst the majority of her sons travelled far from the Port

46

obert "om, born in 1774, was a Civil Engineer who worked mainly on hydraulic projects on the Isle of Bute and Inverclyde.

"e majority of people from this area will know of Loch "om and the surrounding cut, which he designed to power the mills and as a by-product provide clean &ltered water for the town. In 1813 he purchased, with William Kelly, Rothesay Cotton Mills, which he eventually became sole owner of in 1826. When "om purchased the mills there was insu$cient water to power them and coal burning was too expensive in order to be an option. He therefore decided to build a series of cuts which would allow enough water to reach the site. In addition to engineering these cuts, he doubled the capacity of the service reservoir by raising its dam and installed self-regulating sluices to regulate the water level. "is decision turned out to be a fruitful one and by 1821 the combined power of the mills had been increased from 22kw to 52kw. In 1831, Robert "om bought Ascog House and 420 acres including 90 acres of Ascog Loch. In 1840 he built Meikle Ascog. "is property still stands today and is now in the ownership of the Landmark Trust. Prior to "om’s scheme, water was supplied to the town via two natural burns; the Dailling Burn and the West Burn which were located on the east and west side of the town respectively. By 1792, the population had risen to 3,800 due to the break up of the Highland Clan System and the American War of Independence. With the increase

in population came a surge in trade and commerce with the industries such as rope spinning, sugar re&ning and iron-forging expanding at a substantial rate in the town. James Watt had designed a rudimentary system of piped water that supplied the town. However, this was no longer capable of sustaining the needs of the people and during hot, dry days the reservoirs would sometimes dry up. "e population continued to increase and hit 19,000 in 1811. With the population now so high, demand for water was such that many factories sought to build their own reservoir to power their machinery or mills. "is was a risky process and on the 15th of March 1815, the Beath Dam, which powered the Cartsdyke Cotton Company, had burst. "ere were no casualties in this instance; however, the same can not be said when the dam burst a second time on the 21st of November, 1835. "e instance is often referred to as the Cartsdyke disaster and the tragedy claimed the lives of forty local people. An article from Robert "om was consulted after the catastrophe to &nd the cause behind the bursting of the dam. In his report he stated: “...owing to the puddle not being carried up su$ciently high, the moles had, during the summer, when the water was low, burrowed right through from the outside to the inside, and in the winter, when the water rose, it percolated through the holes, which becoming larger, it ultimately obtained su$cient force to produce the fatal catastrophe. "e breach made was not less than 50 feet wide by 20 feet deep.”

ROBERT THOMfrom Cotton to !e Cut

R

47

It is speculated that, this not being one of his designs, he did not feel any responsibility for it and that is the reason he had never inspected the dam before. However, he believed that his suggestions of making the puddling impervious to rats and other vermin had been done so he didn’t believe an inspection was necessary. Ten years previous to this the Shaw’s Water Joint Stock Company was started when a bill passed through parliament. An excerpt from “Historical Sketches of Greenock with an account of "e Struggles in 1828 and 1880” by Dugald Campbell describes the formation of Shaw’s water company: “"e undertaking, which was devised for the purpose of bene&ting the estate of Sir Michael, as well as for supplying the Town with water, was estimated to cost £31,000, and this amount was taken up in

shares. "e engineering plans and estimates were prepared by Mr. Robert "om, of Rothesay, who had some previous experience in the erection of a reservoir in connection with his own mill. "e scheme included the formation of the Shaw’s Water, a large reservoir (Loch "om) and an aqueduct round the face of the hill for providing water and water-power for mills and other public works, which were encouraged to settle in Greenock by the o!er of sites on the line of the falls at moderate rates. Mr. "om’s advice to Sir Michael was, “to give o! the feus at low rates, so as to induce manufacturers to set up works in the town, and that the estate of Greenock would, in the long run, be more bene&ted by the demand for dwelling-houses and other accommodation required for the increase of trade, than if a large feu-duty was charged for the site.”

“Yesterday, precisely at a quarter to twelve the sluices were raised by ‘our Chief Magistrate, William Leitch, Esp.’, who immediately thereafter entered a boat prepared for the purpose, gaily decorated with %ags, and was %oated along the &rst tide of the stream in its new arti&cial channel. "e Spectacle of a vessel skirting the mountain brow, and tracking the sinuosity of the Alpine chain at so great an elevation, seemed a realisation of a dream of the wildest fancy and the course of the boat was followed by crowds of delighted spectators. It arrived at Everton (Overton) in the vicinity of the town, exactly at a quarter to three, where it was received by cheers and a salute of a cannon.” Robert "om’s scheme went a long way in improving the supply of water to the town. However, the population was still on the rise and there wasn’t enough clean drinking water available to the town’s inhabitants. Combined with the lack of sanitation, it wasn’t long before this began to take its toll on Greenock. "ere were outbreaks of cholera, small pox and typhus. In 1852, Fleming and Reid, cloth manufacturers, had to release thousands from their employment when the reservoir dried up. In 1864, there was a massive outbreak of typhus once again and thousands were killed, which resulted in Greenock being named “"e unhealthiest town in Scotland.” It was plain that action had to be taken to resolve these issues and in 1866, Shaw’s passed ownership of the Water Company to "e Trust for a price of £170,000. In 1872, the Gry!e reservoirs were completed and the general health of the town began to improve as clean drinking water was made more available. Robert "om died in his house in Rothesay on the 4th of March 1847. His system of water cuts led the way for providing clean water for the town and for powering many of the old industries that sadly no longer exist. His name will not easily be forgotten here though as the largest reservoir is still named in his honour.

!e Gry%e reservoirs were completed and the general

health of the town began to improve as clean drinking water

was made more available

Left: Newspaper article regarding the bursting of Beith’s Dam.Images © "e British Library Board. All Rights Reserved. Top Right: Ascog House.Bottom Right: Loch "om.

48

he Wilson motto translated is, ‘He conquers, who conquers himself ’.

Some of the &rst settlers of this family came from Berwickshire in ancient times although as far as I have gone back with my family, the journey starts in 1821 in Lismore and the Isle of Mull. Lismore and Mull are situated on the west coast of Scotland and the main industries were agriculture and &shing. "ey were heavily populated in the 1820s, a few years prior to the clearances. "e population reached a staggering number of over 10,612. However, by examining today’s &gures, there can be seen a steep fall in the island’s population, which shows that less than 3000 people inhabit the island of Mull. "e question

TBy June Campbell

that begs to be asked here is, “what is the reason for this fall in population?” In the 1840’s and 1850’s during the Highland Clearances the tenant crofters were evicted by the landowners because sheep-farming was considered to be more pro&table than receiving rent from tenants. "e population of Lismore and Mull fell drastically as the people were forced to move by the unscrupulous landowners. "e Industrial Revolution was also changing the face of towns and cities on the mainland, and crofters made their way from the Highlands to seek opportunities in these places. Also there was the potato famine in Ireland which brought people from Ireland looking for work. John McLachlan was born in Lismore in 1821 and Ann Campbell was born on the Isle of

Above: Map of the Isle of Mull

Below: A drawing of Lismore

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William WilsonB: 1835Elizabeth Spoull

B: 1811 M: 1832D: 1880

James WilsonB: 1808 M: 1832

James WilsonB: 1857Jane Jeanie Boyd

B: 1836

William WilsonB: 1835 D: 1909

Margaret McLachlanB: 1860Ann Campbell

B: 1824

John McLachlanB: 1821

William WilsonB: 1881Margaret

McLachlanB: 1860 M: 1881D: 1914

James WilsonB: 1857 M: 1881D: 1915

Mull in 1824. John was a quarry labourer and married Ann in 1845. He became a quarrier (stone mason). "ey had nine children. Four daughters, Mary, Catherine, Agnes and Margaret, and &ve sons, Alexander, John, Hugh, Peter and Lachlan. Between 1851 and 1861 they moved to Rothesay where they brought up their family. Mary and Catherine were cotton millworkers in one of the cotton mills. One of the boys became a shoemaker and another two were ropespinners. "e &rst cotton mill in Rothesay was set up in 1779 and by 1855 there were &ve mills. "ey employed over 1000 men, women and children.

"ere was a cotton mill in Rothesay built by Robert "om who was involved with the reservoirs of Greenock. In Rothesay at that time many of the families were involved in the boatbuilding and &shing industries and worked around the quay and that is probably where the ropespinners were employed. "ere were many and varied jobs to be had in Rothesay. "ere was also a prosperous distillery in Rothesay. John and Ann and their family lived in a few addresses in Montague Street, High Street and the Gallowgate in Rothesay. "ey were all near the front and the pier. Probably near to their work. In 1888 John’s wife Ann went missing and after three days her body was found in Rothesay Bay. It was reported in the local paper at the time that this was a drowning case when Ann McLachlan was found drowned in Rothesay Bay.

Between 1851 and 1861 they moved to Rothesay where they brought up their family

Top: Rothesay Pier near Montague Street

Below: A mill in Rothesay..

50

Rothesay played host to a thriving cotton industry for around a century, ranging from around 1780 to 1880. "e &rst mill was opened in Rothesay in 1779 by a Mr James Kenyon and was the second cotton mill to be built in Scotland. "e town’s proximity to Greenock, where raw cotton was a widely available commodity, and the in&nite source of water available to the island allowed for the industry to %ourish. It was Robert "om who engineered two water cuts when he took over the ownership of the mill in 1826. "e cuts allowed for the machinery to be powered by water and it was then that the mills became such a major source of employment on the island, with 1215 men, women and children employed among the &ve mills on the island. "at’s a considerable amount of the population when you consider the fact that the island only plays host to a mere four and a half thousand people. However, the cotton industry did not survive the test of time on the island and by the late 1800s all of the mills on the island were closed. As of today, two mills and the two water cuts designed by Robert "om still survive and lay testament to the industry that once %ourished on the small island.

!e mill was opened in Rothesay in 1779 by a Mr James Kenyon and was the second cotton mill

to be built in Scotland

Top: A bust of Robert "om

Middle: A mill worker

Bottom: A water driven mill

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!e following article was taken from: !e ROTHESAY CHRONICLE Saturday, 15th December 1888

SAD DROWNING CASE

Yesterday the body of Mrs Ann Campbell or McLachlan was found in the water, a little on this side of the Stewart Swimming Baths. "e bay had been dragged for several days previous, as it was supposed that the woman, who had gone missing, had been drowned. "e deceased was seen last on Monday night about 8pm on the pier, and it is probable that in the darkness she stumbled over into the water, and her cries for help were unheard. She was the wife of John McLachlan, coal hawker, was 64 years of age, and was well known about the town.

Top: Rothesay bay.Below: Ann Campbell’s death certi&cate. Bottom: My father "omas with his ten children.

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One of John and Ann’s daughters, Margaret, married James Wilson from Rothesay who worked as a general labourer. "eir family consisted of &ve children, two boys, William and James, and three girls Ann, Jeanie and Margaret. William was a coalman and one of the girls worked as a domestic servant which was not unusual in those days. "eir son William came to Greenock and worked as a dock labourer. When he was 24 he met and married Mary Ann Clark who worked in the

Merino Mill. "ey married in 1905. "ey had seven children. William, Molly, Margaret, Alice, Nan, "omas, Alex. William (or Billy as he was known) was sea-going for many years and then he came home and emigrated to Canada where one of his sons and his daughter still stay. Nan emigrated to Australia in 1952 and is still living there. Alex died when he was a young man. "omas worked in the shipyards all his life. "e black and white photograph below shows Mary Ann, Molly and Nan. When I started this project I knew nothing about the paternal side of my family and found this to be very interesting and exciting. I uncovered where my ancestors came from and the journey they made and possibly why they came to Inverclyde. I shall certainly do my best to follow this up.

June WilsonB: 1940

Sarah AitkenB: 1920 M: 1940D: 2006

"omas WilsonB: 1915 M: 1940D: 1985

Morag WilsonB: 1942

"omas WilsonB: 1943

Stuart WilsonB: 1945

Alistair WilsonB: 1947

Graham WilsonB: 1948

Gwyneth WilsonB: 1949

Elizabeth WilsonB: 1950

Eileen WilsonB: 1951

Norma WilsonB: 1953

I uncovered where my ancestors came from and

the journey they made

"omas WilsonB: 1915Mary Ann Clark

B: 1885

William WilsonB: 1857 M: 1881D: 1915

Top:Mary Ann Wilson (3rd from

right) with her daughters to her left

and friends to her right

Bottom: Me with some of my family at

a reunion

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53

ather Michael Condon was born in Ireland and educated at All Hallows College in Dublin. He spent time in Glasgow as

an assistant at St Mary’s where he was surrounded by people who inspired him, in particular Bishop Murdoch. After spending time in Glasgow,Campbeltown and Hamilton he eventually made his way to Greenock where he became the parish priest for St Lawrence’s. "e origin of Greenock is not fully understood but many believe that the village grew up round the religious establishment which gave its name to the bay. St Lawrence’s was acquired by Rev. William Gordon, who at the time was the parish priest of St Mary’s in Greenock. At the time the building was a disused Protestant (Old Light Antiburgher) church. In 1859, Father Condon was appointed to take charge of the parish at St Lawrence’s and Rev. William Gordon was given the task of assigning the boundaries of the two missions. "ere was an uneasy relationship between the priests at this point as when comparing the two parishes it became clear that St Lawrence’s would be the poorest of the two, leading to resentment on Father Condon’s behalf. Approaching the end of the century it became apparent that a new building for the church was needed and as a result an area of land was purchased at the corner of Carnock Street and Dellingburn Street from the Harbour Trust. "e building was

eventually &nished in 1901, at the expense of £10,000, and was opened by Bishop Chisholm. "e lifespan of the Church was short, meeting its end in 1941, a victim of the series of bombs that were unleashed on the town by the Germans during World War Two. "e building was in %ames until the next morning when only the outer walls remained standing. It wasn’t until 1951 that the construction of the replacment church, (desinged by Gillespie, Kidd & Coia) commenced and three years after that it was opened to the public. Father Condon was known for his meticulous diary keeping, and extracts from his insightful diaries provide us with great information on how life in Greenock was during the 1800’s. While he was the priest at St Lawrence’s he commented on various issues that were a!ecting Greenock at the time and extracts from his diaries can be seen below: “..."ere is a feeling widely spread among the members of St. Marys congress that the ministration of the parish has long been unequal to the requirements of the people who dwell in it – this impression has increased, to every considerable degree, within the last half year, as it is known that a very great addition has been made to its population. Hundreds of poor creatures from Ireland & from other parts of the country penniless & homeless arrive in the town weekly in quest of work and an epidemic of typhus fever & small pox, of

FATHER CONDONthe Benevolent Broadcaster

F

54

a malignant type, rages in the town, so much so, that the managing committee of the in&rmary are now considering the majority of erecting large sheds for the accommodation of serious cases – it is sad to re%ect that any Catholics should die without the rites of his church, whether from insu$ciency of means or otherwise, but that such a misfortune may happen at any hour in the present circumstances, no one can doubt, when the senior clergyman is con&ned from illness to the chapel house, & the whole duties of so large a parish devolve upon his colleague, who heavens willing he may be, will &nd it di$cult, perhaps impossible, to overtake even a portion of it – ...” – July 11th 1863, Greenock. During Father Condon’s time at the Parish he worked alongside one of the &ve ‘medical martyrs’, William Joseph McCloskey to open a

Reading Room for Irish Catholics in Greenock. "is was to provide free education and support for the Irish immigrants within the Community. "e publication “"e Greenock Medical Martyrs of 1864-65” by JE "omson explains: “..."e death of &ve doctors in Greenock, one third of the members of the profession in the town, during a period of four months in the winter of 1864-65, was unusual. Even before the last death on 15 March, the event was su$ciently signi&cant to be noted in the British Medical Journal under the heading ‘Fever in Greenock’: ‘A serious and fatal epidemic has been of late present in Greenock. Its nature may be judged from the fact that, since November, no less than four medical men have died of it there, and all of them young and in the prime of life.’” "e ages of the casualties made an impression, since of the six local doctors who were within 11 years of quali&cation, &ve died. "e public’s description of ‘medical martyrs’ sounds melodramatic to the modern ear but was a measure of contemporary local sentiment re%ecting the high price the &ve Greenock physicians paid for treating the sick. "e &rst doctor to die from typhus was William

A serious and fatal epidemic has been of late present in Greenock. Its nature may be judged

from the fact that, since November, no less than four medical men have died of it

Right: An exerpt from Father Condon’s diaries

Retrieved from the Catholic Archives in Edinburgh

Left: St Lawrence’s Chuch before and after the &re which

destroyed its roof

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Joseph Macloskey on the 26th of November 1864 at the age of 33 years. Macloskey was well educated and his interests were varied, he contributed on subjects ranging from Geology to French Literature. Macloskey’s social conscience is evident from his obituaries, which state that ‘the poor of Greenock have lost a friend’ and that ‘during his short professional life he took a special interest in the Irish people of the town and actively promoted a reading room and other means to elevate and improve the character of those from among whom he sprang’. November 1864 was a bad month for the Macloskeys: on the 25th, while William lay ill with typhus, his surgery was damaged by &re and on the next day he died... Father Condon was a &rm believer in the importance of education and raised funds in the hope of being able to build schools for the Catholic community. A school associated with St Lawrence’s was built at Stanners Street in 1857, with a roll of 100 pupils, one teacher and three pupil teachers. "e school moved its home to Belville Street in 1881 after a rise in pupils meant the current building could no longer accommodate demand. Twenty years later and the school was struck by the same problem once again. In 1907, work began on a three storey building which opened less than a year later. "e new school could house up to 900 pupils and was intended for girls and infants. "e school remained in use until 1973 when, once again, a replacement was needed. On August 10, 1880, the foundation stone of the new St Lawrence School in Greenock was laid. Children from the school sang hymns during the proceedings and the Archbishop and various other members of the clergy of the district took part in the services. "e stone was laid amidst loud cheers. Father Condon proceeded to give a speech thanking the Archbishop. He then went on to discuss the Roman Catholic emphasis on the importance of education. He stated that “the Roman Catholic body placed great importance upon the

training up of the young, and educating them in the ways of the truth”. He then detailed at length the objects sought to be attained by this education, which alluded at giving to all “a cultivated mind and good manners”. He &nished by thanking all in attendance and afterwards a luncheon was held in Wood Cottage. In 1866, Father Condon purchased a large plot of land in the Greenock Cemetery for Catholics to be buried. However, he was not buried here himself as he was eventually relocated to the parish of St Patrick’s in Glasgow where he died on June the 18th, 1902. During his time at St Lawrence’s he contributed greatly to the health and wellbeing of the area and strived to provide education and better conditions for the Catholics in the community. His diaries remind us of the hardships that people at that time faced and provide us with an invaluable source of information about Greenock’s past.

Father Condon was a #rm believer in the importance of education and raised funds in the hope of being able to build schools for the Catholic community

Below: Father Condon’s obituary. Images © "e British Library Board.All Rights Reserved.Bottom: Pupils outside of St Lawrence’s school shortly after it opened.

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y family originally came from Islay. Angus McQuarrie, my

great grandfather was born in Kilhonan, Islay in 1834. Angus McQuarrie married Ann Campbell in Kilhonan, Islay on the 13th of November 1852. "ey are next recorded as living in Greenock in the 1881 census. "eir address is given as 24 Tobago Street. If you look at the birth of their four children in this census it is clear that they had been in Greenock for quite some time before this. "eir oldest child Malcolm is aged 19

M at the time of the census and his place of birth is given as Greenock. "erefore, it is almost certain that they had arrived here at least 19 years prior to this census. My grandfather Angus McQuarrie had nine children, my father being the youngest of the seven boys and was named John McQuarrie. My father was an amateur boxer until 1932, when he entered the sport professionally. In 1934 he married my mother Jane Docherty in Greenock and had three children with myself being the eldest.

By John McQuarrie

Left: My Grandfather Angus

McQuarrie at the Annual horse show at the Battery Park

Right: Horse transport for

Drummonds. Angus McQuarrie is the

Foreman Carter on the far left

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Top Left: Presentation to John Drummond, chairman of John Drummond & Sons, managers and foreman Angus McQaurrie.Top Right: "e gift presented to John Drummond.Middle Left: Mary McQuarrie aged 18. Middle Right: Family photograph. My grandmother with her seven sons and two daughters. Photo taken 1955.Bottom Left: Mary McQuarrie with her daughter Ann. Photo taken around 1930’s.Bottom Right: Ann McQuarrie and John McQuarrie (My Father). Taken around 1919.

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Top Left: Myself with my son Stephen (far left) and brother George (2nd left), sister

Jane and son John (far right). Taken at Inverkip 1962

Bottom Left: Myself with my wife Kathleen, sons John and Stephen. Taken at

Colintraive around 1962Top Right: My mother and father John

McQuarrie and Jane McQuarrieMiddle Right: My father (John McQuarrie)

with myself aged 5 and my cousins. Taken around 1939. My cousins Alex Drain (2nd

from right) and John Drain (far right)Bottom Right: My father with his brother

in law Alex Drain around 1934

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!e Docherty Family

"e earliest information I have on this side of my family dates back to 1902 with the marriage of my maternal grandfather James Docherty to my grandmother Mary Jane Donnachie. My mother Jane Docherty was born on the 18th of February 1915, she was the second youngest of &ve children with Helen, Joe and Mary being older and Hugh being the youngest.

"e family were all born at 6 Kilblain Street, Greenock. "e house had been rented by the Donnachie/ Docherty families for four generations. My grandfather died at the age of 36 leaving my grandmother a widow. She raised their &ve chidren by herself and chose not to re-marry. In 1946 she died at the age of 65.

Top Left: Mary Jane Donnachie with her &ve children. Top Centre: Mary Jane Donnachie with her grandchildren.Top Right: James Docherty with his children before the birth of Hugh.Centre: My Aunt Bella.Bottom Left: Joe Docherty and his wife. Bottom Right: Joe’s daughter Ellis.

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Top Left: Mary Docherty Top Centre: Jane Docherty

Top Right: Joe Docherty Bottom Left: Helen Docherty

Middle Right: Mary Jane Docherty with her grandchildren

Bottom Right: Myself and my cousin Mary Drain

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.y..

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he Greenock Cut, designed by Robert "om and o$cially opened in 1827, elevated Greenock’s standing as one of the key

industrial towns of the Empire. Numerous industries were located on the Cut’s ‘Eastern Line of Falls’, which is a branch of water let from the compensation reservoir at Overton with water wheels placed at strategic points to allow for the building of factories that could harness the power generated by the fast %owing water, of which the Shaws Water Company could guarantee a steady %ow of 1,200 cubic feet per minute for twelve hours per day. It is recorded that within ten years of the line opening, only eight places remained un-let from the original nineteen. Sugar re&neries, rice, corn and %our mills, a paper works, an iron foundry and a chemical works are a handful of industries that were located on the Eastern Line, however there is one particular industry that experienced a great deal of success: wool spinning, especially the factory opened by Neil, Fleming and Reid. Around the mid-nineteenth century Scotland experienced an in%ux of immigrants from Ireland. "eir reason for leaving was mainly a response to the famine that ravaged the country, however this was not the only reason, the decline of industry also resulted in many departing their homeland in favour of work, or even

new business ventures. "is is true for the brothers-in-law John Fleming and James Reid, who, accompanied by a third man Robert Neil, were lured to Greenock by the power that could be harnessed from the various falls located on the Greenock Cut, and who in 1840 constructed the original Worsted Mill for the creation of weaving yarn, leading to the formation of the Neil, Fleming and Reid Company. "is was later changed in 1855 to Fleming, Reid and Company, upon the death of Robert Neil.Originally the work was carried out by hand, resulting in countless rows of worker combing the yarn with &ne toothed combs in order to create the &nished product, this was a lengthy and monotonous task. With the decline of the woollen trade in decline around 1850’s the company appeared to be in a degree of economic trouble. However at this time the carpet trade had experienced something of a boom period with the invention of the tapestry loom, and it was Fleming, Reid and Company who were chosen to spin the experimental yarns. "is was met with success for the company and they added the spinning of carpet yarns to their list of products. With the &rm beginning to become more pro&table with the spinning of the carpet yarn they began to expand somewhat, bringing in A.M Fleming, younger brother of John Fleming, and

FLEMING & REIDthe Making of a Mill

T

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James Reid Junior, nephew of James Reid Senior to assist with the running of the business and the sales side respectively. "e &rm continued to grow from strength to strength, becoming increasingly more pro&table leading to the formation of a private company in 1872. "is would continue for seven years under the partnership of John Fleming, James Reid Senior, A.M Fleming and James Reid Junior, until 1879 when the two original founders John Fleming and James Reid Senior decided to retire and enjoy the fruits of their labour, leaving the business in the capable hands of their protégés, A.M Fleming and James Reid Junior. Unfortunately for the two up and coming business men, they did not get o! to the best of starts as on the night of October 5th 1880, the original Worsted Mill was burned to the ground, fortunately for the &rm the warehouse was untouched by the %ames. Production was therefore relocated to mills in England for two years, allowing the Firm to carry on with business and supply their customers with virtually no obstructions. While the company continued to trade out of England, Fleming and Reid, not disheartened by the destruction of their factory,

sought the opportunity to construct a larger and highly superior mill on the site of the old one in Greenock. As if spurred on by the challenge that was set out to them by the &re, the &rm added three more falls from the Eastern Line to their mill, making six falls in total and subsequently doubling the amount of power they could produce. With the new factory built, and the hundreds that lost their job due to the &re rehired, Fleming, Reid and Co. sought to expand their business by venturing in to the hand knitting wool trade. "e story to how the &rm came to produce hand knitting wool is an interesting one and it all falls down to a production error. An order of single tweed yarn was returned by the manufacturer as it was deemed to be o!-colour, and therefore unusable by the manufacturer. Fleming and Reid, again showing their keen eye for business, sought to sell this ‘faulty’ yarn o! at a reduced rate to their workforce and subsequently twisted it in to four-ply and spun to in to several smaller balls. "e success was immediate, and the people of Greenock were quick to purchase as much as possible due to the high quality and hard-wearing properties of the yarn.

!e Firm continued to grow from strength to strength, becoming

increasingly more pro#table leading to the formation of a private Company

Demand continued to grow at an exceptionally quick pace, so the &rm, in order to satisfy demand, opened a retail store situated in Westburn Street, Greenock in 1881, allowing hand knitting yarn to be sold regularly to the locals of the town. "is again shows a spark of business genius by Fleming and Reid as they were able to e!ectively cut out wholesalers and middle men who would not only eat in to any pro&t the &rm made, but would raise the price of the product by varying degrees. By opening their own store the company were able to maintain a steady pro&t, while keeping their product at an a!ordable price for the local people. From here onwards the company continued to expand the retail side of their business and within eight years they boasted an impressive 53 branches throughout Scotland. It was also around this time that the company sought to take advantage of the improvements made to the hand knitting machine, and expanded their business further through the production of hosiery and underwear. "e following ten years were extremely good to the &rm, the number of retail branches throughout the country stood at

97, and continued to grow at an above average pace in the years that would follow: 1909 – 197, 1919 – 259, 1929 – 340, and 1939 – 412. "eir reason for success was simple: they sold high quality yarn at reasonable prices. However, yarn sales fell slightly as the &rm opted to focus on the production of hosiery and underwear, with stockings becoming one of the chief items purchased by customers. On 31st October 1900, the board of the &rm, now listed as a limited company, decided that in order to keep with the times thy would be wise to invest in two new %at knitting machines, costing the &rm a total of £30. "is is another key example of the wise business methods of the men behind the &rm as it allowed attention to be focused on the production of knitted products and the expansion of the retail stores. Expansion of stores was not the only thing on the mind of the board in 1902 construction was started on a single storey factory expansion, measuring 200ft. x 130ft. In the early part of the twentieth century the company made the decision to cease the production of carpet yarn, believing that the market was beginning to dry up and that the money saved could be best

Top Right: An ariel view of the Worsted

MillsBottom Right: A

view showing 2 large spinning mills and single story north-

light sheds

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spent elsewhere, and by 1909 production from the mills and factories was increasing to such an extent that three stories had to be added to the original one storey Yarn Store, which carried both yarn and hosiery stock. As with most businesses, Fleming, Reid and Company played something of an important part during World War 1, with the factories spinning 10,000 lbs of ‘Cardigan Brown’ yarn on a weekly basis. "is continued until August of 1917 when the government demanded 75% of the &rm’s total production to aid with the war e!ort. Although the work was often hard and laborious in the factories, it is believed that Fleming, Reid and Company were an extremely good company to work for: “Fleming, Reid & Co. seem to spare no expense for the comfort and bene&t of their workers. For those who prefer their meals at the works there is provided an ample spacious dining-room. It is also worth noting that there is here a school for the half-time children, who attend school and work on alternate days, under Government inspection. On stormy days the children are provided with a hot meal in the middle of the day, so that they need not go home. "ere are other details in connection with these works which night well be mentioned, but our space forbids. Over their 700 employees Messrs. Fleming, Reid & Company exercise a judicious control, which, while respecting the individual liberties of the workers, makes them feel that their employers know and sympathise with their di$culties.” ‘Captains of Industry’ by William S. Murphy. After the war the &rm took steps to improve their production. "e spinning frames and other pieces of machinery throughout the &rm were upgraded to the most modern advancements. However, it appeared that despite the improvements, production was still not at a level that the board deemed acceptable, therefore in 1922 Fleming, Reid and Company absorbed the spinning &rm of "omas Biggart & Co.

Ltd, Bridgend Mills, Dalry, and soon after purchased the Glasgow warehousing company of Peter Sutherland & Co. Ltd. "e Second World War had something of a drastic e!ect on the &rm. Bomb damage and various other wartime di$culties resulted in the company closing 76 branches, records from 1919 – 1945 show that twenty three branches were completely destroyed, 203 retail properties were damaged, and 523 incidents were reported, meaning that by 1945 the &rm had only 335 branches nationwide. "is was to be a precursor of things to come for the &rm, as unfortunately they would cease to continue trading under the name Fleming, Reid and Company. Despite further improvements being made to the mills, such as new turbines being installed allowing the mill to be completely electri&ed, they eventually were taken over in 1957 by the Coats Patons Group. In the same year Bridgend Mills ceased production and four years later the warehousing operation was closed down. "e Scotch Wool shops were disposed of in 1972, and the company’s entire output thereafter was sold to Paton & Baldwins.

Fleming, Reid & Co. seem to spare no expense for the comfort and bene#t of their workers

Fleming, Reid and Company could be considered as one of the most prominent mills in Inverclyde; however they are not the only one to be based here. Unfortunately much like Fleming, Reid and Company, these mills would cease trading as the century progressed, leading to the yarn spinning trade dying out in the community. But memories of the mills live on.

Below: An advert for Fleming & Reid which featured in the Greenock Telegraph.Bottom: One of Fleming & Reid’s stores.

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he cotton mills in Inverclyde owe a lot to the enterprise of two individuals from Ireland. It was John Fleming and James Reid that

paved the way for the cotton industry in Inverclyde. As linen encountered hard times in Ireland, the two brothers-in-law were attracted to Greenock by the potential of the power that could be harnessed by the waters of Loch "om. "ey therefore decided to build a mill somewhere along the Cut in the year 1840 and formed a business called Neil, Fleming and Reid. Unfortunately, this partnership lasted for only around &ve years when in 1855 Robert Neil met his untimely death and this in turn led to the formation of Fleming, Reid & Company. One of the mills set up in Inverclyde is that of Clark and Struthers. It was based in the industrial estate at the top of Port Glasgow. "e work was renowned for its quality and was exported to various locations around the world. "is story recalls the memories of three mill workers from Clark and Struthers, the mill operated at the industrial estate in Port Glasgow. I interviewed them, asking them a few questions but mostly listening to

their stories and recording them so we were able to share their memories with you and hopefully provide you with an insight into the day of a typical mill worker.

First of all, we asked them all to introduce themselves and tell us how long they had been working at Clark and Struthers and what their role was.

Betty McLaughlin: Hi my name is Betty McLaughlin, I worked in Clark and Struthers for &ve years. My job was to collect the cloth from the looms. I then took it up to the warehouse to be measured up. "e cards had to be marked to see which cloth the weavers had woven. I had to make up the cards to see what yardage they had woven. "e next process was the darning.

Isobel Sandford: Hi my name is Isobel Sandford and I worked at Clark and Struthers for eight years and my role was that of a warper. It was the &rst stage. It had a big, big wheel like the Waverley paddle, although when they were doing a tartan that could use every piece of

By Betty McLaughlin

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equipment there to get all these threads through and they would end up going through about four inches so it looked like a cone and again my job would be to thread them. I would just keep repeating that process the whole day. I would do so many runs and then do another and move it until it met up so it looked like it was all in the same complete roll. And then that would be taken o! that and on to a smaller roll for the looms. It was then put on to a beam ready to go on to the weavers, but I had to know all the tartans and so did the weaver, you couldn’t make one mistake and if you were working with silk you can imagine how &ne it was, very, very &ne. It was interesting.

How many tartans was it you made?

I: You name it we made it, if it was invented then. I know there are a lot of new tartans that we didn’t touch then but we done an awful lot of the Black Watch, I think for the army and the Gordon and the Stewarts. "e Dress Stewart was a very popular tartan, Hunting Stewart, Campbell, Dress Campbell, I liked doing that one because that was mine, that was my tartan. We done Lindsay, Hunting McKinnon, MacIntosh, everything really. But against that we also had done the khaki for the army, which was for the o$cers so we had to be very careful how we made it. We also made mohairs, mohair stoles. "e mohair stoles and scarves we made were more of a Christmas sort of thing and the same with the silk ties. We had a lot of black silk ties and I didn’t like doing them, it was boring.

Anne Docherty: My name is Anne Docherty and I worked in Clark and Struthers I think for around four to &ve years. I can’t really remember the exact time frame. I worked in the drawing o$ce which was immediately after Isobel’s operation. She prepared it and it came in to the drawing o$ce and we threaded it onto what I think was called frames, and it had heddles on it and you worked to a pattern,

like a knitting pattern. You had to follow that pattern and say there are &ve of them you would maybe go in to the &rst one or the third one and so on. We also did herring boning as well, so you had to thread these all through what I would say was the like the eye of a needle, it’s called a heddle and then it went into what’s called a reed, which put it into this long, a big long comb and you had to thread it through all these and tie it up and then that was it, it was prepared to go up to the weaving looms.

I had to know all the tartans and so did the weaver, you couldn’t make one mistake

What was it you produced and where was it you produced the material for?

B: A lot of it, in fact the majority of it, went abroad. One of the makers of the shirts was called Rael Brooke, another was Hathaway and Rael Brook. A lot of material went to Germany and America, you know the &ner stu! for dress shirts. We only made the material, we didn’t make the clothes but the material was sent out to the manufacturers. We were actually

Far Left: Khaki hats being produced for the army.Left: Some examples of tartans produced at the mill.Bottom: Mohair material being made.

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just making the cloth that made all these garments. But a lot of the tartan went to Germany and France and I think the biggest lot was to America and Canada. You would never see a label on it that said it was made in Port Glasgow; I think that’s why nobody knows about us. We used to put in the dispatch when it was all getting packed up, sometimes we’d write wee notes and it would say things like if you get this, this is our address, this is done at Clark and Struthers in Port Glasgow and we got replies back again from the people in Canada. "e bosses didn’t know we done this, we just done it, but they did correspond for quite a wee while.

How were the working conditions in the factory? Were the good or were they bad?

B: "ey were all right. "ey were happy. Nowadays things would be di!erent, people wouldn’t work in them because of the conditions but we didn’t know any better because it was a job, we were all very happy there, we are talking about &fty years ago.

Everybody got on well with each other.

Was there a social aspect?

B: Yes, we always used to go to the dancing and the shows together, Connie Francis in Glasgow. It was good and “ménages” were run and Christmas clubs were run. "ere was no jealously between departments oddly enough, everybody was included and everybody would be going to the dancing. Nobody was ever left out, if anybody wanted to come they were more than welcome. Yes it was very, very loud and very, very noisy. I learned to lip read in there.

A: In the drawing o$ce it wasn’t so noisy because we were in a separate o$ce. Also in the department there was a girl Marsella who done all the samples of the tartan and done all the checks on the tartan. It’s ancient now but she had a hand loom and had these big pedals that would clunk back and forward and she would put the shuttle which carries the thread on the weft and she would have

to hand do all of this as she was making a sample of a new tartan and she had this handle thing at the side that would knock the shuttle back and forward, there was no electricity in this department. "ere was also somebody in that wee area where Marsella worked and she had a spinning wheel. She was quite an old women and she done the spinning. Jimmy McGraw was in charge of the winding. "ere was always a tenter, which would be named a mechanic these days, and he would look after the looms. Isobel was about the &rst process and then it was Anne and then they left us and then it went on to the winding and all that had to be done and then put in boxes and then taken up to the looms, and the pirns were all taken up to the looms. In the drawing o$ce there was a wall about seven feet tall and there was another department over there and they done the darning, you know if there was thread that broke and you had to darn it together and things like that. "at was a tedious job and they were really great workers, head down the whole time.

"e managers and the boss were all really good and they were nice you know. Anyway Isobel started and then it went on to Anne and then it went up to the looms and Betty took it and measured it. I wrote how much yardage it was, wrote what type of cloth it was and it was all set and they put big pallets up and the girls from the darning came in and they would take them o! the pallets and &nish them and then they would take them and put them in a di!erent place so they were ready to go out. It was a reasonably sized factory but it wasn’t big, especially compared to nowadays. "ere were easily more than twenty weavers and ten winders. "ose were the only ones that had a big department. Darning would be the next one which was made up of about &ve or six people. People nowadays, I don’t think, would do it. "ey wouldn’t stand for it and yet it was a very happy atmosphere, it was a great place. "ere wasn’t any pressure on you. "ere was no such thing as having this or that done by a certain time. I think as long

Nobody was ever left out, if anybody wanted to come they

were more than welcome

Left: An advert for Clark and Struthers

Right: Mill worker operating an automatic loom

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as you got on with your work that was it, you were left to get on with it. "e cloth was so &ne that when they were done with it you wouldn’t know anything had been done to it. "e girls in the darning were excellent. A lot of people admired them. All in all it was quite a happy place but the money wasn’t great. "at’s the thing when you look back, the money wasn’t great and I think we were all on the same boat, we were all more or less getting the same money and that was that.

Did they let you talk amongst yourself when you were working because I know nowadays that you couldn’t?

B: You couldn’t hear very well on the factory %oor. It was so noisy, the warehouse was quieter, in the darning it was quiet. As long as you didn’t stop and you kept on working that was okay.Obviously though you couldn’t sit like that for nine hours a day and not talk. You used to be able to put on the music and listen to it and things like that, except when I was using my own machine and it had a big blade that went along and measured it a yard each way and when the blade took it over that was a yard and then it would stop and the yard would come over and it was all folded and so then you could two, four, six, eight, ten, twelve yards, you could count it that way. It didn’t come up on the machine, you counted it manually.

So do you have any memories or interesting stories that you would like to share about your time working there?

I: Well I always remember the power cut, it was pitch black and it was about half past four and we only had about another half hour to go. "e factory was absolutely pitch black, you couldn’t see a thing and there was no safety lights then. So we had to follow the reels to &nd our way out and we came to the clock machine and I was banging in to people and I said “what’s going on?” and they said “we are looking for our clock in cards” and I said “Forgot about that because we could be clocking out

!e managers and the boss were all really good and they were nice you know

anybody” and they said “Oh I never thought about that”.

I imagine it could be quite a dangerous job working with all that machinery. Were there a lot of injuries at the time?

I: I have a scar along my hand from a tea chest. It wouldn’t happen nowadays. No female these days would go forward and lift them. It was to get my big bobbins of wool or whatever. "ey were sort of cone shaped and they were of all di!erent colours and were all marked and stored in old wooden tea chests. Everybody used to always use them for %itting. And I went up and it started falling and it tightened and it ripped down my hand. "e &rst aider, who was the women in the kitchen, said “oh you’re bleeding” and I said “oh yes, yes your very good”. It’s so funny that a big bobbin of wool would be so big when it was the silk it would be a quarter of that size and yet there was the same amount of yarn on it. "ey still use them nowadays. "e looms might crash and break all the ends and a bit of the thread might snap on the weft or the warp and there were hundreds of threads that had to be taken through the heddles and all tied o!. But everybody would all rally round and there wasn’t attitude of, you know,

Above: Two mill workers hand stitching some tartan material.Below: Working on tartan material.

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tough luck. If you could possibly help you would. Anybody’s loom that was going all right would come over, other weavers or anybody else and start pulling them through and sometimes it could be nearly hundreds. It was great companionship from that point of view. Everybody helped everybody if there was a rush on, you wouldn’t have seen anybody stuck.

You used to get a thing with a pattern, I think that’s why they called it the drawing o$ce, it wasn’t really drawing you did, you just got a pattern and you had to work to that. Working with the tartan was interesting, having to guide it so it was spot on.

A: "e person I sometimes worked with used to fall asleep and I would just rattle the table and she would be awake again but she was an older women, in fact just the same age as me now. Some of the looms even then weren’t all automatic. "ere was a wee woman from Paisley and she used to have this kind of card thing that got attached to each side with all the di!erent colours and she used to have to stand and do it manually.

It was all women who worked in the factory except for the bosses and what you would call the maintenance men. "e manual workers were us.

So when did you all leave?

I: I left in about 1965. Do you remember I got my books because that young boy started and to cut a long story short he couldn’t cope with the job so they asked me to go back. I went back because I was waiting to go in to the prison service but I never told them that.

A: I must have left before then.

B: I had left before then also.

Why did you decide to leave? Did you have another job to go on to?

B: Yes. It wasn’t long after we had all left that it went into administration. I think they were getting the material done cheaper elsewhere.

How long was it a typical day lasted?

A: It started at eight o’clock in the morning to about half past &ve with a half hour lunch and a &fteen minute break in the morning and afternoon, so it was quite a long day.

B: I did work hard in it and I enjoyed it. "ere was a lot of heavy lifting but the men were very good at helping. Half of it wasn’t their job but when you struggled they would help you out if they could. It was one of those places where if somebody was in a pickle somebody went and helped get them out of it. A: In the drawing o$ce we were kind of isolated we weren’t out in the shop %oor much.

All in all it is evident that the three mill workers enjoyed their time there. !ey have very fond memories of the place and no shortage of stories to tell. It was clear that many friendships could be formed in a place like this, such as that of the three women who had just shared their stories with you.

Bottom: An advert for Clark &

Struthers which featured in the New

Yorker in 1956

It was one of those places where if somebody was in a

pickle somebody went and helped get them out of it

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enry Birkmyre was born to Henry Birkmyre and his wife Janet Craig in Kilbarchan on January 12th 1762. He worked

as a weaver in a factory in Kilbarchan before moving to Greenock where he joined the Gourock Ropework Company in 1792. He was originally made the position of foreman, however, he became a partner in the &rm in 1814. "ere is a great deal of confusion often generated by the fact that the Gourock Ropework Co. headquarters was located in Port Glasgow. People are bemused that a &rm based in Port Glasgow is named after a town located six miles away. It all makes sense if you venture back to the &rm’s humble beginnings, before its rise to an international power in the rope and heavy canvas industry. In 1736, a group of Glasgow merchants, mostly from Greenock set up the Gourock Ropework Co. on the shore of the town’s sheltered bay. Along with making rope it produced canvas and sailcloth. "e quality of the material was unrivalled and by 1900 these were waterproofed and carried the famous trademark ‘Gourock A1 Birkmyre Proofed’. "e greatest qualities of the waterproof cloth was taken for the manufacture of vehicle sheets and tents, ranging from “bivouac” tents to circus tents.

"e Port Glasgow Rope and Duck Company was set up by a group of Glasgow traders and their mills were situated where the Port Glasgow railway station stands today. "e Gourock Ropework Company acquired ownership of "e Port Glasgow Rope and Duck Company in 1797 and as a result they were put into a fortunate position. It was not until the &rm purchased Richardson’s Sugar Re&nery in Newark that the headquarters permanently relocated to Port Glasgow. It is most probable that the cartage was very expensive and that the buildings could no longer provide the space needed for the demand placed upon them as their business continued to grow. "e company most likely kept the original name despite moving to a new town as they had been trading under that name for quite some time beforehand. "e minute book reveals that they paid around £1,720 for the assets of the company. "e procurement of the company was a clever move for the Gourock Ropework Co. who bene&ted almost instantaneously from the decision. On the year of the merger the wealth of the company was reported as approx. £29,000. "ings were only to improve and next year’s &gure increased by £10,000 from the previous year. Seven years later it became clear that the merger had a positive impact on the companies fortunes.

HENRY BIRKMYREWeaving for the World

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"e wealth of Birkmyre’s ropewalk empire was now estimated to stand at £71,000. "e Gourock Ropework Company were major employers in the town providing employment for 200 men at 12s a week, 81 boys at 3s 6d a week, 71 women at 4s6d a week and 67 girls at 3s 6d a week. Although the Birkmyres were the head of a global business they never forgot the town where their business had started. "ey had bequeathed the town of Port Glasgow a hospital, built accommodation for their employees, provided their employees with air raid shelters during World War 2 and

were involved in the politics of the town with one of the brothers, William Birkmyre (II), even being a provost in the area at the time. "e company was always striving to stay ahead of their competitors. "ey had laboratories set up where they could manipulate the temperature and humidity of the rooms in order to keep conditions consistent when they were conducting experiments. "ey had a department set up where they had a reference library, photographic room, microscopic room and a physical test room. It was said that these were the best equipped laboratories in the rope or heavy canvas industry. Birkmyre’s proo&ng was known all over the world and this is where the process was created and it is here that they constantly worked on ways to improve it. "e treatment rendered the cloth waterproof and rot proof and therefore made it suitable for tropical and arctic conditions. "e laboratory was not only used for the purpose of creating new products and new technology. One of its roles was to ensure that the standard of materials was maintained and that existing lines were developed. "ey even donated to the University of Glasgow a post-graduate research studentship for fundamental work on sisal and manila &bers, the only stipulation being that the company would have access to the work. "e Gourock Ropeworks Co. Ltd. became part of Bridon Ropes in 1970 when it was taken over by Bridon Fibres & Plastics Ltd. "e works at Port Glasgow closed in 1976, signalling the end of the rope and heavy canvas industry in Inverclyde.

!e treatment rendered the cloth waterproof and rot proof and therefore made it suitable

for tropical and arctic conditions

Top Left: Newspaper article regarding Lithgow’s contribution to the local area

Images © "e British Library Board All Rights Reserved

Top Right: An Ariel view of Lithgow’s shipyard

Below: A map showing Birkmyre’s associated companies and agencies

throughout the world

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n April 1930 my grandfather Joseph McGeer went to an orphanage, probably in Grant St, Philadelphia, where my father Joseph, aged 4, and

his brother Lennie, aged 2, were living, and put them on a ship in New York bound for Glasgow. "ey travelled for 12 days unaccompanied on the SS California. A letter was sent to their aunt, Mrs Margaret He!ernan, from the shipping line informing her of the necessary paperwork which would be required for my father and uncle to be allowed to emigrate from the USA to Scotland. "is letter stated that Margaret would have to demonstrate that she had the means and ability to take care of these ‘American born’ children. "e letter suggested that her ability be certi&ed by her local minister and her means by another ‘gentleman’. "is unusual turn of events resulted from a car accident in Philadelphia in 1929. "e circumstances are not clear but it resulted in the death of my grandmother, Catherine McGurk, who had emigrated to the USA in 1923 at the age of 18, along with an older sister Hannah, aged

By Joseph McGeer

22. Hannah was also involved in the accident and subsequently returned to Port Glasgow. Catherine and Joseph had lived in Philadelphia before the accident and they had boarders, as had my great grandfather and great grandmother who also lived in Philadelphia with all 13 of their boarders. On my father’s death certi&cate my grandfather’s occupation was given as ‘general labourer’ however this is likely to be a dated description. According to the 1920 census both my great grandparents were still alive but by the 1930 census my grandfather was living as a boarder with another family and my great grandparents could not be traced. "is may partly explain why my father and uncle were in an orphanage and the need to send the boys to Scotland. My grandfather was born in Philadelphia in 1905. He was the son of John and Susan McGeer whose maiden name was McBride. John was born in 1871 and Susan in 1873 in Pennsylvania. "e 1900 census showed Joseph to have an elder sister, "eresa, born in 1895. Also living with John and Susan were three other people, James McBride, Patrick McBride

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72

and Miles McBride. "is may indicate that Susan had been previously married and had three children by her &rst husband, but her age makes it more likely that these boys may have been Susan’s brothers or nephews. Of John and Susan’s own parents three were born in Ireland and one in England. "eir ages make it likely that they arrived in the USA around the time of the potato famine of the 1840s. According to family stories the depression of the 30s had hit the family hard, hence the decision to send the boys to live with my grandmother’s sister, Margaret, who lived

in Port Glasgow and had no children of her own. Judging by the clothes in a photograph around that time the new family appears relatively comfortable in a town su!ering badly during the depression. Again family stories told of a small football pools win which did not transform their lives but appears to have insulated them from the worst e!ects of mass unemployment. However, this may have taken place at a later date, but personal experience supports the idea of an enhanced income compared to neighbours. Margaret had been married to Peter He!ernan, who had fought in the Great War and died of his wounds (probably gas inhalation) in the 1920s. Margaret married John McGhee in the late 1930s. "ey lived at 3 Victoria St in Port Glasgow with the two boys. When my father got married to my mother, Letitia Devlin, in 1950, they moved into a house in George St, across the backyard from Margaret and John and my sister and I were born there. It is interesting to note that around the backyard

!e depression of the 30’s had hit the family hard

hence the decision to send the boys to live with my

grandmother’s sister

Top: "e two boys with their grandmother Mary McGurk

around 1934Bottom Left: "e passport

photograph of Joseph and Lennie when they boarded the SS

California in New York in 1930 Bottom Right: Joseph aged 6

months with his mother and father taken in 1925 in Philadelphia

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that enclosed Victoria St, Bay St and George St lived my maternal grandmother and two uncles. "e house was very small indeed, consisting of a small kitchen and bedroom, as well as a cramped living room. It had no electricity and the communal toilet, shared with another family, was about 60 yards away across an open balcony. It was a long dark cold run for a small boy on an icy winter’s night. My father and uncle were not adopted by their aunt and uncle and indeed my grandfather

made several attempts to have his boys return to the USA. In 1934 he even sent two tickets to Margaret asking that the boys be placed on a named ship but both boys, particularly Lennie, were

It was a long dark cold run for a small boy on an icy winter’s night

Below: Aeriel photograph of Port Glasgow taken in 1932. It shows Victoria St and George St.

12

3

1.

2.3.

"e house where I was born and raised."e aforementioned lavatory."e house that my father and uncle moved to.

74

so upset they were not sent. Apparently the plan had been that the boys would then return when they left school, but the advent of Second World War made this impossible. In 1931 my grandfather married Catherine McGlinchey who was then aged 32, six years older than my grandfather. Catherine was born in Ireland and had emigrated to the USA leaving from Liverpool and passing through Ellis Island, in New York, in 1921. It is likely that her family had moved to Liverpool before her emigration to the USA. It’s likely since in 1959, when Catherine and my grandfather visited Scotland, they spent &ve days in Liverpool visiting her relatives. "ey set up home at 4135 Levick St in Philadelphia and had two daughters. I do not know their names but have their college graduation photographs. "ese photographs were taken in the 1950s and would indicate

that the family had prospered. My father and uncle never visited the USA but Joseph and Catherine did come to Scotland in 1959. It was the only time my grandfather saw his sons after 1930. Correspondence between father and sons does not seem to have been regular with Lennie and Catherine most often in touch as can be seen in the letter from Catherine sent to ‘Len’ in 1970 informing him of the death of his father. I met them in 1959 but do not have any clear memories apart from the fact that it was the only time I ever saw my father cry. I do recall being given money at the airport in Renfrew by Catherine as they left. An eight year old boy remembers the day he was given a year’s pocket money in one day. My father and Lennie both retained their US citizenship till they died, which had a few unintended consequences. In

I met them in 1959 but do not have any clear memories apart from the fact that it was the

only time I ever saw my father cry

Top Left: Lennie with Margaret and John

Top Right: My parents wedding photograph

My father is on the left with Lennie as

best man Right: Lennie’s

adult passport used for a cycling tour of

Hungary in the 1950’s

Mary Rodgers B: 1870 D: 1947

Joseph McGeerB: 1905

John McGurk B: 1864 Catherine

McGurk B: 1905

Susan McBrideB: 1873 M: 1893

John McGeerB: 1871 M: 1893

Joseph McGeerB: 1925

Catherine McGurkB: 1905 M: 1924D: 1929

Joseph McGeerB: 1905 M: 1924 D: 1970

Leonard McGeerB: 1927

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1946 my father was called up for national service in Britain and ended up in the Black Watch, based in Perth. He recalled his basic training and subsequent entry into the Army Catering Corps, which he disliked almost as much as the bagpiper who woke them at 5 am every day. One week into his catering career he received a letter discharging him because he was an alien. He was required to renew his US citizenship every three years and did so at the US consulate in Edinburgh. On these occasions he also con&rmed me and my young sister as US citizens – until 1968. (My young brother was not born until 1969.) "is time he was informed that if he did so again I would be liable for national service in the USA. My father did not fancy me being sent to Vietnam so my sister and I became British in 1968. My father worked as a welder in the marine engine maker Kincaid’s, in Greenock, virtually all his life and died in 1982 from a heart condition. Lennie worked in the Gourock Ropeworks in Port Glasgow and never married. He died in 1997 from cancer, aged 70. He had latterly been one of my sister’s patients since she was then a district nurse. Both my father and uncle had been keen cyclists with Lennie involved in cycling tours of Europe in the 1950’s and he was still cycling months before he died. However, there was one &nal twist to this relatively sad story. (I say

sad but the boys lived happily with Margaret and John and regarded them as parents.) Lennie was in Inverclyde Royal in Greenock in the weeks before he died. I visited regularly and remember asking if he wished any books or newspapers. I must have pushed the o!er a bit too much since he &nally said to me that he could not read or write! He had been born with a speech impediment and largely sidelined at school and as a result never learned. He kept this secret so well that few people, even in the family, ever knew. As I was a teacher it was particularly poignant. "e family connection to the USA has, however, continued. My wife Eileen and I have three sons, Ewan, Paul and Alan, who are all scientists. Paul is a geologist and married to Alicia who is from the USA, whom he met while they were both studying in New Zealand. "ey have a son, Darien, who currently holds both a British and US passport and all three now live in Houston, Texas.

He kept this secret so well that few people, even in

the family, ever knew As I was a teacher it was

particularly poignant

Top Left: One of Catherine and Joseph’s two daughters.Top Right: "e letter from Catherine to Lennie informing him of his father’s death.Above: My grandfather with his second wife Catherine.

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illiam Todd Lithgow may be known by many of the residents of Inverlcyde as the man who started the

Lithgow’s shipyard in Port Glasgow. Born on the 24th of September 1854, to James Lithgow and Margaret McNicol, the family moved to Greenock from Glasgow in 1856.He started o! his career as an apprentice ship’s draughtsman in John Reid and Co. in Port Glasgow. "is was around the same time that the town was emerging as a strong player in iron and steam shipbuilding in Britain. After the death of both of his parents at the age of seventeen he used the £1000 pounds he had inherited from his father to invest in shipbuilding ( a decision that would later prove fruitful). In 1874, he went into partnership with Joesph Russell and Anderson Rodger and started the shipbuilding company Russell & Co. "e &rm predominately built large iron sailing ships that could be used for long-haul, slow cargo transport. "eir best kown ship today is the Falls of Clyde, built in 1878, part of a series named after Scottish waterfalls for the Falls line. William Todd Lithgow married Agnes Birkmyre (the daughter of Henry Birkmyre, who owned the Gourock Ropework Company) in 1879. Four years after this the family moved from Port Glasgow to Langbank where both their sons, James and Henry, were born. Despite the company’s growing success and the wealth of the three partners, William remained generous and undertook a plan to rebuild an area of Port Glasgow, capable of housing more than 2000 people. However, by the time of the late 1880’s the partnership dissolved due to the tensions between Russell and Rodger.

Lithgow retained the orignal name, the Kingston Yard and became sole owner of the business. William Lithgow su!ered a serious health crisis in 1907 and died the following year. However, he had two sons that were at the right ages to now take control of the company and made them both partners, meaning they would assume joint ownership of the company in the event of his death. William had ensured the family were in a strong position by investing in stocks and transferring money to his sons. James Lithgow was born in 1883 to William Todd Lithgow and Agnes Birkmyre. He was educated along with his brother Henry at home before attending Glasgow Academy and eventually studying in Paris. In 1901, James was apprenticed in the shipbuilding company, with his brother Henry following four years later. James became joint owner of the company, along with his brother Henry, in 1908 after the death of his father. "e two brothers managed the company well, expanding the company and acquiring assets in other interests, such as the Caledonian Railway Company, the Monarch Steamship Company and the Paci&c Cold Storage Company. However, James Lithgow had no other option but to take a leave of absence from the shipbuilding industry as he was to serve in the First World War from 1914 through to 1918. His brother Henry remained behind to take control of the shipyard and its vital war work. James spent the &rst part of the war on garrison duty on the River Clyde Scotland and then in France from 1916– May 1917. James was recalled from France by Sir Eric Campbell Geddes who appointed James as the Director of Merchant Shiping, responsible for ensuring merchant yards met demands placed upon them.

JAMES LITHGOWfrom Port to Parliament

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In 1918, the Russell and Co. shipyard was renamed to Lithgows Ltd. and a year later James Lithgow made his long awaited return back to the town. He was given the title of the 1st Baronet of Ormsary and was included in the 1945 New Year Honours and was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire, allowing him to use the title of Sir to precede his &rst name. On James’s return to both the town and the running of the company, he embarked on a rapid process of expansion and acquisition, investing in things such as coal mining and steel making. Winston Churchill summoned James Lithgow to London where he appointed him to control Merchant Shipbuilding and Repairs. James Lithgow was to be an important &gure in the rationalisation scheme, National Shipbuilders Security Ltd. Under his guidance the industry succeeded in eliminating about one third of the capacity of the shipyards between 1930-1939. He was always vocal in his criticism of organised labour and believed that there was an over capacity in the shipbuilding industry that would consequently lead to job losses and yard closures. In his opinion rationalisation of the shipbuilding industry would provide jobs and the opportunity for growth. James’s brother Henry Lithgow died in 1948, which is said to have devastated James who shared a very strong bond with him. Shortly after Henry’s death James su!ered from poor health and four years later, in 1952, James died leaving an estimated fortune of around £436,961 which would translate approximately to around eight million in today’s market. At his death, James Lithgow was the owner of the largest privately owned shipyard in the world. William Lithgow was born on the 10th of May 1934 to Sir James Lithgow and Lady Gwendolyn Lithgow, he grew up as an heir to an incredibly successful Scottish Shipbuilding Company and eventually inherited it in 1952 when his father passed away. "is made him the owner of the largest private shipbuilding company

in the world. Educated at Winchester college, he went on to study engineering and became a Chartered engineer and fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. At the time of his management of the company, econonomic and political landscapes were beginning to change and as a result Henry had to take the company in a new direction in order to survive, encompassing but not limited to engineering, salmon &shing and agriculture. As the British shipbuilding industry began facing challenges from foreign markets, particularly the Far East, a government enquiry was set up to investigate the current state of a!airs. "eir &ndings led to a merger between Scott’s and Lithgow’s in 1970, and the

company thereafter became known as Scott Lithgow Ltd. However, when the shipyards were nationalised in 1977 control was assumed to the British Shipbuilding Industry.

Glen shipbuilding yard

"e Glen shipbuilding yard was created by the amalgamation of Scott’s and Lithgow’s in 1970. "e yard’s purpose was to build ‘Very large crude carriers’ that were then in demand. "is was also home to the ‘Goliath’, a 225 ton heavy-lift crane rising 287 ft upwards and 350ft outwards. "is was a landmark that towered above the town making it impossible to miss. With the closure of the yards and the demise of the shipbuilding

industry in Port Glasgow, the Goliath was a reminder of the industry that dominated the riverside for over three hundred years. However, its huge presence was inhibiting possible developments to be made in that now vacant area. In 1997, it was &nally brought down, albeit unsuccessfully on the &rst occasion with only one side collapsing to the ground. Many remarked that it looked like a giant being brought to its knees, symbolic of the decline of the once great industry in the town. Months later another more succesful attempt was made and the Goliath was no more, leaving behind only the feet of the crane to give any hint to a very successful shipyard that achieved many great things during its time.

On James’s return to both the town and the running of the company, he embarked on a rapid process of expansion and acquisition

Top Left: Newspaper article regarding Lithgow’s contribution to the local area.Images © "e British Library Board. All Rights Reserved. Top Right: An Ariel view of Lithgow’s shipyard.Left: "e Goliath crane as it was being demolished.

n the mid 1860s, a carter named Walter Pollock was employed by a Port Glasgow contractor. His wife wasn’t happy with her husband’s boss, so she

went to a Mr Park, a respected breeder and dealer at Hatton Farm, near Bishopton. A bargain was struck, and Mrs Pollock walked a horse home to Port Glasgow, thus starting a business which lasted 130 years. Needless to say, the horse was a Clydesdale. Business expanded with Walter’s son James taking over the reins. He made himself known to the Port Glasgow shipbuilding family of Lithgow and the &rm thereafter gained a reputation for doing very di$cult jobs with apparent ease. James’ two sons, Walter and Robert, were by now in the &rm, which in the early twentieth century and the Great War had over 100 horses, 90% of which were Clydesdales. Motor lorries were by now making inroads, the &rst, like so many others, being a Model T Ford which could be &tted with bench seats at the weekend. In May 1925, Walter Pollock and his cousin, Walter Pollock Lucas (later to become

Provost of Port Glasgow), started the &rst timetabled motor bus service between Port Glasgow and Greenock. "e &rst bus was a 1925 Commer, but Albion 24 seaters with Northern Counties of Wigan bodywork became the favoured models. In 1929 Greenock & Port Glasgow Tramways made the cousins an o!er they couldn’t refuse, so they sold out. "e last tram ran in July 1929, and the G & PG Tramways became Greenock Motor Services, then Western SMT, but that is another story. "e fortunes of James Pollock & Sons %uctuated greatly during the Depression. At one point only one horse was working in the shipyards, the majority having been sold and their harness put into store. "e motor vehicles were varied, as customers were thin on the ground. "ese were Fords, Reos, and a Dodge, but always Albions. Walter’s elder son James, my father, having served an apprenticeship with John Mitchell of Greenock, who were Albion, Atkinson and Austin agents, went to the repair shop at Albion Motors about 1932, and then for two years in the summer was employed by

By Walter Pollock

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Gordon’s coaches, Lamlash, Arran, as mechanic and relief driver/conductor/inspector, etc. Great days! Around 1932 J.P. & S took delivery of a 4 ton Albion LK51 (new!!) from Mitchell, becoming Fleet No. 10. "is is the vehicle in the 1947 photo taken at Scarlow corner in Port-Glasgow, when it was hauling a mast to a Lithgow’s ship which was &tting out in Glasgow. "e “monkey”, or dolly, at the rear was home made from the rear axle of a much older Albion, and lasted into the sixties, when artics started taking over. "e mast was almost 50 feet long, 16 feet wide at the crosstrees and weighed 15 or 16 tons, but the aggregate was 21 tons over the three axles. Brakes on the “monkey” were an optional extra! "e Albion was replaced in 1949 by a new Atkinson L.644 (No. 24, DHS 851), again supplied by Mitchell. No. 24 was either a Monday morning or a Friday afternoon job, as it was back at the factory three times in as many months, which left my grandfather tearing his hair out and saying, “Scrap it,” or Eddie the driver saying, “Ah want ma Albion back!” Of course (vast) overloading had nothing to do with it! During the war the &rm was, like everyone else, very busy, going all over the country

!e horses were becoming less and less, and a new word was appearing, “artics!”

with shipbuilding and ship repair work. "e majority of the work was carried out with Walter and Robert at the helm and my father James as mechanic/driver. After the war James’ younger brother Bryce returned from the army and an old name was revived, the Port Glasgow Motor Co. Ltd. motor agents and repairers. "e garage came about by my father taking in repairs during the war, and he thought it feasible to start a separate company for his brother, as there were enough former employees returning from the forces to rebuild the haulage side. "e horses were becoming less and less, and a new word was appearing, “artics!” "e majority of the steel for the yards came by rail, and the railway and the Gourock Ropework Co. used Scammell couplings, so J.P. & S did the same. "e &rst unit was an ex-WD Bedford tipper cut down and &tted with sammell gear. "e steel trailers were varied but they only had to cross the road from the goods station to the shipyard. Gourock Ropework ran material in from Glasgow and Grangemouth Docks, and &nished products out to anywhere at all. Trailers were nearly all new 26 ft Yorks, and the tractor units and tippers in the &fties and early sixties were almost all Austins, as Port

Top: 1962 Comet procession with Clydesdale Blythe led by David Neilson.Middle: A mast being taken to Govan.Bottom: Our &rst timed bus at Princes Pier in 1925.Opposite Page: My Grandfather, my Father and me with our Austins.

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Glasgow Motors were Austin agents. "e tippers, 8 or 10 daily, worked with the Limmer & Trinidad Lake Asphalt Co. on tar. "e exception was a new Albion Chieftain (No. 27, EHS 591) with 26 ft Dyson trailer, replaced in 1964 by a 1961 Albion LAD Chieftain (No. 43, YVD 479), ex-Tayforth, plus a 26 ft York trailer. With plating coming in 1967 Jim and Bryce knew that there would have to be expensive

John Martin

Agnes Stevenson

Helen SharpeBryce Martin

James StevensonM: 1852

Euphemia McKinnonM: 1852

Walter Pollock

Jeanie McConnell

?James Pollock

Robert McConnellM: 1848

Elizabeth CalderM: 1848

Fanny Martin

Bryce MartinM: 1873

Agnes StevensonM: 1873

Walter Pollock

James PollockM: 1877

Jeanie McConnellM: 1877

changes. "ere was never any doubt what would replace the Austins, in fact I don’t think there was even a discussion- Albions were the answer! "e tippers were a priority, as the 7-tonners had been running with 10 tons plus since they came. (Helper springs – honest, it’s legal!) Joe Sewell, a friend of my father’s from his Albion days, was Sales Manager of Central Garage (Bathgate), a subsidiary of Russell of Bathgate, and every new tipper came from them, with bodywork by Fleming & Taylor of Airdrie and tipping gear by Edbro’s Johnstone works. "e &rst new vehicle, with re-used %eet No.27, MHS 859F, went on the road on the 1st of August 1967, an RE29BT Super Reiver, with spare wheel, painted, sign written and road taxed for £3,300 all in! "e

!e tippers were a priority as the 7-tonners had been running with 10 tons plus

since they came

,

Top: Me with a manilla load for the

ropeworksBottom: A drum

being loaded at Johnstone Mill

Robert Pollock

Mary Pollock

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biggest problem was convincing the drivers they could only put 13 tons on it! Another Reiver, No. 26 (RHS 941G) came a year later, followed at yearly intervals by three Clydesdales. One of the reasons for the yearly intervals was Jim Pollock’s belief that “you don’t buy it unless you can pay for it in cash.” Changed days! No. 26, when about six months old, developed a serious oil leak at a main bearing. A phone call to Central Garage, a return call from Albion Motors Repair Shop at Yoker (the old Halley works), “Bring it in before 3.00 p.m. Friday, pick it up 2.00 p.m. Sunday,” a factory reconditioned engine &tted with no charge. Where would you get service like that nowadays? "e Clydesdales were rather unique in that although they were tippers, they used the shortest freight chasis, giving a 14 ft 6 in. body with a single cape 10ft long in the centre. As the bulk of the work was tar, this allowed a JCB to remove small amounts at a time, thus avoiding spilling, and, more importantly, damage to the body. Clydesdale No.28, BHS 44J of 1970, was painted in the green, black and yellow of Limmer & Trinindad at their request, and vey smart it looked. It also had, at no extra cost, a de luxe interior, with roof and door lining, padded dashboard, padded engine cover, lockable cubby-holes and a radio (in a LAD cab!). I came home in April 1969 after serving an apprenticeship in Glasgow with Carlaw Cars in Finnieston Street (cars) and Cook Street (trucks). A poignant date was in February 1970, when the last horse walked out of Lithgow’s Kingston Yard, a story with a happy ending, for the horse went to a farm near Kilsyth on the understanding he would never have to work, and so could enjoy his well-earned retirement. In September 1972 another Clydesdale was delivered, No.34, LHS 517L, which must have been among the last to be built. About this time Scania introduced the two-axle 16 tonner to the UK and a salesman came with a tipper demonstrator. My father took a test drive, came back, said it was the most

comfortable lorry he had ever driven, but it was “nae use.” “Why?” asked the salesman. “Because you can’t put 10 tons on it legally. I get 10# tons with my Albions.” John Stewart, a haulage contractor and grain merchant from Larbert, with whom we had dealt for a number of years, mainly for horse feed, contacted my father to say he was &nishing up and had two Albions with sand bodies (ideal for tar) for sale and gave us &rst refusal. "ey came within three months of each other, and were immaculate. "e &rst, a &xed cape Clydesdale, became No. 33, DMS 802L, and as usual gave a 10# tons payload, with a margin for error. "e second was an RE29 Super Reiver, but with 10-stud back wheels, giving 22# tons gross and a comfortable 15# tons payload, and became No. 32, DWG 233L. "is brought the main tipper %eet to seven top range Albions, although there were a few of the 5 and 7 ton Austins doing local work such as repairing pavements and potholes – do you remember they used to do that? In 1975 the Gourock Ropework, which had been a major customer, closed, and then in 1976 Tarmac bought over Limmer, whereupon no. 28 changed to J.P. & S colours. In March 1977 the hardest blow

A poignant date was in February 1970, when the last horse walked out of Lithgow’s Kingston Yard

Top: Leyland Comet, 1980. Below: Albion Riever, 1968, ready for tar delivery.

81

came when after a short illness of only a few weeks James Pollock died aged 64. Like most young men I had my own ideas, most of which were bashed out of me. One thing I did convince my father and uncle to do was to go on to &fth wheel artics, as at this time more and more steel was coming by road. Second-hand Bedford TK units (KUS 681 and 682E) were bought from Duncan Barbour of Glasgow, but my father, who had a deep mistrust of all things Bedford, only agreed because they had Leyland 0.4000. "is became the standard engine for the %eet from 7.5 to 24 tons, with the exception of an AEC Mercury tractor No. 40 CSF444C, ex Pollock of Musselburgh, bought with the idea it would do for containers from Greenock to Renfrew, but then a 15 ton twice a week load both ways to Dundee came up: end of shunting duties! In the eighties the Albions were still holding their own, but fuel costs were going up and rates, especially quarry rates, were static. But there was one more Clydesdale to come. "e fourth No. 24, HTS 537G, ex-Harry Lawson, a Leyland Super

James Pollock

Walter PollockM: 1908

Fanny MartinM: 1908

Walter Pollock

Jean McKindrick

James PollockB: 1912 D: 1977

Comet 25 ft, %at, was retired after nine years’ very hard work, to be replaced by No.54, WSU 588S, a Leyland Clydesdale ex-Strathclyde, Motherwell. We took the “Leyland” letters o! the front; put “Pollock” in their place, a Rising Sun badge from a tipper grille on the front and a Saltire & "isle badge from a Clydesdale radiator on the front bumper. By this time the shipyards and their ancillaries had all but &nished, only Fergusons surviving. Also, our kind of tipper work was being slaughtered by another Renfrewshire &rm.

In the eighties the Albions were still holding their own, but fuel costs were going up and rates,

especially quarry rates, were static

My uncle continued to run the garage side, and did so until 2008 when he retired, aged 88. I kept going with the Clydesdale and a 7 # ton Ford until 1991, but I had su!ered broken bones in my neck, amongst other things, in a bad smash in the eighties, and these were still making life di$cult, so I decided enough was enough. Of all our long term drivers, only one was never given a new vehicle, and you’ve already guessed who – no favouritism in J.P. & S! I did get DMS 802L, and I still maintain that Albion Clydesdale LAD was the best medium weight two-axle vehicle ever built, bar none. So I can honestly say that James Pollock & Sons started with a Clydesdale and &nished with one, all from the same o$ce in Chapelton, Port Glasgow.

Elizabeth Pollock

Agnes (Stevenson) Pollock

Bryce (Martin)Pollock

Far Left: My dad in his Austin.Left: Clydesdales dressed for the Kilmacolm show.Below: Me at Chapelton yards.

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poorhouse was a facility run by the government used to house those who could not a!ord or were un&t to support themselves.

"ey were seen as a cheaper alternative (to the taxpayers) than what we call welfare but what in those days was referred to as ‘outdoor relief ’. "ey were an important place for many in the mid-19th to mid-20th century, helping to support the vulnerable who had little or no money and were incapable of providing for themselves. However, they were undoubtedly a last resort for many as the conditions were less than desirable. Between 1845 and 1930, over 70 poorhouses were constructed in Scotland. "ey were built following the Poor Law (Scotland) Act of 1845. "e regime, diet and conditions of a poorhouse were deliberately kept strict to discourage those who could be supported by their family from applying. In Greenock there have only ever been two poorhouses: one on Captain Street and the other at Inverkip Road, to the west of Greenock. "is poorhouse operated adequately for years. However, as with all buildings, it began to run into disrepair until a time where it was deemed no longer suitable for its intended purpose. "e only plausible solution at this point was to construct a new building to replace the former. "is gave way to the second poorhouse of Greenock: the Smithston Poorhouse. "ere is no shortage of information in regards to this poorhouse.

"e poorhouse was said to have aggravated a lot of the local taxpayers at the time, with it costing £100,000 to construct. It was dubbed by locals as the “Palace of the Kip Valley”. One governor even came all the way up from England with his family to run the poorhouse. His name was "omas Martin Hardie and he was governor of both the Captain Street and Smithston Poorhouse for some time. "e 1881 census shows "omas with his wife and children, two of whom were born in the poorhouse. At one time there were reports that there were problems between Mr Hardie (Governor) and Mrs Buchan (Matron). "ere was a committe investigating the claims and there was even an article talking about the investigation in a local newspaper at the time. "e Governor and Matron had responsibilities to cooperate with each other and it was in the parochial board’s best interests to ensure that this was this case. However, the committee concluded that the claims had no basis in truth despite both the Governor and Matron admitting that they “do not work together in harmony as they ought to do.” An interesting tale can be seen by investigating the minutes of the Greenock Parochial Board. At one time the inmates were made to plough the land. "is was obviously a breach of their rights, even at a time when Health & Safety legislation was loosely adhered to, and the committee investigated the matter throroughly.

THOMAS M. HARDIEand the Palace of the Kip Valley

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Medical O$cer; Robert Murray, Head Attendant; Geo. Brown, Gardener Attendant; Jno. Innes, Attendant in charge of No.2 Division; Wm. McCoy and Alex Whitlet, Ordinary Attendants.At a subsequent meeting Mr McWilliam protested against the committee investigating the statements he made regarding the patients ploughing at Smithston, and Mr Hardie having occasionally held the plough, for the following reasons:

In response to this objection the committee ruled that it had the power to enter upon the present investigation and stated that this meeting had been called for the purpose of giving Mr McWillam an opportunity of bringing forward any witnesses he might wish to produce, in order to prove the statements he had made. Mr McWilliam declined this request for the reasons aforementioned. "e end result of the matter was that no further action would be taken and a report would be submitted to the Committee of Management for their information. When war broke out in 1939 the hospital was requisitioned by the Admiralty and in 1941, after patients were evacuated to other hospitals, the Canadian Navy took over the hospital and it was renamed the HMCS Niobe. "e buildings were not returned to their original use until 1947 and in the following year with the start of the National Health Service it was renamed Ravenscraig Hospital. "e building still remains today, with only part of it still in use. "e building’s red sandstone appearance cemented it as one of the most striking buildings of its time, in this area. However, now the prestigious red building has slipped into a state of disrepair, and faces an uncertain future.

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"ere were rules and regulations that had to be followed for the management of the poorhouse and there were procedures regarding visitation:“"e Poorhouse shall be visited once at least in every week, by a committee of two or more members of the Parochial Board. "e Visiting-Committee shall carefully examine the Poorhouse - shall satisfy themselves as to the quantity and quality of the provisions issued to the inmates - shall ascertain whether the house is kept clean, well ventilated, and su$ciently warm, and whether the inmates are properly attended to and accommodated - and shall write such answers as the facts may warrant to the following queries, which are to be printed on each page of a book, to be provided by the House-Committee and kept for that purpose in the Poorhouse, and which is to be submitted by the

House-Governor to the House-Committee at every ordinary meeting.” On one particular visit, on the 1st of March 1883, the committee saw a squad consisting of twenty patients with two attendants, although it was observed that they were not attached or strapped to the plough and had free movement if they so required. By the haggard appearance of the men, the committee believed that they were not capable of lifting a spade to dig or any independent labour for that matter. "e asylum books were passed to the committee to investigate and it was discovered that this practice had begun on the 5th January, 1883 at this particular institution. "ey decided to take evidence on the subject and examined eight witnesses: Mr Hardie, Superintendent; Dr Wallace, Resident Medical O$cer; Dr. Clark, Visiting

Because this Committee has no power or authority to make such an investigation, and any resolution they may come to will be of no e!ect.Because the statements were made by me at a general meeting, and that meeting should make the investigation or have a remit to make it made.

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!e Poorhouse shall be visited once at least in every week, by a committee of two or more

members of the Parochial Board

Top: A plough being pulled by workers

Bottom Left: Newspaper article regarding the Smithston

poorhouseImages © "e British Library

Board All Rights Reserved

Bottom Right: A census record of the Smithston poorhouse

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INVERCLYDE

To What is Now

My Family’s

By Hugh McIntyre

here cannot be a single person domiciled in Inverclyde who is not an immigrant to the

place, or who isn’t descended from immigrants to it. "ough the following draws on my family history, it is not my family history. Some of my lines start away back - this account will start with the people, the immigrants, who came here, and it will tell, within limits of space, what became of them and some of their descendants.

John McIntyre & Jane Cameron

John McIntyre and Jane Cameron came to Port Glasgow from somewhere in Ireland between 1851 and 1861. Why did they leave Ireland, and why did they come here? Where in Ireland did they come from? If these questions were ever openly discussed in the family, I was absent at the discussion. I did once overhear vague mention of a farmer called McIntyre who’d come over before them, and that John McIntyre had been a coachman to James Hamilton, the duke of Abercorn. "is last, if true, would place them in

County Tyrone - a faint voice in my head says Newtown Stewart."ey were here by 1861, living at "omson’s Land on King Street between Scarlow Street and Church Street on the east side. "omson’s Land wasn’t a palace - too low in value to be assessed for rates, it was most likely a slum. Living with them were a son George (my great grandfather), aged 16, and a granddaughter, Jemima Moncrie!, aged 7. Everyone in the household was born in Ireland. John McIntyre was a labourer in a boatyard, and George was an apprentice boatbuilder, which might suggest that in 1861 they had been here for a couple of years. An older son, James, came over a little later - he married Mary McNutt here in 1870 and died of TB in 1871 - there were no children. He worked as a shipyard plater, so he must have come here with a trade. A daughter, Mary Jane, may have arrived along with James - she married George Armour, the son of a Princes Street butcher, in 1866. Martha, the mother of the granddaughter Jemima Moncrie!, seems not to have left Ireland - she was married to

a soldier. Jemima grew up and married John Cochrane in Port Glasgow. John McIntyre died in 1872, possibly only mourned by his wife Jane, their son George, and granddaughter Jemima, for daughter Mary Jane and husband and family had moved on from Port Glasgow by then - to where has not been established. Jemima and her family didn’t stay much longer - they were gone by 1874. In her old age, Jane Cameron entered Smithston Poorhouse. She had an annuity, so she was there as a paying inmate. She died in the In&rmary there in 1892, and was buried in a common grave in Greenock Cemetery, a grave belonging to the Poorhouse. "e reason for this is not clear - she had family in the area, and while they weren’t rich, they certainly weren’t poor. Great grandfather George William Martin Cameron McIntyre, to give him his full name, became head foreman riveter in Scotts East Yard. He married Hannah "omson Stewart in 1871 in Port Glasgow. Hannah, like George, was an incomer. Of their eleven children, &ve didn’t survive

beyond infancy. "eir eldest son, Hugh Vallance Stewart McIntyre, was my grandfather. He became a riveter like his father, foreman under him at one time. He and his two brothers, John and George, were in the same riveting squad. "e brothers would sneak into the yard on a Sunday to get the job set up for a quick start on the Monday. "ey were on piece work. Hugh’s sister, Mary Jane, married Bryce Smyth in 1890. She died of peritonitis seven years later, and Bryce married her sister, Nellie. Georgina married James Henry in 1902. She died of TB in 1914. John married Elizabeth Docherty in 1900 and moved to Johnstone. He died in Paisley in 1955. George married Margaret Boyle (in Helensburgh) in 1910. He died in Port Glasgow in 1959. Hannah Stewart died in May, 1898, and George married a widow, Christina McDonald, nee Stewart (no relation to Hannah), in July of the same year in Glasgow. "ey had at least six children. He drowned in Port Glasgow Mid Harbour in 1916, having gone “up the town to see Mary”. "is was

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just after the New Year, so I daresay drink had been taken. I can’t say which Mary he went to see - his youngest, my great aunt Mary, was born in 1911, but I assume she would have been living with him on Chalmers Street, Greenock, at that time.Had George not married, the family name could have died out here within one generation. His families by Hannah and Christina were the sole legacies of the McIntyre move from Ireland. Was it all worth the move? We have to assume so, but we lack information on their life in Ireland for comparison.

John Stewart & Janet Vallance

Hannah "omson Stewart who married George McIntyre was born in Glasgow about 1854, the second oldest daughter of John Stewart and Janet Vallance. John’s family came from Lesmahagow, and Janet’s from Paisley, originally from the Cumnock area. John and Janet were married in Glasgow in 1850, and around 1864 they came to Port Glasgow and lived initially at 5 Clune Brae. "e tenement they lived in (photo) was not long built. John was an engineer, and after his arrival in Port Glasgow he went to sea as one. "ey had eight children, of whom seven survived to adulthood. When John died on the 11th of January, 1890, at 31 Belhaven Street - his wife (the story goes) “turned her face to the wall” - she died on the 23rd. "ere is a story about why they left Elderslie, but nothing about why they came to Port Glasgow. John is supposed to have been a “special constable”, and a man was killed in a riot in Paisley, necessitating a move. I’ve never been able to pin down a report of such an event, though there were sectarian riots around that time in Paisley. Of their children: Alexander married Isabella McFaun in Port Glasgow, and he and James (then unmarried - he married in Canada) emigrated to Canada in the late 1880s. Elizabeth married "omas Duncanson in Glasgow and followed them from there. Alexander and James were moulders - Alexander made a name for himself in British

When John died on the 11th of January, 1890, at 31 Belhaven Street his wife turned her face

to the wall

Top: John Stewart & Janet Vallance’s

home on Clune Brae Rignt: George

William Martin Cameron McIntyre

Bottom: Hugh Vallance Stewart

Columbia as an innovative moulder - the trade was new in BC at that time. John died, aged 8, in Port Glasgow, and Malcolm Rankin, the youngest son, fell o! a staging in Duncan’s shipyard in 1887 and was killed. His body was conveyed home, the report said. Nice. Mary didn’t marry - she spent a lot of time travelling, looking after her brothers’ children here and abroad. "e youngest, Nellie Swan Stewart, married James McDonald and stayed on in the town. "e McIntyres and the McDonalds are the only Stewart descendants still here. "e third eldest, Hugh Vallance Stewart (photo), was a hard man to &nd once he left Port Glasgow. He was an apprentice saddler in the town, was a witness at his sister’s wedding, then he vanished from the local record. But many and varied were the family tales about him, involving a refrigeration business in Chile and the 1906 earthquake there, not to mention a marriage to an Ayrshire lady whose father was “in real estate” (there is no such marriage in the records). Eventually I found he became a marine engineer like his father. He sailed with the Paci&c Steam Navigation Company, whose routes included the west coast of South America, and they carried refrigerated cargoes of meat from there to the UK. In the absence of anything else, this could explain the tale about the refrigeration business. "e jury is still out on the role played by the earthquake. In Chile he married a Chilean lady of Danish descent, Elena Bartholin Cuevas. "ey had three children, and their descendants live around Santiago to this day.

William Henderson

William Henderson was born in Stirling around 1850, the son of James Henderson, a cabinetmaker, and Margaret Mo!at. In 1871 he was 21, working as a van driver (aerated water) in Greenock, boarding in a house at 13 Watt Street. By then his parents had moved from Stirling to Bonhill, and his father had opened a workshop in Dumbarton, but William didn’t follow his

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he made of the grandfather clock case. Of their children: William drowned in Sandon Dock, Liverpool, unmarried; James married and emigrated to Australia - he and his wife, Beatrice Dawe, had no children; Adam died in infancy; and Maggie didn’t marry. Martha Ann married Willie Du! and had two daughters, whence one granddaughter. Lizzie married Hugh McIntyre, my grandfather, in 1897. Of their 9 children, only 6 reached adulthood - my father, William Henderson McIntyre, was their 3rd son. Hugh collapsed in 1934 while watching a football match at the Garvel Park and died of pertonitis in Greenock In&rmary not long after. "e Henderson surname died out in our family.

James Adam & Elizabeth Robb

Agnes Adam’s parents were James Adam, a handloom weaver, and Elizabeth Robb,both born in Paisley and married there in 1838. "e family moved to Elderslie, where James wove plain shawls at home for the Ronald Brothers Printworks, who block-printed them as imitation Paisley shawls. In 1854-55, times were hard for weavers in Paisley and district, and all was not well with the

father’s trade. He seems to have spent a lot of time with his uncle Robert Mo!at, who was a road and railway contractor. Robert unsuccessfully bid £134,107.4s.4d in 1866 for the contract to make the Callander to Oban railway - William “walked the line” with him on the survey. Robert Mo!at spent some time in Port Glasgow on business, and he met his second wife, Annie Porteous, there when she was teaching at a school. Possibly William came to this area with Robert and got to know it. William Henderson and Agnes Adam married in Greenock in 1872. Agnes, like William, was an incomer (she came from Elderslie). She had been in domestic service at 15 Union Street - the house no longer stands - and perhaps William delivered lemonade there. "ey took a house at 65 Nicolson Street in Greenock, but moved to the Glen, Port Glasgow, by 1875, the year my grandmother Lizzie was born to them. William went into business for himself, manufacturing and selling aerated waters and ginger beer at a place on Water Street in Port Glasgow. "is was still in the family, at least on paper, until recent redevelopment cleared

it all away. Agnes’ brother, Alexander Adam, went into partnership with William. In the late 1880s, William and Agnes took their family to Rothesay, where William set up business. He had disposed of his share in the Port Glasgow business to his brother-in-law. "e Rothesay venture didn’t last - yet another tale said the horse dropped dead on the brae - and they came back to Port Glasgow. Around 1889 William took himself o! to Australia and disappeared. "e family stone in Port Glasgow cemetery says he died there in 1891, but I’ve never found any evidence for that. Agnes said she was a widow in the 1901 census. Agnes died at 19 Ardgowan Street, Port Glasgow, in 1928. No 19 was the house behind her shop at No 17. Her daughter, Maggie Mo!at Henderson, took over the shop and ran it till she retired in the 1950s. Maggie knew everybody. During WW2, one or other of my brothers and I slept in the house at the back of the shop, and I can still hear the ticking of the grandfather clock- once a second. Agnes Adam’s father-in-law, James Henderson, came to Port Glasgow from Bonhill in his widowhood, at some time after 1889. He died in the house in 1903. We still have a model

During WW2, one or other of my brothers and I slept in the house at the back of the shop, and I can

still hear the ticking of the grandfather clock

Left: William Henderson and Agnes Adam.

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Ronald Brothers Printworks. In 1854 the works had a full stock of shawls - they cut back production and only printed shawls from stock for orders received. James was one of over 100 handloom weavers in Elderslie who had depended on the Printworks, and he and Elizabeth had 10 children, newborn to 12 years old. James wove blankets and sold them round the doors, but that didn’t last. By 1855 the family had moved to the Overton Paper Mill above Greenock, escaping a worse situation, for the Western Bank failed in 1857, taking the Ronald Brothers Printworks with it. At Overton they got a cottage at the mill - there were 11 cottages at that time - and those of employable age got jobs there. A rather sad event enables the estimate of when they came to Overton. Mary, their youngest surviving child (two had already died in infancy), died at Overton in 1855 - she was born in Elderslie in 1854. "at was why they moved, but why to Overton? According to family lore, the move had to do with Elizabeth having an uncle who “owned” the Paper Mill. Certainly, one of the proprietors in 1854-55 was William Adam Brown, married to Joanna Gray, the sister of his co-partner, James Gray. A Paisley merchant called William Brown appeared in family documents, wills, etc, as a witness, but so far it has not been possible to tie him in 100% with the Paper Mill. Another source of in%uence could have been Elizabeth’s uncle, William Robb, who had a shawl business in Paisley at that time. "e family prospered. William became a farmer in Steppes; Alexander who took over William Henderson’s aerated water business - he married Janet Barclay. Martha married David Allan - he had come to Overton to do gardening - they moved to Kames. Agnes was my great grandmother, married to William Henderson. Janet was killed, aged 20, in 1865 when the top %oor of the mill collapsed under 24 tons of esparto grass, taking the middle %oor and Janet down with

it. Elizabeth married Willie McHarg, a shipyard plater - when he died she took her young family to Glasgow, opened a millinery shop on the Crow Road, and sent her children to university where they became mathematicians. James Jnr went to sea as a marine engineer before retiring to Dalry as a farmer; and Andrew married Ann Benson from Gourock and went to sea as marine engineer - he sailed with Cunard and settled in the Wirral, near Liverpool - his grandson, Robert Leslie Adam, was senior partner in Hill Dickinson, Cunard’s lawyers. "e only Adam descendants were from Alexander, and the last of them died quite recently, unmarried. Elizabeth died at Overton in 1879. James moved away to Cardowan, where their eldest son, William, had a farm. He took a job as a watchman and died there in 1889. My mother’s family, unlike my father’s, weren’t great ones for telling family tales, at least, not to me. Mostly they lived ordinary lives in the area and elsewhere.

William Steele & Martha Steele

William Steele and Martha Steele - both were Steeles, were married in Ballymoney, County Antrim, in 1878. "eir &rst child was born in Balnamore in about 1879, and their second in

Greenock in 1883, which gives a good indication of when they came to Greenock. "e second child was my grandfather, John Steele. Like my great great grandfather, John McIntyre, and many others who came into the area from Ireland and the Highlands, William Steele brought no trade or skill useful in a shipbuilding community, so he worked as a labourer. "ey lived in Greenock with their 8 children till about the turn of the century, when they moved to Argyle Street at the west end of Port Glasgow. My mother used to talk of her Port granda and her Greenock granda - William Steele was the former. William died in 1927, and Martha in 1936. In 1904 their son, my grandfather John Steele, a shipyard plater, married Margaret Munro Cumming in Greenock. Margaret was the daughter of John Cumming (Mum’s Greenock granda) and Janet Munro. I recall meeting my grandfather only once, and his

Left: James Adam and Elizabeth Robb.

Janet was killed, aged 20, in 1865 when the top $oor of the mill collapsed under 24 tons of esparto grass

wife, Margaret Cumming, not at all, since she died in 1936 when I wasn’t yet three. I have memories of undercurrents in the family, matters that were discussed over our heads when we were children, but we weren’t daft, and we knew it concerned our grandfather. From a fellow researcher in Ireland I got this remark, “John Steele was a &ne man and well spoken. Unfortunately, he was ostracised by his mum and dad because of his drinking problem.” His parents were what we called “good living”. Be that as it may, there came a time when he was living in the Model Lodging House on Boundary Street. My mother, Martha Steele, was his daughter - she sent me to him with a jug of soup. I found an old man sitting in a cubicle. "e walls only went up so high - there were no ceilings to the cubicles. I watched as he ate the soup, sitting on the narrow bed. I don’t recall the conversation, but I do remember a strand of leek that attached itself to his long grey moustache.

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Not long afterwards he died of pneumonia. "at was in 1943, and I was 10 years old. In 1943 my father was in Madagascar or India, so I took a cord in place of my mother. I got my &rst pair of long trousers in honour of the occasion, and thereafter I didn’t have to do certain chores - my younger brother Ian inherited them. I was (and still am) the oldest of 6. Women didn’t attend at the graveside in those days. "ey organised the protocol beforehand, and prepared the funeral tea. Of William and Martha’s other children, all but William and Lizzie married. William died of appendicitis aged 15, and Lizzie stayed single - she died aged 90. I was at her funeral in Port Glasgow Cemetery in 1985. It was a cold wet day, and it was a very long service indeed. Martha, the eldest, married William James McLean, a shipwright, in Port Glasgow in 1902 - they moved to England. William was born in Ballymena. Mary May married James Chalmers Wilson, a plater, in Port Glasgow in 1914. I was told she had been cook

and housekeeper to William Hamilton the shipbuilder before her marriage. Sarah married Robert Becket Currie, a &tter’s helper, in Port Glasgow in 1921. Maggie married Sammy Porter, a plater, in Greenock in 1921. Apart from Lizzie, they were the only ones of that generation of the family I knew - they lived on Glenburn Street near where we lived on Ardgowan Street at the Glen. We ran errands for them - there were never problems running errands for great aunt Maggie Porter, for she always gave us threepence. "ey didn’t have children of their own.

Jane Cumming

Jane Cumming was born in the village of "orn near Johnstone, to Robert Cumming and Janet Stewart. In 1869, a few months after the birth of an illegitimate son, John, she married Robert Baillie, a carpenter, in Paisley. Robert was one of those drowned when the collier Daphne capsized on launch from Stephens’ Linthouse

shipyard, Govan, in 1883. He wasn’t John’s father - Jane was in service in Dumbarton when he was born. She died in Paisley in 1913. She had a number of Baillie children, but there was no contact with them. Margaret Munro was born in Largs, the daughter of Roderick Munro, a cabinet maker who had come to Largs from Rosshire before 1827, and Janet Lochhead. She married William Greenlees there, but he died 4 years later in 1855, and they had no children. In 1862 an illegitimate daughter, Janet, was born to her in Largs. "e illegitimate pair, John Cumming and Janet Munro, married in Greenock in 1884. Margaret Munro eventually married David Baxter in Kilmacolm, but her daughter Janet never assumed the Baxter name. Some in the family thought she had, which confused the record somewhat. Margaret died in 1901. Great grandfather John Cumming worked as a riveter and lived until 1951. He was the only one of his generation I ever met, though it was

Far left: John Cumming and Janet Munro with their three children. Left: William Steele and Martha Steele.

hardly a meeting. I visited his granddaughter, my aunt, in Greenock, and he was in bed, a very old man. We didn’t converse. His wife, Janet Munro, died in Greenock in 1931. "e photo shows John Cumming and Janet Munro with their three children, Jane, John and Margaret. Jane married James Cameron, and Margaret married my grandfather, John Steele. John didn’t marry - he joined the Argylls in WW1 and was posted missing, presumed dead, in August, 1917.

Romantic Epilogue

In the early 1930’s, probably about 1931. Miss Martha Steele was going to or coming from a dance at the Ladyburn Rowing Club. Her way was impeded by two young men &ghting on the ground. She separated them. One was William Henderson McIntyre. History did not record the name of the other one - she knew neither of them. She and William were married on the 9th of September 1932, at Ladyburn Manse, and I was their &rstborn.

We ran errands for them - there were never problems running errands for great aunt Maggie Porter, for she always gave us threepence

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Ann Williams

"e Identity project has been very enjoyable. Apart from taking the opportunity to explore my own family tree, listening to the stories of the other group members research has been so interesting. What a variety of characters, both in the group and historically, I have met over the last few months.

Grace Binnie Coming to Identity has been so enjoyable, this is maybe not what it was meant to be but the characters resulting from research and the characters in the group made it so!

Jean Campbell

Coming to the group every week has been very enjoyable. Some of the information about our history was very interesting. All the sta! were very friendly and cooperative.

Frances M Dunlop Being part of the Identity project has been a great experience, meeting lovely people, hearing interesting stories, learning more about the history of our local area. I have had help in getting started on researching my own family tree, and that has been a fascinating journey of discovery. It’s a never-ending story: I think I may be hooked for life now!

Alex Hardie Joining the Identity group at 71/2 John Wood Street, Port Glasgow was for me a chance to express my interest in Inverclyde’s waterways and reservoirs. I hope that with the aid of Identity Inverclyde we can produce a video documentary, that will highlight our intentions and inform the general public of our aims.

John Smith

"e purpose of the group is to further research an interest in each member’s family background and their original connections to Inverclyde. "is we have been successful at but I think we have achieved much more. Such a diverse group has been able to come together, share, support and stimulate each other and the results – the website, a book of histories and the ongoing friendships that, I think, have been forged will be lasting testament to the group’s intelligence, curiosity, sharing nature and sense of humour.

LASTING MEMORIES OF THE PROJECT

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Hugh McIntyre

Apart from co!ee and chocolate biscuits; the chance to meet people with stories to tell about the area and beyond; to cooperate in other people’s research, often to my own bene&t as it turned out; and when not doing these things – having some decent conversation.

Walter Pollock

Several months ago I was involuntarily volunteered to join Identity by my wife and June (2 Formidable Ladies). I have never regretted a second of it. I have met some really wonderful people, we all agree (eventually) but we can agree to di!er. We met as friends and part as friends. I cannot speak highly enough of the young people, especially Stacey, Craig and Shug, who keep us re-cycled teenagers on the straight and narrow, it must be hard going for them at times. Every ship must have a captain and I can only say if Kay had been the skipper of “Titanic” she would never have sank. "ank you once again for many enjoyable Wednesdays and "ursdays and long may it continue.

Joseph McGeer

"ere are many bene&ts in working with others in this project, one being the incredible knowledge of the members. For example, if you don’t know the name of a long gone street in Port Glasgow from 100 years ago you got the answer in seconds.

Betty McLaughlin

I really enjoyed my time at Identity. I discovered a lot of information about the district and enjoyed meeting the other members of the group.

John McQuarrie

It has been a very enjoyable experience attending Identity. I feel that I have learned a lot and added to my education and knowledge. "e sta! are helpful and never fail to give answers.

June Campbell

What a great project! "e Identity project was very interesting. "e group was very friendly and helped one another. "e researching of our ancestors really brought out lots of unknown information. It was great listening to other people’s stories. "e sta! were most helpful and not forgetting the tea, co!ee and biscuits that kept us going. Roll on the next project.

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Articles

Foreword: Paul BristowCustoms & Contraband: the History of the Greenock Custom House - Craig McEwan

What’s in a Name? - Ann WilliamsPressing Times: the Impressment O$cers in Greenock - Craig McEwan

"e Comings and Goings of the Mooneys - Grace BinnieJohn Scott: the Evolution of an Empire - Craig McEwan

Memories - Jean CampbellMark Khull and the Sugar Capital of Scotland - Craig McEwan

"e Donnellys: An Irish Family in Greenock - Frances M DunlopWilliam Scoresby and the Greenock Whale Fishing Company - Craig Miller

"e Last of the Salveson Whalers - Alex HardieJohn Galt and the Canada Company - Craig McEwan

"e Smith Family & How "ey Came to Port Glasgow - John SmithRobert "om: From Cotton to the Cut - Craig McEwan

Following in the Footsteps - June CampbellFather Condon: the Benevolent Broadcaster - Craig McEwan

"e McQuarries: A History through Photographs - John McQuarrieFleming and Reid: the Making of a Mill - Craig Miller

"e Mill Women of Clark & Struthers - Betty McLaughlinHenry Birkmyre: Weaving for the World - Joseph McGeerJames Lithgow: from Port to Parliament - Craig McEwan

Clydesdales: From First to Last - Walter Pollock"omas M. Hardie and the Palace of the Kip Valley - Craig McEwan

My Family’s Immigration to what is now Inverclyde - Hugh Mcintyre

Photographs and Images

!e photographs and Images used in the book have been reproduced with the permission of various organisations and with permission from the volunteer group.

Images Reproduced with Kind Permission of British Newspaper Archive - www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk Photographic images used under license from SCRAN - www.scran.ac.uk

McLean MuseumEnglish Heritage - www.english-heritage.org.uk

Glasgow LifeBritain From Above

Holy Family Church Port GlasgowRoyal Commission of the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland - www.rcahms.gov.uk

Tate Gallery LondonHull Maritime Museum

National Archives of Scotland - www.nas.gov.ukCondenast - New Yorker

Caird Library - www.rmg.co.uk/researchers/libraryKew - National Archives - www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Workhouses.org.ukMary Evans Picture Library

Mitchell Library - www.mitchelilibrarv.org"e Gourock - George Blake

"e Gourock 1954www.atlantic-cable.com

Museum VictoriaPatrick DownieReginald Beer

Scotland’s PeopleTwo Centuries of Shipbuilding by Scott’s

Greenock TelegraphBurns Club

CREDITS