Nurse Dowie - District Midwife and Earlston Worthy

On a January morning in 1883, a girl was born in a farm servant’s cottage near Orwell in Kinross-shire. The girl was the second daughter of David and Jane Blackwood. He was a farm servant, and his wife was an agricultural worker (bondager). The girl would be baptised ‘Jane’. Her elder sister was Margaret, and four brothers would be born in time: David, Alexander, Peter and John. 

Nurse Dowie 1960

Jane’s childhood was unremarkable. The family moved house occasionally, as was the way of life for farm servants, as they would take up employment with whatever farmer was offering the best wages that season.

Like most girls in rural areas, Jane would be encouraged to leave home as soon as possible after leaving school. This was a simple matter of economics. A boy could command a higher wage than a girl. In a large family living in a small house, the eldest son would be given his own bedroom as soon as he started work. And so it would be that Jane left home to become a live-in domestic servant.

In the early 1900s, Jane was a servant at Inveresk House in Musselburgh. There, she met Robert Dowie. Robert worked for an engineering contractor and, although initially from Inverkeithing in Fife, was now living in Buckinghamshire.

The couple married at St Giles in Edinburgh in 1905. After the ceremony they left Scotland for Robert’s home in Haddenham, Buckinghamshire.

Because of the itinerant nature of Robert’s work, the couple seemed to be constantly on the move, their temporary homes recorded in their children’s birth certificates. The eldest son, James, was born in Haddenham, David arrived in Wick in Caithness and the youngest, Robert, was born in Cromarty. 

Then, in 1914, war was declared on Germany. Robert was too old to be accepted for the military in 1914, but by 1915, he could be called up under the Lord Derby scheme.

Inevitably, Robert was conscripted and joined the 8th Battalion of the Black Watch.

In early 1917, Robert was wounded in an action that saw him being awarded the Military Medal for his bravery during a raid on a German trench. Robert was evacuated to Aberdeen Military Hospital. After making a good recovery,  he went on additional training before being shipped to Flanders. A few months later, he was posted as ‘missing in action.’

Imagine the anguish of his widow, Jane. Her heart would tell her to never give up hope that he would be found alive; however, her head would say to her that he was most likely already dead.

It would take from May 3 1917, when he was reported missing, until September for confirmation that he had been killed. On September 22, the Dunfermline Press carried the following announcement -

DOWIE - Previously reported missing May 3 1917, now officially reported killed in action on that date, Pte Robert Dowie, Military Medallist, Black Watch, aged 37 years, eldest son of the late James Dowie, North Queensferry, and dearly loved husband of Jeanie Blackwood, Cupar Road, Pitlessie, Ladybank, Fife.

 

The Jane Dowie story might have finished there, another sad but unremarkable war widow left with three young children and little prospect of gaining meaningful employment. But not Janet Dowie.

Convinced she had more to give, she approached the War and Pensions Committee at the County Buildings in Cupar, Fife. She explained that she wanted to train as a ‘maternity nurse’ to contribute to the community. However, she would need a grant to fund her her studies.

She must have been convincing because a civil servant elevated Jane’s case to a higher authority within the Department outlining Jane’s request. The Department replied that it would indeed provide her with a grant, however, only if she qualified in Midwifery and not as a maternity nurse. The grant of £22 was to cover board and lodging for 6 months while she studied at the Simpson Memorial Hospital in Edinburgh. It was pointed out to her that the grant would not cover her uniform or any textbooks she may require. 

The Midwives Roll for Scotland shows that Jane was enrolled as a midwife on January 27, 1919, almost one year after making her case in the County Buildings in Cupar. From this moment on, Jane Dowie earned the right be called Nurse Dowie.

The Midwives Roll for Scotland

On September 30 1919, the Berwickshire News and General Advertiser reported that the district nurse in Chirnside, Nurse Lockhart, would be leaving. Nurse Lockhart had served many years as the town’s district nurse and had made many friends and would consequently be missed. The announcement reported that her place would be taken by Nurse Dowie. The report said that Nurse Dowie comes with high testimonials and that, combined with the fact that she is a war widow, should insure her success in the district.

And successful she was. Not only was she a competent, dedicated nurse, but she was also an active member of the community.

In February 1939, at the Chirnside and District Nursing Association Annual General Meeting, it was reported that Nurse Dowie had made over 2,000 visits the previous year. Work aside, she would gladly give talks about her passion for the outdoors and her summer holidays with titles such as  ‘Hill Walking on Skye’ or ‘Hiking in the Highlands’.

Her greatest passion was literature and debating. She was vice-president and secretary of the Chirnside Literary and Debating Society for many years. As well as judging the debates, she was, on other occasions, a participant, frequently winning her argument.

When promoted to District Midwife, based in Earlston, she must have been disappointed that the Earlston Literary and Debating Society had ceased to exist a decade before. However, that might have been Earlston’s gain as she became involved in local politics, standing up for her constituents at County Council meetings. Her love of debating meant that she was a formidable opponent.

In 1948, she was nominated by the Earlston Ratepayers Association to represent the ratepayers of Earlston. When asked what would be her priorities, she replied that her first priority in Earlston would be housing. She advocated the provision of every available space for recreation and games and a toddlers’ playground where the children could play safely. Another priority was a hall for the village where entertainment could be provided for old and young folks. The rates in Earlston were very high, and Nurse Dowie said she would endeavour to see that the ratepayers received full value for their money. She was opposed by local businessman William Roger. She won.

The sight of this little old woman entering council meetings may have given her opponents a false sense of security, but she was always well prepared.

At one meeting, a council member accused Earlstonians of being wasteful with water. Indeed, Earlston had suffered a drought for four months. Nurse Dowie responded that the good people of Earlston had not wasted water because their houses were not receiving any water. The village collection tank was full and overflowing as it had been for months. The fault lay in the old system of pipework where air-locks formed. Surely, now would be the time to renew the village’s ageing infrastructure, she suggested. The council called for a report on the issue.

Nurse Dowie’s passion and support for her constituents would make headlines in the local papers in the early 1950s. The central government were rebuilding the country’s housing after World War 2. Local councils were tasked with identifying suitable sites to build housing schemes. Berwickshire County Council thought it had identified appropriate locations, but the proposal did not meet with Nurse Dowie’s approval. The objection again centred on the provision of water.

‘Animals would not live under these Earlston conditions’ screamed the headline in The Berwickshire News, quoting Nurse Dowie. The newspaper continued, ‘People are being denied the essentials of life such as water.’ Nurse Dowie went on, and the newspaper was glad to quote her: It is madness to build houses only where there is water. No Department of the State has any right to deprive the community of the essentials of life such as water and shelter,’ said Mrs J Dowie at a meeting of the Berwickshire Health Committee at Duns on Thursday.

‘We in Earlston, ’ she said ‘are being denied these. People in Earlston are living under conditions even animals would not live in,’ she added.

The Berwickshire News January 1950

You can see why she was so popular with her constituents.

At her last council election, she won 66% of the votes, with her opponent trailing behind with 34%.

Nurse Dowie presenting prizes at Earlston school Sports Day 1960

Her work as District Midwife and councillor was not at the expense of her family or other pursuits. During the war, she raised money to buy comforts for the children whose parents served in the military. After the war, her charitable efforts focused on raising money for the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. She worked with local youth groups such as the Earlston Girls’ Training Corp. Arguably, her greatest achievement and indeed one that must have given her the most pride, was raising three sons as a single, working parent. Her eldest son, James, was only eleven when his father died. He and his two brothers attended Berwickshire High School before graduating from university. James graduated from Kings College London with a degree in mechanical engineering. He would attain a senior position in the civil service. David qualified as a pharmacist. He joined the Royal Navy as a civilian pharmacist in 1939. In September 1943, James left the family home on William Bank in Earlston. He travelled to Birkenhead to join the ss Malancha. From Birkenhead, James sailed to India. He became a senior pharmacist at the Royal Naval Establishment in Divatalassa, Ceylon (Sri Lanka) before returning to the UK in 1946 onboard ss Otranto. David continued his career as a pharmacist in a civilian role at several Royal Naval hospitals in the UK. The youngest son, Robert, graduated from Edinburgh University with an MB ChB. He worked as a Resident Surgical Officer at Hallam Hospital, West Bromwich. In 1939, he joined the Royal Naval Reserve as a Surgeon Lieutenant.

Nurse Downie retired from nursing in February 1948 at a ceremony held in the West Hall. She was presented with a clock and a wallet of notes. The clock was inscribed ‘Presented to Nurse Dowie in recognition of her many services to Earlston and district February 1948’. Dr Lachlan Campbell, the village GP, made the presentation and paid her tribute, referring to ‘her constant devotion to duty, her courage and cheerfulness. She had never found a road too rough or a journey too long, or an hour too inconvenient for her to carry out her work. Her car may have often failed her but never her spirit. She was widely known all over West Berwickshire where her duties had taken her.’

Nurse Dowie died in 1965, aged 88, at the Gordon Hospital.

Blaikie's Cottage

 

Credit: Author

Introduction

If you travel north into Earlston, about 100 metres before the bridge over the river Leader, there is a modest, weather-beaten sign pointing towards 'Blaikie's Cottage'. The sign may be modest, but the cottage was home to James Blaikie, a deeply pious man, an eccentric, respected businessman, a miser, and a man of great physical strength.

Considering that more than 260 years since the last Blaikie died and that the house is still referred to as Blaikie's Cottage is evidence of his lasting impression on the village.

The Killing Times

James’ religion was central to his life, but there were threats to his faith from the Scottish Episcopalians, the 1689 Jacobite Rising and the 1715 and 1745 rebellions. The danger to his life and religion must have seemed endless.

Born in 1674, James witnessed the end of the Covenanters era which, because of the atrocities was known as the Killing Times. 

In 1684, the Privy Council passed the Oath of Abjuration. This Oath required all Scots to swear that the monarch was above the church, something Presbyterians could not agree to. Those who refused to swear were either executed or banished. 

Even though just a ten-year-old, James most likely heard of local people who were banished. John Young and Andrew Cook from Melrose were banished, as were Robert McGill and Robert Young from Galashiels, together with William Hardie and John Mather of Kelso and Jedburgh, respectively.

Where these men were banished to and if they survived is not known. However, an indication of their fate can be taken from the account of Gilbert Milroy of Penninghame parish in Dumfries.

Milroy was taken prisoner and was ordered to take the Oath. He refused and was taken to Edinburgh. Held at Holyrood, he was again ordered to take the Oath. Again, he refused. He was sentenced to have his ears cut off and be banished.

He was taken to Newhaven, where he and another 130 covenanters were held in the hold of the ship for their voyage to Jamaica. The passage took 3 months and 3 days, and due to the conditions onboard, lack of food and clean water, 33 covenanters died.

In Port Royal in Jamaica, Milroy and his fellow prisoners were sold as slaves. The King had gifted the prisoners to Sir Philip Howard, who consequently pocketed the proceeds of the sale.

In 1710, Milroy returned to Scotland where his and the other covenanters' accounts of their treatment were documented in 'A Cloud of Witnesses', which was published in 1714.

Credit: Internet Archive

James must have been aware of these events and the treatment meted out to the Presbyterians, so it is reasonable to suppose these reports must have strengthened his religious conviction.

Eccentricity

James never missed his daily devotions, and through time, he dug the family grave, which became his preferred place for prayer, which he referred to as the 'narrow house'.

After several years, he built a 'throuch' over the grave. A throuch is a gravestone that is typically laid directly onto the ground. However, in James' case, he mounted it on pedestal legs with ornately carved side panels. Tools of James' trade and leaf motifs were sculpted into the panels. James had the following inscribed on the throuch -

At Craigsford, January 20th 1724

Here is the throuch, and place designed for the body of James Blaikie, wright of Craigsford and Marion Sclater, his spouse; built by himself; wishing that God, in whose hand my life is, may raise me by the greatness of His power to a glorious resurrection; that this stone when I view it, may mind me of death and eternity, and the dreadful torments which the wicked endure. Oh that God may enable me to have some taste of the sweet enjoyment of His presence, that my soul may be filled with love to Him, who is altogether lovely; that I may go through the valley of the shadow of death leaning on Him in whom all my hope is; so strengthen Thou to me, oh Lord, who have done to me great things, more than I can express.⁽¹⁾

The side panels are interesting since they provide a catalogue, carved in stone, of the tools used by joiners and roofers in the early eighteenth century.

Businessman

On New Year's Eve 1702, James Blaikie married Marion Sclater and the ceremony was duly recorded in the Melrose Parish register. They set up home in a cottage on the banks of the river Leader opposite Rhymer's Tower. James built a workshop and saw pit to fashion the timber from logs to finished articles as needed to serve his needs as a joiner. 

He was obviously a well-respected craftsman since he was awarded the contract to renew the roof of Ledgerwood church. A stone is set into the gable end of the church, commemorating the repairs made in 1717 following a fire. James carried out those repairs, and so we can assume that such important work would only have been given to a competent business person. 

During that work, James' reputation as a man of considerable strength was enhanced. A newspaper reported that -

'When at last the building was ready for the roof, he rose early, and after offering up his morning devotions in 'the narrow house', he hurried away to Ledgerwood, where he raised and adjusted the whole of the ponderous kipples*, and had just finished this heavy part of the work, when his men arrived at the proper hour to begin the labours of the day.' ⁽²⁾

It was also reported that he fixed the slates to the church roof single-handed in one morning.

* main rafters supporting the roof.

Miserliness
It would be charitable to describe James as being cautious with money. He was known to tie a large stone to the bottom of his saw used in the saw pit to avoid paying a man to pull on the saw from below. And indeed, he preferred coins to notes. He hoarded his golden guineas, which he kept under lock and key. As he lay on his deathbed, it was reported that he asked his attendant to bring his hoard to him in a 'wecht' (weigh scales). He continued to count his money repeatedly 'while his life was ebbing away to another world.' ⁽¹⁾

Death and legacy

Part of James' trade was making coffins for the recently deceased in the area. He became increasingly concerned that no one would make his coffin when he died. James realised that a coffin of such proportions to accommodate him would be expensive. So he built his own in readiness. As an indication of James' size, the throuch measures 2.3 metres x 1.2 meters x 0.2 meters (7.5 feet x 4 feet x 8 inches). So he decided to build his own. However, if a customer required an oversized coffin, James would not be averse to selling his.

And so it was that James had taken up an offer to sell his coffin, and he subsequently died before he could make a replacement, leaving his family with the expense of having one specially made.

After his death, the following was added to the inscription on his throuch -

Here lies James Blaikie, portioner of Earlston, who died the 23rd day of June 1749, aged 73 years; as also Marion Sclater, his spouse, who died 1747, and his daughter who died 1st November 1755.

James' workshop has long since been demolished. The saw-pit has been filled in. There are some apple trees that may be distant descendants of those planted by James.
A relatively new extension, a scullery, has been reportedly, built over the graves. 

The scullery with the throuch on the right by the red pole
© JJ Price

The throuch was moved, and it remains intact however the inscription has succumbed to 'The influence of time and the thoughtless conduct of youths and visitors have long ago sufficed to efface the inscription, but a friend, the late Joseph Watson, Earlston, supplied us some years ago with a copy.' ⁽¹⁾

The throuch is now mounted on modern breeze blocks and serves as a makeshift bird table. The pillars remain intact, and some carved stonework lies at the site.
The legend of James Blaikie has been told and retold over the hundreds of years since his death. A newspaper article which described the damage done to the inscription made its way to George Mercer, mayor of Lodi, a town in New Jersey, USA.
George was one of three brothers from Earlston who had emigrated to the USA and, where George found fame and fortune. A fourth brother, John, had remained in Earlston and built Roosevelt Place on the Kidgate.
When George read the story about the vandalism, he felt compelled to write the Earlston minister Rev. W S Crockett. The letter read:

'The article remarked that it was a pity that some of the Border societies, or some individual, should not have taken up the matter of preserving the grave and the stone. It has been much abused by visitors and children, and I suspect that I am one of the 'children' who helped to efface the markings on the stone. We were pretty much alike, all of us, when we were playing around there, and were just as likely to chip a piece off for fun as not. I am a great believer in preserving the old historical land-marks, and always feel badly to see any of them wiped off the face of the earth. It has occurred to me that possibly I could do something to redeem my wrong-doing, if you can call it such; that is, by helping to restore as nearly as possible to its original condition the stone and the grave. And I would be willing to contribute all, or part of, the cost of this; if you will take the matter up with the proper authorities or some society, and give me an idea as to the cost of putting it in fairly good shape, I will consider the matter favourably and advise you very promptly what to do. I know no one better than your own good self to take this matter up. You are so familiar with everything in that line, and the history of our dear old town, that you can probably reach without much trouble just the one to do the necessary work.' ⁽³⁾ 

Obviously nothing was done to reinstate the throuch but James’ legacy remains, albeit in a sorry state.

The throuch now serving as a bird table
© JJ Price

Detail from the side panel
© JJ Price

Detail from the side panel showing one of James' tools of the trade
© JJ Price

Credits

1. Berwickshire News, 16 March 1875

2. The Border Magazine, June 1908

3. The Border Magazine, August 1908

What's in a name?

Suppose road signs had been compulsory over the centuries. In that case, these names would have appeared instead of Earlston - Earlstoun, Earlstown, Earls Town, Ercildoune, Ersilton and Ercheldun. And just to be inclusive, the perhaps the sign should incorporate the Gaelic for Earlston - Dùn Airchill. 

So what’s in a name?

If you grew up in Earlston in the 1950s and 1960s, chances are you called 'the burn' the Trufford burn. 

Now it's called the Turfford. 

Has the name been changed, or was the wrong name used before?

This newspaper clipping dated 1896 shows that the burn was known as the Trufford. Yet forty years before the newspaper notice, a map of the area shows the name 'Turfford'.

Credit: Southern Reporter 1896

Some old documents claim that Turfford's name came from an area of ground close to the burn that the owner of Cowdenknowes allowed villagers to cut turfs to use as fuel for their fires. This was before the Midlothian coal fields and transport links provided a coal supply. The peat bog was subsequently drained during the construction of the railway.

Cowdenknowes was known as Coldaned Knolls. In a charter to Mungo Home, King James IV refers to 'the mains of Ersilton called Coldaned Knolls with fortalice and manor thereon.' As recently as 1889, Cowdenknowes was referred to as Cowden Knowles.

The Earl of Dunbar, who owned much of the land around the village, got into a dispute with the monks from Melrose who worked their farm at the Grange. The Earl tried to move them off the land. But the church was too powerful, so he gifted the monks with 'the whole arable land called Sorouelesfeld on the west side of the Leader, towards the Grange of the aforesaid monks as fully as William Soroueles held it.' Sorouelesfeld is now known as ‘Sorrowlessfield Farm’.

Farms feature in street names in Earlston - Huntshaw, Summerfield, and Georgefield are all local farms.

 

Farm fields are given to street names. The 'Gun' is an oddly shaped field that looks like a rifle with its butt towards Huntshaw and its barrel extending towards the village. The Gun has lent its name to several streets. To the west of the 'Gun', an adjacent field lay in the crook formed by the High Street and Thorn Street, giving its name, Westfield, to several streets built there.

Credit: Ordnance Survey 1857

Streets prefixed 'Thorn' refer to the ancient thorn that grew close to where the Black Bull stands.

'As long as the Thorn Tree stands, Ercildourne shall keep its lands'.This was the first of several prophecies attributed to Thomas the Rhymer collected by Robert Chambers, who identified the tree in question as one that fell in a storm in either 1814 or 1821, presumably on the about the last remaining acre belonging to Earlston. The prophecy was lent additional weight at the time because, as it so happened, the town merchants had fallen under bankruptcy due to a series of "unfortunate circumstances". According to one account, "Rhymer's thorn" was a huge tree growing in the garden of the Black Bull Inn, whose proprietor, named Thin, had its roots cut all around, leaving it vulnerable to the storm that same year.

Some streets have been named after their destination - Church Street, Station Road, Mill Road and Haugh Head Road.

Three streets are named after historical events. Queensway and Crown Crescent mark the succession of Queen Elizabeth II to the throne. And Everest Road commemorates conquering Mount Everest.

A few streets are named after people. Hope Knowe nods to the Hope family that once lived at Cowdenknowes. Roger's Place, William Bank and Jane Field are named after family members of the builders, Rogers. Roosevelt Place refers to Teddy Roosevelt, the 26th president of the USA. The houses were built by stonemason John Mercer and were completed in 1910, the year after Roosevelt left office. The connection to Roosevelt could be more apparent. However, John Mercer's brothers, George, Andrew and James, had emigrated to America. The brothers settled in Hackensack, where George became a successful businessman in Lodi, the postmaster for several years and the mayor. The block of houses may have been named after the former president to acknowledge the Mercer family's fortunes in America.

George Mercer
Credit: Auld Earlston Collection

The derivation of Halcombe Crescent is controversial. One school of thought is that the name is derived from 'Hawk Kaim', a low hill on the south side of the Turfford where it is thought that the Earl of Dunbar had his hawking house. But it also appears in an earlier  document from 1484. 
This was an agreement between Earl of Angus and Alexander Home to purchase twenty pounds worth of land of Ersilton, namely 'the mains of Ersilton with its pertinent, the 'lang akers' for £2, Carelside for £1, the 'Thowlescrouk' for £1 the 'hal orchard' which is called the manor of the same, the mains with Cowdenknowes for £6, the five husbandlands next to and on the east side of the manor for £5 (a husbandland is about 26 acres or 10.5 hectares) Philipston, Fawlo, and Willestroder meadow for £5, all in the lord ship of Earlston and Sheriffdom of Berwick' dated Edinburgh 11 October 1484.
Since a 'combe' is the name given to a wooded valley, Halcombe may be the 'hal orchard' mentioned above. Indeed, a recent visit to the Redpath road showed an excellent crop of apples in the woods just next to Halcombe Crescent!  

Credit: Author

Like the Turfford burn, the name of the Kidgate has changed over the years. Readers may remember the lane was called 'Kirkgate', but according to the Berwickshire OS Name Book of 1856-1858, Kidgate is the correct name.  The book describes the street as 'A narrow lane leading Southward from the South end of New Street consisting of a few thatched Cottages with two or three slated houses and tenanted by Mechanics and labourers.'

New Street is now Thorn Street, and the 'Mechanics' would be tuners from the tweed mill. 

And to confuse things, here's an old postcard of 'Kirkgate' showing what appears to be a church (but is, in fact, the 'Manse Hall'). 

Kidgate showing Manse hall

Credit: Auld Earlston Collection

Can you help? 

We have yet to find out where the names come from for three streets: Arnot Place, Kilknowe and Bellevue Terrace. Please let us know where the names are from in the comments below.

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