Auld Earlston

Monday 27 July 2015

Shopping in Earlston in an Earlier Era

Take a nostalgic look at Shops in Earlston in the early 20th century.

The 1901 census for Earlston lists a William Donaldson, aged 37, a butcher at 43 High Street. with his wife Isabella and sons, John, William and Walter, and daughters Isabella and Helen. Two years later "Slater's Directory for Berwickshire, 1903" lists Walter Donaldson as the butcher.

You can just make out the sign in the stone above the frontage, with the staff in their striped aprons - and is that a carcase hanging in the window?

A similar image. with the delivery boy and his bicycle.

Times have moved on to four wheels,

Staff outside the local Co-op Store

The~Co-op Travelling Shop that went around farms and more isolated communities.

In the 1901 census, John P. Weatherly was described as a 40 years old Postmaster of 73 High Street, living with his wife, mother-in-law and children. Edward, Ellen and Margaret. The Trade Directory two years later adds to his role that of bookseller, stationer, and printer.

John Paterson Weatherly (1924-2006) also ran the village post office and earned a reputation as local historian, gathering a wealth of archive material, which forms the basis of the collection of the Auld Earlston Group.

But take a closer look at that newspaper placard outside the shop, which announces that "Crippin Removed to Hospital".

Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen, was an American doctor He was hanged 23rd November 1910 in Pentonville Prison, London for the murder of his wife Cora Henrietta Crippen, and was the first criminal to be captured with the aid of wireless telegraphy.

Here is Miller, Drapers, (where the Vets now have their surgery). Take a close look at the notice on the wall on the left, and you can make out the advertisement for "Agent for Pullar's Dye Works, Perth", (presumably a predecessor of Pullar's of Perth, Drycleaners). In 1881 34 year old John Miller of Thistle House, High Street was a draper in the village, employing two boys and one woman.

Occupying the same premises in 1901 was 25 year old draper George McDonald. Unmarried he was living at 15 Station Road with his father John, a saddler, mother Jane and two brothers David and James who were also saddlers. George must have been an enterprising lad, as at the age of 15 in the previous census of 1891, he was also listed as a draper.

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Slater's Directory of Berwickshire for 1903 notes that the population of Earlston was 1677 (as per 1901 census). Shops in the village included:

6 grocers/spirit dealers/ironmongers, 3 butchers, 2 bakers, 5 tailor/drapers/ clothiers, 3 watchmakers/clockmakers/'jewellers, 1 confectioner, 1 chemist, 3 dressmakers/ milliners, and 1 fishman & earthenware dealer.

What was striking was the number of women in business - Miss Jane Douglas, confectioner; Mrs Margaret Kerr & Mrs Jane Readman grocers; Miss Margaret Mcdonald, Miss Jane Wood & Miss Isa Tennant. dressmakers & milliners; Mrs Agnes Smith, baby linen, Mrs Isabella Winchester, draper, and "in charge of the telephone call office" Miss Isabella Aitchison.

Thirty years later in 1931 saw listed: 3 grocers/ironmonger, 1 butcher, 1 baker, 3 tailor/clothier/drapers, 1 watchmaker, 3 confectioner, 1 chemist, 3 milliners/dressmaker, and 2 newsagents.

Now we are left with 2 convenience stores, a butcher' (Donaldson's), a baker, chemist, flower shop, sweet shop, 3 pubs/hotel, 2 hairdressers, a beauty salon, a craft shop, an electrical shop, a cafe and a tearoom a fish & chip shop and a Chinese take-away - how times have changed!

Earlston High Street at the West End

Earlston High Street

Thank you to everyone
who has donated or loaned old photographs for scanning.

Auld Earlston welcomes all contributions on the village's past -
contact us on auldearlston@aol.com or via the comments box below.

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The Crippen story aroused enormous public interest at the time - See more at: http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/execution-dr-crippen#sthash.Rvy7ZSbM.dpu

Friday 10 July 2015

Earlston's Working Horses

"Horses are absolutely necessary in this part of the country, for it is by them the farmers labour their farms and drive their corn to market. They never work with oxen now as they did formerly" - a quote from "The First Statistical Account of Scotland" written 1791-1799.

Sixty years on, the 1851 census for Earlston (including Mellerstain and Redpath) lists 9 men working as blacksmiths, 7 carters/carriers, 3 saddlers, 2 stable boys, an ostler, a farrier, a groom and a coachman - plus of course all those who would be working with horses on the many farms in the parish.

Photographs in the Auld Earlston Collection show the importance of the horse in everyday life, well into the twentieth century, as illustrated here.

Anyone tracing their family history may well have a "carter or carrier " in their ancestry - an essential occupation in transporting goods around.

A horse and cart beside the trough and old Pump Well in Earlston's Market Square.
The Well was demolished in 1920 to make way for the War Memorial.

The Smiddy in the Square

Below three photographs of Brotherstone Blacksmith's at the East End.

Gypsies at the Horse Fair on East Green. c.1900

1907 and the church choir outing to Yarrow Manse on a crowded wagonette

A winter photograph of the Red Lion Hotel in the Square. The driver of this unusual sledge seems to be dressed very formally in a top hat and is not particularly well wrapped up against the elements. And who was he waiting for? There does not seem to be any path cleared through the snow from the hotel. Or was it a promotional photograph? From the collection of the Heritage Hub, Hawick.

And finally can anyone help identify the occasion for the bunting in this photograph of Thorn Street - date unknown?

For more photographs on village life,
look at our associated Facebook page Lost Earlston

Thank you to everyone who has donated or loaned old photographs for scanning.
Auld Earlston welcomes all contributions on the village's past -
contact us on auldearlston@aol.com or via the comments box below.

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Wednesday 24 June 2015

Pageants, Parades & Fancy Dress in Earlston

A summer events theme with photographs from the Auld Earlston Collection,

Not in procession, but Earlston Clown Band is here appropriately dressed and ready to take part in the Galashiels Historical Peace Pageant of summer 1919 - a parade of bands and ex-servcemen, with wreath laying, was followed by a fancy dress show. picnic and sports. A seven minute vintage film of the event is held at Scottish Film Archive.

A year earlier in 1918, the band were dressed to take part in the Galashiels Cycle Parade.

In 1934 the Pageant of Ercildoune took place on the nearby estate of Carolside. The costumed outdoor event portrayed in drama, music and dance some of the scenes from Earlston and Border history, produced by Earlston Girl's Club, and directed by Colonel Ferguson. Below - the arrival with her retinue of of Mary Queen of Scots.

The Coronation of George VI in 1937 was celebrated in this float with the leading figure Britannia.

On to Earlston Civic Week which began in 1972, with fun events, races, social get togethers, and concerts, culminating on the Saturday in the fancy dress parade, torchlight procession and fireworks display - now about to celebrate its 43rd anniversary.

To end, two of the oldest photographs in the Auld Earlston collection - a parade of soldiers off to camp in July 1907 and a year later the Pipe Band led a procession along Earlston High Street to mark the "Semi-Jubilee" of the local Temperance Society.

Thank you to everyone
who has donated or loaned old photographs for scanning.

Auld Earlston welcomes all contributions on the village's past -
contact us on auldearlston@aol.com or via the comments box below.

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Saturday 13 June 2015

Remembering the Railway at Earlston

The Berwickshire Railway through Earlston in the Scottish Borders was one of the many lost lines in railway history, serving the village 1863-1965. It provided the link between two major routes - on the east coast the North British Railway between Edinburgh and London and in the central Borders the historic Waverley Route between Edinburgh and Carlisle. The cross country line was built in three stages - to Duns in 1849, westwards to Earlston in 1863 and the final stage two years later in 1865 with the completion of the Leaderfoot Viaduct across the River Tweed.

Earlston Station

"The Kelso Chronicle" of 20th November 1863 reported on the opening at Earlston with an article which made the occasion seem rather prosaic and low key.

In contrast 14 years earlier in 1849, the nearby town of Dunse had welcomed the railway with much celebration. On the opening day the public were carried free of charge, the first train at 2.00 p.m. having no fewer than twenty carriages and it was reported "floral and evergreen arches bestrode the long serpentine row of carriage, a flag waving over the top of the little wooden hut which at present does the duty of a Station House and the Dunse Brass band played". [The Berwickshire Railway - Dunse History Society].

On December 4th 1863, "The Kelso Chronicle" noted "The new railway [at Earlston] is in regular working order and appears to be giving great satisfaction. The trains run smoothly and keep tolerably good time. We are already feeling the benefit of railway communication".

Station Road, Earlston, leading down to the railway.

Copyright © A R Edwards and Son, Selkirk. (Cathy Chick Collection). All Rights Reserved

Two trains in Earlston station
Copyright © A R Edwards and Son, Selkirk. (Cathy Chick Collection). All Rights Reserved

The major engineering feat on the line was the crossing of the River Tweed and the building of the Leaderfoot Viaduct, which involved a nineteen arch structure 907 feet long and 126 feet above the level of the river bed. Interestingly it is referred to in a newspaper article of December 1864 as the Drygrange viaduct.

Leaderfoot Viaduct opened in 1865

The Berwickshire Railway line was never a busy one, with roughly equal traffic of goods and passengers. In Earlston, coal was brought in and stone from the local quarry taken out, with agricultural produce and livestock the mainstays of business.

Two prominent visitors through the station were Prime Minister Asquith in 1908, to make a speech in Earlston, and in 1944 General Eisenhower to inspect the Polish tank regiment stationed in the village. [See earlier posts]

Prime Minister Asquith's party arriving at Earlston Station in 1908

General Eisenhower arriving at Earlston Station to inspect the

Polish Tank Regiment stationed in the village in 1944.

Devastating floods across Berwickshire in August 1948 meant that passenger services were suspended, due to parts of the trackbed being washed away. Repairs were never fully carried out and only freight services continued on part of the line, which was eventually closed without ceremony on 16th July 1965 - marking the end of the 102 year old line of the Berwickshire Railway through Earlston.

Goods Train at Earlston. March 1965.

Station staff at Earlston

Closing the gates of the level crossing at Earlston

The last train through Earlston Station - July 1965.

On the left is the train's fireman; on the right the couple who worked the level crossing; with their young son in the arms of the stationmaster.

2015 and the site of the old railway line at Earlston

Postscript: In 1969 amidst the notorious Beeching Cuts, the Scottish Borders lost all its rail services, making it the only region in mainland Scotland without a train station. But this all changes in September this year, when part of the Waverly Line re-opens for 35 miles south of Edinburgh into the central Borders at Tweedbank

Do you have memories of Earlston Station? We would love to hear from you - either click on Comment below, or e-mail: auldearlston@aol.com - Thank You.

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Photographs courtesy of the Auld Earlston Collection,
Cathy Chick, N.F. Donaldson and Bruce McCartney.

Monday 1 June 2015

Day Trips by Wagonette and Bus - 1907 & 1936

It is the time of year when many local organisations are planning their annual outings - and it was no different in years gone by. Here are some photographs from the Auld Earlston collection.

1907 - Earlston Parish Church Choir Drive to Yarrow Manse.

Setting off from the Red Lion Hotel. Hopefully it would be a dry day as there was no protection from the elements? It is a bit surprising that they did not choose to take the train from Earlston to Selkirk, via Newtown St. Boswells and then by waggonette to Yarrow.

1936 - Ercildoune Church Choir Drive to the Trossachs.
Thirty years separate these two sets of photographs and the obvious comfort of an S.M.T. (Scottish Motor Transport) bus, compared to the horse drawn wagon of earlier days - also the outing to Loch Katrine was much further afield. In the days before paid holidays, such an event would perhaps be the only outing ordinary people would enjoy.

Alastair Munro (driver), Mame Weatherstone, Ina Mack, Louden Melrose (organist & choirmaster), Jean Mack, Rev. Peter Wylie, Douglas Aikman, Mary, P. Kerr, Dod White, Melville Purvis, George Chisholm, Jock Fox, Len fox and Mickey Purvis.

Enjoying themselves - George Young, Bette Denham, Ina Mack, Mag Cumming,

Mrs Bill Young, Jean Mack, Jock Cumming, Lizzie Burrell, Mary P.Kerr,

Mary Young and Murial Gibb


Background: From 1929 and the union of the Church of Scotland and the United Free Church of Scotland, the Parish Church was known as Ercildoune Church, whilst Earlston United Free church took the name of St. John's. The two congregations came together in 1946 to become the present Earlston Parish Church. **********

For more photographs on village life,

look at our Facebook page Lost Earlston