Tankerness, Isle Of Orkney

My great great grandmother

My great great grandmother Mary Balfour Craigie was born on 10 April 1816 on Gairsay Island to John Craigie 1777-1851 and Jannet Sclatter 1777-1846 both of Garisay. John Craigie was a boatman. The family later moved to Kirkwall. Mary married 1839 in Kirkwall to Donald Smith the blacksmith of Shore Street Kirkwall. They had six sons and 6 daughters,... [more]

Ordiquish Parish of Bellie.

My grandparents, Robert (Bob) and Margaret (Maggie) Urquhart, moved from the Braes of Enzie, parish of Rathven, to Ordiquish, parish of Bellie, probably in 1941. However, their tenanted croft at Ordiquish was soon to be taken over by one of their sons, John Urquhart. John was a cattleman at Gordon Castle Farm. He also helped out on his parents' croft. Following... [more]

A VERY RURAL CHILDHOOD 1929-1938

Primary school teacher was Miss Barbara Chisolm. She married a local farmer, Jack Cumming, and they farmed Abbeylands at least until the early fifties. The house and farm buildings were demolished and several houses are there now. The local Post Office was also located in that building and was run by Mrs Cumming. At that time the Abbey was called Pluscarden... [more]

Childhood memories of Piperhill Farm

I have vivid memories of Piperhill farm and house despite my age at the time (2). My father was a clerk of works at Brackla airfield at the time and we all lived with the Urquharts at the farm. I have clear memories of the farmhouse and farm buildings, particularly the scents of the steading, hay loft, stable and piggery. Mrs... [more]

Cricket Team

I am actually posting this for my son Dean.  We live in Los Angeles and were moving homes when I came across these pictures.  Dean lives in Scotland.  
The boys according to the back of the photo are, left to right:
top: Dean Brady, Christopher Barratt, Ewan Stevenson, Jamie Clark, Benjamin Hayes, Steven McLure, Giles Lawson Johnson:  Lower;  Matthew Lyle,... [more]

A funny year-for me

As a young man from the south of France, I got a job as French assistant at QVS. I was a bit hippyish and far from notions like order, authority etc. (and uniforms). To my deep surprise, I landed in QVS, with a bedroom at the top of the school. I was asked to wear "proper suit and tie"' but I... [more]

The Klondyke 1952 - 1954

I lived in Bingham at this time and left school on the Friday and started work on the tables on the Monday day shift 6 - 2, after about a week I moved up to the bashing on as it was called on the tumblers, there I met a man (I say man because I was just a 15 year old... [more]

Childhood

I was the son of the cobbler at the Klondyke pit. All the kids at that time played in the streets or went up to the pit head baths for a shower, this was because there were no baths or showers in the miners' houses. Everybody in the village at that time knew all the kids and all the kids knew... [more]