In Search of My Haddows

So much of my time in Scotland gets spent on my maternal line, the Crawfords. And likely for good reason as we tend to outnumber most other families, so there is always something else to learn, to search for, to discover.

A few months ago, I was speaking with colleague Chris Halliday and made a casual comment about never having any success in finding out anything about Easterseat in Carluke. My 3x great grand uncle, from whom most of the Haddows descend, was the overseer of the estate. I have consulted maps, gazeteers, statistical accounts and never had any success with finding Easterseat. Within seconds - literally seconds - Chris sent me a link with a map!

I decided that on my way to meet my Glasgow group, I would detour and go see the farm. I was well on my way when I once again saw the sign for Kirknewton where my paternal granny's birth was registered. I decided to take a run through once again. Then I decide maybe I wanted to try to find the home she grew up in. Four or five generations of Haddows lived in this house over the years.

I knew instantly that it was the house, even before I heard "your destination is on the left" I felt an immediate connection. Maybe Maggie and her dad were drawing me to it.

I decided then that I wanted to see the Almond Valley Trust and learn more about the work my papa and great grandpa had made a living at. They were shale miners. The Trust is an interesting museum, but primarily geared as a day out for either primary school groups or mums and tots. I think I was the only adult apart from the teachers and parents. It could be a much richer experience if there were less of the soft play areas and more about the mining and other works in the area.

Then I headed to see Easterseat. What a treat. Really. What a treat. It was far more rural than I had imagined but I could suddenly envision the history of my Haddows. I stood on the roadway and stared for ages. 

The wide open space. The green fields. The sheep. And a wee burn running through it. 

 

John and Elizabeth and their gaggle of children had lived here. Not likely in the house that is there now. But the bairns had run free on the land. Maybe wandered to the barn to visit the cows or sheep. Guttled in the burn. They had been here. HERE.