And That's A Wrap

All too soon, another Genealogy Tour of Scotland has come to an end. The days have flown by. We researched at the ScotlandsPeople Centre, the National Library, the National Archives, Edinburgh City Archives, the John Gray Centre in Haddington and at the Scottish Genealogy Society. 

We attended talks on Kirk Session Records, High Court Records, National Records of Scotland, Scottish Maps and Family History Resources at the National Library. 

We learned about life in Victorian times, the poverty and the difficulty of the times. We learned about Scottish history, Edinburgh's history and the characters that shaped Edinburgh. 

We visited ancestral villages and towns including Bridge of Weir (the Quarriers Village), Newtonhill, Callander, Haddington, Old Edinburgh and Lanarkshire. 

We took day trips, walked for miles and enjoyed the beauty and culture of our ancestral homeland. We have made new friendships. We have a deeper understanding of what it means to have Scottish Heritage. Most importantly, we have connected to our ancestors and to Scotland in a way that we never could have imagined had we only depended on online resources. And for this, there are no words that can fully describe what we have experienced. 

Arbroath Harbour Home of the Smokie

In medieval times, the fishing village was located in Auchmithie, three miles north of Arbroath. Auchmithie had no harbor and the conditions were terrible. Along with the move to a harbour (first built in 1394 and paid for by the Abbot) the fishermen were offered plots of land along the harbour on which to build houses.

The first harbour was a wooden structure, slightly north of the current harbour and remained in use from 1394 until it was destroyed by a gale in 1706. This gale gave the area of the harbour the name Danger Point. 

The current harbour opened in 1734 and was again expanded in 1842.

At the foot of the road by the original harbour at Danger Point sits the Old Brewhouse, first built in 1754. The building remains as it was then, although the interior has been refurbished.

In 1809, Robert Stevenson, father of author Robert Louis Stevenson, built the Bell Rock Lighthouse on a rock in the sea, 11 miles from the shore of Arbroath Harbour.

Arbroath, of course is famous for it's Smokies - smoked haddock. The smoke shops continue to dot the harbour.

Arbroath Abbey

Had a lovely wander around Arbroath Abbey, a medieval monastery established by William I (William the Lion) in 1178. Although in ruins, the Abbey shows an impressive size and the importance of it in the life of the town as well as its place in history. 

 The bases for the pillars show just how large these structures were

 The 'O' transept is thought to have been used as a beacon for ships to show them safely to harbour when lit. It was restored by Robert Stevenson's father when he built the Bell Rock Lighthouse in 1809.

When this house was restored, several medieval graves were uncovered in the floor. These are thought to be the burial places for abbots, bishops, senior officials and benefactors for the abbey

When William was killed in Stirling in 1214, his body was returned to Arbroath and buried in front of the high altar.

Perhaps the most famous place in history for the abbey is that this is the place from where the Declaration of Arbroath was issued. The Declaration is a letter to the Pope (the United Nations of the time) outlining Scotland as an independent, sovereign kingdom. The most well known lines of the Declaration outline this position: "It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom – for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.”

A framed copy of the Declaration hangs in the visitor centre of the Abbey, a gift to the Abbey from the National Records of Scotland

The letter was signed by 40 noblemen, freemen and barons who affixed their seal, urging the Pope to recognize Scotland as an independent sovereign kingdom. 

Understanding Ancestor Occupations

The weekend is open for the tour participants to visit the part of Scotland where their ancestors lived, to sight-see or just to relax after a busy week of research.

I drove to New Lanark to visit the old cotton mills and the village designed to support the workers. New Lanark was innovative for its time, thanks in large part to the mill owner, Robert Owen. Owen was interested in the well-being of his employees and worked to make sure they had provisions that other employers didn't consider.

 The mill is down an incredibly long hill from the car park and the visitor centre isn't easy to find as it is in the middle of the mill buildings rather than at the start. Once there, however, there is a terrific wee ride through the life of one Annie MacLeod, a 10 year old mill worker. Annie has nothing but praise for Mr Owen and the way he treats his workers. She describes the school room, the nursery, and the work that she and the other children do in the mills. She is pleased to only be working ten and a half hours a day, six days a week.

From the ride, there are a number of other buildings that can be visited including the works floor. Here the machines run to clean and spin the cotton. The sound can be deafening and it isn't hard to imagine that hearing loss would be a normal effect on the workers having to endure the noise day in and day out for nearly 12 hours at a time.

Another innovative idea for Owen was that he withheld 1/60 of each workers wages and put the money into a sick bank to allow them free health care when they required it. As well, each child in school had regular health exams at no cost to the families.

The school that Robert Owen built is still standing today. The rooms are large and airy with lots of natural light. Music was part of the curriculum.

Owen provided housing for his employees. The homes consisted of two rooms, a living area with a kitchen as well as a separate sleeping room. There was a shared lavatory at the top of the landing of the stairwells.

Owen was concerned about the character of his workers and as such, built an "Institute for the Formation of Character" that was the focal point of the villagers during their free time. It became a community centre and offered evening classes for anyone aged 10 - 20 years of age who might otherwise be working and unable to attend school during the day.

The workers were paid in a local currency and tokens that could be used at the village store. The quality of the goods at the village store was superior to the stores outside of the village and the prices were much cheaper as well.

The mill was powered by the Clyde, some of the water from which had been diverted to the mill.

Visiting social history museums is the best way to learn about the lives your ancestors lived and to be able to experience some of what they experienced on a daily basis. It allows you to understand their lives and to have a deeper sense of who they were as people. 

Greyfriars Tour with Historic Edinburgh Tours

Tonight's guided tour with Robert of Historic Edinburgh Tours was of the Greyfriar Kirkyard. This is not a ghosty tour, it is an historic tour that helps us better understand the importance of the Kirk, the Graveyard and the people interred within. 

I love the fall tours as we get the added benefit of the projector! This most definitely brings the stories to life.