I worked on Christmas Day from the mid 1960's thro the mid 1970's.   It was then that Parliment gave an extra day's holiday to the general public.   What happened in reality, was my firm which had offices in Glasgow and London, gave Christmas Day to the Glasgow Folk and New Years day to the London folk.   I can even remember paying out wages on Christmas day when it fell on a 'payday'.   Marion  From: "Sam Heron" <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, December 21, 2010 7:48:38 PM Subject: [WIG LIST] Christmas Day in Scotland and the Covenanters Fellow Listers, Scotland is definitely a unique little country (78772 km2  or 30414 sq mi) with its own way of doing things. It doesn't have a Scottish National Anthem, Scottish bank notes are not legal tender in Scotland and in fact it has no legal tender currency, it has its own unique legal system dating from before the Union in 1707 that is unlike any other legal system, its Official Animal is the mythical Unicorn, AND it has only relatively recently started to celebrate Christmas Day officially. When my family left Stranraer, Wigtownshire, Scotland to come to Australia in 1957 the 25th December (Christmas Day) was not a holiday and Boxing Day was unknown. We did get presents but it was a very low key affair. Christmas Day was not openly celebrated in Scotland for almost 400 years until 1958 when it again became a holiday for everyone. At the Scottish Reformation some four hundred years earlier it was decided that no day was to be kept a Holy Day except Sunday and this included Christmas (Christ-Mass). In August 1560 the Reformation Parliament passed a series of Acts including a new Scots "Confession of Faith".  It abolished the Pope's authority in Scotland and forbade the celebration of Latin Mass.  It reformed the Kirk and made education compulsory (so people could read the bible).  Back in 1317 Pope John XXII had renewed the excommunication of Robert Bruce and placed the kingdom of Scotland under interdict.  This led to the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320.  In the "Golden Act" of 1592 James VI was compelled to accept the formal Presbyterian organisation of the Kirk. This did not last and Charles I attempted again to impose his religious wishes on Scotland.  A National Covenant!   was drawn up and displayed in the Church of the Greyfriars on February 28th 1638.  This Covenant was to lead to much bloodshed before it was played out.  It developed into a war between the King and the Covenantors. So in Scotland until 1958 life went on as normal on December 25th as it was not a holiday and people went to work as usual. So if you want to celebrate Christmas the way your Scottish ancestors did it will mean going to work on Christmas Day. Sam Heron ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

I can confidently report that Sam is correct. The Winter Solstice has passed, 6.38 p.m. EST last night, and in confirmation thereof we have no doubt that winter is upon us. It is cold. This morning at about 2.30 a.m., having been forced from my warm bed by other considerations, I noted that a lunar eclipse was indeed to be seen, and roused my spouse Annamarie, who co-operated nobly by providing a cup of tea. We saw over the following several minutes the eclipse progress to totality (if one excuses its minor umbra/penumbra failings), and were also treated to the overhead transit of a meteorite. Only one, and I thought the Geminids were supposed to be upon us, but I believe they were at maximum a week earlier. However, the shorter days are giving me time to update the Wigtownshire Pages. They can still be found at freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~leighann/index.html and I am now trying, finally, to include the broken link and outdated address comments that I have already received. If you have any more of such, or if it looks as if I've lost any earlier ones, please let me know. Meanwhile, a Merry Christmas and a Good New Year to all from sunny Pennsylvania. Crawford MacKeand

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: williammcclurg Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.britisles.scotland.wig.general/2094/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Full text of "Gallaway and the Covananters, or The struggle for religious liberty in the south-west of Scotland on the link below. If any technical problems with the link, Google>Gallaway Flail. http://www.archive.org/stream/cu31924029476003/cu31924029476003_djvutxt On the last part of the link, difficult to distinguish if it is divutxt or djvutxt, try both if this link doesn't work. This book was published in 1889. Hope everyone can find something in it. Cheers Bill McClurg Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.

Fellow Listers, The 2010 Winter Solstice will occur on Tuesday 21st December 21, at 11:38 pm GMT or UTC Therefore, the Winter Solstice is today Tuesday, 21st December 2010 at 11:38 PM in Scotland. The Summer Solstice is on Wednesday, 22 December 2010 at 9:38 AM here in Queensland. The seasonal significance of the winter solstice is in the reversal of the gradual lengthening of nights and shortening of days with the reverse being so for the Southern Hemisphere. Also tonight in some places there is a total lunar eclipse, a rare event for the winter solstice. The last winter solstice total lunar eclipse was in 1638 and the next one won't be until 2094. The eclipse, caused by the moon going into the Earth's shadow, will begin at about 12:32 a.m. Tuesday in the Midwest, 1:32 a.m. on the East Coast, and 10:32 p.m. Monday on the West Coast of the North American Continent. Sam Heron

The lunar eclipse was visible in the UK - or at least where there wasn't cloud! (Alas, there was cloud where I am.) With the solstice we cease going into the dark, and the days here will start to lengthen - happy solstice, everybody! Jenny At 11:15 +1000 21/12/10, Sam Heron wrote: >Fellow Listers, >The 2010 Winter Solstice will occur on Tuesday 21st December 21, at >11:38 pm GMT or UTC

Douglas and Gordon was listed along with many other surnames in the book on the link below. http://www.archive.org/stream/cu31924029476003/cu31924029476003_divutxt Bill McClurg

Hello all you listers, I just want to thank each of you for the helpfulness you have shown in my genealogical diggings. It is a joy to belong to this list. I hope that each and every one will have a safe and happy Christmas. Best regards, Carolyn -- Carolyn Achata

Many thanks to all the listers who responded in finding a picture of the Galloway Flail. Always interested in how our ancestors did things and particuliar knowing about early Smith work. As for Haggis, I have a recipie for that, but I suspect a pot of Kale would be more to my liking. I spent two weeks in Scotland in 2000 traveling about the country seeing how they made things that I always wanted to know. Enjoyed it all, but I failed to ask why there were so many seeming wild rabbits huddled up against the stone fences by the roadsides that I traveled. Could it be they are a potected species? Thanks all, William.

I got my first taste of farm work in 1946,, aged twelve, at Achtralure, up the Old Port Road. It was at the harvest and four of us schoolboys were put to "stookin". That is putting six sheaves leaning against each other in a tent shape. We were told to keep up with one of the farm workers and he didn't half go along at some rate. At the end of the day, about 8 p.m. we were given five shillings each. My very first pay and I was so proud that I ran home to show my parents. "Very good," said mother,"you can put that to a new pair of boots".After that I started going out with the "squads". We were taken on the backs of lorries to various farms in the Rhinns and up around Ballantrae. We did the tattie howking mostly behind the digger but on a couple of occasions behind the graip. When it was the digger you were put in pairs and given a stent, that is your section. It didn't take long to notice that although all the stents were supposed to be the same the squad leaders favourites had a shorter length. So we boys would move the markers,usually sticks, when we thought no one was looking.If it was the graip you went along behind the man,or woman, gathering each shaw as they dug it out. It was back breaking work. However you were allowed to take a dinner o' tatties at the end of the job.This usually meant filling your "piece" bag.We also went to thin or single turnips. For this you went on your hands and knees crawling up the drills in all weathers. To save your knees you would wrap jute sacks round your legs and tie them with binder twine. On a wet day they soon were filled with dirt and very heavy.Some fields were very stoney and sore on you and it was a joy to get a field of sandy soil. In the winter you could get casual work clearing out ditches or pulling thistles. When I was a teenager the pay was half a crown an hour if you went with a squad or nine pennies a hundred yards if you went straight to the farm. I worked for three years, from fifteen to age eighteen with a dairy engineer. However I would still go out with the squads at the weekend and some nights. Also I went out when it was my fortnight's holiday as this gave me a chance to put some money by. I bought my first made to measure suit from my squad money. It was four pounds and ten shillings and I couldn't wait to strut down George Street on a Saturday afternoon. One of the things that sticks out in my mind is the tea. Everyone had to bring a twist of tea and a twist of sugar, This was all thrown together in a big urn of boiling water and the farmer provided the milk. I can almost taste it now and without doubt it was the most welcome mug of tea that I have ever had. Although it was very hard work there was a lot of banter and laughter some of which would be very much frowned upon in these politically correct days.The squad had an annual day out to Glasgow, the Squad Trip as it was known. I was fourteen and it was my first time in Glasgow. We boys spent the day in Argyle Street and most of it in Woolworths. I was going to write this in the dialect as spoken by my squad friends but I do want to share it with as many Wig listers as possible. Bill Dougan

In response to several messages from the Dec 15 digest: I am also from Langley, BC, Canada; a 3rd generation Canadian, father was of English descent (Wiltshire) and Mother was of Scottish (Clackmann). We often had eggs & bacon or sausages for supper along with potatoe scones (made from leftover mashed potatoes) or fried scones made with molasses -- the absolute best. My Mom loved "black or white pudding" but she always called in "Blood" pudding; a most disgusting concoction, but when we slaughtered our annual cow or bull the abbatoir was quite happy to make use of the blood rather than throw it out. She also sliced it and fried it up with potatoes. In ref. to the name of McMurray; I can't understand why anyone would have a problem with the spelling of it. The double R seems to me to be the only logical and obvious possibility. Can't see a prob. with "howyadoen" either. I grew up right here in BC and there are exp. right here in Canada that seem much stranger. In the Eastern provinces they say about as "abooot" and a breakfast order is "2 side by each" translated as 2 eggs fried with a slice of bacon beside each one. Also: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all those on this list; a most helpful and friendly bunch of folk. Simone Ealey Parkinson Langley, BC, Canada > From: [email protected] > Subject: SCT-WIGTOWNSHIRE Digest, Vol 5, Issue 156 > To: [email protected] > Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2010 16:16:16 -0700 > > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. RE TATTIE SCONS (Diana Henry) > 2. Re: Tattie hokers and all that (McMurray, Lisa) > 3. Re: RE TATTIE SCONS (Diana Henry) > 4. Re: RE TATTIE SCONS (donald main) > 5. Re: double-yew (telford BM) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2010 03:15:08 -0800 (PST) > From: Diana Henry <[email protected]> > Subject: [WIG LIST] RE TATTIE SCONS > To: [email protected] > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > > As Sam and Linda remind me you can also fry them up next day to have with eggs, > bacon, black pudding etc etc. > Am just awa' to mak some richt the noo. > Diana > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2010 10:13:54 -0800 > From: "McMurray, Lisa" <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [WIG LIST] Tattie hokers and all that > To: "'Olive McDonald'" <[email protected]>, > "'[email protected]'" <[email protected]> > Message-ID: > <[email protected]rg> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > Does bring a smile! > I am 3rd generation Australian with Scottish heritage and my husband is an English born Australian of Scottish parents from Wigtown and we too are residents of BC Canada. After living in Canada for near on 10 years we still find a whole lot of different twists and turns in both the language and gastronomical delights of this country. We have both learned to be cautious with our vowel sounds but other things still draw a blank stare. Our Australian "howyadoen" leaves people baffled and our McMurray surname spelled with "double R" is a hoot- most people interpret that as WR which of course comes out as McMuwray - still makes me giggle. > As for the Saturday night meal - we too go for bacon and eggs but add a few good barbied snags with perogies on the side - multiculturalism at its finest. > > > Lisa McMurray > Langley BC. > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Olive McDonald > Sent: Tuesday, December 14, 2010 8:56 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [WIG LIST] Tattie hokers and all that > > To Maisie, Jose, Len, Sam and all, Thanks for that bit of fun. I have been a bit eechie-oachie for a few weeks but now I am up to the challenge put down by my pal Maisie. > For those not in the know, eechie-oachie means not quite feeling well. Someone will sort me on that one, I've no doubt. As for Maisie and my Irish accent, I think the answer to that is that I am a mongrel. Being a Canadian until the age of eleven, and then trying hard to fit in with the Minnigaff accent was quite a job. Being asked,"whaururyefaehen in one mouthful was hard to take. Translation? "Where are you from, dear?" I think 'hen' was a term of endearment. > The accents in Galloway are quite fascinating to me. The Newton Stewart tongue is different from the Minnigaff tongue, and they could shout across the Cree at each other! > Go a few miles to Creetown and the accent is different again. As for Kirkcudbright, I was struck dumb when I first met my cousins from Kirkcudbright with a totally different accent again. They said aipple instead of the Minnigaff epple when I said apple. Now I am living once again in Canada and having a great time with those funny Scottish sayings. I love to confuse people now. And yes, Maisie, I have often been asked if I am from Ireland. > I put everyone right on the scons and scones. My favourite Saturday night meal is still bacon, egg and tattie scones. Cholesterol be darned. I'm scratching a gey aul' heid with nae bother ata' thanks to that kind of good food. > > Merry Christmas to everyone out there across the world, from BC, Canada; > > Olive. > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 3 > Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2010 11:10:55 -0800 (PST) > From: Diana Henry <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [WIG LIST] RE TATTIE SCONS > To: Joan Whitney <[email protected]> > Cc: [email protected] > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 > > Dear Listers > http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/black-pudding-old-recipe.htm > Here is a clue!! Olde English but probably basically the same.? I can't really > bring myself to type it out.? It is sausage -?like and then cut into slices.? > You can also get white pudding, and haggis can also be sliced and fried. > Merry Christmas to every one and may we have a more peaceful New Year of 2011 > Diana > > > > > ________________________________ > From: Joan Whitney <[email protected]> > To: Diana Henry <[email protected]> > Sent: Wed, December 15, 2010 6:06:27 PM > Subject: Re: [WIG LIST] RE TATTIE SCONS > > please, for those of us who don't have a clue, what IS black pudding?? My > grandfather was born in Strenraer in 1888 and died in Oregon, USA when I was 8 > years old.? Nothing much Scottish trickled down- although we did have pasty > three or four times a month and is still one of my favorites altho grandmother > made it with ----ground beef.? Thanks. Joan > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Diana Henry" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, December 15, 2010 3:15 AM > Subject: [WIG LIST] RE TATTIE SCONS > > > > As Sam and Linda remind me you can also fry them up next day to have with > eggs, > > bacon, black pudding etc etc. > > Am just awa' to mak some richt the noo. > > Diana > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > >[email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > >quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 4 > Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2010 05:58:39 +0800 > From: "donald main" <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [WIG LIST] RE TATTIE SCONS > To: "'Diana Henry'" <[email protected]>, "'Joan Whitney'" > <[email protected]> > Cc: [email protected] > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > Oh please! Don't lets have a long discussion on black pudding which is not a > pudding at all. Tattie scones are yummy but black pudding is positively > disgusting, at least the sort that was dished up with monotonous regularity > at one boarding school I attended just outside Carlisle. Just the thought of > it brings back all the old memories. I think we smothered the black pudding > with tinned marmalade to reduce the dryness and hide the flavour. Ugh! > Give me a snagger on the barbie any day. > Donald Main > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Diana Henry > Sent: 16 December 2010 03:11 > To: Joan Whitney > Cc: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [WIG LIST] RE TATTIE SCONS > > Dear Listers > http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/black-pudding-old-recipe.htm > Here is a clue!! Olde English but probably basically the same.? I can't > really > bring myself to type it out.? It is sausage -?like and then cut into > slices.? > You can also get white pudding, and haggis can also be sliced and fried. > Merry Christmas to every one and may we have a more peaceful New Year of > 2011 > Diana > > > > > ________________________________ > From: Joan Whitney <[email protected]> > To: Diana Henry <[email protected]> > Sent: Wed, December 15, 2010 6:06:27 PM > Subject: Re: [WIG LIST] RE TATTIE SCONS > > please, for those of us who don't have a clue, what IS black pudding?? My > grandfather was born in Strenraer in 1888 and died in Oregon, USA when I was > 8 > years old.? Nothing much Scottish trickled down- although we did have pasty > three or four times a month and is still one of my favorites altho > grandmother > made it with ----ground beef.? Thanks. Joan > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Diana Henry" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, December 15, 2010 3:15 AM > Subject: [WIG LIST] RE TATTIE SCONS > > > > As Sam and Linda remind me you can also fry them up next day to have with > eggs, > > bacon, black pudding etc etc. > > Am just awa' to mak some richt the noo. > > Diana > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > >[email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the > >quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 5 > Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2010 23:16:11 -0000 > From: "telford BM" <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [WIG LIST] double-yew > To: "McMurray, Lisa" <[email protected]> > Cc: [email protected] > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; > reply-type=original > > I lived for a while in Brisbane and used to be asked how to spell part of > my address which was Wooloowin. > Try saying double-u, double o, ell, double-o, double-u, i, n. > When I came back to UK, married and later lived not that far from Shropshire > (which has the "new town" of Telford) and was asked to give my surname I > said Telford and it > would be said: no, not where you live, I want your name... > (The town was named after Thomas Telford, County Surveyor, civil engineer). > The place in Scotland I have problems with is Lesmahagow but even worse, a > place in Coventry: Stycheval. Can't imagine the origins of those names, at > least the Australian > ones sound like Aboriginal. > Betty > > > > ------------------------------ > > To contact the SCT-WIGTOWNSHIRE list administrator, send an email to > [email protected] > > To post a message to the SCT-WIGTOWNSHIRE mailing list, send an email to [email protected] > > __________________________________________________________ > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] > with the word "unsubscribe" without the quotes in the subject and the body of the > email with no additional text. > > > End of SCT-WIGTOWNSHIRE Digest, Vol 5, Issue 156 > ************************************************

Fantastic exposition, Bill. If I were taking a university class in creative writing I'd have "kiped" it and passed it off as my own to earn an A! Just kidding, but this is the type of descriptive narrative writing that we should all have learned in school, instead of the usual "What I did on my summer vacation" which was mostly fantasy for us poor Glesga schoolchildren. What were those teachers thinking about! I went tattie howking for only three weeks, which does not compare with your years working the fields. As I remarked: it was enough! However, when we returned to school, we were not asked to write of this particular experience, but maybe on some character in one of Shakespeare's plays! Thank you very much for this contribution. Your farm work toils were likely not too much different from years past...until mechanisation replaced the need for many farm workers Maisie ----- Original Message ----- From: "DOUGAN WILLIAM" <[email protected]> To: "Wiglist" <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, December 19, 2010 12:45 PM Subject: [WIG LIST] Farm work >I got my first taste of farm work in 1946,, aged twelve, at Achtralure, up > the Old Port Road. It was at the harvest and four of us schoolboys were > put > to "stookin". That is putting six sheaves leaning against each other in a > tent shape. We were told to keep up with one of the farm workers and he > didn't half go along at some rate. At the end of the day, about 8 p.m. we > were given five shillings each. My very first pay and I was so proud that > I > ran home to show my parents. "Very good," said mother,"you can put that to > a > new pair of boots".After that I started going out with the "squads". We > were > taken on the backs of lorries to various farms in the Rhinns and up around > Ballantrae. We did the tattie howking mostly behind the digger but on a > couple of occasions behind the graip. When it was the digger you were put > in > pairs and given a stent, that is your section. It didn't take long to > notice > that although all the stents were supposed to be the same the squad > leaders > favourites had a shorter length. So we boys would move the markers,usually > sticks, when we thought no one was looking.If it was the graip you went > along behind the man,or woman, gathering each shaw as they dug it out. It > was back breaking work. However you were allowed to take a dinner o' > tatties > at the end of the job.This usually meant filling your "piece" bag.We also > went to thin or single turnips. For this you went on your hands and knees > crawling up the drills in all weathers. To save your knees you would wrap > jute sacks round your legs and tie them with binder twine. On a wet day > they > soon were filled with dirt and very heavy.Some fields were very stoney and > sore on you and it was a joy to get a field of sandy soil. In the winter > you > could get casual work clearing out ditches or pulling thistles. When I was > a > teenager the pay was half a crown an hour if you went with a squad or nine > pennies a hundred yards if you went straight to the farm. I worked for > three > years, from fifteen to age eighteen with a dairy engineer. However I would > still go out with the squads at the weekend and some nights. Also I went > out when it was my fortnight's holiday as this gave me a chance to put > some > money by. I bought my first made to measure suit from my squad money. It > was > four pounds and ten shillings and I couldn't wait to strut down George > Street on a Saturday afternoon. One of the things that sticks out in my > mind > is the tea. Everyone had to bring a twist of tea and a twist of sugar, > This > was all thrown together in a big urn of boiling water and the farmer > provided the milk. I can almost taste it now and without doubt it was the > most welcome mug of tea that I have ever had. Although it was very hard > work > there was a lot of banter and laughter some of which would be very much > frowned upon in these politically correct days.The squad had an annual day > out to Glasgow, the Squad Trip as it was known. I was fourteen and it was > my > first time in Glasgow. We boys spent the day in Argyle Street and most of > it > in > Woolworths. > I was going to write this in the dialect as spoken by my squad friends but > I do want to share it with as many Wig listers as possible. Bill Dougan > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: williammcclurg Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.britisles.scotland.wig.general/2093.1.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Thanks, Indeed a picture as described by Alastair Penman in his "Stewaetry Sketches" of Mighty McClurg and the Galloway Flail. This picture is of the Flail that McClurg found with the dead spy Grier, a simple threshing tool. McClurg, the Smith at Minnigaff, took the flail to a black smith and used his shop to make this flail into a weapon that a much smaller person could wield. At the time, McClurg was on the lam for making the clickies, a knife mounted on a long shaft that a man on foot could cut horse bridles in combat and put the horses out of the dragoon's control. utilizing the description of modifications couple with this picture of the flail, I believe I can duplicate the modified flail. McClurg cut down the length of the scouple bars and substituded extra links for the iron he sacrificed. this would make the flail usuable by a man of average height and strength. This innovation would mean that should the flail strike a man, then the scouples would enwrap him, much to the manner of a whip and possibly break his ribs if there was enough power behind it, In actual combat, it proved it could do even more than realized. This modification to the flail was made by McClurg in 1685. The flail had been used,as in the picture, as a weapon many many years prior 1685 as written by the Barbs of Scotland. But it had been put to useful purposes for many prior 1685. Thanks for sending the picture. Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: davidmb117 Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.britisles.scotland.wig.general/2093.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: http://media.photobucket.com/image/galloway flail/blueoceanbob/Random stuff/Galloway-Flail-1.gif?o=1 Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.

As played by my dad at Elrig was on a carpet laid on the floor and the bowls have no bias. Indoor bowls are played on a carpet laid upon boards and they have bias. An aside to my original post is this, my Grampa Bob Parker, Master Joiner at Elrig, won trophies for both Bowling and Billiards. Not remarkable in itself, but he lost the sight of one eye whilst building a fence for a local farmer, prior to this. He also had the "Clanachan" trait of becoming deaf. Ken

Hello all, I am still digging for McCracken/Dalrymple connections. I have looked at the 1684 old parish census records and found McCrakens living on what appears to be small farms, Netheralderick and Inshanks in Barrony of Sleudinle, within Kirkcowan Parish. I'm thinking it must be a land holding, and I'm wondering who owned that land? Do either of you have a clue where this information can be gotten? I looked at the Kirkcowan information listed on the website and don't see this holding listed at all. Clueless!! Carolyn -- Carolyn Achata

There's some things about this at http://www.amateurheralds.org/forum/index.php?topic=510.0 including a picture (scroll right down). Apparently it was modified from a threshing flail... Jenny

I can't resist adding to the complications here. I think I have found on the web that there are Indoor Bowls, Short-Mat or English Short-Mat Bowls and Carpet Bowls, and as far as I can see the tendency is to divergence. Carpet Bowls appear to have bias, and to have no bias, and maybe some of the web sources are biased in this matter. Certainly a set of biased carpet bowls is presently for sale on e-Bay and the set that we own here is very biased. Indoor Bowls seem to have taken over New Zealand, while the Short-Mat etc. differences are much too complicated for me. My own experience is all with outdoor bowls, of the rink, or lawn, or crown-green persuasions. Rink or lawn bowls are played here in the state of Delaware, while I have seen them also in England in Lancashire near Blackpool, in the north of Yorkshire, in New Zealand near Rotorua, and on the Clyde coast where my aunt was an avid player in Ardrossan. However, I will claim that none of these varieties holds a candle to crown-green bowls, played in a swath of England roughly from Chester to south Yorkshire, and up and down a bit. No lines are required on the green, no lanes exist, no direction is specified for play, and games cross and intercross. Collisions do occur, but are managed. Also the jack is smaller, but brown and biased. No white jacks!! The big square green has a rise in the middle (the crown), maybe as much as a foot, and one can play square-peg (the wood's bias counteracting the crown bias) or round-peg (where the biases aid). There is a ditch, known as the "hoggin". When I lived in Cheshire, we (the social club of the plant where I worked) played in a league, and as I remember, all the other clubs were pub-based. The standards, both for beer and for bowling, were high, very high. I wonder which of these varieties is alive and well in Galloway today. Crown green I'd hope. :-) Crawford.

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: williammcclurg Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.britisles.scotland.wig.general/2093/mb.ashx Message Board Post: The Galloway Flail J.S. M'Culloch "Barbs of Galloway" In auld times we read o' a weapon o' war, Whase fame an' whase terrors were blazed near anf far; Nae ane came in reach o't got aff but a scaur, An' they hecht it the Galloway flail. In the fore-front o' battle it ever was ever found, While scores o' its victims lay writhing around, An' the verra air trembled an' soughed at the sound, O' the death-dealing Galloway Flail. Our Covenant Fathers got haud o' the Flail, At the ire o' M'Michael his enemies quail. When through turncoats an' troopers, held,helmet, an mail, Crashed the terrible Galloway Flail. In auld ballads I read hoo ane lang Geordie Grier In the heart e'en o' Douglas bred terror and fear; Nae weapon had Geordie---targe, claymore, nor spear, But an airn-soupled Galloway flail. By lonely Craig Nilder, in fair Galloway, The Gorden met Douglas in battle array, An' Grier led the van in a terrible fray, Wi' his wide-circling Galloway flail. Till sundown they fought, an' the Douglas fled, An' the fierce rugged Dee was near choked wi' the dead; While watshod wi' gore, Geordie high o'er his heid Swung the red-reeking Galloway Flail. Now, thank God, for us better days are in store, An' the airn han'o'war rives auld Scotland no more; But we've left amang auld antiquarian lore The won'erfu' Galloway Flail. Yet haud up your heid, my auld province sae dear, You've men yet, true, loyal, an' strangers to fear, For gude an' for richt, wha will gallantly rear A nobler Galloway Flail. Let them look to their arms, keep them burnished an' bright Let their shield be high Heaven,their breastplate be Right; Let their banner be "Truth", let their watchword be "Light" Let the pen be the Galloway Flail. In the might of thy Murray, O, Galloway, Wake! And the kingdoms of darkness an' error shall shake; Then tyrants may tremble, and nations may quake, At the voice of your Galloway Flail. **************************************** A poem passed on to me. Does anyone have a pic or a drawing of this Terrible Weapon? Thanks, Bill Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.

I wonder Does the beer add or reduce bias? Lisa McMurray Canada -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Crawford MacKeand Sent: Friday, December 17, 2010 2:25 PM To: Ian A McClumpha; [email protected] Subject: Re: [WIG LIST] carpet bools I can't resist adding to the complications here. I think I have found on the web that there are Indoor Bowls, Short-Mat or English Short-Mat Bowls and Carpet Bowls, and as far as I can see the tendency is to divergence. Carpet Bowls appear to have bias, and to have no bias, and maybe some of the web sources are biased in this matter. Certainly a set of biased carpet bowls is presently for sale on e-Bay and the set that we own here is very biased. Indoor Bowls seem to have taken over New Zealand, while the Short-Mat etc. differences are much too complicated for me. My own experience is all with outdoor bowls, of the rink, or lawn, or crown-green persuasions. Rink or lawn bowls are played here in the state of Delaware, while I have seen them also in England in Lancashire near Blackpool, in the north of Yorkshire, in New Zealand near Rotorua, and on the Clyde coast where my aunt was an avid player in Ardrossan. However, I will claim that none of these varieties holds a candle to crown-green bowls, played in a swath of England roughly from Chester to south Yorkshire, and up and down a bit. No lines are required on the green, no lanes exist, no direction is specified for play, and games cross and intercross. Collisions do occur, but are managed. Also the jack is smaller, but brown and biased. No white jacks!! The big square green has a rise in the middle (the crown), maybe as much as a foot, and one can play square-peg (the wood's bias counteracting the crown bias) or round-peg (where the biases aid). There is a ditch, known as the "hoggin". When I lived in Cheshire, we (the social club of the plant where I worked) played in a league, and as I remember, all the other clubs were pub-based. The standards, both for beer and for bowling, were high, very high. I wonder which of these varieties is alive and well in Galloway today. Crown green I'd hope. :-) Crawford. ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Thanks for the poem: The Galloway Flail I am curious to know the context of this battle. I am under the impression that the religious beliefs of the Convenanters was finally tolerated at the time of the Glorious Revolution of 1688 which ousted King James and brought in William of Orange. Please set me straight with the Gordons and the Douglases. Thanks. Dorothy