Menu
 
Home | News | Book tells of ages past
 
Community | 23rd June 2021
 

Book tells of ages past

 
 
 

A BOOK about Westerkirk in the year 2020/21 is ready and is now on the library website for everyone to see.

Bits and pieces will be added in the future but, if anyone wants to contribute to the book, contact one of the trustees.

While preparing the book, it was discovered that Loganhead cottage was omitted from the book published in 2000 but is, in fact, in the parish and should have been included.

Although, in the past, children from Loganhead walked over the hills to catch the school bus to Westerkirk school, it is now probably more accessible from Wauchope because of all the forestry on the eastern side of the hill.

You can find it if you walk up the forestry road from Arresgill.

The cottage is a ruin now but there is still a nice little meadow in front of it.

It was also interesting to hear from Wattie Rutherford about some of his family members, known as the Lodgegill Rutherfords.

This family spent 50 years at Upper Stennieswater in Westerkirk parish so, perhaps, should have been known as the Stenniewater Rutherfords.

George Rutherford of Lodgegill, which is at the top end of the Tarras valley, was born in 1840 and married Jane Irving of Canonbie, who was born in 1839.

The story goes that when they moved to Upper Stennieswater, Jane refused to unpack for a year, suggesting she was not very happy with the location of her new home.

The couple had eight children who all went to school at Glendinning and all the family remained in farming, except Helen, who studied French, spent some time in France and then emigrated.

Initially, she went to Quebec and on to Brooklyn in New York. She had a successful career as a secretary to a Canadian businessman.

The family at Upper Stennieswater kept cows, pigs and hens and made their own butter.

They bought a barrel of salt herring to keep them over the winter as well as braxy hog (salted hogget).

They varied the diet with a bit of poaching.

They caught pheasant by threading corn, which the bird was lured to swallow, whereupon it choked on the thread.

The family went out in the morning and picked up the dead birds.

Father George also poached salmon and in 1871 was charged for having 20 unclean salmon in his house. These were salmon which had just spawned.

He was fined £10, a huge amount of money, with 30 shillings costs and spent a couple of days in jail.

There were lots of stories about the family, including one of a plane crash in 1918 when a training plane, made with canvas wings, came down near Holm Farm.

The crash was seen by Wattie Rutherford’s father. Wattie lives at Winterhope.

The plane crashed into a hedge and it remained upside down with the pilot hanging on by his safety straps. He walked away unhurt.

In 2013 Wattie gave the family bible to Westerkirk Library, along with a set of notes about the family.

Mairi Telford Jammeh, who chairs the trust and put the book together, said: “It’s fascinating to hear about life in some of the outlying cottages, many of which are now derelict, and imagine how life was for the families who lived in them.”

The weblink is http://www.westerkirkparishlibrary.org/about-library/…more-interesting-links/

 
 
Would you like to support us?

The Eskdale and Liddesdale Advertiser is our community owned local newspaper and even in today’s troubled times, we aim to bring you local news and articles in an impartial, responsible and factual way.

We hope you have enjoyed reading this free article but we need your support so we can keep delivering quality journalism that’s open and independent and keeps you up to date with what is happening in Eskdale and Liddesdale.

Every reader’s contribution, however big or small, is so valuable to us.
 
 
‘Owned by the Community...Published for the Community’
Do you have a story?

Please get in touch if you have a story or article you would like to see published.

Related Articles

‘Is our voice even heard?’

NHS Dumfries and Galloway executives attend first of hopefully many…

 

Road safety concerns at Langholm Primary school

Concerned parents have produced a detailed report on the alarming…

 

High heid yins head for Thomas Hope meeting

Meeting with Health and Social Care to thrash out Langholm’s…

 

Having a final say on the future of Holm Hill

Newcastleton and District Community Trust is just about to carry…

 

Love, a dance and a right good belly laugh!

With a large cast and great audiences, LAODS’ Last Tango…

 

Share in windfarm leadsto green awards nomination

Nick Jennings’ foresight puts Eskdalemuir in the running The Upper…

 

Langholm Alliance: Update on Community Plan

Donna Hislop, Community Enterprise Manager, brings us up to speed…

 

Musical excellence delights Canonbie audience

Splendid concert brings church’s 200 year celebrations to a close…

 

Langholm Moor Lynx fears are calmed... for the moment

Fears that the new owners of former farmland on Langholm…

 

8-page E&L Life Remembrance Supplement included in this week's E&L

Photos of Remembrance Services and parades across the area along…

 

Oxygen Man links lynx to Langholm Moor

Blackburn & Hartsgarth owner says it’s a possibility Could former…

 

Post Office's future discussed at meeting

Canonbie residents gather to hear the options for valuable village…

 

Scottish call-up forathlete sisters

Langholm siblings make the Scottish Pentathlon team SCOTTISH CALL UP…

 

Langholm familiarisation visit for Council leader

Gail Macgregor, leader of Dumfries and Galloway Council was invited…

 

Further afforestation fury

Tree planting nightmare for a further three farms surrounding Claygate…

 

Moderator inspires worshipers at Canonbie

Church is packed to hear uplifting service from church leader…

 

Urgent action required in face of diminished services

1,000+ signature petition endorses demands Langholm’s ailing health services are…

 

Public meeting on future of Canonbie Post Office

Following the news that Canonbie Post Office and shop were…

 

Bleat and Blether ’bout Blackface wool

Creation Mill staff debunk the myth that common wool has…

 

Rothbury 'Looks North' to Langholm for guidance

The team at BBC look North got in touch with…

 

High profile minister to visit Canonbie

Anthony Lane tells of perfect ending to Church’s bi-centenary events…

 

Appeal for help with gardens

Margaret Pool writes; A number of folk will recall that…

 

Langholm Flood Scheme dead in the water

Plug pulled on original £10 million defences In last week’s…

 

A celebration of some amazing achievements

Langholm Academy pupils shine with some spectacular exam results and…

 

Old Copshaw hostlery closes its doors

One of Newcastleton’s longest-established businesses has closed down. The Liddesdale…

 

Xcel is eighteen!

This week marks 18 years of the Xcel Project! The…

 

Doing the Wright thing for Sycamore Gap

Amazing offer by Canonbie Sawmill owners Canonbie sawmill owners Steve…

 

Ultra-cool Ullswater adventures

Langholm S6 pupils enjoy a week of outdoor antics and…

 

Umbrella walkers raise over £30k

Rotary and Trusts-backed fundraiser breaks another record The Langholm Rotary…

 

Conan has Carolina on his mind

Langholm athlete settled on Charleston SouthernUniversity having had seventy offers…

 

Loreburn remains 'wholly committed' to Murtholm

E&L interviews housing association chief executive Kirsteen McGinn The E&L…

 

Had by Haddington

Slow start for Langholm gives home side the advantage but…

 

The 171st Langholm Show

The day of the 171st Langholm Show dawned and Langholm…

 

Sensational new sensory room for Langholm Youth project

Xcel has provided one of the best publicly accessible sensory…

 

Outdoor Fun in the September sun

We catch up with our young friends at Langholm Playcare…

 

It’s been all go on Langholm Showfield this week.

A veritable army of willing volunteers and committee members has…

 

All our rugby yesteryears

A great afternoon at Hawick and Wilton Cricket Club on…

 

Cammy Barnes LOVES Langholm x

Last Friday, The Buccleuch Centre opened it’s doors to welcome…

 

Langholm Forum contacts Holyrood

Warbla petition prompts invitation to Gougeon Following an excellent response…

 

Indefinite delay for Murtholm development

Loreburn announce moratorium on new-builds But promise Langholm project is…

 
 
requires mailchimp logins and wired up to a list
Join our mailing list
Keep up to date with all that’s going on at the E&L
This site uses cookies.
Configure
 
Read our privacy policy

This site uses cookies for marketing, personalisation, and analysis purposes. You can opt out of this at any time or view our full privacy policy for more information.