In response to the growing numbers attending the programme of talks the Kirkcudbright History Society chose the Parish Church Hall as the new venue for the 2007/8 programme. The winter session opened with an informative and wide-ranging talk entitled ‘Aspects of Tongland.’ The speaker Donald Henry wove a fascinating tableau of the contrast between the decline in the spiritual life of Tongland Parish and the rise of commercial activity over a period of eight hundred years. Founded in the middle of the twelfth century by Fergus, Lord of Galloway, Tongland Abbey was the focus of attention from the most powerful political and military figures in the land. Donald pointed out that its decline was best illustrated by the antics of its last abbot, Father Damian, who, in the presence of King James IV, attempted to fly to France from the ramparts of Stirling Castle. Unfortunately for his ego, but fortunately for his well-being, he landed in a midden and escaped with only a fractured thigh bone and put his failure down to the use of hen’s rather than hawk’s feathers. Just as the spiritual life was declining, however, Donald outlined the way in which many diverse commercial activities were springing up to continue Tongland’s prominent part in the region’s history. Dick Carter completed the evening’s talk by provided a more modern aspect of Tongland’s history through his well-researched talk on the evolution of the railway link to Kirkcudbright through Tongland.
In the second meeting Colin Murray gave a fascinating personal insight into the history of Ardwall Island in the Fleet Estuary. Using present-day photographs of innocuous looking heath land as a departure point, Colin revealed how an archaeological dig in 1964/5 had yielded a treasure trove of information about three buildings which had previously occupied the site. The first was an eighth-century stone chapel of Anglian/Northumbrian design, the second a medieval hall and the third an eighteenth-century “tavern” all of which have disappeared without any visible trace. One item which is extant, however, is the opening for a shaft which Colin speculated could have led to cellars used by Solway Coast smugglers. Colin’s painstaking research into other visitors to the island opened up a wonderful insight into early twentieth-century British history. One such visitor was Dr Harry Glover who was a hospital doctor on the Assam Tea estate on the east side of Bangladesh. He visited regularly between 1907 and 1920 when on home leave and in 1914 invited a tea-planter colleague, William Townsend-Smith, to visit. Through these two characters, Colin was able to trace the intricate web of activities which made up the complex tea marketing system. To all intents and purposes, this appeared to be an all-Scots stitch up with eminent persons of Scots descent prominent in all the important managerial positions!
The December talk was given by Margaret Roberts, Manager of the National Museum of Costume at Shambellie House. Margaret traced the story of tartan from its beginnings illustrating her talk with artists’ depictions of earlier times and photographs from more recent times. It was interesting to find out that at first there was no connection to family or clan and that a person in the Scottish Highlands in the early 17th Century could wear a mixture of ‘sets’ or tartan patterns according to what took their fancy. Gradually specific patterns became associated with specific clans and tartan became an integral part of Highland dress. An illustration of the Battle of Culloden in 1746 shows 23 different patterns. Ironically, after the battle, tartan was banned by the 1747 Act of Proscription. Yet Highland regiments in the British army continued to wear tartan uniforms. The famous tartan, later known as the Black Watch, was designed in 1739. In the 19th Century tartan became very fashionable through royal patronage and the publicity skills of Sir Walter Scott who choreographed the 1822 visit to Edinburgh of George IV. Queen Victoria continued this royal support and after buying Balmoral Castle in 1846 used tartan to decorate the interior. The audience took particular delight in watching David Collin, The Society’s President, get wrapped up in ‘the whole nine yards ‘ of a plaid.
The ever-popular Jack Hunter entertained the audience to a series of informative and humorous tales concerning the River Dee and its estuary. He opened with the adventures of James Skellie a boat builder and boat owner who built and operated the sloop Isabella which plied a profitable trade to and from Kirkcudbright. Skellie became a passionate advocate of improved navigation aids and he fronted the fund-raising efforts for the erection of two stone-mounted beacons. Jack then turned his attention to the Iron Age fort adjacent to Lower Nunton Farm on the hill opposite the Dhoon car park. Jack even went as far as to speculate that this fort might well have been the inspiration for King Arthur’s Camelot. As he moved up river, Jack ended by highlighting the fact that the biggest ever settlement in the Stewartry was situated at Glenlochar during the time of the Romans.
In a talk entitled ‘Cally and Gatehouse Through the Eyes of an Artist’ art historian David Steele gave the Kirkcudbright History Society a fascinating account of the life and works of the landscape painter Henry Joseph Moule (1825-1904). Moule became the factor at the Cally Estate in 1862 and during his fifteen years as a resident in Gatehouse of Fleet he was a prolific painter of local landscapes. David used his images to illustrate just how much social history can be gleaned from a study of works of art, especially from one such as Moule who named all his works, leaving no doubt as to the location or date of a particular painting.
Curator of the Stewartry Museum, David Devereaux, delivered Kirkcudbright History Society’s final lecture of the winter series with the usual, unfailingly popular, slide show of old photographs from the Museum’s collection and other sources. Starting with some of the earliest images from Victorian times, David built up a fascinating history of Kirkcudbright and its inhabitants. Particularly interesting was a photograph dating from the early 1860s which showed a fine collection of gentlemen from the Kirkcudbright Bowling Club. A close study of the attire of the players showed the egalitarian nature of the sport with a wide cross-section of occupations being represented. Some donned fine silk bowler hats while others sported deerstalkers. All wore beards and moustaches of varying lengths and styles. The audience were invited to help put names to faces, always an enjoyable part of the evening, as local families strive to contribute to the knowledge base of the collection. This was particularly true of a photograph from the 1860s showing the names of the winners of the MacKenzie Prize for literature where many claimed to be related to the bright sparks who had won the prizes. .
As David Colin, Chairman of the Society, remarked in his vote of thanks, this was a most fitting end to what had been another excellent and well-attended series of lectures.