Turnstone Genealogy

A fascinating slice of social history here... and some great photos!

The story of Kelvingrove Bandstand: celebrating 100 years of music — Glasgow Life The story of Kelvingrove Bandstand: celebrating 100 years of music

Today the UK is holding a General Election.
This afternoon I'm spending some time writing and sourcing profiles for sisters Florence and Evelyn Haig and their cousin Janet Boyd, as part of a collective effort to increase the number of suffragettes and suffragists on WikiTree.
And later on, I will be exercising my right to vote.

What an incredible photograph! Rutherglen Main Street as most of us have never seen it before!

Main St Rutherglen, 1895, during the Horse Fair Archive Ref: P1941

At Glasgow University Chapel yesterday evening to hear the Chapel Choir sing Songs for the Solstice. Took a moment to find Allan Edmiston's name on the beautiful memorial to staff and students who lost their lives in WWI. Allan had been a pupil at Stonelaw High School and was studying medicine at Glasgow University when he was called up to serve. He died in hospital in Peterculter following a gas attack in the trenches in France. He is buried in Rutherglen Cemetery. A bright star to light a midsummer evening.

After a couple of days spent organising for my 90 year old father-in-law to come back home to his flat after a stay in hospital, these gentle words from Brian Bilston somehow seem like a fitting way to mark the D-Day anniversary...

Here’s a poem in commemoration of D-Day, which took place eighty years ago today.

It’s called ‘Queueing for an Ice Cream’.

Delighted to announce the safe arrival of a new nephew on Friday. Congratulations to the proud parents! Love your choice of family names!
A new little twig on the family tree!

So lovely to meet with a client today to talk her through my review of her research and discuss next steps. First in person meeting with another genealogist since the before times... hopefully the first of many!

Of particular interest to our Rutherglen followers... it's free but registration is required to receive the zoom link.

The next Lanarkshire FHS webinar takes place next Thursday 9th May at 7.30pm when Zen Boyd of Rutherglen Library & Heritage Centre will provide a presentation 'Who Was Nellie Hunter?’

New research on how Rutherglen born Nellie Hunter (nee Galbraith) contributed to significant changes in Women’s history. By the time she died in 1933 she had been awarded the Order of St Sava medal for wartime work, been one of the first female Justices of The Peace, a key figure in Scottish Womens’ Hospitals with Elsie Inglis during WW1, The Scottish National Vigilance Association and also Women’s Suffrage campaigns in the work to achieve the Vote for Women. Nellie was the secretary of Glasgow and West of Scotland Association for Women’s Suffrage for 9 years. Find out much more about Nellie’s life and pioneering work.

Register to attend via Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYudu6gqTotE9U-xkJlPL6hGB-3Q3-nG1No

Or watch via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrY4JPv-MlvJiWCRiXB11Qg

A wee reminder that walking tours of the war graves in Rutherglen Cemetery will take place at 6.30pm on Thurs 16th May and 11am on Saturday 18th May. Events are free but booking is required via the CWGC website.

It's always an honour and a privilege to share the stories of some of the local men who lost their lives in WW1. I'm really looking forward to it and I hope you will be able to join me.

War Graves Week events, tours and talks | CWGC Find out about our event schedule for War Graves Week 2023. We're running events around the UK to talk about the work of the Commission at home and around the world.

Booking is now open for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's programme of events for War Graves Week 2024.

I will be leading walking tours of the WW1 war graves in Rutherglen Cemetery at 6.30pm on Thurs 16 May and 11am on Sat 18 May. Tours are free but booking is required as numbers are limited.

If you'd like more information, or would like to arrange a private tour for your group, please get in touch by messaging this page or emailing [email protected].

War Graves Week events, tours and talks | CWGC Find out about our event schedule for War Graves Week 2023. We're running events around the UK to talk about the work of the Commission at home and around the world.

Another event for those with an interest in Lanarkshire... this one is online. Highly recommended - John Moore is very knowledgeable!

Our next free webinar takes place on Thurs 11th Apr at 7pm when John Moore will provide a presentation 'Lanarkshire Maps & Plans, Sources for the Family Researcher'

Register now at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMpfu2pqjspHtGzptLT11WFsW2sRe4fzGxE

Lots to see and do at this event if you're local to Hamilton.

We're delighted to announce Bygone Con is coming to Hamilton next month, with a focus on the Hamilton Palace. Which was once the grandest stately home in Britain, after only Buckingham Palace.

We've been working hard to restore a lot of our image archive of this incredible building tragically lost to time.

Our event will also feature many local and family history groups and experts, who will be on hand to offer advice, show their research and have a chat.

I don't usually work on Saturdays but it's been a busy few weeks so I'm having a catch up day, finishing a research review for one client (ancestors in Perthshire, Paisley and Kent) and making a start on some transcription work for another... and of course listening in to today's Scottish Indexes conference.

I love transcription work, at its best it's like codebreaking! If you have old documents to transcribe, there are some great resources and courses to help you... or you can commission an experienced genealogist to do it for you.

Image: extracts from an English will from 1812, a Scottish sasine from 1841 and an English probate record from 1712.

On the eve of International Women's Day, this free online talk will use newly released Scottish Land Army records to explore the contribution made by women workers in wartime rural Scotland. Registration required via Eventbrite.

This Thursday (7 March 2024) the National Records of Scotland are hosting a free online presentation by Dr Michelle Moffat from the University of Otago in New Zealand: “‘See what it does for the dimples’: The experiences of women workers in Second World War Scotland”.

This will be held online at 7 pm UK time. Find out more and book: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-experience-of-women-workers-in-the-second-world-war-in-scotland-tickets-838509262777?aff=oddtdtcreator.

In this talk, Dr Michelle Moffat will share her research into the contributions made by women workers in wartime rural Scotland. Using newly uncovered archives, this talk will explore the experiences of voluntary workers, the Scottish Women’s Land Army, and the Scottish Women’s Timber Corps.

A glimpse into Newcastle's past. Two old inns which are long gone... and the Lowping-on Stone which by some miracle is still there... except it isn't! The Golden Lion and the Unicorn were situated in the Bigg Market and were demolished in the mid 1880s to make way for William Rochester Pape's gun factory and warehouse. Pape gave the Lowping-on Stone to the city's Society of Antiquaries who moved it to a new site near the castle keep. I suspect the stone is more often used for lowping off than lowping on these days!

The Lowping-on Stone. The word ‘lowp’ is much older still, coming from the Old Norse 'hloup', meaning ‘leap’. The Oxford English Dictionary says this 'The loup is a borrowing from early Scandinavian. Etymons: Norse lǫup'.

The 'Lowping-on Stone' in Newcastle upon Tyne is a significant historical landmark that has stood for centuries. Serving as a mounting block, it assisted individuals in getting onto their horses. Today, this stone remains a point of interest for visitors.

Situated in the core of Newcastle upon Tyne, close to the remnants of the ancient city walls, this stone is believed to have been established since at least the 17th century, though it could have origins even earlier. Composed of sandstone, it stands approximately 4 feet in height and spans about 6 feet in width.

The Lowping-on Stone saw use by a diverse array of people, including merchants, farmers, and soldiers. It was particularly beneficial for those clad in heavy garments or burdened with substantial gear. An old photograph from 1880 captures the stone in its historic setting, flanked by two inns that were later torn down.

Love a good tithe map! This gem is from Hexham, Northumberland.

What is a Medieval Burgage Plot? A burgage plot refers to a specific type of land tenure that was prevalent in medieval towns and cities across England and parts of Europe.
These plots were characteristically long and narrow strips of land, extending back from a main street or market place. This design maximized the number of properties with street frontage, which was highly valuable for commercial activities in bustling urban centers.
The front part of a burgage plot, which directly faced the street, was typically utilized for business purposes, such as shops, workshops, or taverns.

Behind these commercial fronts, the plot would often include living quarters, along with gardens or small yards.

Burgage plots were rented from a lord or the king under a leasehold arrangement, with the tenant, known as a burgess, paying rent in cash. This system was distinct from the agricultural feudal system and was a key feature of the urban landscape in medieval times. This map is a Tithe map, Hexham, Northumberland, 1844. 👇
https://ruralhistoria.com/.../what-is-a-medieval-burgage.../

Estate agents' particulars can be a fabulous source for family history. Here are the details for Well Rash, the farm where my 2x great grandfather worked just prior to his marriage. The building is a Grade II listed late C17 Cumbrian longhouse with attached barn. The upper floor of the barn has been converted to luxury en suite bedrooms, a far cry from the living conditions he would have experienced in 1885, but it's still possible to get some sense of the place as he would have known it.

Note that detailed listings often disappear after the property is sold. Look for a link to a downloadable pdf or contact the agent and ask for a paper or electronic copy for your records.

Check out this 5 bedroom detached house for sale on Rightmove 5 bedroom detached house for sale in Boltongate, Wigton, Cumbria, CA7 for £700,000. Marketed by Your Move Sales, Wigton

Excellent news for those of us with rural ancestors and/or those studying agricultural areas in England and Wales. The National Farm Survey is a key 20th century record set, especially when used alongside the already digitised 1939 Register. No doubt Cumbria will be one of the last counties to be released despite being furthest from the physical holdings 😆 but it will be worth the wait! 😊

Records of 300,000 WW2 farms to go online A Second World War national farm survey covering England and Wales is to go online as part of a massive digitisation project

Time travel under my floorboards - house history from Paul Noble of South Glasgow Heritage & Environment Trust.
Wish I could go to this, looks like such an interesting talk!

📣 on tour at Glasgow Libraries!
'Time travel under my floorboards - Vikings to Victorians'... An updated & extended version of our board member Paul Noble's talk first given for SGHET last May.
📍 Langside Library Tue 20th Feb 👉 https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/event/1/southside-house-history
📍 Pollokshaws Library Tue 27th Feb 👉 https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/event/2/southside-house-history

Southside Happenings What's On Glasgow Glasgow Libraries Glasgow City Heritage Trust

Opens tomorrow at Maryhill Burgh Halls - George didn't only photograph, he filmed, and gathered old street signs and lots of other pieces of street furniture that he salvaged from depots and skips, in the hope that "maybe someday someone will be interested."

He was, if you like, Maryhill's Magpie, gathering up the 'Things that the everyday folks leave behind'.

His son, Richard, writes: "When we were children, our dad would take us to museums and on long walks along the Kelvin and all around Maryhill. He would tell us stories of his childhood, which left us all with an interest in local history. He’d often organise film nights for all our friends and family, projecting his footage onto a portable screen in our home.

"The exhibition is not only a memory to our father, but also to all characters of Maryhill past that appear on camera."

Well, this looks a lot like a Scottish One Place Study!
Unfortunately I'll be working until 7.30 next Thursday but most of LFHS's webinars are recorded so hopefully I'll be able to watch on catch up.

Our next webinar will take place on Thursday 8th February at 7pm when Robert Freel of Stonehouse Heritage Group (SHG) will provide a presentation.

Stonehouse Heritage Group are a small voluntary group and registered charity formed in 1991, following a donation of glass slides depicting village scenes from around 1890-1900 by the Gray family of stonehouse. This provided the momentum for the group and the group began to collect photographs and information on Stonehouse.

The First Project embarked on was the inputting of the 1891 census information on the village of Stonehouse (Lanarkshire) into a computer database. Since then a number of other census years have been transcribed as has school records and other information linked to Stonehouse schools. St Ninians Kirkyard gravestone inscriptions have been added although these have been linked to photographs and we are currently working on adding the manse road cemetery inscriptions to our website. WW1 enlistees records and currently working on WW2 records

The talk will focus on our website records and how to navigate their website https://stonehouseheritage.co.uk/

Register to watch via Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIsdO6uqD4jHNKxiZqJ4qCAU-pMOUDBb4l2

Want to star in your own family history show? Then apply now... the closing date is this Sunday!

Findmypast offers chance to win 'Who Do You Think You Are? style experience' Findmypast is offering the chance to win free family history research and be featured in a Who Do You Think You Are? style video

What a remarkable life this lady must have led! So much change!

Meg Watt (middle front row) marching with land girls in Aberdeen, 1944

Meg Fiddes Watt lived in London and Culnacraig. She travelled extensively in Government Service during and after the Second World War, and also with her great friend Bella (Lady Isobel Linda). She worked in the world of fine art before retiring to Achiltibuie. After a long and interesting life Meg passed away in 2014, aged 101.
In the photo Meg is middle front row.

Listening to John Goodlad's wonderful talk on the Shetland fishing industry at the Scottish Indexes conference this morning, I am reminded of a fabulous touring visual arts project called Follow the Herring. I caught up with it in South Shields in August 2014.

The page for the project is still available: https://www.facebook.com/followtheherring

Petition to continue to retain and preserve original wills in England & Wales. Digitisation is NOT preservation!

Petition: Do not allow original wills to be destroyed after 25 years Please ! The MoJ proposes to digitise and then allow the destruction of original wills after 25 years. We call for the original wills to be preserved in perpetuity in line with current legislation. Do not agree to legislative changes that would allow the destruction of these documents.

A little something for Sunday evening, 6.45pm on Radio 3, or catch up later on BBC Sounds.

Family history hunt ends on tiny island home to just seals and sheep Rob Mackay traces his family history to an uninhabited Scottish island whose last residents left in 1938.

Wishing you all a wonderful year full of interesting family history discoveries!