Many local people were born in Airthrey Castle, which functioned as a maternity home for many years, until the opening of the University in the 1960s. However, written records for the twentieth century history of this  important building appear to be sparse and Sara Munton is keen to plug some of the gaps. She writes:


"Search for Airthrey Castle's missing history.

I am a dissertation student at the University of Stirling who is very keen to recover and write about the history of Airthrey Castle as a maternity home during the Second World War and the years following. I feel it is important that the history of this beautiful building is preserved, and so would love to hear or receive any information you know about it during this period. I am especially interested in first hand accounts, however any information provided is much appreciated. Please contact me at [email protected] 

Many thanks.

Sara Munton"

We have had a most interesting enquiry about Gallaway (whose family occupied Burrowmeadow Farm, Stirling). This is posted in the hope that more information might emerge - clearly, new, surviving examples of his work or information about his life would be of particular interest.

Attached is an edited outline of the situation so far. Do feel free to answer via the blog-comments feature (your email address will not appear). Or you can email us directly ([email protected])

Central Scotland Forest Trust and Stirling Council have secured Heritage Lottery Funding to prepare the research and artwork for 7 Heritage Trail Leaflets and approximately 22 associated Interpretive Panels for April 2014.

Following a competitive tender process this work has been awarded to Art is an Option Limited in association with Donald Balsillie and Bee Herd Media.

They have issued a questionnaire (attached) and anyone interested in being involved is asked to complete it.

A very interesting enquiry from the West of England - and with a header like that, of course, we sit up and take notice!So, on 23 Nov 1871 the Dundee Courier reported the Joseph Vogt, a German watchmaker, had assaulted a Mrs Miller in her home at Barrwood Cottages, near Kilsyth where he had been living in the absence of Mr Miller, who had left home some weeks previously on account of financial problems. Mrs Miller had been forced to flee, naked, to the nearest house. Vogt was captured and was to be taken to prison in Stirling for trial.

Our enquirer also found a report in the Falkirk Herald of 21 Feb 1867 that Joseph Vogt, a watchmaker with Mr Hepting, of Stirling, had won the second prize in a bowling match and, finally, the Ipswich Journal reported, on 2 Feb 1884, that a Joseph Vogt had been awarded £2 5s by the Shipwrecked Mariners' Society for the loss of his clothes.


The enquirer would like our help particularly in regard to any trial and its outcome and, of course, any information which might conform that the accused man was, indeed,  his ancestor. He particularly wondered if there might be records of the inmates of the Stirling Jail. The 1884 incident looks like 'a long shot' and is not local so we can ignore that.

There are few surviving records of the prison - just a few of the Governors' Journals and they rarely mention individual prisoners. So, another one to ignore for now, I think.

Kilsyth was, at this time, in Stirlingshire and as this looks like a serious matter it is most likely that he would be tried in the Stirlingshire Sheriff Court. The records of the court are held by the National Archives of Scotland  and the Criminal Registers for 1871 and 1872 have the references SC67/44/20 and SC67/44/22 whilst SC67/1/86 is the court and minute books for a rather longer period. We might be able to check those for the enquirer.

Another possibility is the local press. There is an Index to the Stirling Journal which gives dates of reports of cases in the Sheriff Court and it would be possible to check the next few entries after the date of incarceration.

However, as it seems very likely that the Joseph Vogt employed by Mr Hepting (and Hepting and Farrer was a very well-known local jeweller's shop for many years) was the one arrested. So, then I wonder if he was convicted?

I tried his name in the local street directories which are available online nearest to that date and there are no hits and there are no entries under Vogt in the 'persons' index for the Stirling Journal. However, it would certainly be worth checking the Census Returns for 1871 (in Kilsyth) and 1881 (in Stirling?) to see if he turns up there. Stirling Central Library might help you there.

Most promising, however, the Scotland's People website (http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/content/help/index.aspx?r=554&407)  lists wills for no fewer than eleven people named Vogt - including a Charles Joseph Vogt and also several who were watchmakers. There must, surely be a connection there!

If anyone knows any more about this family, particularly Joseph Vogt, you can let us know by email or by commenting on this blog post.Equally, if you have ideas of further possible lines of enquiry.

Meanwhile, we will see what can be found in the Sheriff Court Records ASAP.


Well, 'ASAP' turned out to take quite a while but, yesterday, I did manage to get into the National Archives of Scotland to check out the Sheriff Court records.

I looked at SC67/44/20 to SC67/44/22 which is the record of sheriff and jury trials for the relevant period and this case is not mentioned. SC67/1/86 is the court and minute books for a rather longer period and I checked it to early March of 1872 and again, there is no sign of the case.

It is possible that the case was treated as a summary trial, equally that it was not called at all, perhaps if Mrs Miller decided that she could not face giving evidence. Certainly, it seems unlikely, assuming that he is the man in the later records, that he was convicted.

Do say if you find further records and we will  be happy to post them.




WE HAVE JUST HAD (JANUARY 2014) ANOTHER RESPONSE TO THIS REALLY CONCERNING THE MR HEPTING, MENTIONED ABOVE. SO I AM POSTING IT UNDER A NEW HEADING ON THE BLOG, HEPTING AND FARRER, STIRLING.

Some time ago we had an excellent talk from Stephen Bowman about the Stirling Hammermen.
He now sends an enquiry about a chair, now in Ireland but thought to be of Scots origin.

The date is clearly 1681 and there are crossed swords between the crown and the hammer (emblems which appear  much like this on the gravestones of hammermen of this period).

We would be grateful for any  thoughts on the chair which, Stephen says, did not come from Aberdeen, Glasgow or Dundee. Assuming that AC refers  to the Deacon at the time, it  cannot be from Stirling either  as the deacon at that time was John Dick.

You can reply directly by email or as a Comment to this post. Your email is not published with your response.

We have had a very interesting enquiry about Brass Bands in the Stirling Area and any help would be much appreciated.

Gavin Holman writes:

I am carrying out research in the history of brass bands in local communities, and would like to ask if you know of any information about any such extinct bands in your area.

The late 19th and early 20th centuries were the "golden age" for these bands numbering, it is said, up to 40,000 distinct bands at their peak. Many of these bands were associated with local industries, often being a "works" band. Others provided a musical focus for many small towns and villages in the days before the gramophone and the wireless. Today, in contrast, only some 1,500 or so are left active in the UK.

Sadly many of the bands left little in the way of information about their existence, and what does exist is widely scattered with individuals, local archives and national collections.

Part of my research is to identify these lost bands, to collect together material to provide a central database of information – containing a mixture of primary information as well as references to material held elsewhere (e.g. in local archives).

Any information you can provide would be gratefully received. Whether actual information or pictures of any bands, or pointers to resources, or sources for further investigation. Even knowing that a particular band existed is significant!

Currently much of the information I have collected is available online, as a freely available resource, at http://www.ibew.co.uk  - in various locations, for example, in the Reference section under "Extinct Bands" or "Vintage Pictures".


Gavin adds;
I do have a little information about Stirling bands, though very scant at present - and I'm sure there will have been others over the years and in neighbouring villages/towns, though you are correct in the difficulty in distinguishing between the brass and flute/pipe bands some times.

Stirling Burgh Band - Active in the 1890s and in 1928, conducted by W. Drummond.
Stirling Public Band - Active in the 1980s

And he provides a link to the super photo (above); for starters, does anyone recognise any of the players or the location?

SLHS adds that the Stirling Journal Index 1820-1869 mentions:

Auchterarder Brass Band, 1855; 1859
Deanston Brass Band, 1856, 1857, 1858, 1859, 1860.
Dunblane Brass Band, 1863, 1864, 1865, 1866.
Stirling Brass Band, 1866
Stirling (Bruce and Thistle) Brass Band, 1865, 1869.
Tilllicoultry Brass Band, 1869
Whins of Milton Brass Band, 1858, 1859, 1863.

There are other references to 'instrumental bands', tuba bands and others; And, of course, the Index goes on to 1970

This would be a wonderful project for someone to pick up locally and feed into the wider, national picture; it's what local history is all about. Why not give it a whirl?

Anyone interested do please get in touch; we will be happy to advise.

We have had an enquiry from Danial Stredder who writes;

These questions are associated strongly with our family ties to Stirling. My Mother Gayle Stredder whose mother was Williamina McKenzie Carmichael whose parents were Isabelle Fenton + Douglas Carmichael. We would like the information on Isabelle's Father John Fenton.

Questions:

1) I believe John Fenton either owned or rented 54 Barnton Street, Stirling (A Jewelers) somewhere perhaps in the mid to late 1800's??. If we could please have any information surrounding him, his family or the business that would be terrific?

2) If we could get some history of the building itself such as; was it always a commercial business building or did it start as something else? We believe the family might have lived in the same building for a time? I believe it still has residence living in upstairs quarters.

3) Also could we date how old the building is/when it was built?

4) With regards to any pictures, newspapers, photo's etc we would be grateful if we could receive any of them as originals or hard copy? .

I have posted a modern photo of the site above. Danial had noted that it might earlier have been an optomertrists; it was, for many years, the site of Dolland and Aitchison, opticians and is now Boots Opticians.

The development of the site can be followed on the Ordnance Survey maps (http://www.nls.uk/collections/maps and go to View Maps and then to Series Maps); the building appears between the early 1890s and 1913.

The Street Directories will also be useful; see the enquiry about Robina Horne on this website in June 2013 for access to those via National Library of Scotland website.

A further source would be the Valuation Rollls; these record liability to a property tax, from 1855 onward; they give occupants, owners and other details. Selected years are available online via the Scotland's People website;

Otherwise, I think this is a standard genealogical matter and the census returns etc will be the best route.


Danial was also interested in the arrangement of shops at ground floor level and houses above; this was very common in Scots towns, at least back to the sixteenth century, with the ground floors used for a variety of commercial purposes or even as stables etc and people living on the upper floors; access to the residential floors was usually direct from the street and did not involve going through the shop. Nor did the occupants of the shops necessarily live in that building.

Anyone who knows more about the premises or has old photos etc can get in touch via the enquiries link [email protected]

We have had an enquiry from Stephen Dow, who writes:

Primarily I am looking for a Robina Horn(e). In the 1901 Census her address was 'Sunny Side', Park Place, Stirling in the parish of St Ninians. She worked as a servant and lived with Duncan and Elizabeth Robertson (both 64) and their daughter Jessie (40). This is the only census record I can find for Robina. While there are other Robina Hornes, no information matches her. Her place of birth on the census was Alva, Clackmannanshire and she was approximately 23 (born about 1878). I have been unable to find her birth registered with the Scotland's People website.

In 1899 Robina had an illegitimate baby boy with a farmer called William Menzies Dryden (of Midtown Farm, Cambus). William was already married with a son (Jeanie and William). The child was called Adam Dryden and was boarded with a couple called James and Margaret (nee McKay) Dow. Adam is listed in the 1901 census as staying with James and Margaret at 16 Lower Bridge Street, Stirling. In 1901 Adam was formally adopted by James and Margaret and named David Dow (my Paternal great grandfather) . I have the adoption document and Sunny Side, Park Place, Stirling is given as Robina's address. Having searched I do not think the solicitors exist anymore.

William Dryden and family emigrated to Canada in the early 1900's but that is another story

Would be grateful for any help or suggestions.

SLHS adds;
There is no house on Park Place displaying the name Sunny Side today. It is a road including several substantial villas where servants would have been employed. Duncan & Jamieson's Street Directory of 1868-9 lists a John Robertson, grocer,  as living at Number 19; however, new houses have been built since that time and all probably renumbered. There was a well-known Stirling grocery store called Robertson and MacFarlane c. 1900 and this might be the proprietor, the sort of person who would live on Park Place and have servants. Street Directories can be accessed via the National Library of Scotland website, Licensed Digitial Collections tab and it might help to check some of those around 1900.

Any help in finding Robina Horn's birth or other details would be appreciated. There must also be a story about what happened to her later - she has evidently been able to continue working with the Robertsons, in spite of the illegitimate baby.

We have had an enquiry about James McIntyre, who was a surgeon in Newcastle-on-Tyne from 1818-1837. The enquirer writes:

I am researching the background of James
McIntyre who was a surgeon in Newcastle
upon Tyne 1818 to 1837. I have found he
was born at Leny House, Callander, 5th
January 1795, fifth son of Donald
McIntyre and Mary McIntyre but have not
been able to find anything about his
early life, before he became medically
qualified as a Licentiate of the Faculty
of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow in
1814.
I would be very grateful for any
information or leads about the McIntyre
family in Callander and their position
at Leny House.

This project is searching for music with 'Stirling Connections'. The write;


>> Riverside Music Project, supported by Heritage Lottery Foundation, is
>> researching tunes (and songs) with local (Stirling) connections. Our
>> website  http://www.spanglefish.com/riversidemusicproject contains information
>> about our group and in particular 'All Our Tunes' where you can see a list of
>> tunes identified so far. We would be delighted to hear from you if you
>> know  of such tunes or can provide background information (the story behind the
>> tune) - we hope to include scores, sound files (including recordings) and
>> other information about selected tunes/composers. We would of course
>> acknowledge source/copyright and let you preview relevant material before
>> publication.

The enquiry reminds me that we did post a blog item some time ago which you can access here about a Scottish fiddle music database.

If you have input for either project you can 'comment' on the blog or email us directly and we will forward your information.