1920 Maggie Marshall at Hallside

1920 Maggie Marshall at Hallside Farm. Shared by A Rochead

Although Hallside Farm is just outside the Parish boundary (over the river from Calderglen), this photo is worth sharing. Photograph of a milk maid of East Hallside Farm, 1920. The writing on the reverse of the photograph identifies her as ‘Auntie Maggie Marshall’.

Maggie posed for the photograph wearing her work clothes and holding her luggie or milking-pail and her four-legged milking stool, the symbols of her occupation.

Milking was always considered to be women’s work. It required care and cleanliness. Having taken the foaming buckets of milk from the byre, the milk was poured into basins to settle. Once the cream had risen to the top it was skimmed off to be used in butter or cheese making, leaving behind the fresh milk.

There was a real style to these milk maids. So well presented when photos being taken and always carrying the stool and bucket (tools of their trade). Their tiny waists and buttoned to the neck, this was almost a sort of uniform that identified what they did for a living. I’m sure it would have been early and tiresome work.