My friend, Alex Rochead shared these invoices with me recently. Dating back to 1906, they’re from the former sawmill in High Blantyre once belonging to William Adam. William died in 1919 age 78 and was the owner of Shott House.
Wood was being supplied to Dixon’s Collieries. Gordon Cook told me, “William Adam made his money largely through his contracts with Dixons. He sold them pitch pine, white pine, saugh (which is an old Scots word for willow), and deal, to name a few of the woods, and some of the pieces were really big. But the most abundant order was the [pit[] props, which were about six feet long, He supplied thousands of these over the years”
Receipts to John Weir, farmer of Priestfield are also attached as is a photo of William Adam in 1893, aged around 52.
