Mr John Hastie of High Blantyre was born in 1846 and is noted in the 1879 Naismith’s Directory as an ironmonger at Gardiner’s Place, High Blantyre. It is thought he was there prior to 1871. He ran a business in Blantyre and later in Burnbank also. You could even buy sticks of Gelatine Dynamite from his […]
OK, I’ll admit this, I’m a soft touch when it comes to buying old documents and invoices of Blantyre traders. Like this one from John Hastie, the ironmonger of High Blantyre. I bought this recently, (only for a couple of pounds), but it felt a good buy, bringing back an invoice close to where it […]
On 11th November 2014, Megan McHugh contacted me on Facebook to say, “This is Robert Hastie, my Great-Grandfather. He was in WWI.” Attached was an old photo of Robert in uniform. Wanting to help Megan more with filling in some details about Roberts life, and with her help by providing me with a few comments, […]
That’s a headline that may generate some interest amongst people of a certain age in Blantyre, but i wouldn’t be referring to the popular entertainment venue of the 1960s and 70s. This story takes place a full 100 years earlier on the evening of Saturday 21st August 1875. The story was reported in the Edinburgh […]