I’ve had some construction work going on at my house at High Blantyre since the end of February. In advance of the work, I’d cleared some of the hedges and shrubs along my side of the old School Lane Wall. At places in the wall, trees had previously sprouted from cracks which were cut back. […]
Reading quite a lot of these type of cases in 1901. Court cases were women, no longer in relationships were suing men for breach of promise, often winning financial damage. Promises of marriage being rescinded upon. Very different to today, when one individual calls off or ends a relationship. The Court of Session was the […]
These little faces (I think) are Blantyre siblings, Minnie and James Ritchie. A photo remarkably taken around 1895, some 127 years ago! Their father was David Ritchie, a master joiner and likely the person who took the photo given his keen interest in photography. Their mother was Mary Ann Fleming. The parents married in Strathaven in 1888 before […]
It’s for a long time been known, that most Blantyre women are strong minded and can take matters into their own hands when the situation arises. One such occasion arose in 1909, where a High Blantyre woman called police to her husband, after it was discovered he was living “two lives”, married also at the […]
‘Lady Park‘ was the former name of upper fields belonging to Greenhall Estate adjacent to Greenhall Farm. In May 1917, Alexander Marshall Junior (14) of School Lane was caught deliberately setting fire to 8 yards of hedge at Lady Park. He pled guilty in court. He was caught red handed by an approaching police officer who […]
It’s almost difficult to even recognise this next picture, the scene has changed so much. Pictured in 1904, at Kirkton, High Blantyre Main Street, is a rare view of the east side of the Speirs Laun building. What’s nice about this photo is that it shows so many other buildings that were in School Lane, […]
The 1835 Statistical Account suggests at that date Blantyre had 4 schools. One at Blantyre Works (at the quadrangle), one at Hunthill (The Hall School, predating School Lane Parish school), one at Auchinraith and also a female school. Despite looking, I am unsure where the one at Auchinratih in 1835 was and where on earth was […]