Category: People

Categories
Folklore People

Craigwaggie’s meikle chuckie

  • Post author By
  • Post date

In the 1670s Gallovidian, Jock Mulldroch of Craigwaggie was understood to “cackle as he laid eggs, bigger than a goose’s, on a truff laft amang a wheen breckans”. The eggs were black-speckled yellow. He was known as “Craigwaggie’s meikle chuckie”.

I definitely need to say more on this later, it’s such a bizarre folk tale.So many other bizarre details. Eggs took a fortnight to lay. His sons hatched from his eggs that were placed under his wife’s actual chicken.

I haven’t even found where Craigwaggie was, if it was a real place at all.

Categories
Crime and Punishment Disasters People

Smeekin Johnny and the Bleachers’ Strike

  • Post author By
  • Post date

In 1842 workers went on strike at John Cochrane’s bleachworks at Kirktonfield, Neilston. He tried to break the strike by filling the workers’ dorms with chlorine gas “as a joke”. He almost killed 150 women, had to meet their demands, and became “Smeekin Johnny”.

Categories
Crime and Punishment People

Francis O’Neil, boy under stairs

  • Post author By
  • Post date

In 1908 Allandale boy, Francis O’Neil’s stepmother made him sleep in a cupboard under the stairs as “he was aye stealing the jam” and “throwing letters up the chimney”. She was fined £3.

Categories
People

David Hatton, mouse-wrangler

  • Post author By
  • Post date

In 1825, Dunfermline weaver David Hatton, set up a “factory” to spin thread using specialized designed mills powered by mice. Hatton’s mouse mills were a sensation and many came to Dunfermline to see them in action.

Categories
People

Lochwinnoch Jock

  • Post author By
  • Post date

John Stewart (1806-1862) “Lochwinnoch Jock” was a professional beggar and local celebrity. He used his gigantic stature to defend kids who he saw being bullied. Sadly he was epileptic and homeless, and often treated very poorly. He got many obituaries on his death.

Categories
People

Mary Buek, Trafalgar nurse and publican

  • Post author By
  • Post date

Mary Buek’s (1777-1854) husband was pressganged from a Cellardyke fishing boat. She found him, gave birth at the Battle of Copenhagen, was a nurse at Trafalgar, and helped pickle Nelson’s body in brandy. Afterwards, she ran a pub in Cellardyke with her husband.

Mary is buried in Kilrenny Kirkyard.

She is mentioned in Sara Sheridan’s book, “Where are the Women?“

Categories
People Rural Life

Seven Men of Knoydart

  • Post author By
  • Post date

In 1948, 7 ex-servicemen seized land from Conservative MP and Nazi spy, Lord Brocket, and started farms. The “Seven Men of Knoydart” were public heroes, but ultimately removed from the land by court order. Brocket sold up a year later and left for Ireland.

Categories
Medicine People

William Toshach

  • Post author By
  • Post date

In 1732, William Toshach saved the life of James Blair, an Alloa coal miner after he “applied his Mouth, blowed strongly, and distended his Lungs with Air”. Toshach gave the first account of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in 1744 and popularized it across Europe.

Categories
Animals People

Will Quare’s Delivery Dog

  • Post author By
  • Post date

In the 1820s, Will Quare, a miller in Alloa supplied all the town’s bakeries and dealers with meal. His specially trained mastiff dog lead the cart horses on deliveries. The dog knew to stop at every business and return to the mill once the cart was empty.

Categories
Animals People

Alexander Fraser and homing salmon

  • Post author By
  • Post date

In Feb 1829, Alexander Fraser “An t-Iasgair bàn” of Dochnalurg near #Inverness, tied wire tags around the tails of young salmon heading downstream. When he caught the same fish as adults in 1830, he proved that salmon return to their home stream to breed.