The Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Service - The Girton and Newnham Unit - 1915-1918. Thursday 5th December, 7:30pm.

 Our next meeting will be on Thursday 5th December in the Park Centre, 45 Kerr Street, Kirkintilloch at 7:30pm. Elaine Morrison and Carol Parry will give a talk on the Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Service - Girton and Newnham Unit - 1915-1918. The Scottish Women’s Hospitals were organised, run and staffed by women during the First World War to provide surgical and medical care to sick and wounded Allied soldiers. The Girton and Newham Unit served in France, Serbia and Greece.  The inspirational women involved showed great courage both personally and professionally.

Elaine Morrison is a retired Consultant Physician and Rheumatologist. She was the Honorary Librarian at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow for two terms and continues as a Senior Fellow.  She is currently a member of the Scottish Society of the History of Medicine’s Council. She has a particular interest in the history of the Scottish Women’s Hospitals and, the lives & work of the early women doctors.

Carol Parry is an archivist by training and is Honorary Librarian at the Trades House of Glasgow.  She was formerly the Library and Heritage Manager at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. She was Editor of Scottish Archives, the journal of the Scottish Records Association, from 2012–2023 and is a former Secretary of the Scottish Society of the History of Medicine. 

Significant personalities in Kirkintilloch and District by the Research Group: Wednesday 20th November, 2pm.

 Our next meeting will be in the Park Centre at 2pm on Wednesday 20th November, when the Research Group will present profiles of several significant personalities in the history of Kirkintilloch and District that they have been researching over the past year. The personalities are all buried in the Old Aisle Cemetery and were featured in our exhibition in the William Patrick Library and guided walk round the cemetery on Doors Open Day on7th September. 

The personalities include some who are well known, such as Petticoat Dan and others who were significant in their time, such as William Patrick, his brother David and the entertainer Tommy Lorne. It will include several prominent women, including the first female Provost of the burgh and a keen angler who founded an all-women fly fishing club. Don Martin, MBE will introduce the history of the Old Aisle as a church and then a cemetery, and profiles of selected personalities will be given by Barrie Stewart, Jenny Burgon, Ivan Ruddock and Murray Reid. 

This afternoon meeting has been arranged to enable members who are reluctant to go out on cold, dark winter nights to hear what the Society has been doing over the past year. We hope for a good turnout. If you know any former members who may be interested in this event, please tell them about it; they will be most welcome. 

Who are these people? Come along and find out!

The RNLI: 200 years of saving lives at sea by Louise Nixon. Thursday 7th November, the Park Centre, 45 Kerr Street, Kirkintilloch, 7:30pm.

 

This year the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) celebrates 200 years of saving lives at sea. It all began in the early 18th century with rescuing sailors and passengers from many wrecks. From there the RNLI was founded and has developed from strength to strength, from modest beginnings of a few volunteers , early life jackets, developing self righting boats to the international charity life saving organisation it is today.

Louise Nixon is the Vice President of the Kirkintilloch and District Society of Antiquaries. She has been a RNLI sea safety and Education Volunteer for 20 years, attending and delivering the water safety message at major  events schools, youth groups, scouts, Guides, BB and at clubs and societies for all age groups. 

Report on the visit to Govan Old Parish Church, Wednesday 9th October 2024

On Wednesday 9th October, members of the Society gathered at the entrance of Govan Old Parish Church for a guided tour to learn about Govan's early history as the centre of the Kingdom of Strathclyde, the advent of early Christianity, and the records of attacks by Viking forces.

The Old Parish Church is dedicated to Saint Constantine and comprises an A-listed Scottish Gothic Revival building, completed in 1888 within a pear-shaped Scheduled Ancient Monument churchyard, housing early medieval monuments from the 9th-11th centuries. Christian worship on the site dates from the 5th-6th centuries with links to other Brittonic communities, and more recently with the Iona community. Raids by the Vikings occurred in 870AD, evidence for which exists in historic records and in some of the sculptures.

Govan Old Parish's guide describes the features of the hogback gravestones
and explains their history. (© I.S.Ruddock)

The building is not typical of the Church of Scotland and has been described as Scottish-Roman in an attempt to better affiliate the two churches. Interestingly, the Russian Orthodox Church still uses the church for worship. A striking feature is the number of richly decorated stained glass windows commissioned from different workshops.

The engraved details on the Govan Sarcophagus are pointed out by the guide. (© I.S.Ruddock)

The collection of 31 sculptured monuments - The Govan Stones - is displayed throughout the church and includes the Govan Sarcophagus, crosses with figurative and interlace decoration, and the Anglo-Scandinavian 'hogback' gravestones. There is also an exhibition of reproduction armour, clothing, jewellery and an early board game. Time passed quickly due to the engaging and enthusiastic manner in which the guide from the Govan Heritage Trust proved details of the internationally recognised importance of the church, the stones and their historical context.

David Graham

Visit to Govan Old Parish Church, 2pm Wednesday 9th October 2024

 A guided tour of Govan Old Parish Church and Stones (866 Govan Road, G513UU) has been arranged for Wednesday 9th October at 2.0pm. The group comprising between 12 and 20 members meets at 1.45pm at the entrance to the church. Please indicate by email to kdsantiquaries@gmail.com if you would like to take part.

Members are expected to make their own way to and from the venue which can be accessed

By underground to Govan Cross,

By McGill bus 23 or 26 from city centre; also by First Glasgow,

By car although there is restricted parking, or

By walking from the Riverside Museum across the newly opened Govan-Partick bridge.

The Roman Campaigns in Scotland: Brian Young. Thursday 3rd October 2024, 7:30pm, The Park Centre

Our first meeting of the new session will be a talk by Brian Young on “The Roman Campaigns in Scotland”. There were three Roman campaigns in Scotland. Did the romans really ever conquer Scotland ? What was the point of and who was responsible for building the wall across Scotland? All of these questions plus more will be answered…

Brian is a graduate of Strathclyde University with an honours degree in electrical engineering and has worked for a diagnostics company all his life as a principal engineer in numerous projects over the last 30 years . He is currently working with AI and digital generated solutions for medical testing in biochemistry and pathology labs. He is also a student of history with special interest in Alexander the Great and the Roman period. He has a specific interest in tactics and strategy used in warfare. He has written one book about the lost legion (9th) approximately 12 yrs ago and is writing a new book hopefully to be published next year about Hadrian’s wall, its construction and recent developments found about dislocation.

The meeting will be held in the Park Centre, 45 Kerr Street, Kirkintilloch G66 1LF starting at 7:30pm. Members will have the opportunity to pick up membership cards at the meeting. Visitors welcome.

Doors Open Day and Old Aisle Cemetery Walk, 7th September 2024

This year's Doors Open Day in East Dunbartonshire is on Saturday 7th September 2024. The Society's contribution is an exhibition in the foyer of the William Patrick Library profiling significant local personalities, mostly buried in the Old Aisle Cemetery, Kirkintilloch. In connection with the exhibition, which this year will be on view for the following week, a guided walk around a selection of these graves will start from the cemetery's belfry at the Old Aisle Road entrance at 2.00 pm. The full programme for 2024's Doors Open Day may be downloaded here with details of the Antiquaries exhibition and walk on pages 13 and 14.

The grave of Joey Henderson and Robert Somerville. Joey died on 1st March
1929, a few days after giving birth, and her grief stricken husband, Robert, took
his own life in December 1931. He was a lecturer in chemistry in the University
of Glasgow and had been involved in the campaign to erect a plaque on the
birthplace of Archibald Scott Couper at 25 Townhead. (© I.S.Ruddock)

Report on the visit to the Auld Kirk Museum, Kirkintilloch, Thursday 20th June 2024

The Society was delighted to have had the opportunity of a guided tour of the Auld Kirk Museum, a category A listed building and one of the oldest in Kirkintilloch, on 20th June 2024; the visit coincided with the Museums' 380th anniversary exhibition. By way of introduction the 16 members of the group were reminded by the guide that the Romans built the Antonine Wall which runs through Kirkintilloch, the Comyn family built a castle at Peel Brae, and that in 1644 the Museum building and its grounds had been the town's first parish church - St Mary's and its graveyard.

The guide from the Museum describes artwork created to publicise the Auld Kirk
by local school children and the late Willie Rodger, Kirkintilloch's noted artist. 
(© I.S.Ruddock)

Particular exhibits were highlighted and reflected the 13,000 held in the Museum's archive. The 380th Anniversary's timeline around the walls of the main gallery space provided a journey from a carved neolithic stone ball found in the garden of a local resident to sections detailing the industrial era of the Forth and Clyde Canal, ship building, the railways and cast iron manufacturing by the Lion Foundry that included the famous red telephone boxes. Other displays featured the whisky link between Kirkintilloch and Japan, and the 150th anniversary of St Ninian's High School including its WW2 fundraising link with the Royal Navy's HMS King George V battleship. Of particular interest were photographs of organisations including Kirkintilloch and District Society of Antiquaries which were instrumental in establishing the Museum, as it was possible to identify some of those visiting today in some of the pictures on display.

A brass model of one of HMS King George V's quadruple 14" gun turrets presented
to St Ninian's High School in 1942 in connection with its fund raising activities for
the Royal Navy. The trophy was awarded annually to the Dux of the school and in
1984 was donated to the Museum by a former teacher. (© I.S.Ruddock)

 

After the tour, about half the group walked along to Majella's for a cup of tea and a sticky bun and for a chat. The consensus was that the visit had been a success, and that the offer of additional tours by the Museum staff should be explored and that all in all it had been a good 'summer' outing.

David Graham

Visit to the Auld Kirk Museum, Kirkintilloch: 2pm Thursday 20th June 2024

Arrangements have been made for a guided tour of the Auld Kirk Museum as part of the programme of afternoon outings for members of the Society. It will take place on Thursday 20th June 2024 at 2pm and the tour might also include the Barony building where certain items will be displayed. The event is expected to last about one and a half hours. 

Tables have been reserved for 3.30pm at the nearby Majella's Coffee Shop (48 Cowgate, Kirkintilloch between Timpsons and Cowgate Pharmacy) for the group to enjoy tea/coffee and a slice of cake, albeit at your own expense on this occasion.

The Auld Kirk Museum, Kirkintilloch. (© I.S.Ruddock)

Numbers are limited to 20 and on a first come first served basis. Please reserve a place by email at kdsantiquaries@gmail.com no later than Tuesday 18th June. This is hoped to be an interesting outing to a local visitor attraction in Kirkintilloch followed by some socialising.

David Graham

Annual General Meeting and 'The Forme of Cury - King Richard II's Cookbook': Thursday 25th April 2024

This session's Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday 25th April 2024 at 7.30 pm in The Park Centre, and is an opportunity for all members to have their say in the running of the Society. The various activities since the last AGM will be reviewed, the accounts will be presented for approval, and the office bearers and committee membership - for which nominations are sought - will be confirmed.

After the business part of the meeting, David Garbutt will give a talk entitled 'The Forme of Cury - King Richard II's Cookbook'. The presentation will explore the 14th century Forme of Cury and explain the use of language and style of writing in the book. Recipes will be translated and described and the vast range of herbs, spices and other ingredients available in the Middle Ages will be revealed. It will be shown how many recipes relate to modern day equivalents.

Contents page of the Forme of Cury.
(Public domain)

David graduated with a BSc Honours degree in Computer Science from Manchester University. After two years working in data communications design, he worked in Saudi Arabia for five years on systems design and build for the petrochemical industry. In the UK, he has worked for several organisations as a consultant systems analyst and project manager specialising in large databases. Outside of work, David has been a member of a speakers club, indulges in gardening, woodworking - including set build for Giffnock Theatre Players, abstract art, stand-up comedy and hill walking. He enjoys all forms of cookery and is known for making preserves, especially marmalade!

Visitors are welcome at all of the Society's evening meetings.

Visit to the Glasgow Police Museum, Tuesday 12th March 2024

On Tuesday 12th March, 12 members of the Society enjoyed a visit to the Glasgow Police Museum in Bell Street, Glasgow. They were welcomed by the curator, Alastair Dinsmor MBE, a retired Strathclyde police officer, who provided background information to the displays and related anecdotes as the members progressed through the museum. 

Society members being told about the first police dogs in the City of Glasgow Police.
(© I.S.Ruddock)

The Glasgow Police Museum is dedicated to telling the story of the City of Glasgow Police - the oldest police force in the United Kingdom - up to when it amalgamated in 1975 with other local forces to create Strathclyde Police. The museum was created by the Glasgow Police Heritage Society and first opened to the public in 2002 in the Central Police Office in St Andrews Square, before relocating to its present location in June 2009 following the closure of the former premises.

Local History Month: 'The Old Aisle Cemetery - some people of note': The Park Centre, 2 pm Wednesday 20th March 2024

Kirkintilloch and District Society of Antiquaries will be holding a special open meeting for the annual Local History Month 2024 at 2pm on Wednesday 20th March in the Park Centre, 45 Kerr Street, Kirkintilloch G66 1LF. 

The presentation will be based on the exhibition and guided walk on the same theme held by the Antiquaries for Doors Open Day in September 2023. After an introduction to the Old Aisle cemetery and its history, sketches will be presented of eight or nine individuals who are buried there. Some of these will be people who were very well-known in their day and who made a mark on the fabric and development of the burgh and, in some cases the nation. Others will be less well-known but who illustrate aspects of the life and times of Kirkintilloch. 

The participants in 2003's Doors Open Day guided walk in the
Old Aisle Cemetery hearing about the history of the site
and the belfry. (© I.S.Ruddock)

The guided walk group at the monument to Father James Bonnyman,

the first Roman Catholic priest appointed to Kirkintilloch for an

extended period and who was responsible for the building of

St Ninian's. (© I.S.Ruddock)

The speakers will be Don Martin MBE, well-known local historian and former Secretary of the Antiquaries, Dr Murray Reid, the current Secretary, and Dr Ivan Ruddock, President of the Antiquaries. We hope that this sample of the personalities buried in the Old Aisle will encourage others to enquire into the history of other 'residents' and learn more about their history and that of the community.

All welcome, with no booking required. 

James Mearns: ''What the Romans did for Glasgow Archaeological Society': Thursday 7th March 2004

Jim Mearn's presentation will relate the history of Glasgow Archaeological Society (GAS) from its foundation in December 1856 to the present day. It will mention some of the interesting people who have been members of the Society, such as Miss Cranston of tea room fame; William Blackie the publisher; Lord Kelvin, several Lord Provosts of Glasgow, a Confederate General and a Kirkintilloch native, James Dalrymple Gray Dalrymple. Particular attention will be paid to the legacy of Dalrymple and his impact on the Society. His family plot is in Old Aisle Cemetery but his work in archaeology is not well known locally. Some further links between GAS and the Kirkintilloch and District Society of Antiquaries will be explored.

The Society's activities, including lectures, excursions, campaigns and publications, will be described along with its leading role in the excavation of sites along the Antonine Wall such as forts in the neighbourhood of Kirkintilloch, especially Bar Hill Fort at Twechar. GAS has played a leading role in excavating, researching and publishing material on the Romans in Scotland, and its various reports on the Antonine Wall and the creation of its handbook to the monument will be covered.

Bar Hill Fort: headquarters building excavation.
(Image supplied by J Mearns)

Jim was born in Glasgow and graduated with a BSc honours degree in archaeology from the University of Glasgow. His subsequent career was mainly in public administration as a civil servant in the Department of Transport in London, followed by various senior roles within Glasgow City Council. Outside of his career, he has been active in Glasgow's trade guilds, been Chair of Glasgow Humane Society, and is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Within the Archaeological Society of Glasgow, he was President in 2006, its Sesquicentennial year, and for the last 10 years has been its archivist and editor of its publication, Scottish Archaeological Journal.

Some publications of Glasgow Archaeological Society on the Antonine Wall. 

(Image supplied by J Mearns)

The meeting will be held in the Park Centre, 45 Kerr Street, Kirkintilloch, G66 1LF at 7.30 pm. The annual membership subscription is £10 and visitors are welcome at all of the Society's evening events without charge as a 'taster'.

Members' Night 2024: 'A new lease of life': Thursday 15th February 2024

The Society's annual Members’ Night will be held on Thursday 15th February 2024, and this year the theme will be 'A new lease of life'. Seven members will contribute this year and it is anticipated that the theme will be interpreted differently by all concerned with subjects including the restoration of buildings, motor cars and railways. This meeting has always been a highlight of the Society's programme and is expected to be again this year. 

The event will be held in the Park Centre, 45 Kerr Street, Kirkintilloch, G66 1LF at 7.30 pm. The annual membership subscription is £10 and visitors are welcome at all of the Society's evening events without charge as a 'taster'.

Nina Baker: 'Human spiders spin and spin - ropemakers and rope making in Scotland': Thursday 1st February 2024

Dr Nina Baker has previously spoken twice to the Society, both times during the pandemic when in-person meetings were not being held. The first was a pre-recorded talk entitled 'Scotswomen working in engineering' which was posted on the Antiquaries YouTube channel in January 2021, and the second - 'Daughters of Vulcan: women and the Glasgow Hammermen' - was delivered live by Zoom on 7th October 2021 and was also recorded for viewing on YouTube. In her new talk, she will relate the rather esoteric history of rope making in Scotland, including the participation of women.

Rope making in Germany in the 15th century. (Public domain)

Nina has had a varied career - she became a merchant navy deck officer on leaving school and then, in her 30s, obtained an engineering design degree from the University of Warwick and later a PhD in concrete durability from the University of Liverpool. She has lived with her family in Glasgow since 1989, working variously as a materials lecturer in further education and as a research administrator and, until 2017, as an elected city councillor. Now retired, her interest in promoting STEM careers for girls has led her to become an independent researcher, mainly specialising in the history of women in engineering.

The meeting will be held in the Park Centre, 45 Kerr Street, Kirkintilloch, G66 1LF at 7.30 pm. The annual membership subscription is £10 and visitors are welcome at all of the Society's evening events without charge as a 'taster'.