Down Memory Lane: 26 June 2009

Jun 26 2009 by Mae McEwan, Irvine Herald

DO you ever feel you have opened Pandora’s box? Well, folks, this week I most certainly have. Remember, first of all, I wrote about going to the closing service at Fergushill Church? I mentioned the Reverend William McAlpine was the very first minister there. Then I got a phone call from a Mrs Hazel McDonald who told me she was the great-great granddaughter of him and, as she said: “The wee English governess from Girgenti,” whom he married.

The only thing was she had difficulty with the word “Girgenti” as, either she didn’t know the proper name or she didn’t know the pronunciation of it. I surely did because I piped up, “my grandfather Duncan was born there”.

Incidentally, I was wrong to say that, because although I had always thought that I was right, because only this morning I found out, through Diana Pirrie from Kilwinning, that he actually was born in Overton.

So, now I’m assuming he must have said he came from Girgenti and I thought he meant he actually was born there. And, this all started with me writing about the church, then Hazel mentioning Girgenti.

I must say a most sincere thank-you to everyone who has contacted me about the place, pure fascinating material and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed having a chat with everyone who telephoned me.

Last Wednesday found Hugh and I heading out to buy some new garden plants but we took a detour and went up through Torranyard, veering right to go to Girgenti. Hugh, of course, knew the area well, coming from the Sourlie, his time as a boy in the Home Guard before being called up for the army, as well as his time in insurance when he often insured farmers. It was a pleasant afternoon weather-wise and in no time at all we were passing a clock tower there and now I know it’s all that’s left now of Girgenti House.

First on the telephone was a Mr G from Irvine (he said he preferred I didn’t use his name). He grew up there, he said, as his father had worked there.

But I’ll come back to his input as Diana, after reading my column, went on her computer and sent me this printout – and much, much more. Thank you so very much, Diana, you have no idea how very much I appreciate all you do.

This is from one of her printouts:

“Etymology”

Girgenti was a town in Sicily, named for the famous Greek ruins of Agrigentum. The name of the town has been changed to Agrigento.

Girgenti was originally known as Bonnyton (not Muirhead as sometimes stated) and was presumably named after a visit of this well-travelled man to the ancient Greek ruins of Agrigentum. Captain John Cheape built a rather eccentric mansion at Bonnyton and planted extensive plantations and shrubberies. Only the two Italianate lodges survive, together with part of the walled garden (Ref. 2005) and the tower.

The mansion house and some other buildings were demolished in the 1940s. John Cheape was the son of James Cheape of Sauchie in Clackmannanshire (Ref. 1876) Captain Cheape, late of the Scots Fusilier Guards, believed in reincarnation or transmigration of the soul, and was so convinced he would return in the form of a bird that he built a large tower, with a dovecote on top, next to his mansion.

Finished in 1843 it stands 80 feet (24m) tall, has four clock faces, a coat of arms and a motto Didus Fructus (let it spread its fruits abroad) all on the outer surfaces.

He died unmarried on February 10, 1830 (or 1850?) aged 76 and his estate was sold to benefit a number of infirmaries all over Scotland. He was buried in the Laigh Kirk, Stewarton.

His sister was married to Thomas, 11th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne and their residence was Glamis Castle where Princess Margaret was born. She was to have inherited Girgenti, however she predeceased her brother.

I have to say I now found the next page a wee bit confusing because where one page says the money from the sale of the house to be used “to benefit a number of infirmaries” all over Scotland, I had thought it was then used by the Glasgow Corporation. But another of Diana’s printouts told me otherwise. So, it was the actual cash that obviously went to various infirmaries.

This printout reads:

“William Broom, an Ironmaster was the owner in Dobie’s time (1876) and (Dobie must have been the researcher at that time that I referred to earlier) then the estate was purchased by a Glasgow businessman for private use then sold in 1900, to Glasgow Corporation as a reformatory for females. After less than 10 years as such it was sold again and transformed into a privately owned training centre for homeless boys between the ages of 14 and 20.

“It was next sold to the Scottish Labour Colony Association who continued its use as a training centre.

“In 1918 it changed hands yet again and this time it returned to farm use. The owner was now a Mr Muir who was the great grandson of Mr Thomas Reid of Stacklawhill who had owned the estate in 1827. The farm was next sold in 1932 to a Mr Sword who took considerable interest in the outbuildings, had the tower restored and the clock repaired. The house itself was demolished in the 1940s. A Mr and Mrs Smith owned and worked the farm from around 1960.”

So, I’ve been puzzling about who was “the wee English governess for Girgenti” and Diana’s meticulous research showed that she was actually one Blanche Tripp, born in France to English parents. Then I wondered who her employer was. The marriage between Blanche and the minister took place in a town called Houghton, County Durham in the quarter ending September 1887 and she was actually 21 years younger than her husband, she was 28 and he was 49. Hazel, the great-great granddaughter had told me that Mr McApine had married late in life.

Diana had also enclosed an 1881 British Census for Girgenti House and as I said earlier, it’s all more than a wee bit confusing because, here in Girgenti House the head of the family is shown to be Alexander Cochrane, age 43, an earthenware manufacturer, born in Lanark. His wife is Lizzie, age 27 (like the minister, there is quite an age gap between him and his wife – must have been the fashion).

They had a young family, Kitty, age seven, Agnes, age eight, Hester, age five and Robert, age four. Like myself, you’ll be thinking the puir lassie would have her hands full, but don’t worry, I see she had plenty of help.

This consisted of a cook, a house maid, a laundress, a table maid, a kitchen maid, a nursery maid and nurse and a governess.

It was first thought – could it have been this governess, Janetta R Moffat, who came from Dingwall who married Mr McAlpine, but Diana’s meticulous research brought us to Blanche Tripp. You’ll see I wrote the governess came from Dingwall – I have often and often wondered why and how people from one part of the country came to be working so far from home. I found here the cook was born in Inveresk, Edinburgh, the house maid born in Kilwinoch, Inverness, the laundress born in North Knapdale, Argyll, the table maid born in Muirkirk, the kitchen maid in Ayr, the nursery maid and nurse were both English and the governess, as I said, was also far from home.

I’ll go back now to Mr G’s telephone call, he was actually brought up at Girgenti and could tell me first of all about where the name came from and who the owner was. He also told me about the Glasgow Corporation time there, adding it was self supporting regarding growing food and much more.

He knew the details about the clock tower, saying he had climbed it as a boy and also of Mr JC Sword purchasing it. Many of you folk will remember that name as he was general manager (or some such title) of the SMT Bus Co, and if I am right he covered a great part of Scotland in this capacity. He had a great collection of classic cars of which he was justifiably proud.

Previously, Mr G’s father had been employed at Culzean and at that time he learned how to make gas and he brought this skill to Girgenti where, I’m sure, it must have been much appreciated.

Sincere thanks, Mr G, for taking the trouble to contact me with all this information of staff, etc. I really appreciate it.

I’ll end this week by telling you about another phone call, this time from Mrs Jean Pyper and my thanks to her too for taking the trouble to write details down about Girgenti and sending them to me. I was delighted to receive this this morning.

Jean and her brother were brought up at Girgenti and I’ll quote from her letter now: “It was after Girgenti was used as a remand home, probably about the time of the First World War, that Girgenti House was lying empty and my Grandfather Campbell with his wife and daughter (my mother) was appointed caretaker. They lived there for several years until the house was sold. They had many stories to tell of this time. I’m not sure when the house was demolished but the present farmer told us (Jean and her brother had take a run up there to see what was left of the place) his father had bought the land from Mr Sword of Langlands.

“The farmer introduced himself as Ian, but I didn’t think to ask his surname. However, we did say we might visit him again sometime and he seemed quite happy for us to do so.

“In the Post Office Directory for 1908 it says Girgenti, William King Governor. Where the Reverend William McAlpine’s “wee English governess comes in I wouldn’t know. That is another story.”

Jean had also furnished the history of Girgenti in her letter, but I have already gone into that. She also said that the people of Fergushill always talked about Mr McAlpine’s French wife. Jean also wonders if Hazel’s mum (Hazel McDonald whose phone call started much of this research and many people going down Memory Lane to help me) must be Amy Ayles, daughter of “Daddy” Ayles who was art master at Irvine Royal Academy.

The talk would be right in Fergushill because now we know that Blanche McAlpine was born in France – how long she lived there is also another story but she must have been there long enough to acquire a French accent.

What a tapestry we have woven these past few weeks and I have waited to complete it before passing it all on to Hazel.

Again my thanks to everyone, most sincerely.