Left Prestwick at 10.20. The old man1 was , of course, not up when I left + was rather tired after yesterday. He was delighted to get a letter from Cath. Maurice [?] (née Taylor2) from Shanghai with photos of his great grandson. He has now 4 grandchildren. Viz: Maurice [?], Taylor3, Gillan4 and [blank space5]. He is very well off with his housekeeper Margt. who is a capital cook + manager. She has now a girl to help her. This was a fine day + I had a much quicker journey, reaching Gala at 3.22. Baptie6 met me + I went to Peelburnfoot. David [Graham] has had a busy time. I had a compartment to myself all the way from Glasgow to Gala. Got a cup of tea at the Waverley. Saw some cases in the evening. The Prince of Wales was in Glasgow today7 + there were some flags flying.
1 The Reverend James Rennie (1826-1924), Church of Scotland minister and widower of Catherine Stewart Muir, thus Dr Muir’s brother in law; living at Prestwick, Ayrshire
2 Catherine Taylor appears to have married someone called Maurice but neither her husband nor child have been identified
3 Jane ‘Jean’ Logan Taylor née Rennie (about 1856-), daughter of The Reverend James Rennie (1826-1924), Church of Scotland minister and Catherine Stewart Rennie née Muir, thus Dr Muir’s niece; she married 1882, Berkeley Terrace, Glasgow, Edward Earl Taylor and, though the Editor continues to research the matter, it looks probable that a male line continued to produce a great grandchild surname Taylor while a female line produced the great grandchild surname Maurice, see footnote 2 above
4 Margaret Douglas Gillan née Ord Mackenzie (1891-1973), daughter of Montague Allan Ord Mackenzie and Frances Gordon ‘Fanny’ Ord Mackenzie née Rennie (and therefore Dr Muir’s great niece); she married, 1917, (James) Angus Gillan (1885–1981), Olympic rower and colonial administrator; they had two children, Frances Margaret Gillan (1920-1940) and Anthony James Allan Gillan (1924-2015); the former born 6 February 1920 and thus part of Rennie’s collection of great-grandchildren referred to in this diary entry
5 With one of four great grandchildren identified with confidence and two in principle (see footnotes 3 and 4) the remaining great grandchild presents an almost insuperable difficulty with no surname recorded and presumably therefore through a family line less well known to Dr Muir
6 Thomas Baptie (1860-1929), driver and handyman for Dr Muir
7 During 8-10 March 1921 the Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII, received the freedom of the City of Glasgow, launched a ship at John Brown’s yard and attended a luncheon party at Blythswood House, Renfrewshire [Sources: The National Library of Scotland and Lafayette Negative Archive
[Source: Scottish Borders Archives & Local History Service SBA/657/24, Dr J S Muir of Selkirk, medical practitioner, journal for 1921]
Rumbling Clint's Scottish Notes 