Cold dry day till about 6 when there was a heavy shower. Clear + sunny. Roads drying but greasy in places. Messages to Fairnilee Lodge + Lewenshope. Cycled there making also some town visits which took me from 10.15 till 3.30. Found Mr Linton1 a little better + interviewing his shepherd Gowan2 who has been with him about 50 years. Good many people in at night. Helen3 cycled with Nancy4 with High Faldonside + Melrose + was over at Viewfield5 for supper.
1 Simon Linton (1836–1921), farmer, of Manor, Peeblesshire and latterly of Oakwood, Selkirk
2 Assume George Gowans (about 1853-1939), who was shepherd at Simon Linton’s farm at Cademuir, Manor Parish, Peeblesshire, in 1885 [1885, Valuation Roll, VR011200006-/319, Peebles County, page 319 of 668], he was married to Barbara Bryden and their son appears to be the William Gowans who was Inhabitant Occupier not rated at Simon Linton’s farm at Oakwood, Selkirk, in 1921 [1921 Valuation Roll, VR011700009-/323, Selkirk County, page 323 of 611]; George did not himself stay at Oakwood and must have met Dr Muir while they were both visiting Mr Linton, George it would seem having come down from Innerhuntly, Kirkhope (the tenancy of which Simon Linton had from Lord Polwarth) where he had been shepherd since at least 1916 [1916, Valuation Roll, VR011700009-/69, Selkirk County, page 69 of 611]
From the 1881 and 1891 Census returns for Manor, Peebleshire the family appears to be George Gowans (about 1853-), Barbara Gowans (about 1856-), married 1877 Kilbucho, Broughton and Glenholm [1877, 763/ 3] and their children Catherine ‘Katie’ Gowans (1877-), John Gowans (1879-), Agnes (1880-), William Bryden Gowans (1882-), George Bryden Gowans (1885-) and Robert Gowans (1888-) plus another child James Bryden Gowan (1891-) who was born after the 1891 Census was taken [1891, 766/ 5, Manor]
3 Helen Frances ‘Mousey’ Muir (1880-1963), Dr Muir’s third daughter and sometime housekeeper
4 Agnes Amelia ‘Nancy’ Roberts née Muir (1878-1948), Dr Muir’s second daughter
5 Viewfield was the Muir and Graham co-partnery’s cottage hospital
[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 