Had a very nice shoot at Fairnilea. Met at Tweed Bridge at 10. Other guns were Burns Lindow1 + a friend Sir Geo. Layton2: Mr Rose3, tenant of Laidlawstiel + Ovens4. I got a fairly high pheasant my first shot + a great big hare with my 2nd but made an awful miss at the great wood where I was next the drive. I should have had 4 at least + had only 1. After lunch we did very little but I got a rabbit. At lunch we had 23 pheasants, 2 woodcock, 1 hare + 7 rabbits. Came back by Hospital. It was a fairly good day, calm + only some slight showers. Got a case of Diph. in at night from Wester Essenside5. Had to go out to Shawpark before dinner to see Boylan6.
1 Isaac William Burns-Lindow (about 1868-1946), D.S.O., army officer and the last commanding officer of The South Irish Horse, one of the six southern Irish regiments of the British Army disbanded in 1922 following the creation of the new Irish Free State
2 Sir George Layton has not been readily identified
3 Nobody called Rose (or Ross) is recorded as tenant in the Valuation Rolls so one can only assume that this was a short-term let rather than a tenancy; the Proprietor of Laidlawsteel [or Laidlawstiel], Caddonfoot at this time was Elinor Frances Mitchell, widow, and the Tenant was Andrew George Dun [1921 Valuation Roll, VR011700009-/305, Selkirk County, page 305 of 611]
4 Assume William Roberts Ovens (1846-1936) or his son William Roberts Ovens junior (1889-1952), less probably Adam Beattie Ovens (1891-1962) though the sons did jointly hold the shootings and fishings at Ashiestiel during the First World War
5 Wester Essenside, Ashkirk was home of the Currie and Heard families, both referred to in Dr Muir’s diaries
6 John Dun Boylan (1850-1924), civil engineer, acquaintance of Dr Muir, sometime of Shawmount and Shawpark, Selkirk
[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 