4 October 1923 diary of Dr John Stewart Muir (1845-1938) of Selkirk

Quite a dry day + a lot of sunshine but with a very sharp N.E. wind. There has been some snow in the north. David¹ was away shooting. I cycled to Curror Street, Gib. + Lum², Bridge Street + Bank on to Ettrickbridgend to see Dav. Mitchell + his mother.³ Called for Mrs McGown⁴ but found the house shut. Found a message to Anderson, Heatherlie Park⁵ when I got home + then at 4.20 had to go to Sprot Homes.⁶ to see Miss Fraser.⁷ Went there + made a visit of 20 m. in 1h. 25m. i.e. I did the 12 miles in 1h. 10m. Letter from Helen.⁸

¹ David Charteris ‘Dav.’ Graham (1889-1963), M.B., Ch.B., medical practitioner and Dr Muir’s business partner.

² Gibson & Lumgair, St Mary’s Mill, Level Crossing Road, Selkirk.

³ Assume David Mitchell (1897-), recorded at Kirkhope in the 1921 Census, aged 23, a joiner, born Kirkhope, He was the son of Thomas Mitchell, joiner, and Jane Ross Mitchell née Little, married 1894 at Pettinain, South Lanarkshire. In the 1921 Census, David was recorded living with his aunt Sarah Mitchell (about 1843-1926) at Ettrickbridge.

⁴ Agnes Jane Macgown née Brown (1870-), widow of John Craig Macgown, surgeon, recorded in the 1921 Census as aged 51, born Galashiels, living at Grange Road, Newington, Edinburgh, with her son John Cecil Macgown (1896-), a medical student, born Millport, Bute. Jane was described as Proprietor / Occupier of Fairholme, Ettrickbridgend, Kirkhope, from the 1923 Valuation Roll, which Dr J S Muir notes, 2 May 1923 diary, had been recently sold to her [1923 Macgown, Agnes Jane, Valuation Rolls VR011700009-/426, Selkirk County, page 426 of 605].

⁵ A family named Brown lived at 4 Heatherlie Park, Selkirk in the early 1920s but is not possible to identity Mrs Anderson with any confidence.

⁶ Six almshouses at Lilliesleaf provided by the Miss Frances Sprot Trust endowed in 1881 by Miss Frances Sprot and formally known as the Miss Frances Sprot Homes.

⁷ Miss Fraser is so far unidentified.

⁸ Helen Frances ‘Mousey’ Muir (1880-1963), Dr Muir’s third daughter and sometime housekeeper, who had been away from Selkirk for a long time since she and Dr Muir travelled south in July 1923.

[Source: Scottish Borders Archives & Local History Service SBA/657/26, Dr J S Muir of Selkirk, medical practitioner, journal for 1923]