2 January 1904 diary of Dr John Stewart Muir (1845-1938) of Selkirk

Had a busier day. Frost harder + roads splendid for cycling. Pollok¹ asked me to go to Dryhopehaugh² to investigate into the case of old James Tait as he was found dead yesterday³ + I had also to go to Hartwoodmyres to see Robert Little⁴ who has a bad attack of pneumonia. There was also a message to Philiphaugh⁵ to see Miss Crofton.⁶ I arranged to cycle with Jack⁷ while Nancy, Jean, Dora⁸ + Bartleman⁹ drove in the wag [sic]. I left (after seeing Sandy Roberts¹⁰) who has a slight attack of perityphlitis at 9.40 + cycled to Hartwoodmyres without dismounting¹¹ a thing I “had never done before”.¹² Then to Philiphaugh + met Jack at General’s Bridge¹³ shortly after 11. It was splendid going + one did not get a bit hot. We all lunched at Gordon Arms.¹⁴ Jack + I cycled home again but I went along the Dunsdale road to Bridgelands to see Charlotte.¹⁵ I did 39 miles + was not a bit tired. The Patons¹⁶ + nurse [illegible]¹⁷ dined with us. I missed attending Mrs Jas. Cockburn, Curror Street.¹⁸ Wilson¹⁹ attended. I called on my way up from Bridgelands + assisted him to finish a very troublesome breech case.²⁰ It was snowing at night when our guests left.

¹ John Pollok (1858-1938), Town Clerk and Procurator Fiscal, John Pollok, Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory, 1903; Clerk to Property & Income Tax Commissioners; at Heatherlie Hill, 1921 VR.

² Dryhopehaugh farmhouse was on the north side of the Gordon Arms – Moffat road and the Haugh itself was between that road and St Mary’s Loch and the Yarrow Water, see Ordnance Survey six inch Selkirkshire Sheet XIII.NE and Ordnance Survey six inch Selkirkshire, Sheet XIV.NW, both published 1900.

³ James Tait, retired shepherd, aged 73, died 1 January 1904 at Dryhope Haugh, of heart disease, certified by John S Muir M.B. &c. James was the son of Walter Tait, shepherd, and Isabella Tait nee Andison.

⁴ The best fit is Robert Little (1889-), son of William Little and Margaret Little née Watson. In the 1901 Census the family was at Foulshiels but apparently at Hartwoodmyres by 1904 [Valuation Roll].

⁵ Philiphaugh, proprietor occupier William Strang Steel in 1904, is to the east of Bowhill across the Yarrow Water, see Ordnance Survey six inch Selkirkshire Sheet XI.NE, published 1900.

⁶ Miss Crofton is unidentified.

⁷ John ‘Jack’ Roberts junior (1876-1966), mill owner and husband of Agnes Amelia ‘Nancy’ Roberts née Muir (1878-1948), Dr Muir’s second daughter.

⁸ Agnes Amelia ‘Nancy’ Roberts née Muir (1878-1948), Jane Henderson Logan ‘Jean’ Muir (1877-1941) and Andrina Dorothy ‘Dora’ Muir (1882-1978), three of Dr Muir’s children.

⁹ Bartleman is unidentified.

¹⁰ Assume Alexander Fowler ‘Sandie’ Roberts (1844-1929), woollen manufacturer.

¹¹ The Editor could not read this a fist partly because it seems unlikely that Dr Muir would have found the cycled to Hartwoodmyres so difficult. His handwriting is presenting a challenge nevertheless. Having spent ten years 2014-2023 progressively transcribing Dr Muir’s diary as he moved into old age with (there’s no nice way of saying this) an old man’s handwriting, the shift to Dr Muir aet 59 has brought a new challenge, that of reading the aggressively cursive hand of a medic working at something like his peak. Please give us time, we will adapt, get our eye in.

¹² There are certainly quotation marks around this text. The Editor is not sure what Dr Muir is doing here unless this is an unidentified literary sort of quotation.

¹³ General’s Bridge crosses the Yarrow Water between Bowhill East Lodge and Philiphaugh West Lodge, see Ordnance Survey six inch Selkirkshire Sheet XI.NE, published 1900.

¹⁴ The Gordon Arms, Yarrow, grid reference NGR NT307,249, visible a little way south west of Mountbenger on Ordnance Survey six inch Selkirkshire Sheet X.SW, published 1900.

¹⁵ Assume Elizabeth Charlotte Rodger née Eck (about 1848-1928), born Chile (British Subject), daughter of Frederick A Eck and Janet Eck née Alexander, and wife of George Rodger (died 1910), shipping merchant, married April 1872 at Kensington, Middlesex [Kensington 1a 241], she lived at Bridgelands, Selkirk until her death, 15 December 1928 at Selkirk. She was the mother of George Frederick Eck Rodger (1873-1956), Janet Margaret Rodger (1874-1958), Agnes Christine Rodger (1875-1959), Peter Edward Alexander Rodger (1876-1913), William Samuel Rodger (1877-), Walter Vincent Rodger (1879-1975) and Elizabeth Charlotte ‘Carlota’ Rodger (1884-1858).

¹⁶ Isabella Clementina ‘Isa’ Paton (about 1838-1929) and Marion Agnes Paton (about 1841-1940), sisters living on their own means at Selkirk [1901 Census].

¹⁷ This nurse is so far unidentified.

¹⁸ Mrs James Cockburn was Maggie McLaren Cockburn née Galloway of 22 Curror Street, Selkirk. The couple had four children, James, Alexander, Archie and Maggie.

¹⁹ John Wilson (about 1873-1916), M.B., medical practitioner, of Kirkbrae, Selkirk, partner in practice of James Menzies of Ettrick Lodge, Selkirk.

²⁰ This is a confused narrative. The baby was not called Cockburn (as might have been inferred) because there was only one baby born in Selkirk that day. She was Mary Ellen Reid, born 11.30 a.m. at Cannon Street, Selkirk in Selkirk on 2 January 1994. Mary was the daughter of Walter Reid, woollen factory worker, and Rachel Reid née Bogle, married 21 September 1894 at Selkirk.

[Source: Scottish Borders Archives & Local History Service SBA/657/7, Dr J S Muir of Selkirk, medical practitioner, journal for 1904]