Memories of Mrs Peggie McCrone PDF Print E-mail
Written by Hilda McAdam   
Saturday, 09 January 2010 17:58
Memories of Mrs Peggie McCrone
(sister of Mrs Coltart, Kirkland Street)

In my schooldays there was a ‘spicket’ at the Kirkland street end of Throughgate.  This was kept running during the frosty weather and created a wonderful sheet of ice, which was greatly enjoyed by the weans for sliding.  One day an old lady who lived opposite said a wee handful of salt would make a great improvement!  Alas that was the end of the slide.

I remember one morning there was a good coating of ice on the Main Street.  I was making my way to school when the late Tam Edgar was coming back down with the horse and cart, from delivering the milk, when Maggie, as she was called slipped in spite of having her hooves ‘sherpit’, (these were sprig things with a sharp point to dig into the ice).  Maggie and the milk churns were sprawling on the brae by McNaught’s shop when a man ran from the shop and sat on her head, while Tam Edgar ‘lowsed’ the harness.  I did not wait to see any more, my legs were shaking as I went to school.

I also remember there being a cobbler’s shop next door to Little’s Smiddy.  It was there that Biddy Dalziel ran her business after he had done his daily delivery of the Royal Mail.  He went on foot, covering Garroch Glen right up to Clenrie and then back over Waterside Hill.  He made clogs and you could go and get them shod while you waited after school.

On the way to school we had to pass Wull McMillan’s joiner’s shop in Throughgate.  On dry days he would work outside.  If a coffin was in the making, the boys would call out as they passed, “What’s that fur Tam?”

I also remember very well the model lodging house in Kirkland Street, where unfortunates could get bed and lodgings for the night.  Mrs Devlin was the landlady.  One of the residents who lived there for many years was ‘Old Lanky’.  His proper name was George Barlow, but he was always known as ‘Old Lanky’, because of his place of birth, which was Lancashire.  As long as he was able he did odd jobs, going regularly to Old Garroch to do the garden.  He also gathered rabbit skins.

In the 1920’s there was a bus that ran from Dalry to New Galloway station.  It took anyone to the train and also carried rabbits.  One day there was a couple, who had been staying at the Lochinvar Hotel, in transit along with the rabbits.  Unfortunately the bus broke down by Loch Ken.  The gentleman was quite put out about it and enquired of the bus driver as to how, he and his wife were going to get to the station to catch the train.  “You can walk and that’s more than thae hampers o’ deid rabbits can dae”

Two country weans, my son and daughter, who had seldom been in Dalry, were investigation the village one school dinner time.  On arriving home that night, my son said that he had seen Cinderella’s glass cairt that day, but that he thought that it was being used for a flitting as some men had carried out a bit of furniture, like the colour of the sideboard, and took it away.  My son’s first sight of a funeral.

Years ago, the young boys of the village, just as the boys of today do, used to go pinching apples.  One story is of Jim Lockerbie and Gordon Candlish, who one day decided they would go to Creaganfois.  Off they set up Main Street.  When they passed Ruthadam, ‘Courty’ McAdam  saw them and decided to follow them.  They had just got their first apples when Courty let out a yell, telling them to stop.  The boys took to their heels, thinking Courty would leave it at that, but he had a different idea.  He took after them and chased them right up past Creafanfois, onto Tower Hill, round by the loch, then across the road and onto the Mulloch.  He chased them until he caught them right down at the bottom of the field near the Kirkland, where he gave each of them ‘a thick ear’.

Another ‘apple’ day that went wrong was when Billy Tait and Gordon Candlish decided to go into Maggie Turner’s garden for apples.  Things were going fine, Gordon had climbed the tree and was throwing apples down to Billy, when along came Maggie, armed with her floor brush.  She then chased Billy till she got him out of the garden, but she had failed to see Gordon who was stuck up the tree for hours until Maggie decided to go back to the house.