In Our Monthly Record of August 1967 I discovered the following little gem!
THE COW IS A COW – OR IS IT?
It is from an essay by a child of ten and is quoted in Sir Ernest’s Gowers’ “The Complete Plain Words”
“The cow is a mammal. It has six sides – right, left, an upper and below. At the back it has a tail on which hangs a brush. With this it sends the flies away so that they do not fall into the milk. The head is for the purpose of growing horns and so that the mouth can be somewhere. The horns are to butt and the mouth is to moo with. Under the cow hangs the milk. It is arranged for milking. When people milk, the milk comes and there is never an end to the supply . . . The cow has a fine sense of smell; one can smell it far away. This is the reason for the fresh air in the country.”
Can any Farmer confirm the above?
On researching Sir Ernest Gowers he lived from 1880 until 1966 and during his working life was a civil servant.
He wrote Plain Words, a guide to the use of English in 1948 which was designed to encourage officials in the civil service away from pretentious and flamboyant writing. He also wrote The ABC of Plain Words in 1951 and in 1954 a compilation of the two was published. This was, The Complete Plain Words.
After reading the story in our previous Kirk Record about James Patrick, the poet who lived in Houston, I was given a book by Mr Bill Robb of Houston. He had discovered the book in his mother’s house. Mrs Robb had lived in Whirlie Road, Crosslee and had been a member of our Kirk.
The book is inscribed to “William.Stewart his, book. houstoun. 1838”
The book relates the story of a poet, born in Houston called Allan Stewart. Allan was born on 30th January 1812. What is interesting is it also mentions a Mr Patrick who had been a senior pupil at the same school when Allan Stewart commenced his education. It was not until James Patrick died and his poems where published posthumously that Allan Stewart read the poems and realised that they had been old “school-fellows”.
The book concludes with poems and songs written by Allan Stewart an extract of one song is given below;
“THY BANKS BONNIE GRYFE
Air – O’er the hills an’ far awa.
Thy banks, bonny Gryfe, when gloamin’ fa’s,
I love to muse an’ roam amang;
Craigen’s woods an’ echoing ha’s -
Gi’e back to me their langsyne sang.
Thy banks, bonny Gryfe, recal the days,
The days that early passion blest;
I see the bush an’ the bracken braes,
Where first my Jeanie’s lips I prest.”
Are we uncovering a seam of Houston poets? Does anyone else know of any other Houston Poets?
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I have been looking through our archive of Kirk Records. The oldest one I can find is dated January 1967, then it was called ‘Our Monthly Record’.
One article that caught my eye is as follows:
One of the things the New Year will bring is the decision of the Secretary of State concerning the County Council`s scheme for development at Houston. I understand that we are not likely to hear about this until the spring, and I have also been told, by someone who should be well informed, that even if the Council`s plan is approved, it will be years before it is put into operation.
Today's population of Houston which includes Crosslee is 6,601 can anyone supply the population of Houston for January 1967?
Does anybody have, or know of the whereabouts of, any issue of Our Monthly Record older than January 1967?
We have had a number of responses to the question about the oldest Kirk Record we can source. We have now received a Kirk Record for October 1950 which is number 78. This is a big leap back from 1965! Does anyone know where the previous 77 copies can be found?
There have been unconfirmed reports that the population of Houston and Crosslee prior to expansion of the village was 700. Any advance on this total?
As I was browsing through the November 1967 edition of “Our Monthly Record” I came upon an article about James Patrick of Houston. James Patrick came to Houston with his parents as a child and was a chief founder of a Houston and Killellan Library in 1824. This is an interesting coincidence as we are now in the process of opening our own Houston and Killellan Kirk Library.
Patrick was also a budding poet and a book of his verse was published posthumously.
The article concludes with a Mr James McNeill of Holmpark, Crosslee, showing to the author of the 1967 article, a book of verse by James Patrick which had been printed in 1836.
One of the verses seems to be set around this time of year and to lighten these winter days the following is the verse.
“But simmer soon will smile again
An’ cleed our hills and valleys braw,
And soon the blackbird’s e’ening note
Be heard down Craigend’s wa’.
O Craigend’s woods are bonnie woods
And Gryfe’s a sweetly winding stream;
There aft at gloamin’ ha’e I rov’d
Wi’ Jean in love’s enraptur’d dream”
I spoke to Mr Alan McNeill who lives in Brierie Hills Estate and who is the son of Mr James McNeill but he has no recollection of the book of verse.
Does anyone know where the book of verse is now?
Has anyone any knowledge of James Patrick and the library he helped to establish in 1824?
