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Free Gardener
1659 Photographic portrait of a man wearing the sash and medallion of the Order of Free Gardeners.
The Free Gardeners were a friendly society founded in Scotland in the mid-17th century.
Newspaper reports indicate that the Order was considerably active in Aberdeenshire until at least the mid-20th century.
An article in the Press and Journal of 2nd May 1949, page 6, records the address to the North of Scotland district delegation in Aberdeen of the retiring Worthy District Master Charles I. Crighton.
Crighton reports a drop in local membership of the Order, both among the adult and juvenile branches, largely crediting this to the introduction of the National Health Service. The district adult membership stood at 5124, a drop of 110, and a juvenile membership had decreased by 206.
This photograph of an unknown Free Gardener likely dates from the early 20th century. Newhills Convalescent Home and Sanitorium
3810 A group portrait of patients and staff at the Newhills Convalescent Home and Sanatorium in the 1930s.
The Newhills Convalescent Home was founded by Christian Catherine Smith in 1874. She was the wife of Rev. James Smith, the minister of Newhills Parish Church. The couple lived in the nearby church manse. Christian grew up in North Ayrshire and demonstrated concern for the welfare of others from a young age.
Christian married James Smith on 14th April 1869 and it was shortly after arriving in the parish that she recognised the potential of the place as somewhere ill people could come to rest and regain their health. The convalescent home was subsequently started at Dykeside Cottage. It was a great success and operated at this location for 7 years.
Annual newspaper reports on the home described its purpose as being for "the benefit of respectable persons in humble life who appear to be failing into dishealth, or are convalescing after non-infectious ailments."
In 1908 Christian Smith stepped down as head of the home due to ill health and was replaced by a publicly elected executive board. This was led for many years by Dr. Walter A. Reid and during his tenure the institute was modernised and extended.
In 1948 the home was incorporated into the National Health Service. Due to issues of staffing and its unsuitability during winter, the decision was taken to close the home. Patients were transferred to other local hospitals and in the same year the home was sold to Aberdeen Town Council.
The buildings were subsequently operated as a home for the elderly and homeless until March 1980 when it was sold into private hands.
After leaving the manse in 1917, Christian Catherine Smith, the founder of the home, lived at 2 West Craibstone Street. She died there on 6th December 1924 aged 81. She was buried at Newhills Church and the then minister Rev. Andrew Currie led a memorial service. He described the Newhills Convalescent Home as "an institution not only for the healing of bodies, but a place for the comfort of hearts and the cure of souls." Christian Smith's name can still be seen today in one of the church's stained-glass windows. Treasure 52: Press and Journal and Evening Express Strike Editions
227 The General Strike of 3 to 13 May 1926 was a significant event in Britain's social history and affected the whole country. Strike editions of newspapers from the period provide an insight into the way of life in a time of national unrest. In our collections, we hold the strike editions of local newspapers The Aberdeen Press and Journal and The Evening Express which report on the General Strike and how it affected people in the north east of Scotland. The Press and Journal Strike editions were published between 5 and 10 May and The Evening Express Strike editions were published between the 4 and 7 May.
Beginning with the coal industry, the General Strike quickly spread to other industries including transport (railways, sea transport, harbours, canals, docks, roads) and production industries (iron and steel, chemicals) and the building trade. The printing trade, including the press, was also affected by the strike. On 4 May, The Press and Journal and The Evening Express published a short article stating that they "may be unable to produce the usual issues of [the] newspapers" during the strike. Many newspapers failed indeed to appear as only 'skeleton staff' were available.
During the strikes period, most of the local papers were published in a much smaller format but were still hugely popular as the main source of news. Aberdeen newspapers Ltd., the company publisher for both The Press and Journal and The Evening Express, distributed a substantial number of issues. The few employees not on strike took charge of the publication, typing out the news and dispatching issues across the city. The news was passed out through a single sheet of paper and was sold for between a halfpenny and 1p. The papers were very popular and shared updates on the strike and the number of people volunteering in Aberdeen. In addition to strike news, the editions also reported on other local news and current topics including fish markets and cricket scores.
Some of the copies in our collection feature the names and addresses of relatives living outside the city, suggesting that people with access to the newspapers distributed them to relatives and friends in a wider geographical area.
Do you know that you can access millions of digitised articles from British newspapers for free in any of our libraries? The British Newspaper Archive is a gateway to the past, offering access to thousands of historical newspaper articles about issues such as The General Strike. Access the resource from any PC in the library via the Aberdeen City Libraries website. Grand reform meeting held at Aberdeen, 18th May 1832
530 A colourised lithographed sketch of the Grand Reform Meeting that took place on Broad Hill, Aberdeen on Friday 18th May 1832.
Popular and parliamentary support for electoral reform had been growing across the United Kingdom in this period. At the time, only a small number of wealthy landowners had the right to vote, the franchise was geographically inconsistent, and the representation by members of parliament was out-dated.
This Aberdeen meeting, like many that took place around the country at the time, was organised following the House of Lords blocking the Third Reform Bill of Prime Minister Charles Grey (1764-1845), 2nd Earl Grey, and the subsequent resignation of Grey and his Whig ministers.
Newspaper accounts of the meeting indicate that attendees had just learnt that the Duke of Wellington (1769-1852), a Tory opponent to reform, had been unable to form a government following the resignation of the Whigs and an invitation from King William IV, and that the monarch had recalled Earl Grey.
Organised by prominent local supporters of electoral reform, the Reform Committee, the meeting agreed seven resolutions for presentation to parliament including the following: consternation at the bill not being passed, support of Earl Grey and colleagues, agreement to withholding national supplies (funding) from the government until the bill is passed, and that Joseph Hume (1777-1855), then MP for Middlesex, present the petition instead of the member for the Aberdeen boroughs, Horatio Ross (1801-1886), who was accused of backsliding on reform.
The report in the following day's Aberdeen Chronicle newspaper suggest the meeting was attended by 30,000 to 40,000 people. The Tory-leaning Aberdeen Journal, in its issue of Wednesday 23rd May 1832, page 2, gives an estimate of 15,000 to 20,000.
Contingents of various trades began to muster at Union Street West at about 1.30pm. A large procession proceeded east along the street and were joined by the Reform Committee from the Royal Hotel, 63 Union Street, located just after the junction with Market Street.
The full procession, with the Committee at its head and joined by deputations from the country, travelled to the Links via Castle Street, King Street, Frederick Street and Constitution Street. Several bands accompanied the procession and there were a large number of banners with reform slogans.
On the motion of Reverend William Jack (1768-1854), principal of King's College, Sir Michael Bruce of Stenhouse and Scotstown (1798-1862) was called to chair the meeting. John Angus (1799-1878), an advocate and later Town Clerk of Aberdeen, was the secretary.
Speakers included General Andrew Leith Hay of Rannes (1785-1862), Alexander Bannerman (1788-1864), Sir John Forbes of Craigievar (1785-1846), Alexander Blackie, banker, Thomas Burnett, younger of Leys (1778-1849), John M. Gerrard of Midstrath, Alexander Kilgore, surgeon, James Forbes of Echt, Alexander Stronach of Drumallan, James Nicol, advocate, William Allardyce, wine merchant, Harry Leith Lumsden of Auchindour, William Moir of Park and Alexander Forbes of Ainslie.
Both the account in the Aberdeen Chronicle and the speeches on the day remark on the disruptive potential of the crowd, under circumstances of reform not being progressed. Though the speakers urged those in attendance to continue in a peaceful manner.
Some speakers compared the fight for electoral reform to that for religious freedom in Scotland. There is explicit and repeated support given for William VI, but the Duke of Wellington is considered an inappropriate progressor of reform. The return of Earl Grey is promoted.
Faced with the prospect of William VI ennobling new Whig members of the House of Lords, Tory opponents of the Third Reform Bill abstained from votes and it passed through the upper house. The Representation of the People Act 1832 was given royal assent on 7th June 1832, and its Scottish equivalent around the same time, and came into law.
The Act was a substantial reform of Britain's antiquated electoral system, redistributing seats and changing the conditions of the franchise, but still left most people without the vote. Subsequent popular and parliamentary politics would led to further legislation and the fuller suffrage of modern times.
Document dimensions: 26 x 40 cm. |