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THE Biggar district, in
former times, had a number of markets and fairs. Some of these, for many
years, have been abandoned. The Scottish Parliament, on the 15th of June
1698, passed an Act in favour of Andrew Brown of Dolphinton, for two free
faires to be holden at the town of Dolphinton,’ the one upon the last
Wednesday of May yearly, to be called New Whitsunday Fair, and the other
upon the 8th of October, to be afterwards named; and also a weekly market
upon Tuesday, with the usual privileges, immunities, customs, casualties,
and duties. The Dolphinton annual fairs and weekly market, if they were ever
established, have long been discontinued.
The Edinburgh True Almanack
for the year of our Lord 1692, states that there are two notable fairs at
Lamington, within the shire of Lanark, where are to be had good schap horse,
neat, sheep, and corns, meal, etc. The first on the 15th of June, with a
horserace for a saddle at 40s. value, set out by the laird of Lamington; the
second, on the 22d of October yearly, with a weekly market every Thursday.’
The fairs and the market of Lamington have also, for a long period, been
abandoned.
Broughton, five miles from
Biggar, has from time immemorial had an annual fair. It is, or was, a hiring
fair, and was famed for the numerous assemblages of the rural population,
male and female, that frequented it from the mountainous region around, and
the desperate combats in which the Tweeddale ploughmen and shepherds engaged
when under the maddening influence of love and drink. This fair, of late
years, has much declined,—in fact, it is now almost extinct. Skirling, two
miles distant, has three annual fairs;—the first in May, the second in June,
and the third in September.
The June fair of Skirling was
long one of the largest markets in Scotland for horses and cattle. It has
now much fallen off. A large painting, showing its appearance in the days of
its prosperity, by the celebrated artist, James How, a native of Skirling,
is now in the possession of Adam Sim, Esq. of Coulter, along with another
picture of a similar size, by the same artist, representing a show of
stallions on Skirling Green. These pictures, while they give abundant proof
of Mr How’s great skill as an animal painter, at the same time show that he
had a strong appreciation of the ludicrous and grotesque. They exhibit
scenes of great fun and comicality,—scenes which he himself, no doubt,
witnessed and enjoyed in his early days, while living under his father’s
roof. The Biggar district has produced no painter of greater genius than
How. No artist of his day could give a more lifelike representation of the
horse, the cow, the sheep, the dog, and other portions of the animal
creation. His professional merits raised him to distinction; and they might
have made him wealthy, respected, and happy, had they not been
counterbalanced by great defects. His Panorama of Waterloo alone, by
prudence and proper management, might have placed him in a state of
affluence; but he allowed that and other golden opportunities to pass by
without yielding him any solid advantage. What money he gained by
indefatigable industry and the exercise of his rare talents in one day, he
squandered away the next in reckless profusion and the debasement of his
noble faculties; and in the end he died in poverty and neglect,— affording
another example of the calamitous fate that too frequently befalls the sons
of genius.
When Skirling was erected
into a free burgh of barony, in 1592, by James VI., in consideratione of ye
gude and thankftill service to hir Majesty, and umquhile our dearest mother,
by the late Sir James Cockbume of SkraliAg,’ it Wafc provided that it should
have a weekly market on Friday, and an annual fair on the 4th of September.
The reason assigned for this was the distance of Skirling from the principal
burgh of the shire, ‘quhairby they (the inhabitants) cannot goodly repair at
the fairs and mercat days of the said burgh for doing of their lawfal
affairs, and traffic of goods, corns, and other merchandise.’ It would
appear from this, that) at the time, it was thought desirable that the
traffic of a county should as much as possible be confined within itself,—an
opinion very different from that which now prevails. To what extent the
weekly market of Skirling was patronized by the farmers and traffickers of
the district, we cannot now say; but it appears, for a long time* to have
fallen into disuse.
The fairs or large markets at
Biggar are numerous, and some of them have been long established. The first
of the year is held on the last Thursday of January, old style, and is
usually called Candlemas Fair. The business principally transacted at it is
the sale of horses and cattle, and the hiring of servants* The second takes
place on the first Thursday of March, and used to be called Seed Thursday,
because it6 principal transactions consisted in the disposal of com,
potatoes, etc., for seed. The third (air is held on the last Thursday of
ApriL It was only instituted a few years ago, but has been attended with
success. At this market servants are hired, stallions are shown, and horses,
cattle, pigs, etc., are disposed of. The next fair takes place on the third
Thursday of July, O. S. This fair, in the charter re-erecting Biggar into a
burgh of barony, granted by James VI., in 1588, in favour of John, Lord
Fleming, is called St Peter’s, and is appointed to take place on the
festival of that saint, on the 29th of June,—fairs in ancient times being
very commonly held on the festival of some saint. It was wont to be called
Midsummer Fair, and was a great market for the sale of lambs, but it began
at length to decline; and, about forty years ago, it was agreed to hold it
two weeks later in the year, in the expectation that this would operate as
an inducement to the farmers in the adjacent pastoral districts to patronize
it again with their flocks. When a place of business begins to fall off, it
is no easy matter to restore it to its former state of prosperity. This was
fully exemplified in the case of this fair. It is now wholly deserted as a
sheep and lamb market; but some business is still done in wool, and reapers
for the harvest are engaged It was, down to a recent period, a practice for
a foot-race to be run on the evening preceding the fair, immediately after
it had been proclaimed by the Baron Bailie at the Cross by tuck of drum. The
reward given to the successful competitor was a pair of white gloves. As the
expense of the gloves was paid by the lord superior, it is likely that the
race was instituted by some of the Flemings to encourage the practice of
athletic sports.
The cattle show of Biggar,
held on the last Thursday of August, is ' another great agricultural
display. In the year 1808, a Farmers1 Society was established at Biggar, the
principal objects of which were the discussion of agricultural subjects, the
establishment of an agricultural library, and the punishment of depredations
on the property of the members. The library was, however, never formed. In
1820, it was resolved to change the name of the Society to that of ‘ The
Biggar Fanners’ Club,’ and to extend its design, by having an annual show of
live stock and seeds. This show, with the exception of seeds, has
accordingly taken place every year since, and has been largely patronized.
The Club comprises the names of all the principal proprietors and farmers in
the district; and it cannot be questioned that it has, in a great degree,
contributed to evoke and keep alive a spirit of wholesome emulation in
rearing stock, in cultivating the soil, and improving the products of the
dairy. It has caused increased attention to be paid, among other matters, to
the breed of horses, for which this district has long been famed. The
powerful Clydesdale horse is now held in repute not only in Scotland, but in
various other parts of the world. Several fine young stallions reared in the
Biggar district, have of late years been exported to New Zealand and
Australia. The prices realized for these animals are very considerable. We
may specially refer to a very fine specimen, that was recently sold by Mr
William Muir of Hardington Mains to Mr D. Innes, Parriora, Canterbury, New
Zealand, for the large sum of L.325. The farmers in the Biggar district, as
might be expected, very often succeed, at the great shows held under the
auspices of the Highland Society, in carrying off some of the chief prizes
for the breed, not merely of horses, but of sheep and cows, as well as for
the produce of the dairy.
The last fair of the year is
held on the last Thursday of October. It is called the 1 Old Fair,' and is a
large market for the sale of horses, cattle, and the hiring of servants.
It is evident from the
entries in the old record of the Bailie's Court, that sad scenes
occasionally took place at the fairs of Biggar. On the 1st November 1723,
the Bailie fined James Young, servant to James Anderson, Bridgend of
Dolphinton, in the sum of five pounds Scots, and to remain in prison until
it was paid, for committing * a blood and battery on Steven Gilles in Biggar
Fair.’ On the 9th February 1721, the Bailie fined James Aitken and William
Fleming in the sum of L.10 Scots, for refusing to assist in quelling a
tumult in the market of Biggar on the last Thursday of January. On the 2d
July 1724, the Fiscal arraigned before the Baijie, James Millar, in Biggar,
and his spouse, John Rob, servant to Alexander Forsyth, and David Murdoch,
son to William Murdoch, officer of Excise, for a riot committed by them on
the 1st of July, being Biggar Fair, upon Robert Reid of Broughton Mains.
The Bailie continued this
case till next court-day, but the decision is not recorded. On the 2d July
1728, John Rob, son of Thomas Rob in Westraw, was fined in the sum of five
pounds Scots, and to remain in prison until it was paid, for fighting and
making a disturbance in the fair on the day previous. It was in consequence
of such disturbances as these that the Baron’s officer, and one or two
assistants, armed with halberts, perambulated the ground during the
continuance of the fair.
Their duty was to prevent all
tumults and riots, and to apprehend individuals disposed to be outrageous
and unruly, lodge them in the Tolbooth, and arraign them before the Baron
Bailie. The halberts used on these occasions are still preserved, and a
representation of the head of one of them is given in the annexed engraving.
We are far from thinking, however, that the fairs of Biggar are more
distinguished for disturbances and immoralities than the fairs in other
districts. The rustics of Biggar, like those everywhere else, have a high
flow of animal spirits, and when they get free from the thraldom in which
they are held all the year round, they are apt to be a little hilarious and
uproarious; but this is nothing more than might be expected from persons
rejoicing in the vigour of youth, and placed in similar circumstances. At
the same time, no right thinking man will condemn the efforts recently made
to withdraw them, on these occasions, from the consumption of intoxicating
drinks. The unseemly exhibitions of swearing, rioting, and fighting, that at
times take place, are, in almost every instance, the direct result of the
use of these beverages.
The hiring of servants in a
public market is also a degrading spectacle. It savours very much of the
marts of slavery. Men and women there expose, if not their persons, at least
their physical capabilities, to public sale, and are subjected to a scrutiny
in some respects similar to that which the slave-merchant gives to the human
chattels placed on the auction block. Moral character here goes but a short
way, while physical strength is reckoned of higher value, and is in far
greater request. It may appear difficult to find a substitute for these
huma^ exhibitions,—the rustics themselves may cling to them with the
greatest tenacity, like the slave hugging his chains; but the employers of
labour, by subjecting themselves to a little temporary inconvenience, and by
adopting a proper mode of registration in the towns and chief villages,
might, in a short time, change' the whole system of hiring, and obviate the
great evils and defects with which the present method is chargeable. At the
same time, let servants, like other classes, have their holidays. Incessant
bondage and toil are by no means conducive to the physical and moral
well-being of mankind. It is good to have seasons of cheerful reunion, when
change of scene and innocent recreation give a zest to human existence, and
scatter the clouds that are too apt to settle down on the brows of the sons
and daughters of toil. Biggar has recently commenced a great movement for
the amelioration of the condition of farm servants. The public meetings, and
the addresses of Dr Guthrie and others, at two Biggar Fairs, have drawn upon
it the eyes of all men. We hope it will not be found wanting, but will
persevere in its efforts till the objects which it contemplates have been
crowned with success.
At the fairs and markets of
Biggar, in the olden time, one of the most notable and gratifying spectacles
was the ample array of the products of female industry that was then
displayed. Every housewife in the rural districts was a spinner and a
manufacturer. Her primary object was to clothe and adorn her own household;
but not unfrequently, by diligence and economy, she was able to supply
domestic wants, and also to have a considerable surplus to dispose of to
others. Hence, the gudewife appeared at the marts of commerce with her lint
and her wool, her hanks of yarn and her webs of cloth; and, by the sales
then made, she increased the family finances, and received encouragement to
enter on new schemes of domestic industry.
Some remains of the ancient
implements of female industry and thrift, once so common in the Biggar
district, are still to be found. In preparing wool to make a very fine
worsted thread, a comb of the following construction was used. This
implement has < long been discontinued, and a specimen of it is very rarely
to be met with.
The implements of spinning,
till within the last hundred years, were the distaff, the spindle, and
whorle. These implements, which were remarkably simple, had been in use from
the earliest periods of which we have any record. They are mentioned by
Homer; and Solomon declares that a virtuous woman ‘seeketh wool and flax,
and worketh willingly with her hands; she layeth her hands to the spindle,
and her hands hold the distaff/ St Catherine, in more recent times, was the
patroness of the art of spinning; and its votaries, and the implements which
they used, had the 7th of January set a^art to their honour, and hence
called *St Distaff’s Day,1 or ‘Rock Day.’ An assemblage of young people for
industrial purposes was, on this account, called a ‘Rockin.’ The readers of
the poems of Robert Bums will recollect a reference to a meeting of this
kind in the opening stanza of his first epistle to Lapraik. We quote from
the original manuscript of this epistle, now in tbe possession ,of Adam Sim,
Esq.:—
‘On Fasten e’en we had a
rockin,
To caw the crack, and weave our stoken,
An’ there was meikle fun and jockin,
Ye need nae doubt;
At length we had a hearty yokin’
At sang about.’
In some districts of the
country, the instruments of spinstry were borne in procession before a newly
married bride. In an old work we find the following reference to this
custom:—‘In olde tyme there was usually carried before the mayde, when she
should be married, and come to dwell in hir husbandes house,—a distaffe,
charged with fiaxe and a spyndle hanging at it, to the intent that she might
be myndefull to lyve by hir labour.’
The whorles, which are
commonly made of black stone, are found in abundance in the Biggar district.
Like many of the early stone implements, they have had a certain
superstitious veneration attached to them, and were ranked among the charms
that had power over evil influences. Distaffs are now articles of great
rarity. They were not merely composed of perishable material, but, when they
were no longer applied to their original purpose, they were specially liable
to
injury and destruction, from
their shape, which readily suggested their conversion into another useful
domestic utensil, viz., a parritch-stick. Distaffs and whorles were wont, in
ancient times, to be highly ornamented, and many curious and valuable
specimens are carefully preserved.
In a respectable family in
tbe neighbourhood of Biggar, a finely carved distaff is still kept, and
regarded as a family relic. The distaff, spindle, and whorle here engraved,
were the property of one of the oldest families in the village of Coulter,
and the initials of one of the members of the family are cut on the top of
the distaff.
The yam, after being spun,
was formed into hanks by means of a hand-reel, which is represented below
with a portion of the yam upon it. When the winding of the thread was in
progress, something like the following words were used:—
‘Thou’s no ane, but thou’s ane
a' out;
Thou’8 no twae, but thou’s twae a’ out.’
The thread was not full till
it had passed in a certain manner round the reel, and so many rounds formed
the hesp or hank.
Thursday, ‘dies Jovis,’ is
the day expressly mentioned in the original charter constituting Biggar a
burgh of barony on which the weekly market of that town was to be held. We
are, therefore, surprised to find, that when the General Assembly of the
Scottish Kirk fixed on Saturday, the 26th of July 1645, to be observed as a
solemn national fast, for the purpose of craving a blessing on the
Parliament about to assemble at St Johnstone, and of giving thanks for the
victory gained by Fairfax in Northamptonshire, the Presbytery of Biggar, in
making arrangements for the fast, decided that, ‘ because Satterday is ye
ordinar day of Biggar mercatt, it was recommended to ye baillies of Biggar
to discharge ye mercatt for that day.’ Nay, in the charter of 1661,
reconstituting Biggar and Kirkintulloch burghs of barony, it is stated that
their market days were changed from Sunday to Saturday. However this may be,
it is a fact, that the weekly market of Biggar, as well as its annual fairs,
have, for a period beyond the memory of any man now living, been always held
on Thursday. On market days the farmers, and other portions of the rural
community, visit Biggar. Grain, meal, potatoes, and other agricultural
produce are disposed of, the news of the district are discussed, the
progress of rural labour on the different farms is reported, bank business
is transacted, farming implements and household commodities are purchased,
and the wants of the inner man are supplied by a due modicum of refreshments
in the 'Crown,’ the ‘Commercial,’ or the 'Elphinstone Arms.’
The amount of business done
at the fairs and markets of Biggar is considerable. It is, indeed, far
beyond what any person who takes a cursory look at the town would suppose.
No better proof of this can be given than the fact, that Biggar supports the
branches of three different banks, the ‘Commercial,’ the ‘Royal,’ and the
‘National,* besides a Savings’ Bank. Some forty years ago the directors of
an Edinburgh Bank applied to the late Mr Robert Johnston, Biggar, to obtain
an opinion from him, if Biggar could support a branch of their bank. Mr
Johnston supposed that he knew the trade of the district well; but, after
all, he was so little aware of its wealth, and the traffic it carried on,
that he gave his decision against the establishment of any such institution.
The Savings Bank was established in 1832, and was attended with so much
success, that the Directors of the Commercial Bank were satisfied that a
branch of their establishment might also be opened with advantage. They
immediately erected suitable premises, and the branch was opened in the end
of 1832, under the management of the late Mr James Purdie. The present
manager is Mr Thomas Paul, jun. A branch of the Western Bank of Scotland was
opened on the 25th April 1840, and was conducted by Mr John Wyld till
September 1848, by Messrs Wyld and Jackson till 1853, and by Mr David
Thomson till the suspension of the Bank on the 9th November 1857. A branch
of the Royal Bank was established in place of the Western, on the 28th
November of that year, and has, to the present time, been conducted by Mr
Thomson. A branch of the City of Glasgow Bank was opened in January 1857;
and on the partial suspension of that Bank in November of that same year,
the business was taken up by the National Bank of Scotland on the 1st of
December following. The branch of the National is under the management of Mr
Adam Pairman.
The Rev. John Christison, in
his Statistical Account of the parish, makes the following statement
regarding the retail trade of the town, f Some idea,’ says he, ‘may be
formed of the retail trade of Biggar by the following quantities of
excisable articles sold during the year ending 5th July 1835: 2608 gallons
British spirits, 80 gallons brandy, 136 gallons ginger wine and other
shrubs, 88 dozen of foreign wine, 2528 lbs. tea, 1876 lbs. tobacco and
snuff.’ The quantity of these articles sold in the shops of Biggar,
particularly tea, the annual sale of which exceeds 7000 lbs., is now, 1862,
very considerably increased. This has been caused by the prosperous state of
agriculture, and an increase in the number of wealthy families resident in
the neighbourhood.
The inhabitants of Biggar
devote themselves to all the industrial pursuits common in little towns. Its
weavers, masons, joiners, shoemakers, And tailors very much predominate, in
point of numbers, over the other tradesmen. About thirty years ago,
according to the Statistical Account of Scotland, there were no fewer than
210 weavers in the town and parish. The webs, which consisted of stripes,
checks, ginghams, druggets, etc., were supplied by manufacturing houses in
Glasgow, through the medium of agents. One of the weavers’ agents at Biggar
at that time, was Mr James Brown, who deserves to be specially noticed on
account of his amiable manners, his Christian deportment, and poetic
talents. He was bora at Iibberton, near Carnwath, on the 1st of July 1796.
His father, who was miller of Iibberton Mill, was considerably advanced in
years at the time of his birth, and died when he was only six years of age.
His mother was Grizzel Anderson, a person held in esteem for her kind and
amiable disposition. As soon as Mr Brown had acquired sufficient strength,
he was apprenticed to a weaver, and after serving the usual period, he
removed to Symington, and there wrought for a number of years as a
journeyman. He devoted his leisure hours to the cultivation of his mind, or
the enjoyment of solitary rambles on the adjacent uplands of the Castlehill
and Tinto. He established a club for mutual improvement, which met
periodically at his house. He wrote a number of poems and songs of
considerable merit, which enjoyed some portion of local celebrity; but he
obstinately refused to commit any of them to print In 1823, he obtained a
situation in the wareroom of a manufacturer in Glasgow; but this employment
not suiting his constitution, he was appointed agent of the firm in Biggar.
Here he lived several years; but his health, never robust, gradually gave
way. When he saw that the time of his departure was at hand, he desired to
be taken to Symington, the scene of his early manhood, and there he died on
the 12th September 1836. His manners were rather grave and austere, and his
disposition retiring and reserved; but he possessed a kind and benevolent
heart, and his belief in the truths of divine revelation was firm and
sincere. Several of his productions were published for the first time, two
or three years ago, in Rodger’s ‘Scottish Minstrelsy.’
The agents at Biggar also
supplied webs to weavers at Symington, Thankerton, Covington, Quothquan,
Newbigging, Elsrickle, etc.,—these places containing, perhaps, not less than
150 weavers. The number of webs received from Glasgow weekly, at least from
1824 to 1885, would average about eighty, and the amount of weekly payments
would be about L.200. The rate of remuneration was highest in 1812, and a
few years subsequently. The weaving of an ell of stripe, 1000 reed, was then
paid as high as 8£d.; but the rate at length began gradually to decline, so
that the same fabric in 1840 was paid as low as 1½d. per ell,—a rate at
which it was scarcely possible to earn the scantiest subsistence. The supply
of work, even at so low a rate, was very limited; and this induced some of
the agents, and especially Mr Allan Whitfield, to exert themselves to
introduce new fabrics. Their efforts met with partial success, and for some
years a considerable amount of heavy work, consisting of cotton warp and
woollen weft, was obtained The application of steam-power to weaving, and
the erection of large weaving establishments in the west of Scotland,
appear, however, to have had a permanently injurious effect on hand-loom
weaving in such places as Biggar and its adjacent villages. While we write,
1862, the weaving trade in Biggar is in a most depressed state. The number
of weavers in that town at present does not exceed 50, and these are by no
means fully employed,—the number of webs from Glasgow being reduced to an
average of ten weekly, and the aggregate amount of wages to L.15.
The other branches of
industry in Biggar continue in a prosperous state. It is no small proof of
the progressive character of the town, that it is now able to support a
printing press. From this press issue trade circulars, announcements of
sales, public meetings, etc., all conducive to the enterprise and prosperity
of the district. The spirited proprietor of this press, Mr David Lockhart,
in 1860, laid before the public the first volume ever printed in Biggar. It
is entitled, ‘ Tales and Legends of the Upper Ward of Lanarkshire.1 This
volume contains no inconsiderable portion of Upper Ward history,
interlarded, no doubt, with a large amount of fable. The style in which
these 4 Tales’ are couched, and the industry of the author in ferreting out
old traditions and incidents connected with the locality, are worthy of
commendation ; but, upon the whole, the stories rather disappoint the hopes
which they are calculated at first to raise. We hail them, nevertheless,
with great cordiality, as the first intellectual fruits of the Biggar Press,
to be followed, we trust, by many worthy and successful publications.
On the authority of an
intelligent statistician, we give a list of the different occupations at
Biggar, and the number of persons connected with each:—Weavers’ Agents, 4;
Architects, 3; Auctioneer, 1; Bakers, 13; Bankers, 5; Beadles, 3;
Besom-maker, 1; Bill-poster, 1; Bird-stuffer, 1; Boot and Shoemakers, 20;
Builders, 3; Cabinetmaker and Upholsterer, 1; Carriers, 4; Chimney-sweepers,
2; China, Glass, and Earthen Ware Dealers, 7; Clergymen, 4; Cloggers, 2;
Coach and Post Horse Hirers, 3; Coal Agents and Merchants, 2; Coffeehouse
Keepers, 2; Contractors, 4; Coopers, 2; Dress and Straw Hat Makers, etc.,
26; Druggists, 2; Fleshers, 4; Gardeners, 2; Gasfitters, 2; Glaziers, 3;
Grocers, Tea and Spirit Merchants, and Ironmongers, 24; Gravediggers, 2;
Horse Dealer, 1; Hawkers, 7; Inn and Hotel Keepers, 7; Jewellers, 2;
Joiners, 12; Land-surveyors, 2; Last and Boot-tree Maker, 1; Letter Carrier,
1; Librarians, 5; Machine Makers and Millwrights, 4; Manufacturers, 2;
Masons, 21; Midwife, 1; Millers, 2; Nailmakers, 9; Newspaper Agent,
Stationer, and Printer, 1; Notary Public, 1; Nursery and Seedsman, 1;
Painters, 2; Paper-hangers, 2; Pavement Merchants, 2; Perfumer, Barber, and
Hair-dresser, 1; Physicians and Surgeons, 5; Plasterers, 2; Plumbers, 2;
Porter and Ale Brewers, 3; Quarriers, 2; Saddlers and Harness-makers, 11;
Sawyer, 1; Skinners, 3; Slaters, 4; Smiths, 11; Stationers, 2; Tailors, 24;
Teachers, 3; Thatchers, 4; Turner, 1; Umbrella and Parasol Manufacturer, 1;
Valuator, 1; Veterinary Surgeon, 1; Victuallers, 2 ; Watch and Clock Makers,
6; Weaver Utensil-makers, 2; Woollen and Linen Drapers, 16.
Biggar was long a depot for
lead from the mines at Leadhills. These mines were wrought for some time by
James IV. and James V. The latter monarch, at length, granted permission to
a company of Germans to work the whole mines of Scotland for forty-three
years. In January 1562, John Achisone, Master of the Mint, and John Aslowne,
burgess in Edinburgh, obtained a license from Queen Mary ‘to wirk and wyn in
the Leid Mynis of Glengoner and Wenlek, sa mekill leid ure as they may
gudlie, and to transport and carie furt of this realme to Flanderis, or ony
utheris pairtis beyond sey, 20,000 stane wecht of the said ure comptand
sexskoir to ye hundreth trone wecht.’ These parties were to deliver to the
Queen’s Mint at Edinburgh, forty-five ounces of pure silver for every 1000
stones of lead ore which they carried away. The lead which these persons
dug, was conveyed on horses’ backs to Biggar, and thence to Leith, where it
was shipped for Flanders. There the silver incorporated with the lead was
extracted, by a process with which the Scots were at that time unacquainted.
About thirty years afterwards, Thomas Fowlis, goldsmith, Edinburgh, obtained
a lease of these lead mines, and assumed as partner a skilful and
enterprising English miner named Bewis Buhner. In the records of the Privy
Council, it is stated that the broken men of the Border were in the habit of
assailing the servants of this mining company while employed in transporting
the ore on the backs of horses, and depriving them of 4 their horses, armour,
clothing, and hail carriage.’
After the use of carts became
common, and the process of smelting the lead ore was carried on at Leadhills
and Wanlockhead, the practice was to cart the lead in bars from these
places, and deposit it at Biggar, where each mining company had an agent,
and then convey it in the same way from Biggar to Leith, principally by
carters from Edinburgh and Leith, who took what they called a 'rake of leed,’
when business was slack at home, or when they had occasion to be at Biggar
or its neighbourhood with other loading. About the beginning of the present
century, the number of bars that were annually deposited* at Biggar, on
their way to Leith, ranged from 10^000 to 18,000. Each bar weighed about 120
lbs. Taking the medium number of bars to be 14,000, and each cart to carry
15 bars, upwards of 000 cart-loads of lead would thus each year, on an
average, be conveyed to and from the <lep6t at Biggar.
The number of carts
constantly coming and going in connection with this traffic, caused no small
stir at Biggar, and brought a considerable amount of patronage to the houses
of the stablers. The construction of the Caledonian Railway deprived Biggar
of the advantages which it derived from this source, to removed the piles of
lead bars which for a long period formed a marked featiure in the High
Street of the little town.
Besides the transmission of
lead, a considerable number of carriers from the south of Scotland passed
every week through Biggar on their way to and from the metropolis. Biggar
was one of their stages; and on certain nights of the week, ranges of
well-laden carts, with a due portion of canine attendants, were to be seen
on the street. Biggar, standing on the great highway from the south to
Edinburgh, was visited by a constant succession of travellers on foot or
horseback, in gig or chariot. Being the capital of a considerable district,
extending from Tweedsmuir to Covington, and from Dolphinton to Crawford, its
markets and marts of commerce were frequented by a considerable population,
and thus its monotony was relieved, and its wealth increased. Biggar,
neither in remote ages, with the exciting presence of its feudal barons, nor
in more recent times, with its spirit, industry, and traffic, could
therefore, with’ any fairness, be called a dull and lifeless community, or
was so entirely 'cut off from the great world, and thrown upon its own
solitary reading and reflection,’ as some persons have ventured to suppose. |
