WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Prior to the introduction of the Crier the main coverage of local events was the Church newsletter which also was distributed on a quarterly basis to all households. The following is an excerpt of an article I submitted in the spring issue of 2005 based on the names which appeared in the Church Roll.

“As befitting a rural community we have Farmers, a Shepherd and also a Herd. There is a Hay for feeding, Millers to process the crops, Smiths to shoe the horses and Cartwrights to provide the transport to bring in the produce. If you fancy country pursuits we have a Hunter and a Stalker and we can also provide a Gunn. If you don’t like the unpleasant tasks after a shoot we have a Skinner. Wild life is represented by a Swan and a Martin. To add some colour we have a choice of Black, White or Brown. Transport is taken care of with a Carr and dare I say it a Lawrie. As for the model you can choose from Morris, Cooper or Morgan. There are Messengers to spread the good news and if you want to say it with flowers we can provide a Bunch. Burns and Wallace remind us of our proud Scottish heritage and although we don’t have a Queen we do have a King. On the whole we are a pretty Smart lot.”

Things have changed quite a bit since then and some of the names mentioned are no longer on the Roll. Hopefully this will stir up a few memories for some of the older members of the community.