My Mother's side of the family are Scottish ~ my Father's side Irish ~ So no Sassenach blood in me!!
My GrandMother brought me up along with my eldest brother Harry from when I was three days old. She was Marion Armour Bushell McEwan.
My GrandMother was born in Cambletown in Argyle on May 8th 1903 ~ she was one of fourteen children. Her Mother was a MidWife. The family moved to Clackmannan when my Nan was quite young.
My Nan was a descendant of John Graham of Claverhouse on her Mother's side. He was the 1st Viscount of Dundee and known as 'Bonnie Dundee' from the Scottish Ballad. He led The Battle of Killiecrankie against the English in 1689 and had he not been killed in the final hours of the battle the whole of Scottish History would be different. The Graham's of Claverhouse ancestry traces back to the Daughter of Robert The Bruce who married a Graham.
I'm descended from a long line of Jacobites and very proud of it! I'm a firm believer that one should rule in one's own Country and not venture over others borders as the English have done to Scotland ~ Ireland and Wales.
John Graham is buried in a ruined Chapel in the ground of Blair Atholl Castle.
Anyway, no politics on this topic! hehe!
My Nan's Father was an elder in the Kirk and a very strict man. When my Nan was young she used to read Tea Leaves for people and when her Father found out about the things happening he forbade her to ever do it again!
I only found that out after my Nan's death from my Mother and then I remembered the many many times I had seen her sitting there looking into her cup but I had never thought anything of it. I never dreamed she was reading her tea leaves.
My Nan's GrandFather was an Architect ~ he was working on one of the big Scottish Bridges when he fell and was killed. Her GrandMother was pregnant with my Nan's Mother at the time. After the baby was born she emigrated to Pretoria in South Africa. She went as a wet nurse leaving my Great~GrandMother in Cambelltown with relatives. On the Voyage she met a Sea Captain ~ Captain Jamieson Boyd who she married. They settled in Pretoria. Years later some missionaries arrived from Cambletown and she had news of her daughter. She considered her daughter had married beneath her and asked her to leave her husband and come to South Africa in which case she would inherit all her money. My Great~GrandMother married for love and refused saying her Mother had deserted her and couldn't expect her to give up everything for her now.
When her Mother died she left all her money to Charities in South Africa. Bloody Bitch!!
My GrandFather was from Kilmarnock. He was John Gibson. He was one of nine children. I don't know a lot about him except every Saturday night he had to clean all the shoes for Church on the Sunday. He was a Butcher by trade and chopped off his little finger by accident! He came from a long line of Free Masons - Scottish Mason's descended from The Knights Templar's. His Lodge was The Lodge of Clackmannan.
His Father was a Journeyman or in english Butcher! Every morning he used to buy a newspaper and sit in the public loos and read it before opening his shop! One morning he was found dead sitting there reading his paper!
Papa, as I used to call him was my Nan's second husband ~ not my Mother's Father. My Mother's Father was a violent man and used to beat my Nan up ~ he died of TB in Glasgow Infirmary.
My GrandParents came down to London in 1938. My Papa was and Airraid Warden in the War and I remember many sad stories he used to tell. After that he was a Dustman for Campden Borough Council and I have the certificate of Long Service he received when he retired. I also have all his Masonic Certificates. I think I will photograph them and post then as they are very interesting to look at.
My Papa used to bring home amazing things that people had thrown out ~ you know one man's rubbish is another man's treasure. And at Christmas, well he had loads of tips and used to share them with my Nan and me.
My Papa liked his drink though and I can remember one time my Mother coming home one night and saying there was a body in the passage ~ it was still Gas Lighting then! My Nan just said 'don't worry, its your Father!'. Other times he would be late home from the pub and his dinner would be thrown in the coal fire with a lot of swearing from my Nan behind it! The amount of Royal Doulton that got smashed.
The house we lived in didn't have a ground floor as in Victorian Days it was a Hansom Cab Stable. When I was small it was an Iron Foundry. The house was bought in the sixties by The Beatles and the foundry became a small recording studio. They were our Landlords for a number of years and Ringo was my Nan's favorite. She crotchet him a Coat of many Colors and also did the same for Dak one of The Bachelor Boys that lived in our street.
During the War Years my Nan had a stall in Petticoat Lane and did a lot of dealings on the Black Market with servicemen. She could get you anything!!
I wasn't born till 1948 but I'm told nothing was rashoned in our house.
My eldest Brother Harry and myself were both brought up by my Nan. Harry diedfour years ago. He developed pre-senile dementia at the age of 50 and died aged 62 from pnemonia. My Brother was a Chauffeur for most of his adult life. He drove for Camelot Cars in London and drove many very famous people. He was a regular driver for King Faruks sons. In later life he was the PA and Chauffeur for the American Mrs Duncan Getty in this Country - sister-in-law to Paul Getty. My Brother bought a guest house in Scotland and commuted to London and back when Mrs Getty was in the UK.
I went to boarding school most of my life. One being a very nice Convent in Yorkshire which left a lasting impression on me. I was brought up High Church of England but in the late 60's I converted to the Catholic Church and entered a convent where I stayed for eighteen months.
When I left the convent and before moving to Farnham I worked for various people Les Leston the racing driver, Lord Readsdale, and the present Lord Napier.
When I moved to Farnham in 1970 I first worked for Maurice Elphic as a bought ledger clerk - they were great times. Many a canival I watched from the top floor of Elphics and the first Concords fly over.
When I left Elphics I went to Pierepont School as Tom Parry the Bursars Secretary. Tom Parry's Father had bought Pierrepoint and set it up as a Trust.
Tom Parry and Maurice Elphic were best friends and I had excellent references. One day Alan Elphic turned up to see Tom about the School Uniform which Elphics sold for the School. Alan Elphic had just returned to the UK from living in America where he was a journalist. He went into the family business with his American wife Mary.
When I was at Pierepont I started the first Farnham Ladies Football team and thats were I met my husband who became our couch.
I was also Wardrobe Mistress at Pierrepoint and we put on some wonderful Gilbert and Sullivan Operas. There were some really talented singers amongst the staff.
Those were fun days at Pierrepoint ~ at one time I was dating the Maths teacher. He lived in at the School. He went home late one night, took his car down to the garages, jumped over the wall as a short cut and fell straight into the School swimming pool! The boys hated the Domestic Bursar but she was really such a sweet person. She drove a Bubble Car. Late one night the boys carried her car in through the front doors and put it at the bottom of the main staircase! It was a hoot! Poor Mrs Gingel came down the stairs and nearly had a heart attack! The staff room was in hysterics for days! It was so funny. The Headmaster was Tony Hill ~ He opened Farnham Sports Centre when it was built.
I knew some great students there ~ there wasn't a very large age gap between us and we became quite friendly. Pamela Lewis~Jones of the Swain and Jones family, The Wylie Boys of Frensham whose Father climbed Everest with Sir Edmund Hilary, and Simon Monkhouse son of Bob Monkhouse. Poor Simon lived in his Fathers shadow. He has since died of a Drugs overdose. He was a lovely boy but I once went into his room in the 6th Form House and he had an enormous flag on the wall with a swastica on it!
One year we entered the Farnham Canival as The Farnham Ladies Footbal Team and the Wylies got us a Land Rover which we decorated as our float.
When I left Pierrepoint I was Manageress of Miss Mandrys Boutique in Downing Street and left there two years later to have my first child.
In those days West Street end of Farnham closed half day on a Wednesday and the other end of Farnham closed half day on a Monday. I decided I wanted to open six days a week so I rang Maurice Elphic who was a local Magistrate and asked if there was any reason I couldn't open on a Wednesday afternoon. He said no - wished me luck and asked me to keep him informed. He was one of the nicest people I have ever met in Farnham. A few months later Maurice rang me up and said 'I hope you don't mind but I'm going to copy you and open Elphics on a wednesday afternoon as well'! So you could say Maurice Elphic and I abolished half day closing in Farnham!
