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Grandfather
Dave Scott: 1875-1958
"Dave was born at Samuelston
South Mains on 6th April 1875, the son of a ploughman on the
farm there and Isabella Cowan. He died in 1958."
At School
"An Act was passed in 1872 that
made attendance at school compulsory between the ages of 5
and 13. Dave attended Saltoun Public School.
His parents had to contribute
towards the cost of their children's education at the rate
of 1d per child per day and this, Dave told me, was taken to
school every day."
In the Fields
"The ploughmen in those days had
to go up to the stable at five o'clock in the morning to
muck out and feed their horses ready to start work at six o'
clock.
Before going to school in the
morning, Dave took his father's breakfast out to the field.
If his father was ploughing, Dave took he horses and the
plough and did a round during the time that his father ate
his breakfast. This was how he learnt to plough
Meals
"The working folk must have been
well enough fed i those days. Dave often told me that
he weighed twelve stone when he was twelve years old.
I can remember him when he was
an old man. He was well built but not far, a little above
average height with good strong arms that he would have
needed in some of his occupations.
Move to Greenhead Farm
"The family moved to Greenhead,
probably in 1892 or 1893. At Greenhead, Dave drove a
pair of horses and ploughed. There, he earned 2
shillings and 8 pence per day, 23% more than he was
earning at Samuelston.
His father was employed as a
horseman and later as grieve.
Move to Leith Docks
"Dave gave up working on farms
in 1897 and took up work in the docks at Leith. I know
that at one time, while he was in the docks, he employed his
own squad of men to unload ships.
Milk was available near or in
the docks and he said that he drank a lot of it.
Carrying heavy bags of wheat, that weighed 18 stones, across
a gangway from the ship to the shore was o easy task.
A keen sportsman, he was a m
ember of the tug-of-war team and also took part in athletics
at Hawkhill." |
