Castle Mains, 4 June 1879

This is not a letter by Marion Brown.  She is referred to as "May" in this letter, and has apparently "had a very bad turn."  So her cousin, Tam Scott, is writing instead.  Tam's handwriting is fairly legible for a man's hand, but his spelling, capitalization, grammar, and punctuation are less standard than Marion's, and quite a few words are hard to work out.  Nonetheless, it's a newsy partial letter that gives a glimpse of Tam's personality, and shows Marion Brown's situation from another perspective.

Tam is a new father, it seems, with young Samuel Glencross Scott already 9 weeks old.  We know from other letters that Robina moved into the Castle Mains residence as Tam's wife at the end of January; she must have been quite pregnant at the time, if their son was born in early April.  His mother (Aunt Agnes Scott) is "fair daft" about her first grandchild, but at the time of this letter's writing, she was away from the home, teaching cheesemaking at dairies near Auchengruick (not sure where that is on current maps).  That leaves Marion at home, too ill even to write; a newborn, Samuel; a new mother, Robina; and Tam, who is unable to work from having "smashed ribs."  And, apparently, chickens. Sounds stressful!

Tam says work is scarce, very scarce, especially since the "Duck" (the local landowner; Tam misspells "Duke," or does he?) isn't hiring at the moment.  But Tam is making some money with his prize poultry.  He's obviously proud of his Hamburgs, and travels to various shows to compete with other breeders.  But rats (or "rates") ate a bunch of his best chickens, which made a significant dent in his prospects for earning. 

There's also mention of Robert McWhir, who has turned up in at least two past letters.

Castle Mains
Sanquhar
June 4th 1879

Dear Uncle I take the pleasure of droping you a few lines to let you know how we are all getting on  hopping this will find you all well I may say that May is getting a little better But has had a very bad turn and my mother is well but Bothered with Rehumatism  She is at Auchengruick just now larning them to make the chease she has both the dairs to lairn  She is standing her age well i do not know much els of her but scarce so fast as in formar days I may say that the Wife is well and the Son he is 9 weeks old today and a fine Strong Healthy Boy but i dout he will get too much of his one [own?] will with them.  Mother is fair daft about him and May not much Better I will depart from this topic But first i will give you the Son's name I call him Samuel Glencross Scott 

I may say that Robert McWhir is cum hear for man [men?].  I am of work just now with Smashed Ribs which i got at my work but work hear is very scarce and will be scarcer before it is mor plentful.  the Duck is stoped puting on his repairs sing[?] to his son standing for Mid Lothian and it is a grate pity if he would get on for he is puting this place in a pitful state we are just finishing up old jobs that we had not done it is sed that it will be 3 years before it is any better as the Duck is deep in det their is nothing going on at nothing it dos not mater what it is their is 100 on the Road that cannot get work no place.

Every part is alick their is no use leaving one place and going to another for all is alick bad and markets high you sed I had shurly a good stock of Poultry I have the best Stock of Hamburgs I think in Scottland the have to cum from York and Leads Lincolnshire the best Breeders in England the do nothing else but attend Shows and make their living of them and a good one to I sold eggs of my Birds this year at 6 shillings and 6 pence a dozen their were 2 settings sent to Nottingham and i am going to have a Draw for 4 Pair of my Prize Birds I am getting them Printed at Dumfries i intend to make a little mony of it in this dull tumes I will not stick at nothing I had 44 chickins some 10 weeks old and on Monday night the Rates found them and thought they would make a good supper and killed 6 of them and the Best to I could have got 1 pound a peace for them It will tell hard against me this year for the Shows as you can Scarce get them to run[?], the Shows too years althoe I have an old cock this year has only been shown two times took 1 at Sanquhar and First and Special at New Cumnock show the judge told me he was the Best Cock that he had seen and he put it in the Papers to and I took 2 to at New Cumnock my next hshow will be Dumfries Union Show which is in August i mean to take First at it to if i am well 

I was to give you Robert McWhir's kind love you and Uncle John and you have to send word what sort of a country you are in I could fill the letter about my Birds with Prizes and Remarks at Shows but i will let them drop I hop trade is getting better with you Tom will be a man by this time His cousin Tam is 6 feet and Built from the ground he was home hear at the Saison [?] he always calls it his Home you know he never knew anything els you might tell him to write a letter to me as i fell as  [rest of letter is missing]

Bogg, 28 July 1869

A long newsy eight-page letter on green stationery reports that Marion's been very unwell, and who's working where this year. There's a short note about Helen Brown's mother (Marion Glencross's maternal grandmother) being in service at Dabton. Another photo of Marion Glencross, age 17, has been sent to Sanquhar--and all approve, including Tam Scott and Mr. Kennedy the landowner. This letter gives a strong sense of what, besides letters, is crossing from Sanquhar to Dunmore: Aunt will be sending John Glencross a pair of trousers, and a "wee cheese" she's made, and Tam Scott included a feather from one of his prized chickens, and a photo or two are also promised.

Bogg July 28th 1869

My Dear uncle

You may well think me very careless in not writting to you sooner but I will make no apology about not writting sooner for I will just tell the truth and I suppose it stands longest, I have been very bad since about a week before I got your letter. I was nearly blind for five weeks but I am very thankful that my eyes are better now for I felt rather lonely when I could neither speak nor see, I made Aunt laugh that day I got your letter I was vomiting when the post came in and after I got hold of the letter I vomited no more for an hour and she laughed and told the doctor when he came up that uncle Johns letter had feared me from vomiting for one hour and he wished you was here if you would have any effect to make me better, but let me be thankful I am rather stronger this two weeks past but not able to be up any yet. Dear uncle you see I need a great deal of nursing and every one is so kind to me it makes me take many a serious though [sic] when I think I can do nothing for my self and to see every one so willing to serve me--

I think it is high time I was asking for you and Marion now I hope you are both in good health and getting on well with your work you was just in the midst of it when you wrote to me so I hope you got well through your garding plainting and what other work you had to do I was very proud over the card Marion sent me and I think it must be like her for the most of our friends that has seen it points out some resemblings she has to some of us. I was letting Mr. Kennedy see it the other day and says she is very like what her mother was when she was young. he was asking very kindly for you and wondered if you never took a notion to come home. there is great changes now about Brandleys MissKennedy is going to be married on the eleventh of August, and John went away to a farm at Whitsundy. you will know it, it is the Stenes down in Tynron, so you see in a short time Mr. Kennedy will be left with his second wife the same as when he brought home his first, but one thing the present Mrs. Kennedy never will be like the first one she is a very high proud woman just as if there was nobody like her but the master is the same yet he comes in and askes for us all as homely as if we were his equal

you wanted to know if I knew any thing about Helen's mother. it is about six months since my Aunt was up from Carronbridge and she told me that she was always working at Dabton and was wonderful well but I have heard no word of her since. Now here is Aunt come ben she has been busy baking and I have to tell you that she is standing the works wonderful well this summer but just about roasted in the boiler house this hot weather it ias been so hot this some time past

Dear uncle it is wonderful to see Aunt standing so well for she has so much to do now although Tom does very well he has ot so much sense about things yet Aunt made nearly out with the cows last year she wanted three stones but the master was very kind he said it was the first time ever there was any of the rent wanting since she came to the Bogg so he would just let it go, we have a good lot of swine this summer we have two breeders and one of them had six and that served ourselves and the other had twelve and they were all sold at twenty five shillings each and Aunt says the price of the twelve pigs will pay the winning of her hay and to appearance we are going to have a good crop of turnips and potatoes and we are begun our hay this week but they say it is not so good as it was last year the dry weather has been against it uncle Joseph and uncle William and one James Menzies is our mowers and we have William Halberts daughter for one of our girls and a sister of uncle William's wife for the other she was with us all winter she is a very quite [sic] girl and can help Aunt very well and that is a good thing, and Aunt says I have to tell you she has plenty of cloth for two pairs of trousers to you but she is getting a new web made and she wants you to get a pair of it and John White is speaking about going to America after the harvest and she expects to get them over with him and she has a wee cheese in the chesle for you and she will be very glad if she gets it over when it is in season.

uncle Josephs wife and family are all well he has four three boys and one girl their names are Tom, William, Samuel, and Agnes, and I was to tell you uncle Joseph would write to you soon but he is very lazy at writting or he might have wrote you long before this. uncle Williams wife and family are all in good health to he has five three in the first family and two in the second Helen the oldest girl is our cow herd this summer and Tom and William and these are what Martha had and John and James are what Janet Young has I have to tell you from Tom that he has four kinds of hens silver penciled and golden penciled and silver spangled and golden spangled and he gave seven shillings for one of the hens and these are some of the golden penciled ones feathers and that is one of his card he has sent to Marion. and I will just tell you what he said when he saw her card that she was the best looking friend he had and he thought he would soon be over to see her. he does not incline to work among the cows very much but I think he is not sure what he would like to do yet.

I told you about Robert Wylie in my last letter and he was here last week he is going to give me one of his cards to send to you the next time I write he is a mason and working at Penpont just now, his father and mother and all our Douglas friends were well when he was here. Brother James is at the Tower this summer and he is Mr. Hyslops cheese maker but he is not agreeing with it very well but perhaps he will get used to it his wife and his son George is in a moderate state of health they have had the measles but are in a bettering way my father is wonderful well in health but is very bad at walking.

now uncle I have given you a pretty fair account of things here, but I had nearly forgot Aunty and Mary at Mennock are wonderful Aunty is spinning the yarn for the new web you have to get your trousers of Aunt joins with me in kind love to you and Marion and tell Marion I will write to her next time for I am tired of writting lying in bed and perhaps I will can sit up next time give my kind regards to all enquiring friends and except of the same to your self from your affectionate neice Marion Brown

pleas write soon and if well I will not be so long in answering you