On the River Clyde - Fort Victoria

Beautiful day yesterday as these photographs show.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary Fort Victoria - looked huge out on the River Clyde!  Photographs taken from Gourock.

Store ship and tanker for the Royal Navy - you can read all about her at this great site.

The Victoria Tower

Greenock's Victoria Tower - part of the Municipal Buildings.

Completed in 1886, it is 245 feet tall.

John Galt and the story of Bryce Gilliland

I have written about John Galt (1779-1839) a few times on this blog.  Not only do I admire him as someone who has Greenock connections, but I enjoy reading his work for enjoyment, and also for the little snippets of local information that abound in his work.  Recently I re-read Galt's autobiography and came across a story that got me interested and I decided to do some further research.  It is the story of Bryce Gilliland.

In his Autobiography John Galt writes about his unhealthy childhood -

"This infirm state led me not only to avoid the hearty exercises of other boys, but to seek indoor amusement that was, had it been observed, remarkable in one so young.  I remember that there were a number of old women who lived in the closs behind my grandmother's house, and in their society to hear their tales and legends I was a frequent visitor.  One of them was the mother of Lieutenant Gueliland, who was flag-officer to Lord Nelson, and killed at the battle of Trafalgar.  He was older than me, and I do not recollect him very well, but he was a brave and intelligent officer; his townsmen have erected a monument to his memory in the church, and I have the gratification to record that I obtained for his only sister a munificent donation from the Patriotic Fund formed during the war at Lloyd's."

Sure enough there is a monument to Lieutenant Guilland in Irvine Old Parish Church -

  

It is likely that he went to sea of his own accord, as many Irvine men did and was later press-ganged into service with the Royal Navy.  His naval career seemed to have started as an Able Seaman on HMS Diana in 1794 and proceeded with service on many navy ships such as HMS Standard.  He was Quartermaster on HMS Northumberland and rose to the rank of Midshipman and Master's Mate.  In 1801 he served aboard Nelson's flagship HMS Foudroyant.  He saw service in the Egyptian Campaign becoming a Lieutenant and serving on HMS Druid. (Information from a fabulous site "Trafalgar Ancestors" at the National Archive.)

Ironically, Between 1801 and 1802 Guilliland was part of the impress service based at the Strong Man pub in Lower East Smithfield recruiting for the Royal Navy ship HMS Determinee.  Thereafter he was transferred to HMS Dreadnaught where he came to the attention of Admiral Collingwood.

Collingwood

He must have made a good impression on the Admiral because on 9 October Collingwood wrote to Nelson that he wished to take his Signal Lieutenant, Brice Gilliland with him from the Dreadnaught to the Royal Sovereign.

On 21 October 1805 Bryce Gilliland, aged 36 was killed on board the Royal Sovereign during her heroic struggles in the Battle of Trafalgar.

As John Galt points out, Lloyds did, on 28 July 1803, set up a Patriotic Fund "to assist the many casualties of the Napoleonic Wars".  It is still in existence, working with armed forces charities providing help to those in need.

Perhaps John Galt was remembering the old stories he heard told by Bryce Gilliland's mother when he wrote this passage  in his 1821 novel Annals of the Parish.  The passage refers to a young man from the locality, Charles Malcolm and is told by the narrator of the book, the Rev Micah Balwhidder -

Extract from Annals of the Parish by John Galt 1821

Sound familiar?

Find Your Family Tartan

I often get asked about family tartans.

You can easily check if there's a tartan associated with your family name.  Check out the website of the Scottish Register of Tartans.  They have a search feature - just put your name in and find out if there's a tartan for you.  Try it here.

Stormy Gourock

Still a bit stormy here in Inverclyde today.

Went down to Gourock - there was a high tide and the waves were amazing!

East India Harbour Reflections

The River Clyde was beautifully calm last Sunday when I took this photograph.

These boats can be found in Greenock's East India harbour.  I liked the way the mast was reflected in the water.
Joining with Weekend Reflections.

Rusty Relics

Out and about in Greenock yesterday.

Enjoyed taking photos of some old rusty relics of Greenock's industrial past.

The Greenockian

Mearns Street School - No More!

I blogged about Mearns Street School in Greenock's in December last year and expressed the hope that it was not due for demolition.

Well ... guess what?!

Yup - it has gone!

All those lovely architectural details smashed.  What a shame!

The Greenockian

Old Greenock Gates

These old Greenock gates have seen better days!

They show Greenock's coat of arms - you can read what the symbols mean here.

God Speed Greenock - a proud motto from Greenock's past as a leading trading port and shipbuilding town.

One side of the gates has weathered better than the other.  They are on a quiet street, not many people will have noticed them.

Hope one day these are taken away from the yard they open into, restored and given a much better home somewhere where they can be seen and appreciated by many more people.

Joining with Good Fences - come over and join us.

The Greenockian

Lyle Kirk, Greenock

This is Lyle Kirk, Union Street in Greenock.  It was built in 1871 by architect John Starforth (1822-1898).

At that time it was called Trinity United Presbyterian Church, one of many which lined Greenock's Union Street in those days.  It became Ardgowan Parish Church following an amalgamation with another church and is now part of Greenock's Lyle Kirk.

I love the incredibly detailed carving in the tympanum - wonderful!

A beautiful building.

Joining with InSPIRED Sunday - come on over and see many other beautiful churches from all over the world.

The Greenockian

Gourock From Lyle Hill

This photograph shows a view of Gourock taken from Lyle Hill.

The Greenockian

Former Buttercup Dairy, Kilmacolm

These beautiful tiles come from the entrance to a shop in Kilmacolm.  Now a small electrical shop, the tiles show that it was once a branch of the Buttercup Dairy Company.

Founded by Andrew Ewing in 1904, at its height the company had over 250 shops throughout  Scotland.  The picture is of a little girl feeding a buttercup to a cow and is taken from a painting by Thomas Curr (1887-1958).

The tiles were part of the Company's distinct branding.  Even the floor tiles at the entrance are wonderfully decorative.

The tiles were manufactured by the Glasgow firm of James Duncan Ltd.  You can read about them, and their association with the Buttercup Dairy Co here.

The Greenockian