Dev (eBook)

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The Cargill family originated from the small fishing village of Auchmithie, or at least that is as far as word of mouth and historical records can confirm. Auchmithie is on the beautiful east coast of Scotland. In the 1830s and 1840s more and more fishermen and their families made the short journey to Arbroath as the call went out from Arbroath for fishermen. Many years before branches of the family had moved from Auchmithie to Arbroath and gained prestige in the town, only to be ordered back by the courts as they didn’t have their freedom. At times men, women and children had been put in a dungeon at Red Castle up the coast at Lunan Bay as they were harshly treated by their overlord.

In Auchmithie the Cargill family worked hard, just as all of the other fisher families there did. It was a hard life and they fought hard to exist. Auchmithie is located on the top of cliffs overlooking the North Sea, and one of the favourite haunts of the fishermen was a small covered area called the Outlook. This was where fishermen would go to check on the weather and how the sea looked. One of the first things all Auchmithie folk looked out for in the 1800s was the Bell Rock Lighthouse. On a clear day in the middle of a mass of water, you could see the lighthouse and in the dark—it was a beacon of safety for boats and ships at sea as it was built on a dangerous rock called the Inchcape Rock. The light was to warn fishermen to not get too near. For the residents of Auchmithie who were mostly fisherfolk, it was one of the great constants; on any night you could see the light as it blinked every eight seconds or so as it rotated around. The lighthouse was a miracle of engineering and built by the famous Stevenson family.

In the first part of the nineteenth century the fisherfolk were offered different parcels of land, by people running the town of Arbroath, to settle in. However, they wanted to create their own fisher town near the harbour in Arbroath; they requested this and it was accepted. Some folk moved into what had once been large town houses of merchants for any time they were staying over, although they would now house families instead of one or two people. Some streets were known to be part of the fishing community and other streets were split into fishing and regular town folk. It was Dev’s grandparents that married and soon moved to Arbroath. The pair were Thomas and Jane Cargill. The young, newly married couple would settle in South Newgate, which was known to the fisherfolk as South Street. The street directly faced the North Sea and most fisherfolk were used to this in Auchmithie and enjoyed being able to see the sea and any boats or ships that were there and how the weather was. Also, when the boats were still small, they could drag them up from the beach. The couple would have four sons—one called John died in infancy, and the other three all grew up to be strong men. They were Thomas, Isaac and Adam. Biblical names were very popular amongst the fisherfolk, and Scottish naming conventions ensured that the names would be recycled over and over and never lost.

The fishwives lot was a hard one; in Auchmithie, they had been known and often expected to carry their husbands to the boat so they didn’t get wet feet when they were going out on the boat. Although this had changed now, the workload for the women was a hard balance of preparing lines as in all weathers as well as being a mother to often many children and making meals and doing other aspects of housework. They were a hardy breed and they needed to be.

Where previously all those years ago the Cargills were ordered back to Auchmithie against their will, they were finally not only allowed to move but also this exciting opportunity had arisen. After so many generations now being able to move it was now time of change and especially young fishermen and their families grasped the opportunity with both hands. In some families one or two children moved away when old enough, while others remained in Auchmithie. It was only a few miles and yet so far after they had been bound to where they were in Auchmithie. Things were looking up for the fisherfolk and new, exciting times were ahead, and forever Arbroath would change too as the influx began.

When Thomas and Jane moved to their brand-new house in South Street, they found things strange. Although they were in a fishing community, which was like a recreation of Auchmithie, there was also a town of many non-fishing folk and many shops. Things were very different in some respects. When one day Jane saw a family Bible, a beautifully bound book she decided to talk to Thomas and they agreed to buy one. They added their wedding date, and each time a child was born or christened or sadly passed away, they added the dates. It was a new book for a fresh start, but it would keep their family history within and be treasured. As time moved on, the family became established in the new fishing community with many familiar faces and some new ones too. However, within the actual town of Arbroath they were not really known at all and they didn’t mix with people from out the fishing community very often.

The house that Thomas and Jane had was built on two levels with further accommodation through the back of the house too. The house at the back, simply referred to as the back house, could bring in extra money for the family by renting it out, or indeed allow more of the family to be nearby if required as the family grew. From the front of the house the family looked out onto the beach below and the North Sea. Looking to the left they could see the cliffs in the distance at Whiting Ness; while looking to the right they could see Seagate or the Wynd, as it was known in earlier times.

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon in 1860, and Jane shouted her three sons in from the back of the house, where they were working with fishing gear. The oldest son, Thomas, with brown curly hair, walked in first. He walked confidently and beckoned his two younger brothers into the house behind him, and they eagerly followed him in. Isaac was around fourteen and although quite tall for his age, he still had some growing to do. He had short fair hair and wore a smile as he walked in. Finally, in came Adam, who at around eleven years old was the youngest. Adam was not much shorter than Isaac and looked happy to follow his older brothers in. Their mum looked them over and said quietly, ‘It’s not teatime, hungry lads, but your dad is wanting to talk to you all and he will be here in a minute.’

‘What’s it about, Mum?’ asked Thomas, scratching his stubble-covered chin while talking and always the ringleader.

‘It is big news,’ their mum replied. ‘Your dad and I have chatted this through, but he will tell you more. I must get on with tea now.’ At that, their mother, Jane, quite a tall woman with greying hair, departed the room.

‘Hello there, boys!’ a deep voice rang out even before their father, Thomas, entered the room. Thomas was a bit shorter than his son Thomas but stronger built and had curly dark-brown hair with just a hint of grey. ‘Just sit on the floor, boys.’ The father motioned with his hands for his sons to sit down next to where he was just in the act of sitting down.

‘The best talks are when we are all on a level, eh?’

Thomas looked around at his three sons and said, ‘This is the time, Thomas, you are marrying soon, and Isaac, you have been going to the sea full-time for a couple of years now. Well, Adam, it is time for you to go full-time too.’

‘Yes!’ cheered Adam. ‘I don’t mind school—I do well—but I love the sea and love fishing with my family.’ Adam had a smile as wide as his face could handle. He felt so grown up right at this minute, and his brothers were clapping him on his back. It was then that their father raised his hands for silence. ‘We are a family, and these are the bonds that mean the most. Adam, you will be added as an owner of the boat now; you have already paid in enough while working part-time. Thomas, from when you are married to your Jeanie, your wages will go straight to you. Isaac and Adam, you will both still get pocket money and the rest of your wages will still go to the family. Before you go back to your duties, we will all celebrate tonight as this is a big day!’

Thomas junior cleared his throat and asked his father a question.

‘Someone said to me today, Dad, that I am Limpet Tom’s son. Is that your byname as they call it?’

‘Yes, my lads. The bynames are used to distinguish us from others of the same name but also to just give us bit more interesting names. You will hear some very funny ones. As an example, a person who is not good on his feet could be called Dancy or an angry man called Robert could be called Calm Bob. Then again sometimes the names are just spot on.’

‘So which is it with you? I haven’t often seen you gathering limpets. Is it because you never do it?’ Isaac asked with a real serious expression.

Thomas wanted to be angry that he was seen as lazy, but he knew the boy meant well and he ended up laughing.

‘No, laddie, I don’t do it often now but I will now and again. I used to help my parents back in Auchmithie to gather limpets for baiting our lines. It was one of my duties as a young boy and I was good at it and stayed out long after others had given up. Once you are given a byname it is for life, and you don’t get to choose it yourself, otherwise I would be Handsome Tom or The Kingfisher or something like that.’ Thomas laughed at his own humour.

The boys were all interested, and it was young...