One Year of Upper Canada Scots

This month marks the one-year anniversary of Upper Canada Scots! I want to thank everyone who stopped by to read, learn, and see what life was like for the early Scottish families settling in Galt and  what is now Southern Ontario. 

The month of May is a very busy one. Firstly, I'm moving to a new city (or rather, village) where I can more easily access and enjoy the great outdoors. Secondly, I'll be flying to Nova Scotia to present another project of mine at the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada's national conference. I have been in the process of researching and writing a book on the types of homes constructed by some of the earliest settlers to the New World. As a result of these two potentially life-altering events, I will be placing Upper Canada Scots on a brief hiatus.

In the meantime, I would very much like to hear your suggestions about the types of posts I share on this site. More book reviews? More primary document images? More local Scottish food and festivals? Let me know in the comments below.

Until then, thank you so much for being a part of this wonderful project!

- Jennifer

Pipes, Guitar, and Flute, Oh My!

With the warmer weather upon us (finally!), it's time to venture out and experience another season of festivals, events, and games in Ontario. Many of these gatherings are a great opportunity to experience and learn more about the Scottish traditions which remain vital to many communities. What can be more Scottish than bagpipes?

Thursday, April 23, 2015 starting at 7:00pm

McDougall Cottage, Cambridge

Tel: 519-624-8250

89 Grande Ave S.

N1S 2L7

New performer. Join multi-talented musician Mark Fletcher for a fabulous evening of traditional Scottish fiddle music and song. Mark performs small pipes, mandola, guitar, flute, whistles and Highland pipes. He is joined by fellow performer Drew Skuce (bodhran) for a fantastic evening of Scottish tunes. Music spanning 4 centuries, from both the Scottish Borders and the Highlands will be featured; some linked to history and historical figures and some just for the fun of the music. www.markfletcher.ca.

Admission by cash donation.

Henry Stephens on Sheep

Henry Stephens is the author of the immensely popular Book of the Farm. Published in 1844, it enjoyed numerous re-prints and again became a highly sought after farming guide in the 21st century after being highlighted in BBC's Victorian Farm. Stephens himself was a Scot who studied chemistry, mathematics and agriculture in Dundee and in Edinburgh, and later went on to apprentice on a farm for several years. A tour of the continent allowed Stephens to compare methods and technologies, of which there seemed to be new ones every day. In the end, financial difficulties forced him away from farm management, and toward writing. He published a series of articles and books before his death in 1874 at the age of 79.

The following excerpts come from the edited version of Stephens' work produced by Alex Langlands of "Victorian Farm" fame. 

The Shepherd
His duty is to undertake the entire management of the sheep; and when he bestows the pains he should on his flock, he has little leisure for any other work. His time is occupied from early dawn, when he should be among his flock before they rise from their lair, and during the whole day, to the evening, when they again lie down for the night. To inspect a large flock at least three times a day, over extensive bounds, implies a walking to fatigue. Besides this daily exercise, he has to attend to the feeding of the young sheep on turnips in winter, the lambing of the ewes in spring, the washing and shearing of the fleece in summer, and the bathing of the flock in autumn. And, over and above these major operations, there are minor ones of weaning, milking, drafting and marking, at appointed times; not to omit the unwearied attention to be bestowed, for a time, on the whole flock, to evade the attacks of insects. (20)

By-Products of Sheep
The sheep is one of the most useful, and therefore one of the most valuable, of our domestic animals; it not only supports our life by its nutritious flesh, but clothes our bodies with its comfortable wool. All writers on diet have agreed in describing mutton as the most valuable of articles of human food. But the products of sheep are not merely useful to man, they also promote his luxuries. The skin of sheep is made into leather and, when so manufactured with the fleece on, makes comfortable mats for the doors of our rooms, and rugs for our carriages. For this purpose the best skins are selected, and covered with the longest and most beautiful fleece. Tanned sheepskin is used in bookbinding. (65-66)

Sources
Alex Langlands' 2011 edited and abridged Book of the Farm (I'm quite partial to my own copy of this book, as I had it signed by Ruth Goodman after attending a lecture by her in Waterloo, Ontario in 2011)
Henry Stephens' 1844 Book of the Farm

Further Reading
The Guardian, "TV show turns long out-of-print farming manual into hot seller"

I'd like to thank Caroline Bendiner for contributing to Sheep Month here on Upper Canada Scots. If you missed her three-part series on wool in the 19th century, simply scroll down or click on March 2015 in the archives. I'd also like to thank everyone who visited this blog in the last month - who knew sheep would be so popular a topic? If there's another aspect of colonial life that you'd like me to focus on, just let me know in the comments below. Happy March!

Start to Finish

Detail from Lewis Parker's Upper Canada

Detail of Lewis Parker's Upper Canada, showing sheep being washed, sheared and released to frolic while the fleece is washed, dried, carded, and spun. Visit the Canadian Encyclopedia, "Sheep Farming".

Wool in the 19th Century - Part Two

Dyeing wool is a step that can take place either before or after the actual spinning process.  Early settlers in Ontario were dyeing their wool predominately to hide the dirt and filth on their clothes from their intense agricultural work.  They may not necessarily have an abundance of clothing, so to dye their one or two dresses brown would make going to church on Sundays less embarrassing because any dirt would be less noticeable.

Skeins of black walnut dyed wool

One of the most popular local dyes used in Ontario is mad from the shell of a black walnut.  Black walnut trees are native to Ontario.  In fact, many of the Pennsylvania-Dutch settlers that arrived in Ontario c.1790s-1830s believed black walnut trees to be a sign of fertility of the land, and would make their settlements near any growth.  This theory is explained in The Trail of the Black Walnut by G. Elmore Reaman, where the migration of the Pennsylvanian-Dutch from American to early Canada can be traced by the growth of black walnut trees throughout southern Ontario.  The black walnut itself can make a fantastic, and very intense, brown.  Perfect for masking any dirt!  After boiling the shells in hot water, you strain the water, and place the wool in the dye bath.  After sitting for just a few hours, you can get a fantastic brown dyed fabric!

This three-part series "Wool in the 19th Century" was written by Caroline Bendiner, Culture Coordinator for the Township of King.  She has a BA in history from Queen's University and a post graduate certificate in Cultural Site Management from Centennial College. Caroline has a strong passion for history and sharing history with the public.

Sheep Shearing

Have a look at how sheep shearing is done in this clip from the BBC's Edwardian Farm:

 

Wool in the 19th Century - Part One

Spinning Wool at Black Creek Pioneer Village
in Toronto, Ontario

One of the most iconic images of the early settler period of Ontario is that of a pioneer woman sitting in her tiny log cabin spinning wool.

The process of turning fleece into wool is simple, yet takes a lot of practice to truly perfect.  The first step is to shear the sheep; normally done once, sometimes twice, a year in the early spring.  This allows the sheep to be comfortable during the summer weather, while growing back their wool to maintain warmth through cooler seasons.

The next step is to clean the fleece.  To make the cleaning process more efficient, some would pick it apart first, removing any overly matted bits or large clumps of dirt or excrement.  How do you clean fleece?  You can literally place it in a tub of cold water with minimal soap.  Hot water can threaten the fibres and too much soap can remove some of the natural oils (lanolin) that even to this day we can separate and harness for other purposes (hand lotions, soaps).  Having some of the natural oils on the wool also makes it easier to spin.  Some settlers may change the water once or twice to remove as much of the dirt as possible.  

Traditional Sheep Shears

Once the fleece is clean, and before spinning it, it is integral to card the wool.  This involves using two brushes (carders) and brushing the wool in opposite directions.  The fibres that create the wool become straight after they’re carded, and the wool becomes easier to control when spinning.

Spinning wool is essentially the twisting of the fibres at a rapid pace to connect them and link them into one whole string.  The thickness and consistency of that string is all dependent on the spinner.  An early settler spinning wool to make socks for their children may not care so much for the consistently and quality of the string as someone spinning for a business.  It is completely possible to spin several strings together to create a thicker yarn.

This three-part series "Wool in the 19th Century" was written by Caroline Bendiner, Culture Coordinator for the Township of King. She has a BA in history from Queen's University and a post graduate certificate in Cultural Site Management from Centennial College. Caroline has a strong passion for history and sharing history with the public.

Address to a Haggis

In honour of Robert Burns Day on Sunday January 25, 2015, here is Burns' "Address to a Haggis":

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, 

Great chieftain o' the pudding-race! 

Aboon them a' yet tak your place, 

Painch, tripe, or thairm: 

Weel are ye wordy o'a grace 

As lang's my arm. 

The groaning trencher there ye fill, 

Your hurdies like a distant hill, 

Your pin was help to mend a mill 

In time o'need, 

While thro' your pores the dews distil 

Like amber bead. 

His knife see rustic Labour dight, 

An' cut you up wi' ready sleight, 

Trenching your gushing entrails bright, 

Like ony ditch; 

And then, O what a glorious sight, 

Warm-reekin', rich! 

Then, horn for horn, they stretch an' strive: 

Deil tak the hindmost! on they drive, 

Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve 

Are bent like drums; 

Then auld Guidman, maist like to rive, 

Bethankit! hums. 

Is there that owre his French ragout 

Or olio that wad staw a sow, 

Or fricassee wad make her spew 

Wi' perfect sconner, 

Looks down wi' sneering, scornfu' view 

On sic a dinner? 

Poor devil! see him owre his trash, 

As feckles as wither'd rash, 

His spindle shank, a guid whip-lash; 

His nieve a nit; 

Thro' blody flood or field to dash, 

O how unfit! 

But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed, 

The trembling earth resounds his tread. 

Clap in his walie nieve a blade, 

He'll mak it whissle; 

An' legs an' arms, an' hands will sned, 

Like taps o' trissle. 

Ye Pow'rs, wha mak mankind your care, 

And dish them out their bill o' fare, 

Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware 

That jaups in luggies; 

But, if ye wish her gratefu' prayer 

Gie her a haggis!

Sources

Burns Country 2015, "Complete Works"

Scotland 2015, "Burns Night"

Further Reading

Robert Burns Birthplace Museum 2015, "Discover Burns"

Visit Scotland 2015, "Who was Robert Burns?"

Library of Congress 2015, "Robert Burns Day: Haggis, Anyone?"

Visit Scotland 2015, "Hold your own Burns Supper ebook" (Free ebook!)

BBC 2015, "Robert Burns - Burns Night"

Hogmanay - A Scottish New Year Celebration

Hull Daily Mail – Tuesday 30 December 1930

Hogmanay is more than just a wildly fun all-night New Years' Eve street party in Edinburgh; it's a long-standing (and apparently somewhat mysterious) tradition that goes back centuries.

Celebrations today may include fire-dancers, fireworks, the consumption of copious amounts of alcohol, live music in the streets, dancing, parades and more. Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebration is the largest in Scotland, and attracts visitors from around the world.

First Footing is a New Years tradition that begins at midnight and continues into the early morning. This custom involves being (or welcoming) the first person through the threshold of your home for the New Year. This 'first footer' would bring any number of symbolic gifts to the homeowner, each of which would bring a different sort of luck for the year ahead: Salt (for flavour), coal (for warmth), shortbread (for food), or whisky (good cheer). If you are short, blonde, and a female, it is recommended that you not attempt to beat anyone through a Scot's doorway at midnight - you're bad luck. A tall, dark, and handsome man is who's really desired, as it would indicate that that family inside would have a financially prosperous year. The Greeks have a similar tradition.

The Illustrated London News
December 30, 1882
"The First Foot: A Scottish Custom on New Years' Eve"

In preparation for Hogmanay in Upper Canada, Scottish settlers would thoroughly clean their homes, finish any mending that needed to be done, change bedding, do any polishing, pay off any debts and return any items that had been borrowed over the past year - in other words, they would put their lives, homes, and businesses in order for the New Year.

Sources
Hogmanay.net 2014, "Hogmanay FAQs"
Edinburgh's Hogmanay 2014/2015 Website

Further Reading
Wikipedia 2014 "Hogmanay" for an overview of some popular traditions/customs.
Ava Laboy Capo's 2013 Traditions/Superstitions From Around the World!: To Bring in the New Year!

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very happy and healthy New Year! Here comes 2015!