Archives - document of the month
May 2012
Stirling Dean of Guild Plan, Raploch Housing, 1936
This flat complex was designed by Eric S. Bell for Stirling Burgh in 1936 and is situated on Drip Road, Raploch. Bell was a notable figure, having served as Architect to the Stirling Thistle Property Trust and been elected first President of the Stirling Society of Architects.
This building, imaginatively designed in the Scottish Baronial style, represented a huge improvement on the kind of housing that many local people would have been used to previously. With their indoor bathrooms and well-proportioned living spaces, these flats would have been considered luxurious at a time when some families were still living in 'single end' tenement accommodation.
April 2012
PD72/96 (Stirling Observer, 23 April 1912)
14th-15th April will mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. This tragic event saw 1635 lives lost after the ship hit an iceberg some time between the 14th &
15th April 1912, including that of 23 year old Stirling man, William Moyes.
This report from the Stirling Observer of 23th April 1912 describes the senior sixth engineer on board the vessel, Mr Moyes as former pupil of Stirling High School and Captain of Stirling County Rugby Fooball Club.
The Article in the Stirling Observer dated 23rd April 1912 reads:
'Last week we mentioned that amongst those on board the Titanic was William Moyes, senior sixth engineer, and son of Mr Alexander Moyes, head master, Stirling Primary High School
At that time there was uncertainty as to what Willie's fate had been, but unforunately there is no doubt now that he went down with his ship, not one of the engineering staff having been saved. Mr Moyes, who was twenty three years of age, was educated at Stirling High School and served his apprenticeship with Messrs Rowan & Sons, engineers, Glasgow.
He was afterwards on board the Oceanic for three months, and was recently transferred to the Titanic. It is only three weeks ago since he was in Stirling seeing his friends before going to Southampton to join the giant liner. During his apprenticeship he travelled between Stirling and Glasgow, and up to Christmas he was captain of the Stirling F.C.
When at school he was also one of its best cricketers, being chief bowler for the High School team.
Much sympathy is being expressed for his father and members of the family for the loss they have sustained under such sad and terrible circumstances'.
March 2012
Killearn Hospital Library
This image shows Killearn Hospital Library with a patient accessing reading material. The library was provided by Stirlingshire County Council as part of its libraries provision, and these specially commissioned images must date from the late 1940s or early 1950s. Killearn Hospital itself was one of five facilities commissioned in 1938 in preparation for the war, deliberately located outside Glasgow where it was perceived it would be safer.
The hospital opened in 1940 and catered for air raid casualties from Glasgow and Clydebank, as well as receiving war wounded servicemen, prisoners of war, and essential war workers. It played an important part in the Clyde Valley Scheme for urgent treatment and care of war workers and was also used for emergency cases from the surrounding population.
By the end of the Second World War it had 640 beds and neuro-surgical, orthopaedic and peripheral nerve injury specialist unit. In 1948 it joined the National Health Service under the Board of Management for Glasgow Western Hospitals. The location of the hospital, 15 miles North West of Glasgow, caused it to be rather isolated and inconvenient for patients and their families so over a period of years parts of Killearn’s work were transferred elsewhere. The hospital eventually closed in 1972.
For more information, see:
Records of Killearn Hospital, Stirlingshire
February 2012
This month we have a document from(PD139), Moir of Leckie Collection, dating from 3 Jan 1678.
The collection is currently being listed, so this document relating to the suppression of coventicles in Stirlingshire was an exciting discovery.
This document shows the County militia was ordered to meet at 'at the toune of Stirling for securieing [securing] of the peace of the Kingdome with ffourteen dayes provision', the King having ordered that they 'suppresse disquyet both rebellious feild conventicles and other insolencies councilled latly against his majesties authority in some shires'.
It was sent to Lord Elphinstone, commander of the troop of horse and is signed by members of the privy council who issued the order on behalf of the King. Also mentioned is the Earl of Mar who commanded the militia regiment.
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