Social History

	*The Curling*
	Most forms of recreation were shared by and involved the majority of villagers, but curling was probably the most popular game. The men flung the stones and the women, at the cry of "soop her up!", armed with *besoms* (brushes) swept the ice in front of the gliding stones. The Curlers Word encouraged players thus: ' *if you be a curler keen, stand right, look ev'n sole well, shoot straight and sweep clean'*
	It is not known when '*Scotland's ain game*' was first played in Wanlockhead but it was popular even before the formation of the Curling Society in 1777. The minutes show that there were 123 members at the first meeting on the 26th December 1777. The Miners' Library has the complete minutes of the Curling Society as well as many of the medals and trophies won by its members.

	*The Silver Band*
	The Curling Society's minutes tell us that as early as 1777 Wanlockhead had a Village Band referring to their playing at the Curling Society's '*bon spiels*'. Its music was a necessary accompaniment at Village weddings, fetes, shows and sports days throughout Dumfriesshire, Lanarkshire and the Stewartry.
	The Band would always appear on New Years Day and march around the Village '*weather and the roads permitting*' to an enthusiastic local support. It also performed local concerts and parades and was in great demand. The coming of the railway and the 'new machines' enabled the band to travel further afield to play at engagements and enter National Contest where they frequently proved to be successful.

	*The Miners' Library*
	On November the first 1756, the *Miners' Library* was formed 'for our mutual improvement' and it proved to be the real heart of the community. This was only the *second* subscription library opened in Scotland and indeed Europe. The Library benefited from the donations of books and cash from other sources, most prominently His Grace The Duke of Buccleuch. The mining companies also subsidised the Library as they believed that the Library would help to cut down on the unruly behaviour which existed at the time!
	The Library originally started in the school but as the membership and the number of books in stock increased, it was necessary to move the library to a cottage, which was given to them by the mine overseers in 1787. However the cottage was too small and a larger building was built and this came into use in July 1788. As the stock of books rose to over 2,000, again the problem of space forced them to build a new library from subscription money. This was opened in January 1851and is the Library you can visit today.

	*The People Of Wanlockhead*
	Gold and lead miners were free men unlike coal miners and this allowed them to move around from mine to mine. Men came from different parts of Britain and some even from different European countries. Women were not employed down in these mines, but boys as young as 8 years old were expected to start work. They would work in the streams washing the lead ore in all weather conditions, all year round. By the age of 12 boys could then work in the mine, hauling out the galena in small troughs or sledges.
	Many children died during the period of 1740 to 1890 and many men did not live long either. This could be due to the living and working conditions of these people. The *Smelt Mill* and the washing of lead in the streams caused a great deal of air and water pollution. In around 1850, The Duke of Buccleuch had the smelt mill relocated to outside the village. There was also another factor to consider; because of the location of the village, it was very hard to ensure regular supplies of fresh food. The village doctor, who was previously a ship's surgeon, diagnosed malnutrition and *scurvy* in the village.

Health & Welfare

Miners' welfare has been part of the way of life in Wanlockhead long before Social Security. An injured miner was allowed to put a replacement man in his job, without losing his wages. The replacement was usually another family member and they would get about a tenth of the wage. It was also part of the social structure that miners' wives were looked after by the company if their men were killed or badly injured in the mines. This newspaper clipping of an accident report is from 1908.

To improve the health of the villagers and eliminate scurvy, The Duke allocated the villagers 500 acres on which to grow vegetables and hay. To keep the cows alive it was necessary to grow sufficient hay for it to eat over the winter. The miners would cultivate the hill for hay and also their gardens to produce crops such as kale and cabbage. If they did well it meant that the diet was improved by the vegetables and the milk from the cow. The working week was reduced to enable horticultural activity. The miners also gave a penny a week into a fund and every year a family was chosen to receive £12.10 shillings (£12.50 today). This scheme grew into the Co-operative which then ran the local shop.

Fraser Memorial Institute

The Fraser Memorial Institute was founded in 1906 by three brothers, Archibald, John and William Fraser, in memory of their parents John and Isobel Milligan Fraser. The Institute was a miners' club which provided its members with leisure activities such as billiards, dancing, as well as a shower, a bath or cheap accommodation. The land was gifted by the His Grace the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry at a nominal ground rent of 1/- (One Shilling) per year. The Institute was in use until it was finally demolished in the 1960's.

	*Robert Owen*
	Robert Owen of New Lanark took a keen interest in discovering how the mining companies at Wanlockhead and Leadhills, looked after their miners and families and some of what he learned here, was applied to his mills in the Clyde Valley. *Photo courtesy of New Lanark Conservation Trust*