In January, I received a delightful surprise from my 3rd cousin, Gail Benjafield. In 1947, her Uncle LaVerne Darroch typed a seven-page Darroch history. He mentioned his grandparents, John Darroch and Agnes Greenlees. LaVerne wrote, "The outstanding characteristics of John Darroch were his unbending integrity, piety and industry, and he was a stern believer in all of these." [1] I intend to honour and highlight these traits in this and subsequent stories.
I am grateful LaVerne took the time and energy to record his insights and memories. And thank you, Gail, for preserving and sending me a copy!
In my last post, I had John boarding a steamship to sail up the Firth of Clyde toward Glasgow.
As the ship departed from Campbeltown, John enjoyed the scenic view. Rounding the south end of the Isle of Arran, they entered the Firth of Clyde. Most passengers had found their way below deck, where the Campbeltown whisky was flowing freely. John found a bench above deck to sit by himself.
The steady rhythm of the paddlewheel lulled John into reflecting on his chosen occupation. It would demand seven years of strict obedience and subservience to his master blacksmith. John pulled out his apprenticeship agreement and re-read the many stipulations: no marriage, no gambling, no drinking in public houses. Even though this would be a difficult seven years, he felt a swell of emotion. This was his dream coming true. "Yes," he thought to himself. "I can do this. And I will." He was actually going to do it!
John turned his attention to the sights as the steamer paddled on. He could see the wee town of Inverkip and then the lighthouse on Cloch Point. There the ship steered to the east and chugged up the Clyde.
John's thoughts were interrupted by footsteps coming up from below. A large, heavy-set man emerged from the stairwell. His gate was unsteady and he stumbled toward the edge of the boat. He grabbed a side rail and steadied himself for a minute. Then he lurched down the deck, wheezing loudly. He plopped down on the bench next to John.
"What brings you to be on the deck alone, laddy?"
"Just waiting to see Greenock. I want to see the shipyards."
"Aye, Greenock. It's not so great. Why don't you come below and join me for a gill." His bloodshot eyes were fixed on John.
John stood up. "Thanks, but no."
The man also stood up and towered over John.
"Are ye saying you're too good for my company?"
John could feel his pulse race. He swallowed hard. "No, sir. I just do not care to indulge."
The man furrowed his brow and was about to retort, but the rolling of the ship proved too much for him. He flailed his arms to balance himself and sat back down with a thud.
Realizing he had no need to fear, John's heart slowed. "I am sure your company is fine. Yet I am content to be by myself. I can see the outline of Gourock and should like to view it as we pass by."
He was interested in Gourock because a wealthy Darroch family lived there. John had often wondered if they were related. Their grandfather was a successful international merchant. Legend has it that, as a boy, he tended the family cattle herd on the hills of Gourock. He dreamed of going away to find his fortune and returning to the hills he loved. As a young man, he booked his passage for Jamaica. Detained while waiting for the ship to sail from Greenock, he and another lad decided to take a stroll to neighbouring Gourock. They passed the Laird's house and climbed into the orchard to pick some fresh apples. The gardener quickly chased them out, but not before the young Darroch called back, "I am going off to Jamaica, but I will come back and buy this estate with its apple orchard." The story goes on to say that he did just that, keeping on staff the same gardener who chased him out.
As the town of Gourock passed by on the starboard side, Greenock came into view. Her magnificent shipyards were busy with hundreds of men working on drydocks with cranes towering over them. As the ship continued up the Clyde, John could see the industrial chimneys of Paisley, where his friend Willie McLeod was struggling to find work. The boat continued on into Glasgow and docked there.
John disembarked and took a deep breath. He would spend the next seven years of his life here, in the "second city of the United Kingdom."
We do not know which boat John took to Glasgow, but we do know he had to cross the Firth of Clyde and likely took a steamship to do so. Steamers could travel from Campbeltown to Glasgow in half a day, a significant improvement over the week-long (and often longer) journey of the earlier sailing ships which were at the mercy of winds and tide.
In the early 18th century, large ships were unable to transport freight right to Glasgow, for the river there was only four feet deep. Therefore, larger boats were unloaded downstream at Greenock or Port Glasgow and the cargo was carried on pack horses or small boats to Glasgow.
The government and local businesses realized they needed to deepen the Clyde. It was a gargantuan task. By 1775, the channel was dredged to almost 8 feet deep (depending upon the tide). As ships got larger, however, the river needed to be repeatedly dredged. They scraped silt, dug clay, and blasted rock. Millions of cubic feet of material later, the Clyde was deep enough to sail and even launch big ships.
Shipyards sprung up, eventually occupying every inch of the three-mile bank from Greenock to Glasgow. By the middle of the 19th century, Clydeside shipyards produced half of Britain's shipping tonnage. The number of ships built then is staggering. For example, in 1860 alone, 178 vessels were built on the Clyde. [4] Excluding Sundays (for the yards were closed), they averaged a launch every 48 hours!
The Scots were particularly adept at building steamships. James Watt was born in Greenock. As an inventor, he refined the steam engine to pave the way for the industrial revolution. Steam engines were soon installed on ships, and the "steamer" was born.
Like any technological change, steamers took some getting used to. Many locals viewed with suspicion a ship that went against wind and tide, for those were the purview of providence. Some of the more superstitious folks feared these smoking monsters and considered them to be the diabhal (Gaelic for devil). On the other hand, many young boys were excited to see the steamers, although their motives were less honourable. They hoped to witness an exploding boiler and "bodies fleeing in the air."
When steamers were eventually accepted by the masses, the next advance was iron-clad hulls. That, too, was met with resistance. Many people reasoned iron does not float, so a boat made wholly of iron was a non-starter. Cautious wives and mothers instructed their husbands and sons to stay clear of those ships "...made o' iron--for a' the world like a pot or pan: it was clean again' natur' to think such a thing could be either safe or canny." [6]
As the vignette indicates, John might have taken a particular interest in the town of Gourock. The lad who became laird was Duncan Darroch, 1st of Gourock. In spite of the folklore that has crept into the story, he did make his fortune and returned to buy the estate with the orchard plus 2500 acres of the surrounding countryside. He was granted arms by the Court of the Lord Lyon and designated Chief of the clan. There is no known link between Duncan's ancestors and John's ancestor, Mulmorich.
If you have Frank's red book, you can read Duncan's rags-to-riches story on page 41.
We do not know if John took the boat all the way to Glasgow Harbour. Once in Greenock, he could have disembarked to board a train. The "Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway" had opened only months earlier in 1841. The trains could make the run from Greenock to Glasgow faster than any steamer. The fare was inexpensive, but railway travel then was primitive and uncomfortable.
Regardless of John's mode of travel, he would have passed by the village of Kilmalcolm and the booming town of Paisley. Those towns play into our family history, as you will see in subsequent posts.
Kilmalcolm is where John's future wife, Agnes Greenlees, was being raised by her father. Paisley is where Willie McLeod, John's friend from Clachan, was looking for work. Next post we will check in on Willie McLeod and his family and see how they are faring. Following that, we will learn about John's future in-laws, the Greenlees side of the family.
References:
[1] LaVerne Darroch, unpublished and untitled history of the Darroch family, 1 (typed in Calgary, Alberta, 1948).
[2] OS Quarter Inch, 4th ed., 1935-37, https://maps.nls.uk/ (retrieved February 18, 2022).
[3] OS One Inch, 1857-1891, https://maps.nls.uk/ (retrieved February 18, 2022).
[4] Charlotte Ward, Clyde Built: How Scotland Became a Global Shipbuilding Hub, (2022) https://www.historyhit.com/history-of-scottish-shipbuilding (retrieved February 18, 2022).
[5] Image Credit for The Persia: ILN Staff, The Illustrated London News, Public domain
[6] James Williamson, The Clyde Passenger Steamer, Its Rise and Progress During the Nineteenth Century, (1904) https://electricscotland.com/history/articles/clydesteamers.pdf (retrieved February 12, 2022).
[7] Map showing Kilmacolm and Paisley: modified from Bartholomew Survey Atlas, (1912) https://maps.nls.uk/view/78055222 (retrieved February 18, 2022). Note: In 1905, the parochial board voted to change the spelling of Kilmalcolm to Kilmacolm. I use the older spelling in this post to be true to the setting and what our ancestors knew.