Neil, Barclay in Bellsquarry

[Cauther Lassie]

No Allan,

The wee lassie is from Ian's work and isn't on Rootschat - I'm her resource!!

cheers ... Meg

[lyndyloo6]

ha ha,am having a wee giggle tae masel here....weeee lassie......long time since ah been called that....thank you...

[majey]

Hi,  as a newbie I have been browsing this site and came across these posts.  My mother was/is related to the Barclays who had the Inn.  If you are interested I could look out my information.  Majey

[Cauther Lassie]

Hello Majey,

Many thanks for your post, and sorry I didn't get back to you sooner, we're having our attic cleared this week and as there's more than 30 years of JUNK up there, you can imagine the chaos!!

Very interested in any information you have on the Barclay's of the Inn, they were long gone when I was a wee lassie in Cauther & Polbeth.

cheers .....  Meg

[Big Eck]

Hi Allan.  I happened to come across this site tonight and your interest in the Barclay clan.  If you're still looking for information regarding the family history then get back to me.   My great-grandfather, Alexander Duff Barclay, was Catherine Barclays father.  Alexander had eight children in total.  The first, Jane Barclay was the illegitimate child of his relationship with Helen Cameron.   His first marriage was to Robina Harper while he was a serving police officer.  They had three children, Catherine, Annie and Alexander. Unfortunately in 1882, Robina died aged only 31 from bronchial problems.  Catherine would only have been 8 yrs old.            Alexander re-married and had a further 4 children with his second wife Jane Cockburn.   James, Elizabeth, Agnes and Andrew.   When Alexander retired from the police he took over the running of the Elm Tree Inn in Bellsquarry. The business consisted of two 'arms' at that time, the pub and a coach hire service.  When Alexander died in 1926, his son Andrew Barclay (my grandfather)took over the business which was, in the early days, mainly run by his wife Janet. They remained there until their retiral in 1969.  The pub has always been known as the Elm Tree Inn but back then it was locally referred to as 'Barclays'.  Prior to taking over the pub and indeed for some years thereafter, Andrew worked at Camilty Powder Mill.  When that closed in 1931 he transferred to Roslin Gunpowder mill and remained there driving the powder lorries until being called up c.1940.   As I mentioned, if there's anything I can help you with, let me know.   Eric

[Cauther Lassie]

hello Eric,

Saw your post as I was browsing yesterday, and was very interested, I gave Alan a hand with some of his early research, being always interested in any and all research for West Calder & District!!   

Then today, I was talking to your brother!!   Long arm of coincidence strikes again.  My initial research I only got back to James and Jane Bruce.

I only got to know the Elm Tree in the 70's, though I often went with my Dad in the Postvan on his rounds, but at that age, wasn't very interested in Pubs so probably didn't pay any attention!!   I would have been in the RAF when your Grandparents gave up the Inn, but I'm sure that they'd have known my Dad.

I was interested to learn that Alex D had another daughter, I never came across anything about her....... though I have the rest of the children with Robina and Jane Cockburn.

Thank you for your post ................  cheers .....  Meg

[Big Eck]

Hi Meg,  Small world indeed !  As you now know, I had mentioned to Ian about coming across the forum and, among other things, the postings of Cauther Lassie.  Then today I bumped into him... 'Guess who I was talking to ?'   Spooky !   Your dad's name had my mother searching some of her memory banks too.                                          We lived in the flat above the pub until it was sold to Henry Spurway who turned that into the cabaret bar around 1970/71.  Viewing the pub as my spiritual home, I still drop in every now and again and sample their wares although it's not the place it was in the 70s/80's.                                                                                                               Old habits die hard.                                                                                                                                          I've a picture (somewhere) of Alexander Barclay round the back of the Elm Tree, sitting around a table with three of his cronies, apparently putting the world to rights with the assistance of a bottle of whisky.   He was pensioned out the police after he had a finger bitten off while arresting a drunken Irish navvy in West Calder, sometime in the 1890's.  The photo shows the gap where the finger once sat.   I'll see if I can look it out.     Eric   

[pigletlovesfamily]

Hello Cousins, we descend from Alexander Duff Barclay's illegitimate child, Jane, who was born 16 Oct 1871. Her daughter was Agnes McBeath who married George Alexander Cowan after he divorced his first wife. However our main line of descent is from Alexander's youngest brother, George Barclay, born 1859. He too married twice and had seven children, three by his second wife. She was married three times. This makes our descent from Alexander Barclay and his wife Anne Duff a double one. We recently had our DNA tested which confirms our connection to them.

I would love to share photos and information, especially the photo of ADB sitting by his Pub.
I am unsure whether I can post my email address on this site, and believe that I have to be privately messaged.
Looking forward to replies, Lorna, Ryder and Chris Cowan and Stuart Flaws.