Day 31 - 19 May - following up the Hardie-Frew line that became part of the Grimmett family when Maggie Hardie married Great-grandfather Ernest Grimmett in Dunedin back in 1896.
Maggie was the daughter of hotel keeper John and Margaret (Frew) Hardie.
With volunteer driver-native guide John Fulton we found Slamannan, Margaret Frew’s hometown (it was a village in the middle of no-where, so small in fact that native guide, John F had never heard of the place - even though he’d lived his entire life in Edinburgh.
We have records of the Frew family back to the 1700s - mostly called John (wives called Agnes). They lived all over the West Lothian area - Carriden, Bo’ness, Jawcraig, Falkirk - theyvwere coalminers and the shifting around probably reflects job losses or chasing better jobs. The first generation that arrived in NZ were coalminers down in Kaitangata - south of Dunedin.
We visited all these Frew villages - checking the old churches (all locked) and wandering around overgrown graveyards. The countryside is beautiful but I can’t help but ponder on how tough life must have been back in the day - Dad, Mum and the kids all down in the mine, and dead by the time they’re 45.
We lunched in John Hardie’s hometown of Falkirk the back to Edinburgh. Later it was off to Le DeVin - a French bar/restaurant situated in an old church. Very cool, noisy and good beer called Paollozi - named after the British-Italian pop artist - thats my trivia for today.