R EM IN ISC E NC ES

Several people have written about their early days in Strathkinness. Mrs.

Margaret King, when caretaker of Strathkinness School, wrote and iliustrated,

for the schoolchildren, an account of what life was like in the village when she

came from St. Andrews nearly forty years ago.

‘The house we lived in stood across the field from the school — ‘Sunnyside’

It was the length of the four houses where Jason (Mrs. King’s grandson) stayed

and his daddy was born there. It had two rooms, a kitchen, a big wash-house,

a stable and a byre. At one time it had been a wee croft. There was no water

or electricity; we had a pump between the stable and the byre so all water had

to be carried in pails to the house and then carried out again as there was no

sink. We burned Tilley lamps and sometimes candles; a big barrel stood at

the corner for the rain water. This was used to wash with; on washing day

you had to start early as the wash boiler fire had to be lit. It was a three

cornered thing

with a big fire under it as there were no washing

machines then. A big bath sat on a trestle for rinsing the clothes and we also

had a big mangle -

. You put towels and sheets through it and some-

times if you were a bit careless, you could nip your fingers. A friend of mine

had one of the first washing machines which was a funny shape

You turned a handle and it agitated the clothes; it was on wheels and

it worked.

‘Some houses in Strath at that time had earth floors. They had home-

made rugs in front of their ranges (fires); the rugs were made of rags and were

pretty drab being mostly black, navy or green. The ranges were the pride and

joy of the lady of the house. They were black-leaded and the steel polished

until you could see your face in it.

‘There was an oven on one side with a wee boiler you could fill from the

top and a brass tap from which you could get hot water. Lots of folk cooked

in the oven and fried their bacon and eggs on top. A black kettle always

sat on top so that you always had hot water. The girdle was placed on top of

the range and you kept the fire quite low and baked bannocks and scones.

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