The Ellens

Thanks for sending the family history info. Geordie. Great info for the family to know. Just a couple of wee things. My Mum's birth name was Janet, after her grandmother on mother's side. As you know, the traditional way for the first girls.

I was christened Ellen Crayton Polland, (not with an 'E') There are a number different spellings for the Crayton name in records, as the earlier folk had Irish accents (Gran Polland did), and therefore pronunciation would be  different.

But that spelling of Crayton is  my name in every document I have seen. Some of the family may not have been literate in the very early days, so the record clerk would record the name as he heard it. 

I was the 4th of four girls  to be called, Ellen Polland, after the father's mother as Irish and Scottish tradition dictated. (so we can guess her granny Polland's granny, was Ellen as well.

(hope you can follow this!!!!    

But......I was never called Ellen, because there were 4 of my girl relatives called after Granny Polland (nee Crayton). Three of us were the same age, and went to the same class throughout primary.Very confusing for the teachers.One Ellen Polland had a twin, Andrew, also in our class throughout primary

So very sensibly, the family gave us all a 'user' name, I suppose you could call it. I was Eleanor, one was Elma, and another Ellen, and she had a twin brother, Andrew

There was another Ellen as I said earlier, but she had the surname of Friel. 

Confused?  Well think about the poor teachers!.  We never had any problems, at home, and eventually the teachers caught onto the other names we were called.

So, At school I had, (in infants and through to Yr 6)  many cousins. I think 9 altogether.  Some on Dad's side, some on Mum's side. 

On Dad's side: with the nicknames, 1.Ellen Freil,  2.Ellen Polland.  3.Her twin Andrew

4.Elma Polland, and me 5. Eleanor Polland. Also  another  on the Polland side, and that was one was   6. Jan Connerton,  (Her Mum was a  Janet (Jenny Polland-not my Mum). 

See below about 3 other cousins from my Mum's side.

When it came to close rellies in our area on the Polland side there were heaps of them. I couldn't keep track of them all. There were for example 3 or 4 Daniel Pollands in Armadale, and more in other places nearby.

At school, on Mum;s side: In that same Yr 1 Primary Clas,  I also had 3 cousins from Mum's side. Grace, Nancy, and John Watson.  They were later transferred to Protestant school, just over the wall which separated Catholic school, from Protestant school. This was because their mum, Jenny, married  a Catholic. But she died giving birth to another child, and their Gran (my Aunt Grace) who was Protestant, brought them up, when the father re-married quite soon again, and the new wife didn't want the children.

The father had insisted the children attend Catholic school, but their Gran being protestant found the rules, in those days, of fasting from before going to Mass on Sundays, was wrong for little children in that cold climate, e.g. snow on the ground at times, and long walks to and from the chapel. Also in those days, kneeling on hard boards.   She confronted the father, who rarely visited them, and she said, "If I bring them up they will follow my, Christian faith".

I think she made a hard but good choice in those days. The Irish Catholic feeling was so very strong, and. I know my mother tried to be a Catholic for Dad's sake, but she told me she was never referred to by name when she went to the Catholic Mother's club, but was referred to as 'the convert woman".   IIt was very, very different days, and so many of the Irish had migrated to Scotland as my relatives had done.  so,  Scotland became  like Ireland,  extremely conscious of religion. Hence, the two biggest soccer teams. Celtic (Catholic), Rangers (Protestant).  Hard to blame the Catholics because they were so horribly treated by the British when their country was invaded. Hard to blame the Protestants, because they had been brought up to believe the Catholics were against them!!!  It was and is a Crazy world.

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All that's left to say, is I had the kindest, sweet and gentle Granny (Craig) on Mum's side, and the best  kind, vibrant, madly humorous, and best cook... Auntie (Grace),  who brought up her own mob, and her Granchildren. She made us laugh a lot,most days we saw her.  Her husband had a horrible accident in the pit, (so many did) and he was rendered completely deaf, so no hearing aid in those days could help him.She lost quite a few babies in the early days. Maybe her humour was what kept her sane!

So that's the end of the family and world history of that time. You will get tested on this late, Ha, Ha.