A TIME- TRAVEL TRIP BACK TO VICTORIAN AYR
Author used former editor’s writings as inspiration for book
A book which chronicles life in Victorian Ayr from the late 1800s, and written by a Prestwickbased author, is being released next month.
It was the discovery of a scrapbook which held information about my greatgrandfather which I knew nothing about Carolyn O’Hara
Titled ‘ Oculeus: The Musings of a Liberal Victorian in Ayr,’ Carolyn O’Hara’s book is a fascinating glimpse into what life was like for her beloved great- grandfather, William G Wallace, the former editor of the Ayrshire Post.
Mr Wallace’s experiences of Victorian life in Ayr offer the reader a time- travel journey back to the social history of the area.
Many of the issues raised at the time by Mr Wallace, whose pseudonym was Oculeus, are issues which still affect us today – crime, inequality, poverty, health and the decisions of the council.
Even those perennial b u gb e a r s , p o t h o l e s and uneven kerb, were highlighted in some of William’s scribblings.
Writer Carolyn, 64, is originally from Ayr. She attended Belmont Academy before studying English at Strathclyde University. She then became an English teacher.
She’s also a freelance writer with a passion for social history and saw many of her
My mum Allison had the scrapbook Carolyn O’Hara
articles published. This is, however, her first published book.
Carolyn explained the inspiration for the book about her great grandfather.
She said: “It was the discovery of a scrapbook which held information about my great- grandfather which I knew nothing about.
“My mum Allison had the scrapbook in the family, it had been passed down to her, and I didn’t know it existed.
“I knew of a family connection to the Ayrshire Post but the finding of the scrapbook, which had all the information in front of me, was fascinating.
“I knew then that I had to write about it.”
The 140- page book provides the reader with searingly honest writings from William about the current affairs of the day.
And the book highlights his determination to hold authority to account.
In fact, his turn of phrase and sharp wit made his column the ‘ must- read’ for Victorian Ayrshire.
And Carolyn expertly puts the issues of the time into context to help explain the background to what drove William’s concerns.
His words, if penned in a certain way, could be like bullets to those in authority, such was his influence in Victorian Ayr.
Carolyn, 64, who is a member of Ayr Writers’ Club, discovered the family scrapbook about William seven years ago and the idea of a book grew from there. She said: “I have done all different kinds of writing but nothing long- form. This was the first thing that made me think ‘ this could be really good.’
“I have found Oculeus ( William Gilmour Wallace) a fascinating companion as I have journeyed through 1898.
“I have discovered many admirable attributes and I’m proud to know that an ancestor of mine played such a significant role in the town of my birth.”
Carolyn would like to thank the following people and organisations for their assistance and advice: her mum Allison, husband Ken and their two daughters; Tom Barclay, Ayr Writers’ Club, Michael J. Malone, Douglas Skelton, Gareth Powell, Carnegie Library, Ayr, South Ayrshire Council for archival access, Dane Love, AANHS, Ian Holland and Rob Close.
One mystery remains, though – and that is the identity of the family member who studiously collated and maintained the scrapbook since its inception in 1898, before it was passed down the generations.
Carolyn added: “I wish I knew. The only fact I can be fairly sure of is that I am probably related to that person because the writer those articles was my great - grandfather.”
An online book launch will take place on October 12.
To find out more to www.facebook.com/carolynpeaceohara/
Debut The Ayrshire Post from January 10 1890, the first edition in which Oculeus appeared and, left, Carolyn O’Hara with the new book