Picking heritage as topic for new book
Days at berries in focus
Blairgowrie and Rattray’s rich berry heritage is being highlighted with a small exhibition in the town’s bookshop, Adventure into Books.
Owners Kate Davies and Ralph Baillie have created the display as part of efforts to promote the recently published book ‘Going to the Berries - Voices of Perthshire and Angus Seasonal Workers’.
The book is part of the Flashbacks series published by the European Ethnological Research Centre and the School of Celtic and Scottish Studies at the University of
Edinburgh and was written by Dundeebased Roger Leitch.
Andrew Hodge contributed much of the source material used in compiling the book, including access to his grandfather’s archives – the front cover features an image taken from Gothens Farm at Meikleour in 1962 – and secured oral history contributors from the Blairgowrie area.
These included interviews with a number of local people including the late Douglas Davidson and Stanley Sim, the ironmonger from Alyth.
Mr Hodge said: “This book is a piece of proper research by respected ethnologist Roger Leitch who meticulously
interviewed and recorded a number of local contributors, and which has been carefully edited by Caroline Milligan.
“The book covers not just the berries but other seasonal work such as tattie howking, salmon netting and rabbit trapping, and provides commentary from local figures.
“The soft fruit industry in this area began to take off in the 1890s and was really flying by the early 1900s.
“It lasted almost 100 years but is pretty much gone now.
“Going to the berries or the tatties was a working holiday for many people who would use the money to buy school
uniforms, for example.
“Many people have fond memories of berry picking and still come from far and wide to visit the area and reminisce.”
Ralph said: “The stories are beautiful and have been written just the way people told them.
“I remember many of the expressions vividly from my own time at the berries and the tatties and as a schoolboy rabbit trapper.
“We were therefore delighted to be able to support the promotion of this wonderful record of the voices of seasonal workers in Perthshire and Angus.
“It was actually published just before
Christmas but the shop was then closed for the second lockdown.
“So when we were able to re-open we thought we would do something a bit different to highlight it, particularly as it is a record of such an important part of the town’s heritage.
“It is also a good time of year to do it as we are of course in berry season now.
“So we’re encouraging visitors to the shop to share their own memories of going to the berries or the tatties in a special guest book.”
• Do you have memories of going to the berries? Get in touch by emailing news@ blairgowrieadvertiser.co.uk