Topic: Creativity

My mother “Vada” (d’Archy) Johnston was always very clever with her hands. A stay-at-home mother like most of her contemporaries, she was always knitting, crocheting or sewing something. She used to make all her own and my dresses. When my brother and I were young she went to a number of evening classes where among other things she learned to make lampshades and artificial flowers – some of the latter she then sold to a local dressmaker; they were beautiful and very realistic. I was fascinated by the process and loved watching her – she had a little bag full of sand and tools which were heated in the flame of a spirit lamp. Stamens, etc were purchased. Other tools of her trade were reels of fine wire, tiny wire clippers and scissors, and special fabric glue. Sadly I do not have any examples of her work.

It ran in the family. Her English-born mother Lily (Hunt) d’Archy did much embroidery but I think some of it was simply repairs – including to damask napkins, which I still have. Her sister my Aunt Betty d’Archy made my christening gown – ultra-fine muslim with lots of lace and tiny satin bows. It is shortly to be worn by my Great Niece .. the 6th wearer and 3rd generation.

Topic: Nickname

Like most other late 19th Century families in England and Australia at least, my Darchy family delighted in never using a person’s full first name. It was usually just shortened – William became “Bill”, Frances became “Frank” etc, or the middle name was used – Edith Lillian was always “Lily” and her daughters Lillian Vada and Nancy Elizabeth were always “Vada” and “Betty”. Clara Cecille was “Clare” and George Thomas Darchy was always “Tim” possibly because there were several other Thomases variously known as “Tom” and “Dick”.

A few had more unique nicknames – Frances Clare Darchy was always known as “Aunt Jig” because when young she could never stay still. Her nephew FritzEdward Wreford Darchy was “Reefer” while another nephew also FritzEdward was “Son” or “Ted”.

My English mother -in-law’s father also came from a nickname-addicted family of ten. Adeline Maud Attrill was “Add”, Mabel Florence Attrill was “Mae” , Edith Emma Attrill was “Ede”, Sydney Claude was “Sid”. Not really unique nicknames but easy to trip off the tongue in a hurry!

I was always just plain “Nan”, even at school where there were some quite creative names, especially among the boarders. It wasn’t until I had left home and all the people who knew me that I became Nancy. When I started writing family stories I always used my middle name Vada as well, to distinguish me from countless other Nancys, not just within the family but out in the big wide world.

Topic: Taking Care of Business.

My GG Uncle Charles Johnston 1854-1933 was born in Airth, Stirlingshire. He was just two years old when he emigrated to Tasmania with his parents on the ‘Storm Cloud’.

He grew up in Launceston, Tasmania but must have moved to Sydney about six years before marrying Charlotte Jane Newsom, daughter of William and Ann Elizabeth Newsom, in 1891 when he was 37. They had one son born in 1894.

Charles was a draper rather than a carpenter, the latter being both his father’s and his son’s occupation. His father later became a Librarian, but that didn’t rub off on Charles either.

Charles had a small haberdashery shop in Falcon Street Crows Nest, North Sydney, only 100 yards from a major shopping centre and road junction . Charles’ cousin Walter Louis Huxtable was to say two decades later that Charles’ shop was “100 yards from a fortune”. Five roads converged at the junction and in the middle was a tram centre for trams from all parts of Sydney, then a burgeoning city. Nevertheless the business continued for many years, until Charles retired about 1920. He died aged 79. It is not known if Charlotte assisted her husband in the business.

Topic for Week 18: Love and Marriage.

Topic for Week 19: Preserve.

I have now missed two deadlines, but looking back I did cover the Week 18 topic last year in Week 34, writing about English schoolteachers Syd Attrill from Plumstead, Kent and Flo Brown, a miner’s daughter from Wingate, County Durham.

The Week 19 topic I covered in Week 49 last year, writing about my maternal Grandmother Lily Hunt and her recipe book – which although not specifically mentioned, is full of recipes for preserves.

Topic: War.

My Great Great Grand Uncle John Lyle, eldest son of Scottish weaver and/or farmer Robert Lyle (1768-1793) and Mary Cochrane (1765-1797) was born in Paisley on Feb 24 1789. He was to die of yellow fever in Uppark Military Camp, Jamaica on June 16, 1822, aged 33 and at that time a Colour Sergeant with the 91st Regiment of Foot.

The records of the 91st in the British National Archives are very informative. I know just how tall John was and the colour of his eyes, how much he was paid and whether he was well behaved or not!

John fought in the Peninsular Wars then after a short time ‘home’ was away again fighting in the Pyrenees. He had a wife and 3 children; it is not known if his wife and family followed the Regiment or stayed at home.

John fought at Waterloo – and survived. Between 1815 and 1818 the 91st remained in France as part of the Allied Occupation Army under Wellington. John’s last child, a daughter, was born in Valenciennes in 1818.

After about two years in Ireland, the Regiment received orders for Jamaica. The records show that John disembarked from the “Brilliant” on February 16th, 1822 – and died on June 17th. A note on his record says he left three orphan children in the care of the Regiment. (I have not been able to trace the children further.)

The book “Sharp’s Waterloo” by Bernard Cornwell, although fictious, gives a graphic picture of conditions existing in a regiment such as the 91st, and the life of a foot soldier and also his wife.

Topic: Step.

Scottish Country Dancing has three main categories – reels, jigs and strathspeys. “A typical Scottish Country Dance consists of a series of formations that are arranged in a different sequence for each dance, hence, having mastered the basic steps and some of the formations, a Scottish Country Dancer should be able to participate happily and easily wherever there is Country Dancing.” (Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, RSCDS).

There are more than 15,000 documented Scottish country dances, recorded in ‘Dance Cribs’ in a standard terminology and more recently in a special notation as well. As an example, below is one of my favourite dances – Miss Johnstone of Ardrossan (I actually was a Miss Johnston – but of Sydney, Australia).

No matter which country you happen to be in, the dance will be done in exactly the same way. So, here near the bottom of the world in New Zealand, twice a week my husband and I may be doing exactly the same dance as a couple on the other side of the world, and at exactly the same time (or at least on the same day).

MISS JOHNSTONE OF ARDROSSAN (R5x32) 5C set Roy Goldring 14 Social Dances.(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)

1- 8 1s set and cast 1 place, 1s followed by 3s dance up and cast – 1s to 3rd place and 3s to 2nd place.

9-16 1s cross down and dance reflection reels of 3 with 4s+5s on opposite sides – 1s end in 3rd place opposite sides


17-24 1s cross up and dance reflection reels of 3 on own sides with 2s+3s – 1s ending in 3rd place own sides


25-32 1s set and cast down 1 place, 1s followed by 5s dance up between 4s and cast – 1s to 5th place and 5s to 4th place.