Hello,
I’ve updated the info surrounding the tray presented to Mary, adding in that her neices and nephews took food to Charlie the Hermit, and I’ve added in details of where Meg Law taught. Both points I think are of local interest to Portknockie, so it’d be great if the page can be updated as follows, with the passage below replacing the current passage:
Hello,
I recently inherited this beautiful silver plated tray, presented to Miss Mary Anne Smith in 1922 – she was the infant mistress at Portknockie Public School for 42 years!
Mary Anne was the daughter of Elizabeth (Betsy) and William Smith, from Kinellar.
Mary’s sister was Margaret (Maggie) Smith.
Maggie married George Law and had several children whilst living and working at Barnyards of Findlater, Cullen, overlooking Findlater Castle (their children played at the cliff side ruins, not knowing it was a castle. They also brought food to Charlie the Hermit). One of these children was Agnes (Meg) Law, she married George Russell of Insch.
My dad, Dr George Russell, was Meg and George’s eldest son.
The teaching gene…
Mary Ann – infant mistress at Portknockie Public School for 42 years
Agnes (Meg) Law – primary teacher in Brodiesord Public School (Cornhill, Fordyce, Banffshire) until 1935 (Meg’s sister, Elizabeth Law, was headmistress at the same school, both of them living and working there together).
Dr George Russell – lecturing was a large part of his medical career, both in Aberdeen and occasionally in the Middle East.
Fiona (Fi) Russell – I taught plant-based living to both primary and secondary children in Edinburgh, and I home educated my two children!
