Tran.ftirtions. 49 



repairing, to oinit or overlook whicli would be to do my subject 

 scant justice. 



Some sixty or seventy years ago sliip-building on a limited 

 scale was carried on at the Scaur, which, as many of you know, 

 is situated on ti)e estuary of the water of Urr, within a mile and 

 a half of its mouth. And about tlie period with which my paper 

 begins it attained considerable dimensions under Mr Henry 

 Gumming. To him the Scaur owed more than to any single 

 individual. At an early age Mr Gumming betook himself to 

 Whitehaven, and in the firm of Mr Bi-ocklebank he learned and 

 ma.stered the principles and practical work of ship-building. 

 From Whitehaven he went to America, where he designed and 

 built many vessels, one of them a ship of 700 or 800 tons, equal 

 in dimensions to any ship then afloat. From America he returned 

 to his native parish, and in company with his brother John com- 

 menced ship-building at the Scaur, and turned out brigs and 

 schooners of dimensions varying from 30 to 90 and 100 tons. On 

 his death his nephew James continued the ))usiness for a short 

 time. The last vessel turned out was the Balcary Lass in 1884. 

 She was 240 tons burden. She made two prosperous voyages, 

 but was lost in the third in a terrible gale off the coast of 

 Newfoundland. From that time ship-building at the Scaur 

 ceased, iron taking the place of wood in the construction of 

 vessels of all classes and sizes. Now all that is done at the Scaur 

 is the repairing of such wooden vessels as lay up to be refitted. 



Among the minor industries which were still carried on in 

 the parish fifty years ago was handloom weaving. At the time 

 when T came to the parish there were no fewer than six looms 

 kept in constant employment. Tiie thrifty farmers' wives of that 

 period never thought of baying blankets, either Scotch or English 

 for themselves, or for their daughters when they were about to 

 be married, and were expected to bring something with them for 

 the plenishing of their husbands' houses. Neither did the farmers, 

 their wives, or their daughters, in going about their ordinary 

 avocations, wear anything but cloth and drugget, the produce of 

 their own wool, and the outcome of their own industry. Fashion 

 had not yet looked in upon Colvend and turned tiie heads of the 

 young, and in a less degree of the old. Weaving then was in full 

 swing, and webs could hardly be turned out quick enough to 

 meet the demand. To prevent disappointment the loom had to 

 be bespoken weeks before the web was required. Now the 



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