Other Employment

Other sources of employment included being in service to the local gentry or better off families. Given the size of the group in the photograph below they were probably employed at Castle Semple.

From left to right, Back row, 2nd is Jimmy Scouller

Middle row, 1st is Bob Currie (Wee Will Curry's Father), 3rd Agnes Scouller (Mrs Rutherfords mother), last in this row ??? Wylie

Front row John Weir's granny, Aggie Keanie, ??? Dodds (Factors for Calderhaugh, lived at Newton of Barr), Maggie Murdoch, ??? Dodds (Factors for Calderhaugh).

Smaller properties also employed help of various kinds. The photograph below shows two maids who worked at Macdonallie in the East End.

There was also significant employment on the land prior to mechanisation. The top image in the photograph below is of estate workers at Glenora. And of course this meant a lot of work for a smithy (second photograph). Most food was produced locally and sold locally. The third photograph is of James Spiers slaughter house workers. This was located off Calder Street, note the animal on the floor. Today most food is processed in some distant location subject to rigorous hygiene. And finally, even today a lot of villages will have their own barber / hairdresser.

The photograph of Gilmour's staff was taken prior to a staff night out at the Mossend (now known as the Boatyard) in 1970. Robert is on the left with Ian in the middle. The girl in the stripped dress is Joyce McNab and going right it is Unity, Robert & Ian's sister, then mum, Mary, and last but not least dad, John Gilmour. The other girls are all staff from the Paisley branch.

More recently Beechburn Engineering had a presence in the village. They utilised two locations, an office in Dan Morisons old garage at 4 Calder Street just up from the bank and a large engineering facility on the old railway sidings. The top left photograph in the montage below shows their engineering facility in June 1980 on the old railway sidings where Station Rise is now located. The remaining photographs were taken on October 1990 and shows the scale of engineering the company was capable off. The top right photograph was taken from the back bedroom of No. 7  John Gregor Place.