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Notes: East of Scotland Beekeepers
5th October 2009
Talk titled 'Out of Africa the Moir Library'. By Mrs Una Robertson
The Moir Library had its beginnings with two brothers who had been inspired by David Livingston, who was a doctor, to go to Africa. Fred and John went in 1878 with a mind to set up Christian trading that the natives could trust. They established an inland trading route from Kenya to Mozambique, selling and buying ivory, rubber, tobacco and coffee. They along with Fred's wife Jane walked fifteen miles each day and rested on Sunday. The natives were impressed by the strength of the woman; she wrote letters to her daughter back home and there we learn that they constructed a steamer from a kit to travel up the lakes. They were very brave warring for twelve years against the Arab slave traders. John then settled for a time and started farming his interest in bees grew as the farm needed the pollination.
When John returned to Edinburgh he was involved with the start of the Scottish Bee-keepers that we know today. He started a library in his own home for all to come use. The first year he bought 34 books and 96 in the second year and so the library grew, John spending more than the £10 a year that the Scottish Bee-keepers' gave him, indeed the some of the books were very valuable and old. The legacy he left us is access to a wealth of information of the progress of keeping bees in skepts to the making of wooden hives, the Gedde's and Stewarton hive. Some books date back to the 16th century. Shortly before his death John Moir gifted the library to the Public Library in Edinburgh, today it's housed in the basement of the National Library and anyone with a library ticket can go in an choose a book.
Una told us a delightful story of the move of the library to the National Library in 1994, the Scottish bee-keepers were arranging a long loan of 50 years and would any of John's offspring object? She went to the records office and they said to her many people usually go back not forward to look for relatives. She had all the religions to look through and didn't find anything. At home her husband said what about the schools the 'old boy network'? In five minutes he had found a surviving son called Father John from the Greek Orthodox Church. John gave his approval and attended the handing over ceremony.
Today little is spent on the library as books are gifted or bequeathed. There is a large collection of periodicals or monthly magazines from all over the world in many languages. The books that are duplicated are put into boxes of 10 to 15 and sent at the council meeting to the associations in Scotland. You can request a book for a month on the telephone and it will be posted to you as along as you are willing to pay the return postage.
Una showed us some of the drawings and photos from some of the books and described the benefits of the wooden hive above the skepts that many people used in the 19th century. Pictures of bee-boles common in Angus, in walls of churches and gardens to protect the bees from severe weather. She finished up with a magnificent picture of Fred Moir in his African clothes and huge beard looking every inch the explorer.
Happy from a well delivered talk, we had tea and chatted to the new and interested persons that had come for the first time.
Moir Library is housed at Fountainbridge Library, Dundee Street, Edinburgh.
Talk titled 'Out of Africa the Moir Library'. By Mrs Una Robertson
The Moir Library had its beginnings with two brothers who had been inspired by David Livingston, who was a doctor, to go to Africa. Fred and John went in 1878 with a mind to set up Christian trading that the natives could trust. They established an inland trading route from Kenya to Mozambique, selling and buying ivory, rubber, tobacco and coffee. They along with Fred's wife Jane walked fifteen miles each day and rested on Sunday. The natives were impressed by the strength of the woman; she wrote letters to her daughter back home and there we learn that they constructed a steamer from a kit to travel up the lakes. They were very brave warring for twelve years against the Arab slave traders. John then settled for a time and started farming his interest in bees grew as the farm needed the pollination.
When John returned to Edinburgh he was involved with the start of the Scottish Bee-keepers that we know today. He started a library in his own home for all to come use. The first year he bought 34 books and 96 in the second year and so the library grew, John spending more than the £10 a year that the Scottish Bee-keepers' gave him, indeed the some of the books were very valuable and old. The legacy he left us is access to a wealth of information of the progress of keeping bees in skepts to the making of wooden hives, the Gedde's and Stewarton hive. Some books date back to the 16th century. Shortly before his death John Moir gifted the library to the Public Library in Edinburgh, today it's housed in the basement of the National Library and anyone with a library ticket can go in an choose a book.
Una told us a delightful story of the move of the library to the National Library in 1994, the Scottish bee-keepers were arranging a long loan of 50 years and would any of John's offspring object? She went to the records office and they said to her many people usually go back not forward to look for relatives. She had all the religions to look through and didn't find anything. At home her husband said what about the schools the 'old boy network'? In five minutes he had found a surviving son called Father John from the Greek Orthodox Church. John gave his approval and attended the handing over ceremony.
Today little is spent on the library as books are gifted or bequeathed. There is a large collection of periodicals or monthly magazines from all over the world in many languages. The books that are duplicated are put into boxes of 10 to 15 and sent at the council meeting to the associations in Scotland. You can request a book for a month on the telephone and it will be posted to you as along as you are willing to pay the return postage.
Una showed us some of the drawings and photos from some of the books and described the benefits of the wooden hive above the skepts that many people used in the 19th century. Pictures of bee-boles common in Angus, in walls of churches and gardens to protect the bees from severe weather. She finished up with a magnificent picture of Fred Moir in his African clothes and huge beard looking every inch the explorer.
Happy from a well delivered talk, we had tea and chatted to the new and interested persons that had come for the first time.
Moir Library is housed at Fountainbridge Library, Dundee Street, Edinburgh.