This article is not a great oak but an article grown from snippets of conversation among friends. A bit like great oaks from acorns!
Betty Austin, daughter of a well-known Gordon family mentioned that she had been christened by the Rev. Ritchie of Gordon Parish Church on Hareburn Bridge.
This led to the revelation that there had been a sawmill, bothies and houses near that location on Lightfield Road....But not anymore!
The sawmill, belonging to Brownlee Timber Merchants of Earlston is believed to have been opened around 1941 and lasted ten years. As well as the sawmill, were stables bothies and two houses. Living in the houses were the Austin family, the Forbes, Jimmy Gold accordionist, then someone Harris and Jack Turnbull in the bothy. On the otherside of the road was Mr Forbes, (unrelated to the other Forbes family) gaffer of the mill, who later moved to the Purves Hall sawmill.
Those who lives of the Harefordburn were registered in Earlston and went to Earlston school, while those on the north, were registered in Gordon. Consequently the children from The Fans farm and the Austins went to Earlston. This arrangement did not suit either the Stewarts not the Austins to they were moved to Gordon school. The Stewarts were further from the school, so were driven to school. Sometimes the Austins had the luck of being given a lift to school with the Stewarts. In 1949 the Austin family moved into Gordon Village.
While at the sawmill Betty remembers sledging on the Kelso Road. Graham Stewart of The Fans has memories of the big iron machine with four cast iron wheels into which the wood was fed, to be sawn to required lengths.
It is believed a serious accident occurred involving operations at the sawmill but is not known what it was.
Eventually the sawmill was dismantled and moved to The Fans where the timber was carried to Earlston by horse-drawn waggons, then later by motor lorries.
There were a few sawmills dotted around. Over the hill was the Mellerstain Mill manned by the Redpath family of Gordon. Another existed at Purves Hall near Greenlaw. Timber was transported to Earlston. Latterly all the little sawmills closed and operations were centred in Earlston. The families from Gordon were the Austins and Redpaths. Happily there are still descendants in the village.
Authors Note:
This interesting information was sources from Betty Austin and Graham Stewart in conversation with others. Can you add to it?
This article was first published on page 10 in the April 2024 edition of The Gowk.