My father was a farmer in New Cumnock: The story of a Scottish farming family

Purchased for my father who was born in new Cumnock in 1929. He thoroughly enjoyed it, lots of places he knew mentioned and he learned about the story of the development of lots of the buildings he visited and passed daily. Brought back lots of memories of the local area. He was very pleased he got this book as a gift.

The author says that he had "threaded the social history of the area into the story and written it in the style of a novel so that it is not too dry." I regret I'd have preferred him just to have told the story of his ancestors and the social history straight, not surrounded by fiction. My paternal Great Grandfather left New Cumnock for England at least a year before the setting of the start of the book, whilst his father, uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters stayed in the area (the men as farmhands or miners) and the book is littered with farm and place names I knew from researching them. The book includes a basic map of the area; useful to a certain extent, but I found myself reaching for my OS Maps for more detail of where the fictional doctors ministered to their patients, and going to genealogy sites to find out which of the other characters (apart from the real Bairds and the “Laird”) were real or fictitious. However, the changing social history of mid-late 19thC lowland Scottish farming, increased mining, overcrowding, poverty, disease, poor water supply, lack of sanitation and effects of the railways are well-described.

I loved this book. The characters were so engaging and I was fascinated by the historical detail. Very cleverly constructed to interweave real family with fictional folk. An excellent read and I can’t wait to find out what happens to them next.

I’ve just finished reading this little gem. It’s a very specific, fictional but personal narrative about a farming family in Ayrshire during the last quarter of the 19th century. The author cleverly weaves the known and unknown history of his great grandparents using fictional characters such as the local doctor. I confess I’m one of the author’s cousins but not the Baird side. So I know that this work is the culmination of collected family stories, robust ancestry research, incorporating local, national and even international events during the time period. I look forward to reading the next book...

"My father was a farmer" takes us back to nineteenth century Scotland and episodes in a dairy farming community south of Glasgow. Iain Baird has used his genealogical research into his ancestors to achieve a good blend of fact and fiction based on real people and real events with some gaps filled by extra characters adding different perspectives. There is a framework of births, courting, marriages, meals, schooling, illnesses and deaths, but also examples of specific challenges such as finding and keeping the right staff especially a diarymaid able to make good Dunlop cheese, and major events in the community such as the ploughing contest and the elephant passing through the town. Technological improvements such as the mechanical milking machines were featured. Another thread was the growth of the British Empire, trans-Atlantic trade, cheap imports and the hope offered by the dominions where fortunes could be made.I was particularly struck by the never ending succession of bad weather and harsh winters over a quarter of century, and how people and their livestock were on a knife edge of survival with poor diet and endemic diseases taking a toll, especially in the rapidly growing mining community beginning to dominate the old farming town. There was little help from outside, and life could be brutal. The exclusion of disabled William from the family photo was a vivid illustration of attitudes in the period, something our own royal family also did with Prince John in the reign of George V. Keir Hardie's early years in Connel Park and Craigbank and other developments were well integrated too.Partly fictionalised accounts of family history inhabit many bookshelves but are almost always based on high profile figures such as royalty. Iain Baird's careful work on his own family and beyond helps to redress the balance. It is not only a good read in its own right, but could be an inspiration to others whose families have their own stories to record for present and future generations

I really liked this book. Based on Iain’s farming ancestors this gentle story hangs a fictional tale from family stories, facts and the innovations and politics of Victorian society in a working community at the time. History of real people, wonderful.

Bought as a present,she is very pleased with it,interesting read