Boisterous Frolics in Yetholm

Last month's blog was about the Yetholm jagger, in particular the fine example that was given to YHS by the family of Jim Dodds and which was made by Archibald Gladstone for the coronation of King Charles Faa Blythe in 1898. Sadly, although we have lots of photographs of the event, none of them show the king carrying his customised jagger.
   Jim brought the jagger along to the society in March 1995. He explained to the meeting that 'one of the uses of such jaggers was in the smuggling trade. The smuggler would carry the illicit whisky in a bladder concealed around his waist. If he found himself hard pressed by pursuing excisemen, the barbed point of the jagger was very effective in puncturing the bladder; this not only disposed of the evidence but also enabled the smuggler to run faster. In other circumstances a jagger would be employed as a deterent weapon.' Jim may have got this information from Charlie Douglas, who can be heard explaining all about smuggling using bladders in a recording made in 1956 - click HERE (1)
   The jagger was actually presented to the society by Jim's widow Eleanor, who gave the jagger along with a note: 'The Yetholm jagger was used to see off vagrants from the village. This was done to prevent additional burden to the parish when looking after the poor'. This seems to be a somewhat spruced-up version of the tale Jim would tell that the jagger was used to chase away folks coming from 'Royal' Kirk Yetholm, to prevent them lowering the tone of the more up-market Town Yetholm - somewhat ironic in that our jagger was made for the last gipsy coronation!
    Jim, in his 1995 talk to YHS described the jagger as 'resembling a small harpoon', which it does, but it seems more likely, given that we are quite a few miles from the sea, that the implement known as a jagger began as a goad. David Hey in his book Family Names and Family History (1995) says that the surname 'Jagger' originates in the fact that 'a jagger was a man in charge of packhorses which carried heavy loads. The surname was recorded in Derbyshire in 1306 and 1318 in places where it is likely that lead ore was the load that was carried.' Clearly such a tool could easily be used as an offensive weapon, but is there any evidence that jaggers were ever used in anger in Yetholm?
   The newspaper cutting shown above (from the Jedburgh Gazette, Saturday 12th October 1895) refers to the 'cruelties of "the jagger"' in Yetholm. The full article can be read HERE. The writer makes it sound like Yetholm was situated in the Wild West, where 'Terror reigns when night sets in', but what exactly had happened is never made clear. In fact, the writer seems to be referring to a case brought before the magisrates the week previously when the village constable tried to arrest an unnamed person and was surrounded by a crowd of his friends shouting 'Kick Him!', 'Haud him!' 'Fight him!'. Wiliam Turnbull was later arrested for assaulting P.C. Pringle - but, despite the reference to 'the cruelties of the jagger' mentioned above, it turns out he was simply kicked on the leg - see the full text below, left. Not the sort of thing that goes on today in sleepy Yetholm!
   The only evidence of someone actually being 'jagged' in Yetholm comes from a few years earlier - see the cutting below right. In this case James Frater was attacked by his son and other relatives, who 'jagged him in the legs and rugged his hair and shook him.'  James gives a somewhat confused acoount of the assault, describing it as a 'frolic', but adding 'they pretended they were taking you home, and when they got you down, they put a muckle pin into your legs.' Another example of 'the delirium of debasing excesses' in Yetholm? Maybe not - once again drink seems to have been involved, but the drunkard in this case seems to have been James himself, whose family were clearly fed up of him returning home sozzled. Note that in this case, contrary to the tales told by Jim Dodds, the boozing took place in Town-, not Kirk Yetholm! The judge seems to have agreed that is was a case of (rather rough) justice - 'he thought the real intention was to help the old man home. He found the charge not proved.'

Jedburgh Gazette, 5th October 1895.

Jedburgh Gazette, 28th May 1892.

(1) For more about these recordings of Charlie Douglas see an ealier blog HERE. Much more about gin and whisky smuggling in Yetholm can be found in The Song of the Smugglers by Graeme Watson - more info HERE.