Be sure and secure a copy of “The Cartland Quotations Book”

In an article on 08 July, 1916, the Carluke and Lanark Gazette urged all its readers to “Be sure and secure a copy of “The Cartland Quotation Book“. Few people today have ever heard of it, and copies of it are now very scarce, but this humble little 62 page booklet, published in 1916, is a wonderful example of how a local community sought to raise funds and boost morale during the dark days of 1916, when the Great War was not going at all well for Britain. It comprises short quotes sent in by Lanarkians, and those from surrounding towns and villages, as well as photographs of local scenes and of individuals who went off to fight. It was issued by the workforce of James Brown & Co, Cartland Works, Lanark, who were manufacturers of High Class Hosiery products

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The MacAuslan Family

This family was to play an important part in the story of this booklet. Peter MacAuslan Snr, pictured right, was originally from Whitburn. He entered the Hosiery trade as a young man before moving to Lanark and becoming Managing Director of the Cartland Works. He then bought the Hosiery Mill off St Leonard Street, to found the firm of Peter MacAuslan & Co. He was also very active in the life of the town, becoming Lord Cornet in 1913, as well as serving on the Town Council, including a spell as Provost, and sitting as an Honorary Sheriff. During the war he lost one of sons, William, who was killed in action, September 1915, near Ypres. He was only 17 years old.

Another son of Peter MacAuslan Sr. who fought in the war was Capt Peter Thompson MacAuslan. pictured left, in the section of the booklet reserved for photographs of serving soldiers, and called the “Roll of Honour“. Three years older than his brother, William, Peter was a career soldier, enlisting in the Highland Light Infantry, rising to the rank of Captain. He was to survive the war, despite being seriously wounded by shellfire whilst leading his men in an attack on enemy positons on the Western Front. After the war, he took an axtive part in a number of events of commeration and rememberance, including being in the Guard of Honour at the cermonial opning of the Memorial Hall in Lanark in 1926. In the midst of the conflict itself, he was able to take time out to get married, an event described below in the Hamilton Advertiser, April 1916

The Quotations

The bulk of the booklet is taken up by the quotes from the workforce. Some are simply from well known writers, eg Robert Burns, William Wordsworth etc, others are made up by the person themselves, and vary from the frivolous to the more serious, many are extremely patriotic, some others less so. The contributors give details of which town or village they are from, many give their full names, but others just their initials. It would be fascinating to know if anyone can identify, or give any information about them. Some example pages are given below





This little booklet was successful in its aim of raising funds, and in an article in the Hamilton Advertiser, in August 1916, the then Provost Paton of Lanark thanked Peter MacAuslan Snr and the staff of Messr. J. Brown & Co for their efforts. Over a hundred years later, it is still well worth looking at, both as an excellent example of the fundraising activities civilian communities across Britain were underrtaking, and for giving us a fascinating insight into what Lanarkians, in their own words, felt about the First World War