The diaries of Joanna Hutchison -- Bill Kirton

I want to share an experience of no apparent import which has, nonetheless, proved to have a lot of personal significance.

Many years ago, in a junk/antiques shop in Edinburgh, I bought a bundle of twelve old notebooks. They were some of the personal diaries of a lady called Joanna Hutchison, kept meticulously by her over the years from 1889 to 1921.

I was fascinated to get to know whatever they revealed about the writer, so I learned to decipher her tiny writing and read through each one. It took several weeks and the personality they revealed left me with an even greater curiosity about her. Since then, they have sat undisturbed on the top shelf of one of my bookcases.

Then, some weeks ago, a chance reference during a regular weekly online meeting with my five siblings reminded me of the diaries and, knowing the impressive research skills of my youngest sister, Lesley Taylor, I asked whether she could shed any further light on the mystery of Ms Hutchison, of whom I had only the following details:

 ·        The earliest volume is for 1889, (inside which she’s written ‘Joanna Hutchison, 3 Eton Terrace, Edinburgh’).

 ·         On the first page, there are the titles of several books as well as a few addresses, (presumably of friends/acquaintances) and this  quote from Omar Khayyam:

I sent my Soul through the Invisible,
Some letter of that After-life to spell:
And by and by my Soul return'd to me,
And answer'd: “I Myself am Heav'n and Hell”.

·         The other diaries are from: 1894, 1895 (on the opening page of which she’s written: ‘Joanna Hutchison, Southerton, Kirkcaldy’), 1899, 1903 (in which she’s written ‘Wm. A Key, Southampton’), 1912, 1914 (in which ‘Joanna Hutchison, Southerton’ is written on the first page), 1915, 1920 and 1921. 

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My sister’s astonishingly rapid reply was:

In the 1891 census Joanna Hutchison was 49 and lived at Southerton with Jessie Hutchison, a widow who, for some reason, was listed as her step-mother. When she died she left £3,390.19s.3d to Joanna.

Jessie’s husband, and Joanna’s father, was Robert Hutchison who was a Corn Merchant & Farmer with 295 acres Arable, employing 7 men, 3 boys and 9 women. He died in 1883 leaving £48,945.12s.7d to 3 people plus his 2 sons (Alexander and Henry William Hutchison) and his son-in-law.

In 1861 he lived in Braehead House Kirkcaldy and was listed as a ‘Landed Proprietor, Farmer’. Alexander, his son was married to Margaret M Key in 1872.

 

Braehead House

In 1871 they were still in Braehead House with their 6 children:

Alexander B 1838,
Joanna B 1842
Mary C  B 1844
Henry W B 1849
Emma L  B 1852
Isabella B 1845 who was married to Reynolds A Nicholson and had 2 children

They had 3 servants and a nurse.

In 1881 they were still at Braehead House – Robert, Jessie, their daughters Joanna and Emma (who was also a spinster).

They had 2 servants.

 

In 1891 – Robert had died and Jessie and Joanna had moved to Southerton and lived with Jessie’s niece Janet Russell (41) and 2 servants.

Southerton House

In 1901 Joanna lived at Southerton House but was not head of the household – that was George Sinclair – in fact there was no entry regarding her relationship to the head.

I can find nothing on her in the 1911 census so don’t know what happened to her from there – she may have moved to 3 Eton Terrace but it is a listed building designed by John Tait probably in the mid to late 19th Century.

Joanna died as a spinster on 2 May 1924 and she is buried in Kirkcaldy Old Kirk Churchyard. Her estate went to her nephew John Key Hutchison Maltster and Corn Merchant – the total was £4,633.19s.1d.

Joanna’s brother Alexander inherited Braehead House and his son John Key Hutchison  (1875) inherited Joanna’s estate.

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My intention had been perhaps to locate any surviving members of Joanna’s family and offer the diaries to them. My sister’s thorough portrait of her, however, has made her more precious and even more ‘real’ to me and, although I probably will relinquish the books, it will be very hard.

Footnote 1: One entry of particular interest is surprisingly short. On Tuesday June 16th, 1912 it notes that “The ‘Titanic’ White Star liner struck an ice-berg and sank! nearly 3000 on board! over 1600 drowned! her final voyage.”

Footnote 2: I've no idea who 'R.P.' is but the last note inside the back cover of the 1906 diary reads 'R.P. says England will be invaded by the Germans in 5 years. 1911.'