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 | Baird, John | | Boswell, Annabella Alexandrina Campbell Innes (1826-1914) of Garrallan | | Boswell, Patrick Charles Douglas of Garrallan | | Burley, Craig | | Burley, George | | Caldow, Eric | | Hardie, James Keir | | Hughes, Nan Hardie | | Latta, Sir John | | MacMillan, James | | McCowan, David | | McCowan, John | | McCowan, Sir David | | McIntosh, Lorraine | | McTurk, James Keir Hardie | | Menzies, Elsie | | Simson, William | | Smith, John | | Taylor, James | | Todd, Adam Brown | | Warrick, Rev. John |
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Snuff BoxesAround 1800, while repairing a snuff box, a local man called William CRAWFORD had the idea of an invisible wooden hinge and started a vogue for such snuff boxes. These became very popular and were manufactured in Cumnock and surrounding villages. The industry’s greatest prosperity was between 1820 and 1830 and for a time employed over 100 persons in Cumnock. The boxes were of plane or sycamore wood which was seasoned for 5-6 months before use. One set of workers made the boxes – a second set decorated them and a third group, mainly women and children varnished them. Boxmakers could earn a guinea (£1 1s) a week, scene-painters twice that and varnishers 12s. The high wages attracted young artists and three who afterwards rose to some fame worked as miniature painters in Cumnock :-
Daniel MACNEE who was later knighted and President of the Royal Scottish Academy
Horatio MCCULLOCH who was noted for his highland landscapes
William Leighton LEITCH – the noted water-colourist
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