Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald
August 9, 1901
A Venerable Saltcoats Lady Remembers Waterloo Celebrations and wreck of the Trelawney.
There is presently living at Hayocks farm in the parish of Stevenston. Mrs Cree, an interesting personage who has entered her 100th year. She was born in Kyleshill, Saltcoats, on 8th June 1801, a fact which is duly recorded in the old parish register of Stevenston, now stored in the Register House, Edinburgh. Her father, Robert McKillop was a nailer, now an extinct village industry.
He was also blacksmith to Auchenharvie. His smiddy was in Nineyard Street, occupying part of the sight on which at present stands the Mission Coast Home. His wife's name was Mary Bowie? For about 40 years the couple and their family lived in a house further along the street, on the opposite side, where some cottages stood on the ground now occupied by the Royal Bank. The proprietrix of those houses was Peggy Vickar, who was her own factor and was famed for the good for the good order in which she kept both tenants and property.
Mrs Cree's husband - James Cree - who is dead, was a boot and shoe maker in Saltcoats for many years. He was a prominent figure in a well remembered incident that led to the effigy of a townsman being burned. His shop was at one time in Bradshaw Street, and afterwards in Dockhead Street. He was highly respected elder of the Relief (now Trinity) Church. Mrs Cree can go back a long time when she speaks of Saltcoats as it was in her girlhood. Her memory is a perfect store house, relating to people and incidents of the olden times. How few there are alive today who can recall Waterloo! Yet Mrs Cree remembers the celebrations in honour of that remarkable battle in June 1815. She tells of the decorations and Illuminations of her native town, which were on an extensive scale as a means of the people permitted though they fell short of what may be seen on occasions of public rejoicing.
Four years later in January, 1819 she was eye-witness of the Trelawney disaster. The most heartrendering scene that ever occurred on this coast. The Trelawny was a Greenock ship bound for the West Indies, and the captain having to call at Irvine, brought his vessel to anchor in the bay, went? of Ardeer Iron Works. The morning was fine, but wind arose suddenly, and by noon a terrific gale was raging. From an attic window in Quay Street, where she was at the time a servant girl, Mrs Cree saw the vessel drifting on to the beach.
Afterwards from the shore she witnessed the heroic attempt by Saltcoats seamen - Heughan?, Wood, Hogarth and Farrow to rescue the crew. After getting seven aboard, the lamentable disaster occurred through the ill-directed zeal of those on shore, who, in their eagerness, pulled so vigorously on the communication-line that the boat was dragged under water and all were drowned. The crew who remained in the ship were recued next day.
Mrs Cree has remakable mental vigur, considering her age. Her interest is not by any means exclusively centred in the past for she converses freely on present-day topics, often brightening the conversation by some quaint or humours remark. When asked by the minister one day to dine at the manse, she demurred. The invitation was pressed, the minister adding that he would look upon it as an honour if she came. "Ah weel," she replied, "If that's an honour, there's a lots o' honour gaun." She attends devine service whenever possible, and it is no uncommon common thing for her at communion time to be present at all three services. On one occasion the weather tuned out wet, and the minister expressed a hope that she had suffered no ill consequences. " I as nain the waur, and nain offended at the rain," she replied; "It was nice." There was atouch of pathos in her reply to the question as to when here husband died-"I dinna ken the year, but he as lying in corp" the night the Tay Bridge fell!"
Not withstanding the weight of years, Mrs Cree is still erect in figure, moves freely about the house up and down the stairs, is able to read a good deal, and can do her own housework. In the latter connection a neighbour who lives below h iumorously complained that she could no get sleeping in in the morning because Mrs Cree rose so early. She has four sons and three daughters, and of these two sons and a daughter are alive. One of the sons is a highly repected minister of a church in North Carolina, America,who occupied the pulpit of Trinity Church, Saltcoats a summer ago when on holiday. The other son is a church officer in Walsend, Newcastle. The sketch is from a snap-shot taken by Miss Daisy Taylor outside a tent at afternoon tea in Trinity manor garden The sitter was arranging herself for the event, under the impression that it would be an elaborate affair, and was astonished when she was told that it was all done. It will be the heartfelt wish of Mrs Cree's friends that she may not only live to complete the century but have years of comfort added.
Penny Tray, posted on the passing of Mrs Cree at Newcastle-on-Tyne as reported in the Glasgow Herald.
Here. Interesting surname!
