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John Waugh, the Dumfriesshire Drover Whose Pocket-Books Survived

Two surviving pocket-books show how a Galloway drover bought, borrowed and drove thousands of cattle south in the early 1800s.

Who was John Waugh the drover?

John Waugh was born on 22 May 1789 at Dalswinton in Dumfriesshire, the estate of the improving laird Patrick Miller. His father farmed at Forrest Rigg in Kirkmahoe parish. By his twenties Waugh was buying cattle on credit and sending them south, a trade that moved Scottish beef toward English markets for generations.

Almost everything known about his business comes from a study of his pocket-books published by Regional Ethnology of Scotland. The books are unusual because drovers rarely wrote down their trade, and fewer of those records survive.

What cattle did a Dumfriesshire drover buy?

Waugh worked from Stewarton, a farm in Glencairn parish where cattle were fattened before droves set out from Dumfries. His animals were mostly Galloways, the hardy black cattle of the south-west, but he also bought Highland cattle, which he called Hillinders in his notes.

He bought mainly bullocks. The books show that Galloways generally fetched higher prices than Highland cattle, and bullocks more than heifers. That pattern tells a plain story: buyers in England paid for size and finish, and a drover who understood those differences earned his margin.

Where did the droves go?

Waugh bought Highland cattle at Falkirk and Doune and at other trysts. In October 1809 he bought 59 beasts at Falkirk for 275 pounds 13 shillings. In 1809 and again in 1812 he travelled to Sutherland, following drove routes through Glen Moriston and Glen Urquhart to gather stock.

Most droves then went south to English fairs, with St Faith's and Hempton Green named among them. One drove went north to Dornoch. Moving cattle on foot over long distances meant weeks of walking, grazing stops and fair days, and every stage ate into profit.

How big was the 1812 buying season?

The second pocket-book covers almost entirely 1812. In that year Waugh bought about 2,000 cattle, roughly 200 of them Highland, at a cost of more than 20,000 pounds, a sum the study compares with about 700,000 pounds in today's money. Prices that year ranged from 4 pounds to 12 pounds 5 shillings a head.

Waugh bought largely on credit, paying part in cash and part in bills, and the bills often made up the larger share. The study notes that Patrick Miller, a Bank of Scotland director, may have backed him, but it labels that a suggestion, not a proven fact.

The Key to Waugh's Success

Waugh's record shows a trader who kept careful accounts and moved fast between Highland tryst and English fair. The pocket-books also show the risk he carried, which was as large as the opportunity.

If you want to see how droving fits into the wider story of beef, farm.FM runs a ranching section with profiles and history, and one reader favorite is a farm.FM story on cattle drives.

  • He recorded purchases in pocket-books, with dates, numbers and prices.
  • He sourced from two regions, Galloway country and the Highlands, to fill droves.
  • He read price differences between Galloways and Highland cattle, and between bullocks and heifers.
  • He used credit and bills of exchange to buy at scale, which magnified both profit and exposure.
  • He used family labor on the farm, with relatives and servants named in the books.

What happened to John Waugh?

The census entries cited in the study show Waugh listed as a farmer at Forrest Rigg in 1841 and as a labourer at Forest Rig cottage in 1851, both in Kirkmahoe parish. That drop in status suggests the farming and droving years had ended. He emigrated with his family to Canada, arriving in 1851, and died in the London district of Canada West in 1857.

The pocket-books crossed the Atlantic with him, possibly because of unsettled debts, though the study says this is not certain. His children's birth dates are noted in the books: Grace Clark in 1815, Mary Morin in 1823, Thomas in 1825 and William in 1828.

Where are the pocket-books now?

The first pocket-book is mostly from 1809, with later entries from 1827, 1832 and 1850. The second is almost entirely from 1812. They are owned by a descendant in Ontario, and a relative transcribed them, which is why historians can read them today.

For anyone studying Scottish droving, they are a ledger of real prices, places and credit terms, written by the man who did the buying. Because the evidence for this profile rests on a single detailed study, treat the figures as that study's reading of the books.

Timeline

  1. 1789Born at Dalswinton, Dumfriesshire
  2. 1809Buys Highland cattle at Falkirk, including 59 beasts in October; travels to Sutherland
  3. 1812Buys about 2,000 cattle costing over 20,000 pounds; second Sutherland trip
  4. 1841Census lists him as a farmer at Forrest Rigg
  5. 1851Census lists him as a labourer; emigrates with his family to Canada
  6. 1857Dies in the London district of Canada West

Frequently asked questions

Who was John Waugh?

John Waugh (1789-1857) was a Dumfriesshire drover who bought Galloway and Highland cattle and sent droves to English fairs. Two of his pocket-books survive and describe his trade.

How many cattle did John Waugh buy in 1812?

His 1812 pocket-book records about 2,000 cattle, roughly 200 of them Highland, bought for more than 20,000 pounds, at prices from 4 pounds to 12 pounds 5 shillings a head.

Where did Dumfriesshire drovers take cattle?

Waugh's droves mostly went south to English fairs such as St Faith's and Hempton Green. He bought Highland stock at Falkirk and Doune, and one drove went north to Dornoch.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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