The Baker, or Baxter, Trade as it was originally known, has always been first
in the order of precedence of the Crafts. There is no record of why this is so,
but surely producing ‘the staff of life’ their place would be virtually
automatic. Bearing in mind that all the Masters were working bakers it was
probably also the largest of the Crafts. However it is also well worth noting
that the crest of the Dundee Baker’s is almost identical to that of the
Worshipfull Company of Bakers of London.
The Baker Lockit Book was opened in 1554, but the true history goes back well
beyond this date and there may well have been an earlier book, long since lost.
The fact that some 52 names were listed as Bakers on the first page gives
testimony to this. Some names representing well known Dundee families appear
even then. The earliest notice in public records of the Dundee Bakers is in 1364
and refers to the purchase of bread for the Kings household. Several times that
year King David II had bread sent to him from Dundee and the names of Richard
Norhame and Henry Leyis were the Bakers mentioned. Robert II also had wheaten
bread baked for him in the town in 1373.
As far back as the 1200s the king, through his Chamberlain Court, controlled the
quality and price of the bread. It was not unknown for a handful of sawdust to
find its way into the mix, and of course the quality of the wheat as well as the
weight of the loaf was carefully examined. This duty was firmly in the control
of the Burgh council, and they used their authority vigorously. Bread was indeed
the staple diet. Loaves were bought by the dozen and it is because of the severe
penalties handed down if a loaf was not up to the proper weight that we find the
beginnings of the ‘baker’s dozen’.
The price of a loaf was supposed to vary year by year, depending on the harvest
and the price of wheat. This was a constant cause of controversy between the
Council and the Bakers. The Council felt that it was their duty to keep the
price of bread as low as possible, regardless of whether the Bakers made a
living or not. Indeed on two occasions the Bakers threatened to stop baking
until the price was adjusted.
On the first occasion in 1561, the magistrates had been very oppressive in their
dealings with the Craft. Matters got so bad that the Bakers could not support
themselves and their families. They eventually took the matter to the Secret
(Privy) Council and Mary Queen of Scots delivered a judgement in their favour.
This may have worked the first time, but when they tried the same thing some
years later, the council threatened to ‘ward’ them (put them in jail) and they
quickly capitulated and apologised. Bread was too important to be used as a
weapon.
Although Acts of Parliament and the Crown had always demanded that Trades and
Guilds care for their “decayed and poor brethren”, the Bakers, in 1573, were the
first to formally open a fund for that purpose. The craftsmen paid for this
weekly, and the payment was described as “St. Cuthbert’s Pennies Pennies”. This
money was directed to the poor. It ordained that every baking day worked, a
Baker would pay three pence to the fund and if he did not bake in any week he
would still pay one penny.
Fines were levied for misdemeanours, as with all the Crafts. However the Bakers
had better reasoning than most. In 1578 Servants were forbidden to wear a
“quhinger” (small sword or long dagger), in the bakehouse. They would be
punished ten shillings for the first fault and twenty for the second. Half this
money went to the maintenance of the Cross Kirk and the other half to the Craft.
If it happened three times the offender would be banished from the bake-house.
However if they actually drew their quhinger out of malice, they were sent to
the Magistrates for punishment.
Outbreaks of plague were regular in the Burgh and it is recorded in 1585 that
the election of Deacon David Tendell could not be recorded because the Masters
could not meet due to the plague.
Bakers sold their bread from “buiths” in the market, which were open fronted.
However the Bakers got into the habit of not displaying their goods, but keeping
them out of sight, which caused apparent scarcity and enabled them to evade the
laws regarding weight. The council prohibited this and declared that all Baxters
having bread to sell “sall furth hing their cavies (open shelves) before their
doors in sign and packin that bread is there to be had and wha sall be fund
having bread to sell and his cavie unhung furth with bread…until his bread be
done…sall pay for the first fault forty shillings and for the second and third
fault sall be punishet as them that diminishes the pais (peace)”.
Many famous people were Masters of the Baker Trade over the years. As early as
1557 Thomas Ramsay “mayster of ye Schole and Maister Patrick Galloway, minister
of Forgeune and Fowllis sones of Maysters of ye Craft”, were admitted. Patrick
Galloway, a Master of the Craft was Chaplain to James VI, and his son attained
the title Lord Dunkeld. Another was William Drummond, in whose house the last
Earl of Gowrie was captured.
Perhaps the most famous of the Honorary Masters was Winston Churchill when he
was MP for Dundee in 1909. Other Honorary members included the Earls of
Strathmore (1740, 1750, 1874, 1905), The Duke of Athol (1778), Graham of Fintry
(1628,1732,1790), The Earl of Airlie and the Earl of Dundee (1955), Baron Lyell
of Kinnordy (1873), George Dempster of Dunnichen, MP for Dundee, (1761),
Provosts Alex. Riddoch and Patrick Maxwell (1789), Viscount Duncan of Camperdown
(1798, 1820), Sir David Baxter (1860) and L. E. Luscombe, Bishop of Brechin
(1984).
There are a number of memorials in the “Howff”, the old Town burial ground in
Meadowside, which was granted to the town by Mary Queen of Scots.
Members of the Tindal family were buried there in 1591,1600 and 1694. They were
the principal bakers in Dundee for upwards of 200 years and Tindalls Wynd takes
its name from their premises there. John Baxter and Helen Seyton, his wife,
1609, have the arms of Baxter and Seyton on their gravestone, with the
inscription “Ve live to die, and deiss to live forever”.
There is the covering stone of a sarcophagus erected to John Lawson, Junior, and
Christian Mitchell, his wife dated 1636. On it are effigies of Justice, Life,
Faith and Hope. The arms of the Lawsons and Mitchells marshalled at one end and
Bakers utensils at the other.
Gilbert Auchinleck, Deacon of the Bakers who died in 1641 had the marshalled
arms of Auchinleck, a family who had Masters in many of the Trades.
In 1544, at a time when one of the many plagues was ravishing the town and
George Wishart was preaching from the East Port, “The Council he grantit and
given to George Spalding, son and heir of the umquhile William Spalding, three
burgessis for certain meal distribut be umquhile William to the puir folks in
the year of ‘45 in time of grite pest”. David Hume was born at Errol in 1813. He
worked with Mr McEwan in Perth, went to London and came to Dundee where he
opened a shop in the Wellgate, later in Nethergate and Castle Street. He devoted
himself entirely to making ships´ biscuits. During the Crimea War he made
biscuits for both the British and French navies, and for efficiency erected a
building in Exchange Street. His production eventually was in the order of 30-40
tons per week.
In more recent times William Harris was a Baker in the Scouringburn and Harris’s
Close in the Nethergate. The whole Harris family were involved in the Trade.
When William Harris senior died, his son, also William, left Grammar School to
train as a baker with his uncle Roderick. William junior worked in London for
some years. On returning to Dundee he became a successful Miller and Corn
Merchant. He served on the Town Council for many years and when the School Board
tried to take over the High School, he donated £10,000 to them to build Harris
Academy and £20,000 to the High School in order to keep it independent. He died
in 1883 aged 77, and shortly afterwards his sister gave £16,000 to the High
School to build the present Girls School.
David Paterson entered the craft in 1790 at the age of 23 and is described as
“lately from London”, presumably where he developed his Craft. The Patersons
were Bakers in Fish Street, now demolished to make way for Whitehall Street.
David’s daughter Elizabeth married Andrew Goodfellow and a dynasty was born.
Over the years the family have had premises at 97 High Street, Lochee, 147 High
Street, Lochee, several premises in Broughty Ferry, Union Street, Monifieth and
Carnoustie. The business has traded as Goodfellow & Steven since 1897.
Andrew G. Kidd, from Brechin, initially worked with Baillie Perrie in Lochee. He
entered the Craft in 1860. Over the years the family developed the business,
opening a Bakery in Lytton Street and their first Reform Street shop in 1897. By
the 1920’s they had 19 branches and employed around 300 people. Kidd’s Rooms was
one of Dundee’s best known function suites of the 20th century.
Other important bakers are J. R. Ingram, who took over Lamb’s Restaurant,
Lindsay & Low, John Durkie, John Burnett, David Quinn, David Neave, the Wallaces,
of which there were several Johns, James, Andrew, William, Edmund, Harry,
Alfred, Neil and David. Peter Anderson, George Butchart, John Beattie, David
Smart, Frederick Brown and many others. The Wallace family are mentioned in the
Head Burgh court in 1521.
James Pullar, an ex-Deacon of the Craft, left a large legacy on his death in
1811. It was eventually amalgamated into the funds of the Nine Incorporated
Trades of Dundee. Another legacy, this time by William Forwell, a Baker in
Rosebank Street, was left to the Craft in 1943 for the promotion of technical
education among young bakers in Dundee. The income from this legacy still
provides prizes for young bakery students. Even more recently ex-Deacon W. A.
Findlay left a legacy of £500 to the Craft, to be used as the Craft thought fit.
Dundee is still in a strong position with a number of independent Bakers serving
the City as they have done for over 800 years.
The Baker Craft has played its full share in the running of the Nine Trades over
the centuries having provided some 40 Conveners and numerous other holders of
high office.
There is also a tradition in the Trades going back to its earliest years when
the Deacons were allocated their annual share of the Nine Trades´ funds for
distribution to their poor. After the Meeting of the Convener’s Court, when the
size of the pension was decided, the Meeting would adjourn for ‘Division’ to a
local hostelry. ‘Division’ was the handing over of the money by the Boxmaster of
the Nine Trades to the individual Deacons and afterwards the Deacons, Boxmasters
and Clerks enjoyed suitable refreshment, a tradition carried on to this day. At
the November Meeting the Pension for the poor is agreed and the Court adjourns
until the following Friday where a “Bridie Supper” is held in a local hotel.
Small bridies are served as a starter and on leaving each guest is provided with
two full sized bridies. The meat for these is supplied by a member of the
Flesher Craft and the Bridies are Baked by one of the Baker Craft. As one would
expect the Toast List includes a toast to “The Donors of the Delicacies.”
Membership is mainly restricted to people having some connection with the Trade,
either directly or through marriage or ancestors, although exceptions are made
from time to time.
It is a lively and hard working group of people, still devoted to the original
aims of the Craft. It cares for its sick and poor, is deeply interested in the
advancement of the Training of apprentices, and gives grants and financial
assistance to this end.
The Baker Trade will evolve and develop, as will the other Trades in Dundee,
taking their place in the business of the City long into the future, keeping the
strength of character which it has shown in the past.
by Innes A. Duffus
Archivist to the Nine Incorporated Trades of Dundee.