19 thoughts on “Contact us”

1. Laura Bryce says:

   29/05/2018 at 6:44 pm

   My father ,Charles Mackay, was born in The Battery Hispital on13th August 1931. I have his Birth Certificate to prove this. Everything I read about The Battery Hospital seems to say it was closed then. ??

   Reply
   1. HanitaR says:

      31/05/2018 at 10:18 am

      Hi Laura,
      Thank you for your enquiry.
      The Battery/Cottage Hospital in Dunbar was in operation, if I’m not mistaken, till the early 1970s. Records relating to this hospital are held at the Lothian Health Services Archive at the following link: http://www.lhsa.lib.ed.ac.uk/
      Hope the above info helps. All the best.

      Reply
2. Sutherland Kerr Gordon says:

   04/02/2018 at 6:51 pm

   My grandfather was Wull Gordon at the farm in Pencaitland and I spent many happy times wae horses and cairts bringin in mangles and sugar beet. He was in The greys in ww1 and came hame wi shrapnel in his leg but it didnae pit him aff. He worked the horse on Kings o Ormiston fairm for years and I loved and still respect him dearly. As a wee boy I used to go doon tae the coopie for his bogie roll and I still recall feeding the beasts and getting the horses ready in early morn tae go oottae the field. He was a great man and I will neer forget him. Pencaitland has a special place in my heart.

   Reply
3. Alexander Lough says:

   10/06/2017 at 7:03 pm

   I contacted you about the lost ARCH stolen from Dunbar about twenty years ago,i sent pictures and comments,do you think that you will be able to find out why it was removed and who was involved.
   A crime has been committed here and someone knows all about it and there actions have helped the criminals of Scot free.

   Reply
   1. Philippa Cox says:

      12/06/2017 at 2:28 pm

      Hi Alexander,

      Thank you for sending the pictures through we received them last week. Unfortunately we do not have any material in the archives regarding the arch so are unable to help with this.

      Best wishes,
      Philippa

      Reply
4. F. MANCLARK says:

   24/02/2016 at 7:00 pm

   I visited the centre yesterday to try and obtain info on the Midlothian/Berwickshire Yeomanry, I was delighted with the help and information recieved from David at reception, and the printed info from Anna gleaned from vintage newspapers. they both went out of their way to provide the details, many thanks to both. F. Manclark.

   Reply
5. Charles Porteous says:

   09/02/2016 at 9:48 am

   My great grandfather, George Murdoch was a police constable stationed in various villages (Innerwick, Garvald, Ormiston, Stenton) in the late 1800’s and was resident in Loch Road, Tranent in the 1921 census.

   I’m trying to progress family genealogy / history and would welcome advice concerning police staff records and any other information or sources to research.

   Many thanks

   Charles Porteous

   Reply
6. Sarah Hinze says:

   01/08/2015 at 11:42 am

   I have come all the way from Arizona to your family history and genealogy meeting on August 29. I am so happy I signed up early. There are 3 other people coming with me. Thank you so much for this opportunity to attend and learn from the experts. I have a direct line back to William the Lion and his mother Ada de Warenne,who married Henry of Scotland in 1139. I hope to learn all
   I can about Ada and her family and then go down the generations and back into her ancestors as well. There may be others attending who also are related to Ada de Warenne, the Queen Mother of Scotland, as she is called in some of the accounts. I hope to hear from others via e-mail.

   Reply
7. HelenB says:

   27/10/2014 at 12:12 pm

   Hello Alison, have you seen our page about John Hepburn (http://www.johngraycentre.org/people/adventurers-and-explorers/john-hepburn-arctic-explorer-1794-1861-or-1864/)? We don’t have much more information about him than is on that page, but our Local History team are looking into it to see what more they can discover – we’ll be in touch if we find out more!
   Helen

   Reply
8. Alison Hepburn says:

   22/10/2014 at 7:25 am

   Hi. I am researching my ancestor John Hepburn the Arctic Explorer and have received copies of some of his letters from the Tasmanian Archives. They talk about how he arrived back in Scotland where he was ‘… basely misrepresented … charged with having a woman and family in V.D.L.’. This continues to the point where he eventually had to leave Britain although in his letter of 1853 he said that he couldn’t return to VDL with this hanging over his head. An Australian researcher has looked for evidence of this in Australia with no success and so I was hoping that these charges might be in the newspapers or other documents over here. These rumours were already around when he arrived back in London in 1850 and continued until at least November 1853. His brother Richard Hepburn farmed in Tynninghame and the rest of the family were in East Lothian around Whitekirk and so I am hoping that some documentation might be at the John Gray Centre or you might be able to tell me where to look. In his letters he says that the family believe him and so the accusations come from an external source.
   I know it’s a long shot!
   Alison

   Reply
9. valerie coyle says:

   05/02/2014 at 5:57 pm

   Can you tell me is there such a thing as a book on memorial inscriptions
   in Dunbar ?

   Reply
   1. David says:

      06/02/2014 at 9:17 am

      Hello Valerie

      Dunbar and District History Society in association with the Scottish Genealogy Society surveyed the MIs. The result was published on CD. We have copies here and at the local History Room in Dunbar Town House (if you are able to visit either) or they can be purchased from the SGS: http://shop.scotsgenealogy.com/acatalog/Lothians_MI.html (scroll down).

      Reply
10. David says:

    16/08/2013 at 9:39 am

    Hi Frank

    I’ll invite you to dig deeper into the site: http://www.johngraycentre.org/people/churchmen/john-gray-1646%e2%80%931717/ and all will be explained about John Gray. I’m sure that there will be connections amongst the wider Gray families in East Lothian but nobody has done the work to trace a connection back to Rev. John. It would be interesting to see a link proven!

    David

    Reply
11. Frank McGonigal says:

    15/08/2013 at 6:17 pm

    Hi
    Why is it called the John Gray Center ?..I have Gray and Dewar ancestors back to the 1700s from Dunbar,Haddington and Coldingham East Lothian…is there any significance ?..or just a coincidence.
    Regards
    Frank McGonigal Ont.Canada.

    Reply
12. Michael Thomson says:

    21/03/2013 at 11:10 am

    Question really – where can I find out when houses in East Lothian were built?

    Reply
    1. David says:

       28/03/2013 at 9:35 am

       Hi Michael

       As stated, your query is perhaps too general to give a short answer. However, we have several pages on the website that may help refine the question; they point to what kind of resources are available and what can be usefully done to prepare to search. Find them here: http://www.johngraycentre.org/learning/resources/how-to-research-your/a-house-history-a-case-study-part-1/

       Reply
13. HelenB says:

    26/09/2012 at 1:50 pm

    Dear Gordon,
    Thanks for getting in touch about this. There are disabled parking spaces outside the Centre, on Lodge Street and on the High Street, with a ramp to make entrance with a wheelchair easier. Inside the Centre there is a lift to get up to the museum and archives/local history centre, with a wheelchair lift for a short stepped area within the museum. There is space for a wheelchair to travel and turn in the corridors and rooms of the Centre, and there are accessible toilets on both floors. We are also currently working on preparing audio guides and large-print materials for visually impaired visitors.
    I hope this helps, but do get in touch if you have any further questions. I hope you do manage to come for a visit, and that you enjoy it when you come! Please let us know if there’s anything we need to improve. In the meantime, I’ll make sure this information is more easy to find on the website.
    Helen

    Reply
14. Gordon Saunders says:

    26/09/2012 at 10:13 am

    I cannot seem to find any information on your website for disabled users. Could you please tell me how accessible the centre is both inside and out.
    Kindest Regards

    Gordon Saunders

    Reply
15. Clare says:

    24/01/2012 at 1:22 pm

    Helen

    Just to say that I’ve had a good look through the site and have followed your questionnaire sheet more or less. I managed to find everything quickly, but haven’t filled in the form you sent. I think it all looks great and the information you’d need is up there. I’m really looking forward to the resource opening!

    Best wishes, Clare

    Reply