A Glimpse into the Life of Thomas Horsburgh

 

Thomas Horsburgh,  25 November 1856 - 11 May 1938

 

Thomas was a Blacksmith based in Balerno and as you would expect had many irons in his fire. His many interests included Curling, Golf, Local Culture and Politics.

Here is a photograph of the man himself:

Thomas was a founder member of the Balerno Curling Club, established 1895. During his time at the Club he was Assistant Secretary and Club Secretary but undertook a number of activities within the Club. He was the Ice Master which included tasks such as preparing and upkeep of the rink, the stones, procuring and making snow clearers, tee ringer, score cutter, ringer hook, draw pins and brooms, open the Clubhouse for the members. In the summer months he turned his hand to mole catcher.

 Thomas was always at the forefront for Balerno’s fixtures with local Clubs and from all accounts was an excellent curler. He was also a member of the Scottish team which welcomed incoming tours from Canada and played in the Strathcona Cup. He won the Linlithgow Trophy dubbed the World Championship not just once but twice!

Thomas resigned as Secretary in November 1920 but continued his duties as Ice Manager. His disposition was described “as having unfailing kindness and unruffled temper attended to the wants of unfortunate members requiring his immediate attention to provide them stones, brooms and locks for lockers when the keys were allegedly loss even if he was in mid game.”  Thomas only missed one Committee meeting during his time with the Club between 1895 - 1927.

He also gifted the Club a pair of silver handles as the prize for a Points Competition.

 His second passion was Golf and was a Member of Baberton Golf Club. Here is an extract from the records of Baberton Golf Club.

 “Pre-eminent among our Founder Members was Thomas Horsburgh, a master-blacksmith with an inventive turn of mind.”

 In the Club's founding year, he forged a set of steel-shafted clubs, both woods and irons, at his Cockburn Smiddy. The original building still stands at Glenbrook Road. He found them such an improvement that he took out a UK Patent No 8603, dated 1st May 1894. The patent "relates to the use of steel shafts for golf clubs for the purpose of giving strength and elasticity." Included in his patent was a specified club which obviated the need to carry a set. It consisted of a single shaft and a number of club-heads each of which could be affixed by simply turning a screw. Unfortunately the parent expired and another golf club maker followed up Thomas’s idea and accrued a fortune.

Thomas at the age of 78 was still carding that number on a regular basis.

Thomas and few others were interested in Burns the poet and established the Club still known an meeting to this day as ‘Let it Blaw.’ Although Thomas was not identified as being one of the twelve founders he is listed as having attended and noted in their minutes to have regularly contributed to the Club. In 1896 Tom was appointed Croupier and, in 1898, was elected as Club President & Supper Chairman for the first time. It wasn’t until 1910 that he took the Chair for the second time but, on this occasion, it was the start of an era in which he was to become one of the Club’s stalwarts; one of the big names in the history of the Balerno Burns Club being re-elected as Chairman for 29 consecutive years until his death.

 In 1917 Thomas turned his hand to politics and he was elected as Councillor for the Currie South ward of the Midlothian County Council and appointed Justice of the Peace. This ward included the village of Balerno in addition to part of Currie, and he represented the people there continuously until his death.

 Lastly there is a note of service of a dinner hosted by the RCCC.  Thomas offers a toast and said he was proud to be involved with greatest club in the world. Although not stated which Club Thomas is eluding to, probably the RCCC, I would like to think he was silently referring to Balerno Curling Club.

 

Kindly collated and written by Norman Nicol. Edited by Robin Copland and Karen Munro

Thank you so much for the information, truly an interesting man to read about.