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| Chris Spurr photographs Jean Manthorne, Richard Holmes, Heather Rojo and Mark Wilson in Derry, New Hampshire's Forest Hill Cemetery |
In August the BBC Radio Ulster team of Chris Spurr and Mark Wilson
came to Derry, New Hampshire to search for and record stories about the early
history of Nutfield. They were looking for evidence of the original Scots Irish culture in New Hampshire, and found a
plethora of history and tales when they interviewed Richard Holmes, the Derry
Town Historian; Heather Rojo, the President of the Londonderry Historical
Society; Jean Manthorne, the President of the Windham Historical Society and
also Brad Dinsmore, local historian and a descendant of Robert Dinsmoor, “The
Rustic Bard”.
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| Why is Derry Town Historian, Richard Holmes, lying on the ground to read a gravestone? Tune into the radio show to find out more! |
On Sunday, November 3rd, the radio show “Kist O’
Wurds” will highlight stories from Heather Rojo and Richard Holmes, discussing
the original Ulster Scots who settled Nutfield, which became Derry, Londonderry and
Windham, New Hampshire. This band of settlers was led by the Reverend James MacGregor, a Presbyterian pastor from Aghadowey, Northern Ireland, in 1718. The program
will air on the BBC on air at 11am and be available for listening on the
website for one week afterwards at this link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007d4s0
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| Mark Wilson interviews Jean Manthorne and Brad Dinsmore in the historic First Parish Church, founded by Scots Irish pastor James MacGregor. They are standing in front of the MacGregor stained glass window decorated with the MacGregor tartan, and Gaelic family mottoes |
On November 17th a second episode of the radio
show will air and focus on the history of Robert Dinsmoor (1757 – 1828), “The
Rustic Bard” of Windham, New Hampshire.
Brad Dinsmore and Jean Manthorne will be featured, and you will hear
excerpts of Dinsmoor’s poems read by his descendant. There was much discussion of the poet’s use
of the Scots dialect and language in his writing, and I hope this made it into the radio
show. You will be able to listen to this
episode on line for one week after it airs on the BBC radio, until Sunday November 10th, see the link
above.
After visiting Derry, New Hampshire Spurr and Wilson went on
to visit the Highland Games at Loon Mountain, an Ulster Scots archaeological
dig in Maine, and a Scots Irish festival in Pennsylvania. These adventures will also be episodes of “Kist
O’ Wurds” and available on the website, too. "A Kist O' Wurds" has been running on BBC Radio Ulster since 2002, and features music, poetry, history, culture and the Scots Irish language.
“A Kist O’ Wurds”
Radio Program website http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007d4s0
Thank you to Joan Normington of the Windham Historical Society for the top photo on this page!
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The URL for this post is
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/10/bbc-radio-ulster-kist-o-wurds-will.html
Copyright © 2013, Heather Wilkinson Rojo
Very cool Heather. I'll have to set my calendar to remind me to listen in!
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to this, too!
ReplyDeleteNeat! I'll be listening too.
ReplyDeleteGreat photo, Heather! And what a gem of a project. All of us connected to the First Settlers will no doubt find the radio series interesting.
ReplyDeleteHi Heather, I wonder are you aware of the Monreagh Heritage Centre, near Carrigans in County Donegal, which celebrates the Presbyterian links between Ulster and the United States. Although it was the Reverend McGregor who led the first mass migration of Presbyterians to America in 1718 from Coleraine in County Derry/Londonderry, the expedition was actually organised by the Reverend William Boyd, Presbyterian minister of Macosquin, just outside Coleraine. It was he who took the "Petition of Ulstermen" to Governor Schutte of Massachussetts, asking for permission to settle in New Hampshire. The original copy of the Petition of Ulstermen now hangs in the rooms of the New Hampshire Historical Society in Concord. The Reverend Boyd did not however remain in America but returned to Ulster and in 1725 became the minister of Monreagh Presbyterian church. The Monreagh Heritage Centre is based in his manse. I have a particular interest in this because my Christian name comes from my great great grandmother, Mary Boyd, 1810-85, from Macosquin, so I like to claim descent from this famous minister! I too however, also relocated from the Coleraine area to a few miles from Monreagh in Donegal. Here is a link to the centre: https://www.facebook.com/monreaghheritagecentre?ref=hl
ReplyDeleteThanks, Boyd! I just joined your Facebook group. I'm already planning a trip up to Concord to see the petition.
DeleteHi Boyd, In August this year I made a special pilgrimage to the kirk with Rev. Boyd's grave. I have pictures if you don't have a stash already. And I don't think the petition has been on the wall for beaucoup years...now its kept safer in their vault. 'Tis very faded. Rick Holmes, own historian, Derry, NH rholmes33@comcast.net
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