Antique Golf Clubs from Scotland: Clubmakers

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Clubmakers

J & W Craigie
Montrose
John (b 7.3.1854) and William Craigie (b 13.3.1859) were sons of John Craigie, a Montrose sea captain) and his wife, Elizabeth Dakers.

John Craigie was a joiner who served his time with James Hird then went into business with his brother, William, another joiner who later became the Montrose firemaster (a wise precaution), in the late 1870s as joiners and contractors before branching out (sorry!) into clubmaking. The clubmaking business was carried out from what is now (or at least was when I lived in the area) the Golf Veterinary Practice.

The Craigies were responsible for much of the joinery work in local farm buildings and within the town in the Savings Bank, Melville Parish Church Hall and the Trinity UF Church Hall. John was president of the town’s Master Joiners’ Association.

With this background, not surprisingly the quality of wood used is one of their distinguishing features, well-seasoned beech and the reintroduction of ash in the 1890s.

They are probably not the first clubmaking firm one would associate with the export trade but in 1902 it was reported they had received an order for three gross of clubs from India.

They used two cleek marks: a rifle and a shooting star (from which came the Comet Brand [I know there’s a difference but they were joiners not astronomers]).

John suffered a serious illness in the summer of 1927 from which he never fully recovered and died on 3 April 1928. Possibly uniquely among clubmakers (and elders of the Free Church) he served as a model for the priest Père Jean exhibited at the Paris salon by the local sculptor William Lamb.

The business continued into the 1930s but an advertisment in 1936 announced the sale of all machinery and plant in the Lower Balmain Street premises. William, who remained as Montrose firemaster until he retired in 1929, died on 15 October 1936.

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