Rulewater and its People p191-193

Rulewater and its People - p191-193

JOHN USHER, TENANT OF GATEHOUSECOTE

This farm was occupied for nearly thirty years by one whose name will be long remembered in this parish. The only thing he could not do well was farming. As a youngster he entreated his father to allow him to go into the Army, but all to no purpose ; the old man was obdurate. I allude to John Usher, junior, the son of John Usher who farmed Stodrig near Kelso, and a grandson of Usher of Toftfield. Old John, who was one of the best-known tenants on the Roxburghe estate and a great authority on Border sheep, for many years acted as clerk of the course at the Kelso Races. Young John inherited these sporting propensities of his father. He was educated at the Madras College, St. Andrews, and afterwards at the Edinburgh University. When David Henderson removed to Abbotrule House in 1863, John Usher became at the age of twenty-two tenant of Gatehousecote, where he resided up to the time of his death. On the 10th of June 1873 he married Isabella, fourth daughter of William Aitcheson of Brieryhill. Of this marriage there was one son, who died in infancy. Mr. Usher was a good all-round sportsman. He was passionately fond of horses, and generally kept good ones. In 1871 he won on Hilarity the Auld Reekie Cup at the Edinburgh meeting. At the Lothian Hunt Steeplechase in April 1874 he rode Anchorite, and won the cup worth fifty guineas, which at his request was presented in the shape of a handsome salver. He became a member of the Border Mounted Rifles, and attended the first meeting at the Tower Hotel, Hawick, when that corps was formed in 1872. Mr. Usher was twice the winner of the Challenge Cup given by Lord Minto, who commanded the corps, in 1887 on Marigold, and in 1892 (not three months before his death) on Border Reiver, a clever little horse bred and trained by himself at Gatehousecote. The Jedforest hounds, which had been formed by the exertions of Charlie Sinclair and others, had the substantial support of John Usher, who was seldom absent during the hunting season.

As a fisher John Usher had few equals. He could beguile the Rulewater trout with fly when even well-known Hawick fishers went home with empty baskets. Shooting, next to hunting, was however his favourite sport, and in this he also excelled. Being a crack shot, he was always a welcome guest at all cover-shoots, and generally killed more birds with his own old gun than those who had two guns and a loader. After the passing of the Ground Game Act he might have destroyed all the hares and rabbits on his farm, but so far from doing this, the hares to my certain knowledge were allowed to increase. His sporting neighbour, Tom Brown, who farmed Ruletownhead, also kept good horses, and they were both members of the Lothian Yeomanry. Tom had a valuable thoroughbred horse, which he had ridden to Hawick market. On his return home he was in too great a hurry, and trying to take the sharp turn at Hallrule bridge the horse jumped over the parapet and both went over, and, wonderful to say, neither of them was hurt. To record this incident John Usher cut on the stone of the parapet the letters T. B. Not long after this he sold his horse to the Earl of Morton. Tom Brown was too much of a sportsman to be a successful farmer. He gave it up several years before his death, and sold farm stuff on commission.

Mr. Usher, who had never witnessed the Derby, thought he would like to do so, and he carried out his wish in 1892. He had been suffering from a painful abscess in the ear, and in other respects had not been in good health. He was seized with a severe chill which developed into pneumonia, of which he died on the 1st of July 1892. As my next neighbour I knew him well, from the time he came to Gatehousecote until his death. He was a man of even temper and kindly disposition, and no one knew that better than his servants. He is survived by his widow, who lives in Edinburgh, and to whom I am indebted for part of the information and some of the dates.

Gatehousecote is one of the best farms on the Abbotrule estate. The house is a good one, with an entrance lodge and a nice approach, Henry Elliot was tenant in the forties, afterwards David Henderson, John Usher, Peter Mackinnon, and now Donald Teacher. The farm of Gatehousecote is well managed. Mr. Teacher has a good staff of farm servants, with an intelligent and painstaking steward, Mr. Borthwick, who knows what he is about. Mr. Teacher and his wife are both fond of hunting; they have also a motor, and unite the duties of farming with the pleasures of a country life.

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