Tong - A VILLAGE Story
The Tong Book has become something of a legend in our village and far beyond. The few copies that remain are extremely precious to local families and I know our family copy is something of a heirloom.
The front cover of this book brings back so many childhood memories for me. I remember leafing through it, seeing pictures of people from the past and being in awe of their way of life. I remember asking my Mother if everything was black and white when she was a child. I genuinely believed real life came into colour in the 1960s alongside series like Dr Who and The Prisoner. Please forgive me, I was born in 1984 and I genuinely believed the 60s were another world. And yes, I watched too much television.
However, the Tong book allowed me to go a lot further back than the 1960s. The detail in the book is outstanding and the foresight of the small team who created it is inspirational. A tiny team, mainly made up of Alex John Mackay, Morag Smith, Kenneth Maclennan, Margaret Macdonald, Peter Macleod and Norman Macfarlane; researched, wrote, collated and published the entire book. For anyone who has not read the book let me impress on you the level of detail in it. This is not merely a collection of local stories and photographs; it is far more. The book explores the very origins of Tong, from the Norse origins of our village name to Stone Age settlements and through the centuries to the 1980s. The fact that this group came together to collate such a wonderful and fundamental record of village is so inspirational to me.
My Shen sadly passed away before I was born, and my Granny Tong when I was only 4, but our family has lived in the village for generations and this book gave me an insight into what life was like for them. I have always loved hearing stories from the past. I was fascinated to hear of black pudding being made, asking my Uncle Willie what my Shen was like when he came back from the War, all the croft work, the animals and every detail of it. Even now I have the most visceral memories of my Granny’s house; the twin tub, her stove (Donna warming her teddy in said stove until it had a burnt bottom!) her stair carpet, my word that carpet was a wonder! The Tong Book has always added to that. My Granny’s house is in the book and my Great Granny is photographed in front of it, carrying a creel of seaweed, and feeding her chickens. I can see the house I have visited hundreds of times in another age, and it links me to my family beyond my Granny. I am forever grateful for that.
I often think of how important the book was to those who left Tong. The introduction says, “We are conscious that many of those who share our affection for Tong may be far from home, and we sincerely hope that this publication will draw them and us closer in our care for the community.” I wonder how many copies went to Canada, America, Australia and more. I know people often look for copies and still use it today to find their ancestors, their family crofts, and an insight to lives long lost.
These are just some of the reasons why the Tong Book is so important. That is why the TRA Archive project has paid for it to be professionally reproduced and placed on our website. It is a historical resource, a social journal, a treasure trove of cultural insight and everyone should have access to it. The PDF has been created at a very high resolution so the pictures are as good as they get and the document is search-enabled so you can identify key topics. It is now over 40 years since its publication, a digital resource that is accessible to everyone. The version published here on our website is a reduced size simply as the original is to large for our website. If you would like a full sized version please just get in touch.
I hope this brings the book to new audiences who find it as fascinating and inspiring as I do. I am so proud to sit with my daughters and show them their Great Great Granny and where they came from. I truly believe there is a second edition of the book in the future and a need to continue the story of our village. This is something I would love to see happen. If anyone is interested in this please do get in touch with me.
By Kathryn Lamont Smith, formerly 5 Tong and now Milkinghill Cottage.
Please feel free to make a donation to the TRA for your download, if you can. Find out how you can support the village and our hall here.