Gravestone of John Orme

Image: © Lairich Rig Taken: 27 Jun 2014

This stone marks not only a grave, but also the end of a local tradition: as noted in the inscription, John Orme was "a Dumbarton Worthy, the last of the officially appointed Town Criers, who died 8 December 1904, aged 72. No more crying!" The stone also commemorates his wife Margaret Maitland (d. 14 May 1909, aged 79), and Dugald Campbell, "Gardener and Philosopher for fifty years in Dumbarton". An obituary of John Orme appears in the Lennox Herald issue of 24th December 1904. It is signed T.W.; the article provides no further clues to its author's identity (I suspected at first that it might have been written by Tam Watson, who had been Dumbarton's Town Drummer, but, as it happens, Watson had died long before that article was written). Much of what follows is derived from that obituary. John Orme himself was not sure of his age; at the time of his death, he had been thought to be around 67, but it may be that records later established his age as 72; that is the figure that appears on his gravestone. Orme occasionally spoke of having worked in Dumbarton's Glassworks in his youth, and it is likely that their closure deprived him of regular employment. The site of the glassworks was later occupied by Denny & Co's Engine Works, and then by Image (also shown in Image). An 1892 directory lists Orme as a billposter, based at Quay Lane in Dumbarton. While he was posting bills, youngsters would often try to play pranks on him, and he would allow them to get close before he flicked paste at them from his brush. He had not the business acumen to make contracts with large advertisers, and he therefore carried on his work on only a small scale. Nevertheless, he faithfully carried out whatever assignments he was given. Another of his roles, and one in which he took great pride, was serving as Dumbarton's official Bellman (Town Crier). Though not very clear, his voice was loud, and his messages were understood. It is said that he never forgave the Town Council for abolishing the office of Bellman; the author of the obituary writes that "at best the action was an unkind bit of economy". Though Orme no longer held the official post of Bellman, friends contributed towards the purchase of a new uniform ("regimentals") for him, and of a new and specially inscribed bell. Orme's third line of work was portering at the train station, in company with two other Dumbarton characters (whom the obituary names only as "S– W–" and "B– the Q–"); in this task he employed a rickety old barrow. Though without regular paid employment, John Orme worked hard throughout his life, and he was able to keep a roof over his head until the year before his death. When he lost his home, some suggested that he should go to the Poorhouse, but John would not accept this. Instead, he went into lodgings with a certain Paddy Corbett. During this period of his life, a successful benefit concert was held in his behalf. At around the same time, the story circulated that a rich relative of John had died, and that he had therefore come into some wealth; however, it seems that the deceased was a relative of John's wife, and that the couple did not inherit anything. John Orme had worked hard all his days to avoid the Poorhouse, but in his final days he was laid prostrate by pneumonia, and was taken to the Poorhouse Hospital.

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