Notes |
- Peter Maclaren 1918-1995
Born 7 May 1918, Scotland
Died 11 November 1995, Castle Douglas,Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland
Son of Norman Maclaren 1880-1936 & Mary Margaret Garnet 1894-1989
Husband of Jean Farrell. Father of David, Hugh, Anne, Shaun, & Charles
See also the autobiographical book by Peter Maclaren
"Grass Roots, 60 years of farming, fun and frustration."
Published by the author in association with SLP, Silver Link PublishingLtd., 1995
ISBN 1 85794 065 2
Silver Link Publishing Ltd., Unit 5,
Home Farm Close, Church Street, Wadenhoe, Peterborough PE8 5TE
Obituary in the
Ampleforth Journal
Norman Peter Maclaren
born May 1918, left St Wilfrid's House 1936, died 11 November 1995
Peter Maclaren came from a family of countrymen. His father had in theearly 1900s traveled through Alaska with a team of husky dogs and aChinese cook, making the first map of large areas of Alaska, breaking hisarm in a crevasse and setting it himself: he was a Fellow of the RoyalGeographical Society and the Linnean Society, and a Professor at GlasgowUniversity. The family lived in farmland near the Ayrshire coast: Peterremembered watching Clydesdale horses going down to the shore after astorm of high tide to collect carts of seaweed to fertilize the potatocrops. Here, at an early age, he learnt to shoot and fish, and to beabout in the countryside. After Ampleforth, he gained knowledge offarming by both studying and practical experience. In 1936 he went tothe West of Scotland Agricultural college, in Glasgow, gaining in 1938 aNational Diploma in Agriculture at Leeds. Over the years form 1936 to1942, after his first job as a potato grower, he worked successively onfarms near Castle Douglas, Fife, Shropshire and Wadhurst in Sussex: atWadhurst, working with pigs and as a milkman, work began at 3 am.
From 1942 to 1947 Peter Maclaren was at the Ampleforth farms. Althoughnot looking for another job, he was invited by Fr Paul Nevill to becomemanager of a new farm being taken over by Ampleforth, Park House Farm:this was one of several farms being run then by Ampleforth. Later, in1943, he became manager of all Ampleforth farms, both in the valley andthree farms above Ampleforth on higher ground. Under wartime regulationshe was allowed to slaughter on beast per week, and this had to be dividedamongst over 800 ration cards and equally between each house, with housematrons bargaining for more. HE lived at Park House Farm, in the shadowof the south side of the valley, s house without electricity ortelephone. It was in this period, in February 1942, that he married Jean.
From 1947 to 1968 he worked with farms belonging to ICI: first in 1947 asfarm manager of an ICI farm at Lea Head, Cheshire; then from 1952 to 1968as manager of the Leaths, Castle Douglas in Kirkcudbrightshire. It was atLea Hall that he became a friend of Dr Bob Hamilton of ICI: it wasthrough him that Peter move to The Leaths. It was at the Leaths thatgreat advances in grass management were put into practice, and that manywalks and conferences were organised. He and Dr Hamilton established inthe 1960s that the proper management of grass was the cheapest form forlivestock, and it is for this that Peter will be particularly rememberedin the farming world. It was here that great advances in grass managementwere put into practice. An obituary in The Galloway News (30 November1995) said: "To walk round a farm or garden, or to go out shooting withPeter, was a stimulating journey, for with his gift as a raconteur he wasable to out over his great knowledge of the various grasses, weeds plantsand animals". The Obituary added "the prosperity of farming in the UK,particularly in grassland management, so important in this part ofScotland. Owes much to Peter Maclaren".
From 1968, after leaving ICI, he ran a farm consultancy, advising farmsfrom Caithness to Cornwall, and even in Iran and South Africa. Many farmsbenefited form the managers found for them by his advice. At his home atBrooklands near Dumfries, he and Jean developed what The Galloway Newsdescribed as "one of the best gardens in Scotland", open to the public oncharity days, on the last occasion in 1993 making 3,770 pounds in a day.In 1993 Peter and Jean moved about 25 miles west to a smaller, early 19thcentury house, The Brae in Castle Douglas- but the experience of movingexhausted him, and he spent time in hospital: after this his healthdeclined. His friend Bill Atkinson (C31) journeyed from his Devonshirehome via the Stonyhurst match at Ampleforth, but was unable to see him ashe had returned to hospital, dying three days later.
Peter Maclaren wrote an autobiography Grass Roots- 60 years of farming,fun and frustration, published in June 1995. The Field (December 1995)described it as "a gem of a book": its reviewer wrote of how "in adelightful way he challanges the industries armchair critics", and addedthat perhaps these critics "might care to try what he has done with suchskill all his life". In the forward to his book, the Duke of Buccleuchand Queensberry writes that there can be few who have combinedtheoretical and practical farming with good land management in many partsof the country, and, as The Galloway News adds, "go on to enthral hisreaders". He has also written with others a book on field sports which isdue for publication in 1996.
He had five children: David, Hugh (C62), Annie, Shaun (B69) and Charlie(C74). His brother is Ian (W32).
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