Robbie was a favourite mannie of Thurso shopkeepers
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Thurso's Heritage by a Thirsa Loon
When you had no means to move goods or weren’t fit, plenty of willing “loons” and “mannies” were available to do the job for you.
They used anything and everything to fetch and carry on a small scale, from simply carrying small goods in their hands to baskets and pails and spankers to message bikes.
There was no man with a van in times gone by. So for larger loads, it was a man with a horse and cart, known as a carter, and they were a necessity in the town. While some businesses had their own, others relied on hiring the carters.
They also used carts for particular duties, such as the manure cart to collect leftovers from passing horses or the water cart for dampening street dust.
The fire engine came on a cart, and not forgetting the dust cart (scaffie) for taking the rubbish away. At the end of your days, there was the “black cart” (horse-drawn hearse) to take you away!
Everyone from builders to fish merchants, quarry owners to coal suppliers relied on them. This short list shows how essential the horse and cart were to keep the town moving.
As important as they were, they had their problems. When transporting coal from boats at the harbour, a favourite trick for mischievous children was to place stones in the wheels’ path.
The jolt was enough to shake off some lumps of coal, and the youngsters took home their loot to their delighted mothers. A man was employed to call a halt to this, armed with a cane to chase or catch the youths, but he was never quick enough.
At auctions and furniture sales, some lads borrowed a two-wheeled “cartie” from a friendly shopkeeper. They would then offer buyers to transfer their purchase to its destination for a small fee.
Some buyers only rewarded them with a “thanks” rather than a few coins. This obviously didn’t go down well, so they were left to do their own moving in the future.
Then there was Robbie, a frequent figure on the streets of Thurso, with a sack and spanker. He was often seen pushing a bag of sawdust or coal and was a favourite of shopkeepers for doing errands for a modest fee.
In his youth, it was said he was hard to beat for the quickness of his services. While many only knew him by his first name, his full name was Robert Manson, the son of a mason, Henry and Christina (née Finlayson). He was popular in the town because of his cheerfulness and quaint, homely humour.
On one occasion, he delivered a letter to a merchant in town who rewarded the letter carrier with “thanks”. Robbie quickly replied, “It’s no thanks, ma mannie, it’s ‘tippence’.” Robbie got his twopence. If jokingly challenged about an errand, he would simply reply in a mumbled speech ending with “Wrong ma mannie, Wrong. Wrong ma mannie”.
His clothing depended on what his clients gave him. He never cared if the clothes hung or clung, so more often than not, they were not a perfect fit. But Robbie was proud to earn his own living.
A talented storyteller with an imaginative mind, he could entertain listeners with his yarns and was well-treated by the townsfolk.
- To get in touch, contact thursoheritage1@gmail.com
