Interviews of James Henderson aged 78

Identifier	EERC/DG/DG41/3
Interviewer	Thomson, Mona
Dates	interview: 2014-05-19 coverage: 20th century
Extent	1 digital audio file(s), 1 digital photograph(s), 1 papers
Notable persons / organisations	Henderson, Duncan, Dr, Henderson, Neil, Professor
Subject	Working life Farming Business Potatoes Labour Migration Cattle Dumfries (Scotland) Carlisle Kingholm Quay
Interview summary	Biographical interview with retired seed potato merchant, James Henderson (aged 78) who was born in Dumfries. James charts the history of the family business. James recalls that his father's decision, on leaving school, to take an apprenticeship with W C Johnstone (seed merchants) rather than take up an offer from the Courier. He stayed with that firm until 1959, when he left to start his own business, Henderson Brothers, with his brother, John. In 1965, the brothers parted company and James' father bought most of the Kingholm Quay site. This interview includes details about changing staffing levels and wages as well as describing how the business changed over time. James joined the firm when he left school and worked there until the business was sold off in 2000. James also describes the impact rain or frost had on the harvesting process and describes the move from hand picking to using mechanical harvesters, which happened in the 1990s. James also describes his life in farming at both Catherinefield Farm (which his wife's family had farmed since 1905) and Chapelhill Farm. He talks about beef cattle and the local markets. He also relates anecdotes about life on the farm. Towards the end of the interview, James talks about his children, 2 sons and 1 daughter, who have all excelled in their chosen fields.
Access	Open
Usage Statement	We give permission for the re-use of our collections material for non-commercial purposes under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial 4.0 International Licence.
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Interviews of James Henderson aged 78

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