My grandmother Annie’s father was Stewart Bain, former mayor of Harrismith. When he died in 1939 the dorp held quite the procession for him:
Sister Sheila says he was known as ‘The Grand Old Man of Harrismith’ for his long service and the changes he brought about in the town. The most notable of these was his push for a new town hall. He wanted an impressive edifice for the dorp. Some called the building Bain’s Folly, but there it still is today, probably still a folly, still underutilised and still way more than Harrismith warranted! News is it’s now in serious need of repair!
Stewart was of the ‘Royal Bains’ of Harrismith. No crown, mind, just ownership of the Royal Hotel. And to distinguish them from their cousins the ‘Central Bains’ who owned . . well, you get it.
I thought I remembered that, despite the fact that every dorp has a Royal Hotel, the Harrismith Royal Hotel was one of only two that could officially legitimately and British-ly call itself ‘Royal’. Sheila has confirmed that I have a flawless memory. Well, something along those lines:
This post on my other blog got a reply from a distant Bain relative in Scotland.
