This site is dedicated to my children , Benjamin , Nicholas , Jonathan and  Jenny , and to my Dad , the late ,George Davison Hastings .

It is also especially dedicated as a memorial to my late Grandfather Jack  Hastings and late Mother Jean Hastings ( nee Harris) . ( Indeed to all of my  ancestors and generations to come ) .

The work ( or rather a labour of love ) began in the late 1970`s with  conversations with my Grandmother Hannah Hastings ( nee Davison ) . It was she  who inspired me with tales of "Old Nichol"  Hastings and his exploits ! She  supplied me with so much information and to her I will be eternally  grateful .Her passion for Whitburn and its people watered a love of History in  me which had been given to me by Aunts and Uncles.

My thanks go to so many people but especially to my wife Liz for her endless  patience and encouragement .

Every name on this site is so very precious . My ancestors for the most part  did not have great material wealth but their character , endurance ,  integrity , love , sorrow and joy overflows on these pages . I can only thank  them for their toil and lives in places as far apart as Whitburn , Wighton and  Johannesburg .

I trust you will enjoy the fruits of my labour and perhaps use this opportunity  to reflect on the Scripture from Isaiah which tells how God has formed us all  and made us for His purposes . What a marvellous thought !