They Belonged to Glasgow: The City From the Bottom Up

Glasgow's current status as a cult city with a worldwide reputation for chic clubs and hip hotels is deserved, but its humble origins lie in the medieval town based around the High Street and in the numerous villages which once lay outside the city boundaries. As the city spread these communities, such as like Anderston and Partick, were consumed and the social conditions within them gradually altered. This book charts these changes through eye-witness accounts drawn from archives and the local presses. Rudolph Kenna and Ian Sutherland start this accessible social history in 1751 with a report on a flea circus presented by John Jarvis in a flat in the Trongate. Many of the entries from then on reflect the myriad activities and happenings that occurred in all walks of life on the banks of the Clyde. Which city MP was a spanker? What did Mr Wong Chong do in 1959? What did debs do in Rose Street? Why did Edward Helley fiddle his gas meter? Who were the Romeos? Who ate 19 pies and went home for his tea? And many of them reveal the sheer hardship of life all those years ago. In 1774, a New York gentleman wrote to a friend in Glasgow, describing the arrival of the brig Nancy, carrying evicted Highlanders from Sutherland to America. Emigrants had been 'treated with unparalleled barbarity'. Nearly 100 died during the voyage. Of 50 babies and infants, 49 were dead. Of seven women who gave birth on the ship, only one was alive. All new-born babies died. The captain 'narrowly escaped the vengeance of the law' by leaving port 'with his vessel in the night.' This is the history of Glasgow from an everyday point of view, written from the bottom up. Glasgow is a vibrant city with a worldwide reputation for its shops, pubs, clubs and hip hotels. But its humble origins lie in medieval times, when the town was based around the High Street. As Glasgow grew villages like Anderston and Partick, that had once been outside the city boundary, were absorbed and social conditions gradually altered. This book charts these changes through eye-witness accounts drawn from archives and the local presses. Rudolph Kenna and Ian Sutherland begin this accessible social history in 1751 with a report on a flea circus presented by John Jarvis in a flat in the Trongate. From then on, the stories reflect the bizarre, the surreal and the everyday happenings on the streets of Glasgow. In 1889, why was there a dead shark at Glasgow Cross? Why was a Womble arrested in Kelvindale in 1975? Why did Edward Hilley fiddle his gas meter in 1934? Who were the Romeos? In 1959 what did Mr Wong Chong from Hong Kong do in Sauchiehall Street? Who ate 19 pies in Carmyle in 1937 and then went home for his tea?Many of these events reveal the sheer hardship of life all those years ago. In 1774, a New York gentleman wrote to a friend in Glasgow, describing the arrival of the brig Nancy, carrying evicted Highlanders from Sutherland to America. Emigrants had been 'treated with unparalleled barbarity'. Nearly 100 died during the voyage. Of 50 babies and infants, 49 died. Of seven women who gave birth on the ship, only one lived; their new-born babies died. The captain 'narrowly escaped the vengeance of the law' by leaving port 'with his vessel in the night'. This is the history of Glasgow from an everyday point of view, written from the bottom up. Famed as the second city of the empire, Glasgow's origins lie not only in the medieval town based around the High Street, but also in the numerous villages outside the city boundaries, including Anderston and Partick. As the city spread, the villages were consumed and the social conditions within them gradually altered. This book charts these changes through eye-witness accounts drawn from the archives and the local press.