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FIRST GLASGOW DIRECTORY 1787
INTRODUCTION
THE
INFORMATION PLACED ON THESE WEBPAGES IS TO BE USED FOR INDIVIDUAL GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH AND BY NO MEANS MEANT TO BE COPIED AND USED FOR
DISTRIBUTION FOR FINANCIAL GAIN.
Source Reprint
of Jones's
Directory; or, Useful Pocket Companion For the Year 1787. With
An Introduction, and Notes of Old Glasgow Celebrities, by The "Rambling
Reporter." Glasgow: William Love, 226 Argyle Street, Printed by R.
Anderson, 22 Ann Street. 1887.
Introduction
In introducing the little work of Nathaniel Jones, it may be advisable to give the reader some idea of the condition and dimensions of our good city at the date of its publication. It may be worth while to look back through the previous history of Glasgow, in order to note the state of manners, and the rate of progression in numbers, wealth, and civilization. While doing so, I shall not attempt to penetrate the obscurity of the early ages, or to inflict on the reader a true and particular account of St. Kentigern's birth, parentage, and miracles. Neither shall I open up the dreary roll of our Popish ecclesiastics, from Mungo to Archbishop Beaton, as that would be entirely out of place in a new introduction to an old Directory. I shall start with the Reformation, by stating that the number of inhabitants in the city of Glasgow at that time did not exceed 4,500, according to several authorities that need not be named. In those days the majority of the houses were congregated about the bishop's palace and the upper portion of the High Street; and the common people are described as living in a state of ignorance, poverty, and semi-barbarism. In troublous times men went about the streets constantly armed; and it was not by any means uncommon for clergymen to appear in the pulpit fully equipped with deadly weapons, in the shape of swords, daggers, and pistols. Intestine feuds were every-day occurances; and wrongs were righted on the "good old rule," by blood-letting and knocking each other on the head, in defiance of law or justice, except the law of self-preservation and the wild justice of revenge. The reformation of religion unquestionably led to a reformation of public morals, to a certain extent; but, owing to the civil commotions which followed that important era in our history, the progress of well-doing and well-being was necessarily slow. the circulating medium was scant in the pockets of the people, and the funds of the Corporation were also at a very low ebb. At a meeting of Council held during the early part of 1609, Provost John Inglis took the opportunity of informing his brethren at the Board that the city was sorely pressed for a debt of a hundred pounds Scots, or 8 pounds 6s. 8d.; that the magistrates were in danger of "horning" for the same; and as the Corporation had not the means, he had borrowed the amount required from a well-to-do burgess named William Burn. During the year
1652, and again in 1667,
the city was devasted by great fires, which reduced hundreds of houses to ashes
in a few hours, and almost ruined the half of the population. Towards the close
of the seventeenth century, and under the provostship of William
Napier, merchant, we find the magistrates granting an allowance to the
jailer "for keeping warlocks and witches imprisoned in the Tolbooth,
by order of the Lords of Justiciary"--a pretty clear proof that learned
judges and local Dogberrys in those days were still subject to old-fashioned
prejudices or superstitions. At the time of the Union a census was taken by
order of Robert Rodger, the
Provost, and the population was found to be 12,766; while the style of
living; as described by Mr. Dugald Bannatyne, was
"of a very moderate and frugal cast." The dwelling-houses of the
highest class, as a general rule, contained only one public room, and even that
was seldom used except for the entertainment of company. At other times the
family took their meals in a bed-room, without ceremony, or servants dancing
about them in attendance. After dinner--and perhaps a tumbler of rum-punch--the
head of the house went back regularly to his place of business, and generally
finished up the evening by a sederunt in some favourite tavern. The gradual
increase of wealth, however, by the opening up of the American trade, led to a
change in the habits of the better classes. Larger houses were built, fine
furniture was introduced, tea, card, and dancing parties became fashionable;
but, nevertheless, the ladies of those days did not think it beneath them to ply
the needle, to nurse their own children, to make their own markets, or to
superintend the cooking of their husbands' dinners. In 1715
the city was much disturbed by the outbreak of the Rebellion; but the soreness
on account of the Union was almost worn off, and the citizens did not fail to
show their loyalty as well as their liberality. They raised a regiment of
volunteers about 600 strong, which they drilled and maintained at their own
cost; and the city was fortified by a deep and broad trench, as a measure of
precaution against the inroads of rebels. Ten years after this, the splendid
mansion of Mr. Campbell, M.P. for the Glasgow
District of Burghs, was attacked and sacked by a mob, in consequence of that
gentleman voting for the extension of the malt tax to Scotland. This fine house
was situated on the present site of Glassford Street;
and while the mob were busy tearing it to pieces, the Provost,
John Stark, and his brother magistrates, were enjoying themselves very
comfortably in a public-house. A detachment of soldiers arrived from
Dumbarton Castle at night; and next day, as the rioting still continued,
they fired twice upon the crowd, and the result was that nine persons were
killed and seventeen wounded. Intelligence of these troubles was sent to
Edinburgh post-haste; when General Wade immediately
started for Glasgow, and took possession of the city with a strong force of
cavalry, infantry, and artillery. He was accompanied by
Duncan Forbes of Culloden, the Lord
Advocate of the time; and, after a searching investigation, nineteen
persons were apprehended, bound with ropes, and sent off to Edinburgh to await
their trial. But even this was not considered enough to assert or uphold the
majesty of the law. The whole batch of Glasgow magistrates, from Provost Stark
to the Deacon-Convener, were arrested, thrown into their own
Tolbooth, and afterwards sent to Edinburgh as prisoners of state. After a
day's detention in the capital, they were liberated on bail, and ultimately
absolved from the charges of negligence or incapacity; but the city had to pay
the piper, in name of damages, to the extent of 9,000 pounds. Shortly after
this, Mr. Campbell sold his city mansion; and with
the price obtained, and the compensation money, he purchased the entire island
of Islay, which his descendants have since permitted to slip through their
fingers. We now come to
the year 1736, when old "John
M'Ure, alias Campbell, Clerk of the Registration of Seisins, and other
Evidents for the District of Glasgow," published his quaint history of the
city. At this date the population would not exceed 15,000 persons, living in ten
streets and seventeen lanes, and on an area of ground scarcely three quarters of
a square mile in extent. It was well provided with bridges, however, there being
twenty altogether, and of stone--twelve being within the liberties, and eight
without. Of these twelve, one was over the Clyde at
the foot of Stockwell Street, three over
St. Enoch's Burn, and eight over the classic Molendinar.
M'Ure informs his readers, in glowing terms, that
the city was surrounded by corn-fields, kitchen and flower gardens, and
beautiful orchards, abounding in fruits of all kinds, "which, by reason of
the open and large streets, send furth a pleasant and odoriferous smell."
In a final burst of enthusiasm, the old historian says: "It is the most
beautiful city in the world for its bigness, and is acknowledged to be so by all
foreigners that comes thither." Among the principal buildings, after the Cathedral
and the College, mentioned by M'Ure,
the most notable was the town's "great and
magnificent hospital," situated on the banks of the river a little
to the west of Stockwell Street, where the Fish
Market is now situated. It is described as superior to Christ's Church or the
London Charter House; and nothing "of that kind at Rome or Venice comes up
to the magnificence of this building." It was, in short, the admiration of
all strangers, and without a parallel in Europe. The Town-house or Tolbooth
is also described as "a noble and magnificent structure--sixty-six
foot in length, and from the south to the north twenty-four foot eight
inches." The reader may be a little surprised to hear that the Tolbooth
was also a public-house in the good old times, and that the jailer was in the
daily habit of leaning over his half-door, on the lookout for drouthy customers!
We have then a description of the "Bremmylaw harbour
and cran," regarding which the worthy Clerk says:--"There is
not such a fresh-water harbour to be seen in any place in Britain: it is
strangely fenced with beams of oak, fastened with iron batts within the wall
thereof, that the great boards of ice in time of thaw may not offend it; and it
is so large that a regiment of horse may be exercised thereupon." Several
sugar-houses, tan-works, lands, and lodgings are also described, including
"the great and stately tenement of land built by the deceast Walter
Gibson, merchant, and late Provost of Glasgow." This tenement
occupied the north corner between Prince's Street
and the Saltmarket, and stood "upon eighteen
stately pillars or arches, adorn'd with the several orders of
architecture." Walter Gibson was the son of John
Gibson of Overnewtown, and rather a remarkable man
in his day. He commenced business as a maltster--made some money--took to
herring-fishing and merchandising; and at length freighted a Dutch ship with
3,600 barrels of herring, which he sent to France, "and got for each barrel
of herring a barrel of brandy and a crown." He was also the first merchant
that brought foreign iron to Glasgow, and stood first on the list of the great
company carrying on trade "with Virginia and the Carriby-islands." At
the same period, the number of shopkeepers in the city did not exceed 155,
including "Robert M'Nair and Jean
Holmes in Company"--the worthy partners of said firm being
"sleeping partners" in another sense, or, in other words, man and
wife! From being small hucksters originally, Robin and
Jean became extensive merchants and sugar-boilers, and ultimately owned
the largest amount of house property in the city. In 1745,
when the rising in the Highlands took place under Prince
Charles Edward, the city of Glasgow raised two battalions of volunteers,
each 600 strong, for the service of the Government. When the Pretender reached
Edinburgh in triumph, he made a demand upon the Glasgow magistrates for all the
arms in the city, and 15,000 pounds in hard cash; but, through the exertions of
Provost Cochrane, this sum was modified to 5,000 pounds, with about 500
pounds worth of goods. After the romantic march into England, and the disastrous
retreat from Derby, Prince Charles, with the main
body of his army, made his appearance in the west of Scotland, and entered
Glasgow on Christmas-day. He took up his quarters in the house of Mr.
Glassford--the gutted mansion of Mr. Campbell--and
remained in the city for ten days. His Highland followers are described as
bare-headed and bare-footed fellows, with matted hair, grizzly beards, tanned
skins, famished aspect, and peculiarly savage and ferocious-looking in their
rags. After exacting heavy contributions in shirts, hose, short coats, shoes,
blue bonnets, and provender, the Prince took his departure; and it is said that
the city would have been sacked and burned to ashes by the Highlanders, had it
not been for the manly resistance of Lochiel. Up
till 1760, the severity of the ancient
manners prevailed in full vigour: no lamps were lighted on the Sunday evenings,
innocent amusements were denounced, and people were actually prevented from
walking on the day of rest. In order to enforce this regulation, the magistrates
employed certain persons named "compurgators,"
whose duty was to perambulate the streets and public walks during divine service
every Sunday, and to take offenders into custody if they refused to go home when
ordered. A party of these men, on duty at the Green,
thought proper to apprehend Mr. Peter Blackburn--a
prominent citizen, and ancestor of Mr. Blackburn
of Killearn; and the result was that Mr. Blackburn prosecuted the
magistrates before the Court of Session, and put an end to the "compurgatory'
system of Sabbath-keeping. This Mr. Blackburn was a member of a famous "Hodge-Podge"
Club, along with the father of Sir John Moore,
and other celebrities, and figured in the rhyme-register of the club (written by
Dr. Moore) in the following fashion:-- "Rough Peter's the next who is about to appear, With
his weather-beat phiz, and his heathery hair His
humor is blunt, and his sayings are snell-- An excellent
heart in a villanous shell!" The Dissenters
of those days were equally bigoted in opinion and intolerant in their behaviour,
when they had the power. A mason named Hunter, who
was a member of the Antiburgher congregation of North
Albion Street, was so far left to himself,
or to the wiles of Satan, as to build the Episcopalian
Chapel at the Green in the ordinary course of his business; and as the
poor man refused to express sincere contrition for his great sin, he was
formally excommunicated. It may easily be supposed, therefore, that
"play-acting" in those days would be regarded by the "unco guid"
as an utter abomination; and so in truth it really was. No theatre existed in
the city; but strolling companies of players occasionally exhibited their
historic powers to the lieges in Burrel's Hall,
situated in the upper portion of the High Street.
In the course of 1752, however, a wooden
booth was erected within the precincts of the Castle yard,
and attached to the ruined walls of the Episcopal Palace;
but this unpretending temple of Thespis was
afterwards attacked by an excited mob, and almost battered to pieces with
stones. In fact, people going to the play-house at this period had to be guarded
home, to protect them from popular violence, if we may trust the evidence of
tradition. In spite of this feeling, five gentlemen --viz., W.
M'Dowall of Garthland,
W. Bogle of Hamilton Farm,
John Baird of Craigton,
Robert Bogle of Shettleston,
and James Dunlop of Garnkirk--agreed
to erect a theatre at their own expense; but not a single feu-owner within the
city boundaries would grant a site for such a purpose! The spirited projectors
had therefore to cross St. Enoch's Burn, and after
considerable difficulty they obtained a piece of ground in Alston
Street; but the proprietor charged them a double
price for it, because it was intended for "the devil's temple!" In due
time the theatre was built, and was ready to be opened in the spring of 1764,
and the celebrated Mrs. Bellamy
was announced for the occasion; but, previous to the opening night, the theatre
was wilfully set on fire, and the whole scenery, with Mrs. Bellamy's wardrobe
and jewels (valued at 900 pounds) were destroyed. About this
time, and for a number of years afterwards, the "tobacco
aristocracy" were in the zenith of their fame. Not a few of these
magnates had made immense fortunes by the American trade, more particularly in
tobacco, which was imported in large quantities into Glasgow, and then dispensed
over the kingdom. They owned a considerable fleet of ships and brigantines,
about 200 tons burthen each, and something like the annexed figure when in full
sail. In the times preceding the American war of independence, the
"tobacco lords" were in the habit of "pacing the plainstones"
on the north side of the Trongate, clad in scarlet
cloaks, cocked hats, bushy wigs, knee breeches, and silk stockings. They were
the "cream of the causeway;" and no tradesman or shopkeeper dared to
address them off-hand, or encroach upon the promenade ground, without leave,
under pain of the highest displeasure. Red cloaks with hoods were also quite
common with the ladies of those days; while pattens and sedan chairs were used
for purposes of locomotion. Every now and then the public hangman might be be
seen whipping criminals through the streets at the cart's tail; while the
pillory and the scaffold were very frequently in use. When Nathaniel
Jones published his first Directory, in 1787,
the city was still within very narrow limits, and the population could not have
exceeded 50,000, being little more than a tithe of its present number. The sites
of Laurieston, Hutchesontown, Tradeston, and Bridgeton,
were corn-fields or kitchen gardens; hares and partridges were occasionally shot
on Blythswood Holm and Garnet
Hill; the site of the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway Station supported a
thriving plantation and a rookery; and children waded safely across the Clyde
where the harbour now is, and where great iron ships and steamers of more than
2,000 tons burthen are now riding safely at anchor. In the business parts of the
city, shops were lavishly decorated with all sorts of sign-boards, and gilded
articles representing the wares to be had within. Golden fleeces, and fish, and
boots, and breeches dangled in middle air; and sometimes the lettering of the
signs was a treat to the curious. In the Gallowgate,
for example, there was stuck up the following intimation: "Messages run
down this close at 2d. a mile!" A little further on might be seen:
"New laid eggs every morning, by me, Janet Stobie!"
Over an eating-house in a sunk flat, hungry passengers were invited to "Stop
and read, to prevent mistakes, Joseph
Howel's beefstakes. Good
meat and drink makes men to grow, And you will
find them here below." Among the inns
or hotels of the period were the "Saracen's Head,"
Gallowgate; the "King's
Arms," Trongate; the "Bull
Inn," Argyle Street; the "Crown
Inn," Gallowgate; and the "Leaping
Horse," on the south side of the Trongate. The
"Saracen's Head," in particular, was a
favourite place of resort for travellers and citizens of distinction. It was
patronized by the Lords of Justiciary on circuit, and by the nobility of several
counties, including the sporting Duke of Hamilton.
It was in this famous hostelry that Dr. Samuel Johnson
took up his quarters after his tour through the Hebrides; and on his arrival,
after seating himself in front of the fire; he put a leg on each side of the
grate, and with a mock solemnity said: "Here am I, an Englishman, sitting
by a coal fire!" Coaches, flies, diligences, stages, and caravans started
from the different hotels for London, Edinburgh, Stirling, Paisley, Greenock,
and other towns, at various hours, and made the passages with commendable
regularity, considering the state of the roads. The Greenock "Fly" (a
woodcut of which is here given) took five hours in going--I can scarcely call it
running--from Glasgow to Greenock; while the Dumbarton coach made its passage in
about four hours. Among the favourite "houffs" of the fuddling
fraternity may be mentioned "Lucky Black's"
tavern, the "Three Tuns," the "Black
Boy," and the "Boot," which
is simply a corruption of "Bute," as the tavern was originally called.
Mrs. Black's tavern was situated down a long narrow close at the head of
the Gallowgate, and was a thatched house of two
stories. She drove a "roaring trade," especially in the winter
evenings, and was famous over the city for sheep's heads, black puddings, and
"a skirl in the pan." The "Black Boy"
was also kept by a buxom widow, who ultimately doffed her weeds, and became the
landlady of the "Buck's Head," where an
"ordinary" was kept daily, at the moderate charge of eightpence per
head. the landlord of the "Three Tuns"
was "honest John Greig," a character in
his way; and the same may be said of John Neilson,
the Boniface of the "Boot." In looking over
the tiny Directory of Mr. Jones, many names will be
found just as familiar in the mouths of the citizens now as they were eighty
years ago. It will be seen, at the same time, that immense changes have taken
place during that period. The "merchant princes" have deserted their
domiciles in the business parts of the city, and have moved towards the west, or
into the country altogether. The population has increased nearly tenfold; the
city itself has invaded the country in all directions, and by thousands of acres
at a stretch. But notwithstanding the increase of population, the multiplication
of public works, and the pollution of the river, the rate of mortality has
continued to decline. In 1787, the number of
deaths within the city boundaries amounted to 1,759, or one in every 28 of the
population; whereas, in 1866, the proportion
was exactly one in every 34. In those days small-pox was one of the most deadly
scourges that afflicted humanity; and accordingly we find that out of 1,759
deaths, during the year above named, 383 resulted from small-pox alone, or
nearly a fourth part of the aggregate mortality. In 1866,
out of 12,826 deaths, not more than 101 were the effect of small-pox, or one in
every 127. The general result shows, that in 1787
one person out of every 130 died from this terrible disease; while in 1866
the proportion of deaths had declined to one in every 4,336. Eighty years ago
the General Post-Office was in a small shop in
Gibson's Wynd, or Prince's Street, and the
business was conducted by one master, two clerks, and two letter-carriers; while
the number of the latter at the present time is at least forty times more. The Custom
House was managed by two men, and the Tolbooth
by the same number; and, to crown all, the street Directory has swelled from 84
pages to 850, and has increased in weight from a little over one ounce to nearly
two pounds and a quarter! It would be quite superfluous to go more particularly
into the contents of "Jone's Directory," as it is now before the
reader, and he may prefer to make his own comparisons. It may not be out of
place, at the same time, to add a few notes regarding some of the names to be
found in the pages of Jones, and to mention the simple fact that my information
has been chiefly drawn from the works on Glasgow written by
M'Ure, Cleland, Reid (Senex), Pagan, and Dr. Strang.
DAVID DALE Was a native of Stewarton, and commenced business on his own account as a hawker or pedlar. Then he opened a shop in the High Street of Glasgow, at the yearly rent of 5 pounds; the half of which he sublet to a watchmaker for fifty shillings! In these small premises he contrived to carry on a profitable and yearly increasing business in French yarns particularly, until he was appointed agent for the Royal Bank of Scotland, when the watchmakers half of the High Street shop was converted into a bank office. Sometime after this, Mr. Dale erected the cotton mills at Lanark, went into turkey-red dyeing, weaving, and other enterprises; in all of which he was remarkably successful. From less to more he realized a handsome fortune--became a preacher of the gospel in the "Candle Kirk," father-in-law of Robert Owen, and a Glasgow magistrate. He lived respected by all who knew him, and died universally lamented as an able merchant, a just magistrate, and one of the most benevolent of men. DR. WILLIAM
PORTEOUS Was the son of
a Perthshire minister, and became pastor of the
Wynd Church in 1770. He was blamed
for taking a share in the antipopish agitation of those days, which resulted in
the destruction of a Catholic chapel and a considerable amount of property. He
was a tall, dark complexioned man, with a commanding appearance and an enormous
wig, and he made himself somewhat unpopular among the poorer classes, by looking
strictly after parties claiming relief at the Town's Hospital. At length the
worthy doctor got the cognomen of "Buff the Beggars," and the common
cry in the street was "Porteous and the deil Buff the beggars weel!"
During the excitement of the French Revolution, Dr.
Porteous preached a sermon before the Glasgow volunteers, in which he
compared the orgies of the revolutionists to scenes in the bottomless pit,
"when Satan gave the signal, and all hell rose in a mass!" He was the
first minister of St. George's Church, and got for
a second wife the aunt of General Sir John Moore.
JOHN ORR OF
BARROWFIELD Was Town Clerk
of Glasgow from 1781 till 1803, and for
several years Captain-Commandant of the Light Horse Troop of Volunteers. When a
very young man, Mr. Orr fell in love with a beautiful young lady, the intimate
accquaintance of his sister, and a very ardent correspondence was the immediate
result--the lover concluding one of his epistles by signing himself "Your
affectionate husband, John Orr." Years passed on, and Mr. Orr ceased to
talk marriage. An action in the Court of Session was raised against him; and,
after a protracted litigation, the lady was declared his lawful wife. He
steadily refused to live with her, however, or to acknowledge her as his wife.
She entered the Court of Session once more, obtained a divorce, and got married
a second time; while Mr. Orr remained single through life and died in 1803,
in the fifty-ninth year of his age. CAPTAIN
PATON A gallant old
soldier, who had seen a good deal of service in foreign parts, and who was much
given to fighting his battles over again. It was his daily habit to promenade
the "plainstones" opposite his own house in the Trongate,
clad in a suit of snuff-coloured brown, his long, spare limbs incased in the
blue stripped stockings, knee breeches, shoes and buckles. He sported a long
queue, a gold-headed cane, cambric ruffles, powdered hair and a cocked hat,
which he always took off with French politeness when saluting a friend. He was
commonly called "the Beau," and was
esteemed by all who knew him as " a prince of worthy
fellows, and a pretty man also." He lived with two maiden sisters,
was a regular member of the Coffeeroom, and dearly loved a bowl of good punch,
seasoned with limes from his own estate in Trinidad. At last he sickened and
died; and John Wilson in the Noctes sang of him
thus:--"Oh! we ne'er shall see the like of Captain
Paton no mo!" ROBERT
DREGHORN OF RUCHILL (Or "Bob
Dragon," as he was called all over the city) occupied a large house
fronting West Clyde Street, and was in the daily
practice of walking up Stockwell Street to
the Cross. He was a tall, gaunt figure, dreadfully marked by small-pox;
with a large crooked nose, and a pair of eyes that looked in opposite
directions. He had a great antipathy to mischievous boys, whom he belaboured
with his walking-stick whenever any of them came within reach of the
"Dragon's" arm; and had as great a partiality for servant girls with
bare feet! He was, in short, the embodied ideal of ill-natured and ugliness:
mothers used to frighten their children by the mention of his name; and yet he
was known to be a kindly-disposed man. One morning in 1806,
he was missed from his usual walking-ground; and on inquiries being made, it was
discovered that poor Bob had died by his own hand. The story ran that his house
was haunted; and so strongly did this feeling prevail, that it remained empty
and forsaken for many years afterwards. PROFESSOR
JOHN YOUNG Was generally
regarded as one of the most accomplished scholars that ever occupied the Greek
Chair in the Glasgow University. He expounded the
ancient classics with an enthusiasm that has never been surpassed; and,
moreover, he was an ardent admirer of the drama and of
Edmund Kean. The learned professor was the son of a cooper, and the
students on that account dubbed him "Cocky Bung."
While in the theatre one night, he became so absorbed by witnessing Kean's
"Shylock," that he also commenced to act the part in dumb-show, to the
amusement of the audience; and a witty ex-Provost made note of the circumstance
in rhyme, as follows:-- "The very Jew I've surely seen That Shakespeare
painted, played by Kean, While plaudits loudy rung; But what was all his acting
fine, To the diverting pantomime Displayed by Cocky Bung?"
WALTER
GRAHAM. This notability
kept a rum-cellar in Wallace's Closs, Bell's Wynd,
and was known in the city by the sobriquet of "The General," on
account of his tall, erect figure, and "lordly bearing" on the
streets. He was one of the founders of the Camperdown Club,
and was never known to change an opinion which he had once fairly adopted. He
detested changes and innovations of all kinds, even in dress, and stuck to knee
breeches and white worsted stockings long after the oldest man in the city had
discarded them. In 1803, the
"General" was appointed Master of the Glasgow Police, and office which
he held for two years. He was much respected by his fellowcitizens, and died in
the eighty-seventh year of his age.
GILBERT
HAMILTON A
"merchant councillor" in 1787, and
Lord Provost of the city in 1793. During the
reign of Mr. Hamilton, a monetary panic overspread the country: banks failed by
the score, firms broke down by the hundred, and the greatest distress prevailed
everywhere. In this emergency Provost Hamilton went to London, and applied for
Government Aid, to save the manufacturers of Glasgow from ruin, and the
application was successful. He was a thin, spare, skeleton of a man, a real
scarecrow provost; and when arrayed in his dark velvet suit, it was said of him
that he "looked like Death running away with the mortcloth!" While in
London on his benevolent mission, he was held to be a palpable evidence of a
famishing city; and having accomplished the object of his journey, the worthy
chief magistrate returned and adopted measures for relieving his distressed
fellow-citizens. During Mr. Hamilton's tenure of office, the
Tron Church was rebuilt, and the ancient Cathedral
was repaired and reseated. JOHN
GORDON OF AIKENHEAD A successful
West India merchant, a leading partner in the great firm of Stirling,
Gordon, and Company, a high Tory, and first president of the celebrated
"Pig Club." Mr. Gordon was a
jolly-looking, well-made man, of a lordly bearing; and, like the
"General," he long stuck to knee breeches and worsted stockings. He
occupied a large mansion and fine garden on the site of the Prince
of Wales Buildings, in Buchanan Street, where he surrounded himself with
a circle of the leading Tory gentlemen of the period, and dispensed a princely
hospitality. Mr. Gordon was emphatically a citizen of credit and renown; and,
after a long like of mercantile activity, political consistency, and wide-spread
benevolence, he died on the 2nd December, 1828,
universally lamented in spite of his political opinions.
ROBERT
CARRICK OF BRACO Was the son of
Robert Carrick, minister of Houston, and
entered the counting-house of the "Ship Bank" at the age of fifteen,
under the auspices of Provost Buchanan of Drumpellier.
Step by step, slowly but surely, Robin Carrick rose to be managing partner of
the concern, and one of the most important personages in the city of Glasgow at
the time. He was a short, dumpy man in his latter days, with thin grey hair,
tied into a pigtail behind, and with a keen, scrutinizing expression of
countenance. His every-day attire consisted of a long blue coat hanging down to
his heels, a striped woollen waistcoat, knee breeches, white ribbed stockings,
and a pair of capacious shoes. He sat behind his desk on a high three-legged
stool, in the "sweating room," or manager's sanctum, where he received
his customers with a bland smile, even when refusing to discount their paper. On
these occasions the invariable saying was, "It's not convenient;" and
once uttered, it was never known to be recalled. Mr. Carrick was elected Dean of
Guild in 1803, and died in 1821.
REV. JOHN
M'LEOD Was minister of
the Chapel of Ease in the latter part of the last century, and was rather a
notable sort of character. He is said to have had a specific grace for every
sort of dinner; and when the spread happened to be sumptuous, he usually began
with "Bountiful Jehovah!" Mr. M'Leod had an arch way of telling a
story; and when Dr. Chalmers came to Glasgow, and was in the hayday of his
popularity, he remarked: "Weel, I mind mysel' when I cam first to the
Chapel o' Ease, folk were paying tippence a piece for a seat on the poopit
stairs--every dog has its day!" JAMES
FINDLAY A leading
Glasgow merchant, father of Kirkman, and grandfather of Mr.
A. Finlay of Castle Toward, late M.P. for
Argyleshire. During the progress of the American war, Mr. James Findlay, in
conjuction with ex-Provost Ingram and Mr. Gray of
Carntyne, resolved to raise a regiment of volunteers in Glasgow for the
service of the Government. With this object in view, the trio met somewhere in
the Gallowgate, and proceeded as a recruiting party
towards the Cross. Mr. Gray walked in front, as the sergeant, wielding a
formidable sword; Provost Ingram brought up the rear; while Mr. Findlay marched
in the centre, playing bagpipes! On reaching Peter
M'Kinlay's tavern, the party marched up stairs, and were soon joined by a
number of their friends from the Coffee-room, anxious to learn their success in
the recruiting line, when Mr. Ingram remarked,
"There's a sergeant and a piper, but I am the regiment!" The
recruiting was continued, however; and before many days elapsed, the
"regiment" turned out 1000 strong, and afterwards became the 83rd of
the line. JOHN DUNLOP A merchant
councillor, a popular member of the "Hodge-Podge Club,"
a poet of no mean order; younger brother of James Dunlop of Garnkirk,
and son of Colin Dunlop of
Carmyle. In 1794, Mr. Dunlop was
elected Lord Provost of Glasgow, and afterwards became Collector of Customs at Port-Glasgow,
where he died in 1820. He was the author of
the two beautiful songs, "Here's to the year that's awa," and "Dinna
ask me gin I lo'e ye," besides other pieces of considerable merit. In 1778,
while still a Glasgow town councillor, he took an active part in the promotion
of a New Police Bill, and was lampooned by a local satirist in the following
style:-- "The
plan was in the Council moved By
an effected fop, Who
came from off the Turkish Dun, And
so nicknamed Dunlop; Who
struts still in the foremost rank, Dull
councillors among; Because
he apes the turkey's dance, And eke the
peacock's song."
DR.
ALEXANDER RANKINE Was minister of
the Ramshorn Kirk, or St.
David's, from 1785 till his death, in
1827. He was an eloquent preacher, a modest,
kind-hearted man, and the author of several works, including a "History of
France," of which he was not a little proud. Being anxious to ascertain
what other people thought of his favourite work, the worthy doctor stepped into
Stirling's Library one day, where he was not known, and addressing
Mr. Peat, the librarian, said, "Pray, Mr. Peat, is Dr. Rankine's
History of France in?" Mr. Peat turned round on his seat and very curtly
replied, "It was never out!" The Doctor took the remark in good part,
and went home to his "lodgings" a sadder and a wiser man.
DR. CHARLES
WILSONE A physician in
extensive practice at the head of Stockwell Street,
in 1787, and was the grandfather of Charles
Wilsone Browne, the husband of the widow Swinfen.
On the 10th January, in the year above named, Dr. Wilsone was knocked down in Argyle
Street at night, and robbed by two men named Veitch
and M'Aulay, who were tried and sentenced to
death for the crime. At two o'clock on the 30th May, they were taken out of the Tolbooth
at the Cross, and up the High Street to the place
of execution in the Castle Yard; but so great was
the crush of people on the street, that a halt was made, and refreshments served
out to the prisoners at the "Bell of the
Brae," and a whole hour was spent in reaching the Castle Yard. Both
prisoners were duly executed, along with a man named Gentles,
who suffered death for robbing a bleachfield. DR. JOHN
BURNS Was minister of
the Barony for sixty-nine years; and for twenty-five years of that long period
he preached to this congregation in the crypt of the Cathedral--a spectacle
which Scott graphically describes in his "Rob Roy." In 1787,
Dr. Burns lodged in Castle-pens Land, on the east
side of the High Street, and died in 1839,
at the advanced age of ninety-five. PATRICK
COLQUHOUN An eminent
merchant, and one of the most popular Lord Provosts that Glasgow ever had. At
this time he resided in the second floor of an old tenement in Argyle
Street; and yet he was rather proud of himself as a provost. On one
occasion, while apologizing for some mistake on the part of an official, his
lordship said, "Even I myself have made a mistake!" a saying that was
not soon forgotten. Mr. Colquhound was the originator of the Chamber of
Commerce, in 1783; and in 1789
he settled in London, where her became Chief Police Magistrate of the
metropolis. DR. ROBERT
FINDLAY Was appointed
Professor of Divinity in the College about 1783;
and his lectures were considered remarkable for their learning, liberality, and
prolixity. One of his students, on being asked what he had heard during a
certain session, replied, "The illustration of an attribute and a
half;" while a second youth remarked that the Doctor had "hung nearly
the whole session on one horn of the altar!" Dr. Findlay had a thin,
attenuated figure; but his appearance was venerable and striking, especially on
the streets, as he was invariably dressed in clerical attire, surmounted by a
cocked hat and a full storied wig. He died in 1814,
at the great age of ninety-three. JAMES
LUMSDEN An engraver in
the second flat of Craig's Land, at the head of the
Old Wynd, was the father of the late Provost Lumsden, and grandfather of
our present chief Magistrate. In 1797, James
Lumsden, junior, was elected a knight companion of the "Coul Club,"
under the title of Sir Christopher Copperplate. JAMES
M'DOWALL Was a merchant
bailie in 1787, and Lord Provost of the city
in 1790. It was chiefly through the
exertions of Mr. M'Dowall that the Royal Infirmary
was erected, and the industrial prison, or Bridewell,
established in the city. It was also during his reign that the
Trades' Hall was built, and the Flesher's Haugh, as well as John
King's Park, was added to the Green.
JOHN AND
WILLIAM TAYLOR Were teachers
of writing, &c., in Buchanan,s Land, Trongate,
and stood in the relationship of uncle and nephew. John, the uncle, was a bit of
a poet, and among other productions wrote a poem entitled "Nonsense,"
which was declared by Professor Hamilton to be destitute of a single idea--a
feat which gained for the author a leaden crown from the members of the
"Accidental Club." When Mr. Taylor died, and was carried to the High
Kirk burying-ground for interment, it was discovered that the undertaker had
forgotten to order the preparation of a grave! In this emergency the corpse was
deposited in the south aisle of the Cathedral, and the funeral party adjourned
to a public-house in Kirk Lane, and enjoyed
themselves until the grave-digger did his duty. It is not a little singular that
Mr. Taylor had a strong presentiment that "something would go wrong"
at his funeral. William, the nephew (or the "Cub," as he was called by
his companions), was much given to sarcasm or acidity in his talk--a habit which
he carried to great lengths, even with his pupils. On one occasion, the day
before Christmas, a boy went up to Mr. Taylor in school and said, "I
suppose, Mr. Taylor, we'll hae the play the morn to eat our goose?" The
dominie at once replied, "Ou ay, Robin; but there's been sic a slauchter o'
thae animals, I wonder that you hae escaped!" Mr. Taylor was in the habit
of getting "jolly," and sometimes "glorious," on the
Saturday nights, and occasionally forgot the name of the next day. One Sunday
morning after a "booze," he awoke in bed, rung the bell violently, and
ordered in his shaving water at once, as time was up for school. The servant
girl, rather astonished, said, "Oh! Mr. Taylor, it's the Sabbath-day!"
"The Sabbath-day!" exclaimed the "Cub:" "glorious
institution the Sabbath!" as he turned round for another snooze.
JOHN WILSON Teacher in
Buchanan's Court, and afterwards head master of the
Grammar School--a man of immense proportions, and known by the nickname
of "Gutty Wilson." he was a member of the
corps of volunteers designated the "ancients," on account of their
personal appearance; and on one occasion, while being dressed in line by an
Irish drill-sergeant, the latter exclaimed, "Very well in front; but, holy
Moses! what a rear!" JOHN
MARSHALL Accountant in
the Ship Bank, under the redoubtable Robin
Carrick. Mr. Marshall is described as a cadaverous-looking personage,
with a whisky-painted nose, gaunt in figure, and about six feet in height. He
was in the habit of taking burnt cake to kill the smell of the meridian drams;
and when he first made this important discovery, he entered the bank in triumph
with a bit of the brown cake in his hand. Coming behind a bottle companion at
the desk (as he believed), Mr. Marshall gave him a hearty slap on the back, and,
presenting the piece of cake, exclaimed, "Here, my old cock, is one of
Robin's deceivers for you!" The "old cock" was Robin himself! the
rest is left to the reader's imagination. ARCHIBALD
WRIGHT Better known as
"Bauldy Wright," was an old Highlander, and kept a small shop in the Trongate,
where he sold drugs and garden seeds. He was also the proprietor and sole
inventor of "Wright's Powders," the virtues of which have been
described in the following fashion:--"If they did nae harm, they could do
nae guid!" ANGUS
M'DONALD Another old
Highlander and druggist in the Trongate, who also
dealt in silver plate, hardware, toys, tea, and quack medicines, including the
famous "Balm of Gilead." Angus kept a shopman or porter named Murdoch
M'Donald, who, according to the advertisements, had
been cured of every disease incident to humanity by a liberal use of his
master's drugs. NATHANIEL
JONES Was originally
a shoemaker, and ultimately keeper of the Coffee-room at the Cross, and of the
"Servants' Register Office, second stair, left hand,
Presbyterian Closs, Saltmarket." Mr. Jones was also the editor or
compiler of the following Directory, and grandfather to Mr. Jones, late
librarian of the College. JOHN WILSONE An ironmonger
in the Trongate, and known in the "Beefsteak
Club"--of which he was a long time president--as "Tinkler
Wilsone." At a meeting of the club, on a particular occasion, Mr.
Wilsone observed a member tossing off a glass of whisky, and following it up
immediately by a bumper of brandy. The witty president at once exclaimed,
"Good God, sir! what are you about? You have disgraced yourself and the
club, by putting a fiddling Frenchman above a sturdy Highlander!" The
copper-nosed delinquent instantly started to his feet, swallowed another jorum
of Ferintosh, and laying his hand upon his heart, said, "Brand me not with
being a democrat, sir; for now I've got the Frenchman between two fires!"
JOHN MENNONS Editor and
printer of the Glasgow Advertiser (published every Monday evening), Saltmarket,
No. 22. This journal was transformed into
the Glasgow Herald in 1803, under the direction of the celebrated Samuel Hunter.
Mr. Mennons, it will be observed, was also the printer of Jone's Directory. GEORGE
GIBSON Loch-head's
Closs, High Street;
better known by the appellation of "Bell
Geordie," and one of the old Glasgow celebrities whose names will
not be soon forgotten. Geordie was a stout, burly man, full of caustic humor,
and fond of whisky--a habit which ultimately cost him his gaudy red coat. After
losing his situation, poor Geordie lost his sight, and was led about the streets
by a little girl, begging his bread on the scene of his former glories. Such is
life!
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