Glasgow City Archives, The Mitchell Library

Research Resources for Caribbean Studies and the History of Black and Asian Peoples in the UK

CASBAH SURVEY REPORT

Introduction
'Glasgow - the second city of the Empire'
Glaswegian society & Demographic overview

Local activities related to the aims of the CASBAH project
Selected publications
List of theses
Internet resources

Glasgow City Archives
Collection Strengths & The Mitchell Library

The Survey
Thematic spread
Survey data
Collection descriptions
Collection descriptions - Extract

Appendix

Acknowledgments

Section One - Introduction

Glasgow is located at the centre of the Glasgow and Clyde Valley conurbation. With a population of 611,440, it is the second largest city in Scotland and it is here the last CASBAH archive pilot survey was conducted from 10^th September - 14^th September 2001. All the preparations for our visit were made by CASBAH's Project Officer, Carol Dixon.

The Union of Parliaments Act in 1707 transformed Glasgow in that it opened up trade between Scotland and the new British colonies. By 1740, the groups of traders in Glasgow who had formed companies to carry and trade necessities to the colonies were established, their businesses were flourishing. The wealth generated by Glasgow's 'Tobacco Lords', the 'Jamaica Gentry', and the 'Virginia Dons' led to the rapid development and wealth of the city, and by the mid eighteenth century, the links between Glasgow and British colonial expansion were firmly established.

In the preface of 'The Tobacco Lords. A study of the tobacco Merchants of Glasgow and their Trading Activities c.1740 - 90', T.M. Devine states that 'the rise of Glasgow and its satellite ports to a position of dominance in the American tobacco trade in the eighteenth century is one of the great success stories of Scottish economic history.' ( p.1) The golden age of the tobacco trading industry was from 1740 to the beginning of the American Revolution. After the American Revolution came the rise of the Glasgow merchant class and the further development of the sugar, cotton, and linen trades, which supplemented revenue lost as more and more American shipping companies began to trade directly with the UK and Europe.

The nineteenth century also marked the emergence of the steam ship, the development in Glasgow of the iron and steel industries, the flowering of engineering industries, as well as the continued development of lighter industries such as textiles, carpets, threads, sewing machines and food products. Having established links as far back as the early eighteenth century, by the late nineteenth century, Glasgow was justifiably being described by local historians in particular, as the 'second city of the empire'.

For the CASBAH pilot survey, family and estate collections of some of the traders of the eighteenth century and the merchants of the nineteenth century have been examined to trace the links underpinning Glasgow's very long and extensive colonial and imperial history.

It is important to understand that although most early eighteenth century traders did specialise in trade with the American colonies, few did so to the exclusion of other interests. The Caribbean sugar trade, the wine and salt trades of Europe, marine insurance, banking, manufacturing and landholding were integral parts of the commercial regime so crucial to the development of Glasgow. Moreover, when one thinks of the commercial gains of this region during the rise of British colonialism and later imperialism, one must conclude that such wealth, and the development of modern Glaswegian society, are rooted in a series of interlocking industries, global business interests and connections, and the labour of enslaved, indentured and waged labour from around the world.

As was the case in other areas in the UK, these links between empire and home were evident in the peopling of Glasgow. It is clear that Scotland, perhaps Glasgow in particular, is - and has been for centuries - comprised of people from around the world, who brought to the city a diversity of languages, customs, and religions.

Commenting on Glasgow's demography, Mary Edwards states that for almost two hundred years the population of Glasgow has comprised of people from parts of the United Kingdom, other parts of Europe and other parts of the world. (1993, 11) The Irish, English and Highlanders; the arrival of Italians people from Lucca (North of Italy) and Abruzzi, (south of Rome) in the 1880s; and the Jewish people who have lived in Glasgow from the beginning of the nineteenth century have all contributed to Glasgow life and society.

Of importance to this project are the Glaswegians from African, and the African-Caribbean and Asian Diaspora. The aim of the survey was to examine collections that built upon these crucial histories.

Glasgow: demographic overview

There is evidence dating the presence of Black and Asian people resident in the region as far back as the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries respectively. The most recent statistics of the numbers of people of Pakistani, Indian, Chinese, African and Caribbean origin are those gathered from the 1991 Census. In 1991 Census. Ethnic Group Data, A Preliminary analysis (1993), E.P. Thornley provides the following facts:

Glasgow's population comprises of 96.7% white people and 3.3.% Black, Asian and 'other' ethnic groups:

• White 41, 336
  
• Pakistani 10, 945
  
• Indian 374
  
• Chinese 2, 780
• Other Asian 840
• Black African 726
• Black Other 489
• Black Caribbean 191
• Total 662,853 (including 1,840 that answered 'other other')

• 30% of those who identified themselves as Asian Other, Black African, Bangladeshi and Chinese were born in the United Kingdom
• Between 50 - 78% of all other groups had been born in the United Kingdom (10)
• This 3.3.% is spatially concentrated in various areas of the city:
• There are three wards with more than 1000 Pakistani people: Woodlands, Pollokshields and Crosshill. There are four wards with between 500 - 1000 Pakistanis people: Anderson, Shawlands, Kinston and Queen's Park
• There are no wards with more than 500 Indian residents
• There are two wards with between 400 - 500 people of Indian origin: Woodlands and Pollokshields. There is also a small number of Bangladeshi residents in these areas
• There is one ward, Anderson, with more than 300 Chinese residents. Anderson was also where the largest number of people who answered 'Asian Other' and 'Other Other' reside.
• The largest number of African and people of African descent live in Woodlands

Section Two - Information gathered regarding the activities in the region related to CASBAH's Subject Areas

• Selected publications
• Publications by the Scotland's Ethnic Minority Research Unit
• Selected theses
• Internet Resources

Dobson, D. The Original Scots Colonists of Early America. Caribbean Supplement, 1611-1707, (Baltimore, Genealogical Publishing Company, 1999). For further details on David Dobson, visit his website at http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/dobson.genealogy/

The Scottish Ethnic Minorities Research Unit was launched formally in March 1985. It is a collaborative venture, with dual locations in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and draws upon the experience, expertise, and interests of a number of staff from the academic institutions within which the Unit is located.

The primary function is to promote and carry out applied and policy-orientated research on the position of ethnic minority groups and the incidence of racism and radical discrimination in Scotland. Publications include:

• 'Race and Housing' by SEMRU by Scottish Homes (1994)
• 'Ethnicity and Poverty in Scotland' by SEMRU, Glasgow (1995)
• 'Scotland's Forgotten Prisoners; Asylum Seekers in Detention', by SEMRU, Glasgow (1995)
• 'Perspectives on Welfare: The Experience of Minority Ethnic Groups in Scotland' by Bowes and Sim (1997).

Internet resources

Embracing Multicultural Scotland - Who is a real Scot? - http://www.che.ac.uk/Action/EMSReport/ReportContents.htm

1991 Census on ethnic groups in Scotland - http://www.scotland.gov.uk/esf/ESF_Objectives3_Sect3C.htm

Section Three - The Glasgow City Archives (GCA)

Overview

Following the re-organisation of local government in April 1966, the former Strathclyde Regional Archives Department joined with the former Glasgow District Council Libraries Department to form the new City Council department renamed Glasgow City Libraries and Archives (GCA) Soon after it was deemed expedient to include the department within Reference Services where there are logical subject associations and information links were already well established.

The main objectives of the archive service are to select and acquire records for permanent preservation and to maintain a records management programme for the non-current records of the authority. The GCA houses the following collections:

• The Local authority records from Glasgow and most of the area of the former Strathclyde Regions
• Family, estate, business and personal archives dating from 12th - 20th Century.
• Monographs
• Serials
• Cuttings
• Photography Collections
• Postcards
• Original works of art/prints/engravings,
• Slides/lantern slides
• Audio cassettes
• Video cassettes
• Ephemera
• Maps and plans

The Glasgow City Archives is based at the Mitchell Library and is one of its subject-based departments. The following is a short description of the other departments that comprise the Mitchell Library:

History and Glasgow Department includes history and topography, archaeology, travel, heraldry and the Local Studies Collection - formerly known as the Glasgow Room. There are a number of special collections within the department including the following:

• Wotherspoon Collection
• Langmuir Collection
• Peter Herriot Collection
• North British Locomotive Collection
• William Smeal Collection
• Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts

The Arts Department includes all aspects of the fine and decorative arts, recreation, rare books and manuscripts, language and literature, and music. The Arts Department holds a number of special collections:

• Robert Burns Collection
• Scottish Poetry Collection
• Sir Thomas Lipton Collection
• Kidson Collection
• Moody Manners
• William 'Crimean' Simpson Collection
• Children's Collection
• Scottish Women's Hospital
• Slain's Castle Collection

Science & Technology Department houses material on the pure and applied sciences, medicine, biology, engineering, and technology. National newspapers both current and archived are also available.

Key strengths in the Department’s collections include the following:

• British Standards
• CD ROMS
• Historical Journals
• Map Collections
• Newspapers
• Open University Course Units
• Standard and Higher Grade Examination Papers
• Television and Video Circuit Diagrams
• Workshop Manuals

The Social Sciences Department covers a broad range of subjects including Philosophy; Sociology; Economics; Psychology; Law; Education etc. The stock of the department constitutes some 400,000 volumes, more than 500 current journals and several important specialist collections including British Official Publications; a United Nations Collection; and Scottish Regimental Histories. Searchable databases of holdings relative to both Scottish Regimental Histories and Social Sciences' Annuals are also available here.

The Business Information Department provides an extensive service to both the business community and other library users. Many of the services are free, however there are subscription services on offer to business and corporate users.

Section Four - The GCA Survey

• Scope of the Survey
• Thematic Spread
• Survey data
• Information on additional collections and related sources
• Archive Collection Description - Extract

Scope of the Survey

Drawing on all the evidence from the pre-survey preparations and after further background research at the Historical Manuscripts Commission, the following collections were targeted for surveying:

• Corporation proceedings/Special Committee on the International Exhibition of 1862. 1861-2. 1 vol.
• Photographs c.1910 - 1976. Glasgow Corporation housing, illustrating slum housing conditions
• Housing and Welfare/ Additional Records/ Glasgow housing c.1919.
• Lord Provost's Office/ Records of Public Events in Glasgow/ British Empire Exhibition, 1932. 1 vol.
• Record of the Information Bureau/ Official guides to Glasgow. Historical Marketing and Industrial survey. Published by John Menzies and Co Ltd for the Corporation of Glasgow, (1938, Empire Exhibition Year Issue).
• Festival of Britain, 1951 (1851 Exhibition)
• Various journal articles covering race riots, local communities and local government initiatives
• Ardgowan Estates Ltd, Ardgowan, Renfrewshire - records relating to the Roxburghe Estate in Tobago
• Colquhoun (Colhoun) of Glasgow family Papers (1552 - 1853)
• Smith family of Jordanhill, relating to the Jamaican Estates
• Stirling family of Keir and Cawder - Keir, Perthshire; Cawder, Lanarkshire
• Old Scots Independent Church, Oswald Street, Glasgow
• The Shawfield Papers (Papers of Daniel Campbell of Shawfield, Glasgow merchant 1691-1714)
• Newspaper Collections: The Glasgow Herald, Daily Record and Evening News
• Association of All Classes of All Nations (Glasgow City Archives Accessions for 1976).

Thematic Spread

• Business Records - carrying trades, tobacco industry
• Societies and Associations - The Glasgow Emancipation Society
• Business & labour - sailors - 'malays', lascars and African sailors
• Trade Unions-political agitation- Race Riots of 1919
• Colonial connections

The following collections will be uploaded to the CASBAH database:

1. Cunninghams of Craigend /Jamaican Estates
2. Colquhoun (Colhoun) Family of Glasgow /involvement in Slave trade, 1768 - 1776
3. Records of the Speirs of Elderslie Family (tobacco merchants in Virginia and the West Indies
4. The Shawfield Papers (Papers of Daniel Campbell of Shawfield, Glasgow merchant 1691-1714)
5. The Glasgow Herald
6. The William Smeal Collection (anti slavery and race manuscripts/ printed items)
7. Ardgowan Estates Ltd, Ardgowan, Renfrewshire
8. Smith family of Jordanhill, Jamaican Estates
9. Stirling family of Keir and Cawder - Keir, Perthshire; Cawder, Lanarkshire

Click here to view CASBAH database entries (Available March 2002)

The following are additional sources that were found, but due to time constraints, could not be sufficiently sampled for inclusion on the CASBAH database:

• The Glasgow West India Association - Minutes-1807 - 1969.

• Glasgow Chamber of Commerce Papers.

  Rare Books Department, Mitchell Library

• Corporation of Glasgow Police Department -Port Local Authority.

• Greenock Chamber of Commerce Papers.

• The Poor Law Relief Applications Database.

• Glasgow-West Indian Trade in 18^th and 19^th centuries.

• Mission to Lascars in Glasgow

Archive Collection Descriptions - Extracts

• The William Smeal Collection (anti slavery and race manuscripts/ printed items)

  Ref: 324924 - 325053

  The collection comprises of minute books, cashbooks, annual reports, speeches of the Glasgow Emancipation Society, and the Glasgow Freedmen's Aid Society, as well as newspaper cuttings, correspondence, and papers from the Glasgow Female Antislavery Society, and the Scottish Reformers, and reports annual reports of the female antislavery societies that existed in Glasgow as well as numerous other abolitionist publications issued both locally as well as in America. There is also a large collection of pamphlets relevant to the antislavery movement in Glasgow, including 'A tribute for the Negro' (1848), (ref:324944-59, 1833 - 1865). The collection also contains reports from American antislavery societies (Boston and Massachusetts)

• Colhoun (Colquhoun) of Glasgow family papers

  Ref: TD 301

  The Colhoun (also Colquhoun) family of Trongate in Glasgow were involved in the tobacco trade and slave trading throughout the 17th century.

  This collection comprises 9 files of business and family papers for the Colhoun family of Glasgow. During the 18th century the family were involved in the slave trade and the letters found in file TD301/6 document the experiences of William Colhoun, who worked as chief mate on a number of slave ships travelling between West Africa, North America and Britain between 1768-1776.

  In file TD301/6 there are nine letters to Miss Betty Colhoun of Trongate Glasgow, from her brother William, 1768-1771. In 1769 William sends letters from his voyages on the "Trent" man-o-war, and ships called the "Bellsavage" [sic] and the "Industry." One of his letters, dated June 1770, is written from Senegal in West Africa, telling his sister about his first experiences aboard a slave trader. He states "We shall sail tomorrow with a hundred and 50 slaves for Potouchan River in Virginia in a very fine vessel which I am chief mate of…it is a very precarious cargo as for me it is the first time…we have always plenty of noise and stink in proportion."

  His next letter, dated October 1770, was written in Oxford, Maryland, and tells Betty that the slaves were sold there and the ship is returning to Glasgow loaded with tobacco. Later his sister marries a Glasgow merchant, Archibald Patterson, and William continues to write to Patterson about his dealings in slaves.

  In one letter, written from Sierra Leone in April 1775, he promises to send "three prime slaves which will amount to 120 pounds sterling" to be sold, whenever he can finds the means to remit the proceeds to Archibald, and "…a very fine girl about twelve years of age" which he will send home to Glasgow if one of his sisters would like her. In a later letter from Yongia, Dimba River, dated May 1776 he writes, "I have sent likewise by Captain Richard Wilding of Liverpool two fine slaves to be sold at the West Indies and the money or bills to be remitted to you…The slaves will come to about 80 pounds sterling."

  The remainder of the collection contains miscellaneous 18th and 19th century family letters and accounts, primarily concerning the management of cotton spinners in Scottish-based cottage industries.

Keyword 'India'

Updated: January 2001