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Towns & Parishes

Glasgow

Provans Lordship - oldest house in Glasgowthe commercial and manufacturing capital of Scotland, and, in point of wealth, population, and importance, the second city of the British islands, is situated for the most part in the lower ward of Lanarkshire, but a small part of it is in the county of Renfrewshire.

The city is in general remarkably well built. The building materials is a fine light coloured sandstone, the masonary substantial, and the frontages in most parts lofty and good, though there is often a tendency towards too profuse ornamentation and to a rather factory-like arrangement of windows. The older districts are mostly squalid, and have little or none of the picturesqueness of the older Scotch architecture which gives such a characteristic and quaint aspect to the older portions of others of the old towns of Scotland.

(Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland 1883)

Archives and Libraries

The Glasgow City Archives (formerly known as the Strathclyde Regional Archives) are housed in the Mitchell Library in Glasgow.

Bibliography

A catalogue and family history material held by the Mitchell Library including the Glasgow City Archives.

Richard Stenlake Publishing
(Ochiltree Sawmill, The Lade, Ochiltree, Ayrshire KA18 2NX
(telephone 01290 700266 - international +44 1290 700266)
have published a range of illustrated books showing past scenes of old Glasgow. Contact the publishers for a full list, but some of the titles are:-
The GORBALS - an illustrated history by Eric Eunson - published 1996 - price £12.95 - ISBN 1872074685
Bygone PARTICK (volumes 1 & 2) (1992)
PARTICK Remembered (1996)
The story of PARTICK (1996)

Business and Commerce Records

Shipbuilding

Glasgow and the River Clyde were famous for its shipbuilding. Glasgow City Archives in the Mitchell Library holds shipbuilding records from Fairfields, Connels, Barclay Curle and other shipyards.

Mining

Lists of coal mines operating in Lanarkshire in 1896 are available for eastern Lanarkshire and western Lanarkshire.

Lists of metalliferous mines operating in Lanarkshire in 1896 are similarly available for eastern Lanarkshire and western Lanarkshire

Cemeteries

Glasgow & West of Scotland Family History Society has published transcriptions of monumental inscriptions in the St. David's Ramshorn Burial Ground. Individual members of the FHS have made transcriptions in various other cemeteries in the West of Scotland, notably the Glasgow Necropolis (incomplete) and Maryhill Old Burial Ground.

Glasgow Necropolis
Glasgow Necropolis

"Some ancient cemeteries in the city have been converted into building ground or market places; while others at the Cathedral, St. David's, St. Mary's, Gorbals, Calton and Bridgeton still remain, but are not now important for their original purpose, but as lungs for the city."

"Inside the city there were also intramural cemeteries at North Street and Main Street in Anderston, Cheapside Street in Anderston, Christchurch in Mile End, and Greendyke Street Episcopalian church, in a crypt under the United Presbyterian church in Wellington Street, and for Roman Catholics in Abercromby Street."

"In a report furnished in 1869.....it was recommended that, except in very special cases, the intramural cemeteries of St. Favid's; College; North Street and Main Street, Anderston; Cheapside Street, Anderston; Calton; Bridgeton; Rutherglen Loan, Gorbals; St. Mungo's Cathedral; Abercromby Street, Roman Catholic; Christchurch, Mile End; Greendyke Street; and Wellingston Street should no longer be used. The interment in these have fallen ....... to 60 last year, ......; and now interments take place in the following extramural cemeteries:-
The Necropolis, Sighthill Cemetery, the Eastern Necropolis or Janefield, the Southern Necropolis, Craigton at Paisley Road, Sandymount at Shettleston, Dalbeath at London Road, Cathcart at New Cathcart, and the Western Necropolis at Maryhill."

Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland 1883

The Glasgow and Family History Room at the Mitchell Library holds the records of some twenty Glasgow cemeteries covering the period from the "http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Residents/Library_Services/The_Mitchell/Archives/">Glasgow City Archives, as well as lair plans and registers of burials in intra-mural burial grounds from 1870 to 1950. Records are arranged in chronological order and there are no indexes! A comprehensive listing, including location of registers and monumental inscriptions can be found in:- Burial Grounds of Glasgow: a brief guide for the genealogist by J Willing and J S Fairie - published by the Glasgow & West of Scotland Family History Society 2nd Revised Edition published in 1997.

Additional cemetery registers for Glasgow are kept by:- Glasgow City Council, Land Services Department, Telephone 0141 287 3961)

Census

In the Lanarkshire area microfilm copies can be consulted at a number of locations in Glasgow and at a number of local libraries.

Church History

Dates of Old Parish Registers
b.1609-1855
m.1612-1854
d.1699-1854

Church Records

Glasgow and West of Scotland Family history Society is assisting Glasgow City Archives in the ongoing project of indexing the records of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. Glasgow City Archives also house the Church of Scotland Kirk Session records for the Presbytery of Glasgow.

Description and Travel

The Glasgow Story tells the story of the great city in words and pictures.

Directories

Copies of most editions of the Glasgow Directory can be viewed in the Glasgow Collection of the Mitchell Library. These cover years 1787, 1789, 1790, 1793 to 1799, 1801, and 1803 to 1978 (pre-1886 directories are on microfiche). The First Glasgow Directory (1787) is available on the web.

The Glasgow 1927 Directory is online courtesy of Jim Bundy and Andrew R Nicoll.

The First Glasgow Directory (1787) by Nathaniel Jones is no longer accessible as Kinhelp keep messing about with their links and will be dropped if they carry on doing so.

A Genealogical index to "Extracts from the Records of the Burgh of Glasgow", Volume 1 (Minutes & Accounts, 1573-1641).

A Genealogical index to "Extracts from the Records of the Burgh of Glasgow", Volume 2 (Minutes & Accounts, 1630-1662).

Genealogy

A number of useful facilities for researching your ancestors and their backgrounds exist within the City of Glasgow.

A leaflet, entitled Family Roots, is available from the Greater Glasgow and Clyde Valley Tourist Board and gives some information on places where family history research can be conducted throughout the board's area.

The Mitchell Library has many facilities for Family History research in its Glasgow Collection and linked Family Search Room on the 5th floor (lifts available). These include Old Parish Registers (generally meaning the Church of Scotland records) and Census Returns (for Glasgow, Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, Dunbartonshire and Renfrewshire) on Microfilm, IGI microfiche versions and the "Family Search" computerised database version of the IGI on CD ROM - NOTE that access to the "Family Search" CD ROM version MUST be booked in advance (telephone 0141-287 2988) and is available for 1 hour at a time.

The Family and Local History pages offer a good starting point for on-line research.

Entrance to the Mitchell Library is FREE as is the use of its microfilm/mircofiche readers - photocopies or printed copies of documents carry a small charge. The library's opening hours are Monday to Thursday 9am to 8pm, Friday and Saturday 9am to 5pm.

Glasgow City Archives, also based in the Mitchell Library, have a wide range of records of interest to the genealogist - see the leaflet mentioned above for more details. The Archives' opening hours are Monday to Thursday 9.30am to 4.45pm and Friday 9.30am to 4pm with other times possible by prior appointment.

The Glasgow Registrars Office has a Genealogy Centre at 22 Park Circus, Glasgow, G3 6BR (telephone - international +44 141 287 8364 - UK 0141 287 8364 - within Glasgow 287 8364). Its facilities include the Statutory Registers (on microfiche) of the former Strathclyde region , a national computer index covering the period since 1855, an index to the 1891 census and other source material.

The Mormon Church has a Family History Centre at their Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Julian Avenue, Glasgow G12 (telephone 0141-357 1024). The opening hours of this centre are Monday 11am - 2pm: Tuesday 10am - 9pm and Wednesday 2pm - 6pm, but please note that advanced booking is required by letter or telephone.

The Glasgow & West of Scotland Family History Society has a Research Centre at Unit 13, 32 Mansfield Street, Partick, G11 5QP, Glasgow. This facility is open on Tuesdays from 2pm to 4.30pm; Thursdays from 10am to 9:30pm, and Saturdays 2pm to 4:30pm, except for Easter Saturday and 3 full weeks over Christmas & New Year. Contact the FHS to confirm access arrangements.

In addition, a surname index of the  1851 Census  is available on computer at the research centre for Glasgow City, Barony, Gorbals, Govan, Old and New Monkland, Carmunnock, Rutherglen, Ayrshire, Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire and Campsie. The 1851 census films for these areas are also available. A number of indexes for the 1841, 1851, 1861, 1881, 1891 and 1901 Censuses are also available.

History

An excellent summary of Glasgow's history can be found on-line at The Glasgow Story.

If you are in a position to visit the City, you an get a glimpse of how your Glasgow ancestors lived by visiting the Peoples Palace, a museum of Glasgow life and culture which is situated on Glasgow Green.

Merchant Marine

Glasgow was built on the Clyde and on the trade that river brought. The Merchant Marine and shipbuilding both played a large part in the city's history.

Registers of Deceased Seamen can be found in the Glasgow Collection of the Mitchell Library.

Military Records

Information about Scottish footballers who served in the Great War.

Names, Geographical

Over the years many Glasgow streets have been renamed for various reasons.

The book "A Guide to Glasgow Addresses 1837-1945",  which gives details of street name changes in the city, is available from the Glasgow & West of Scotland Family History Society

Newspapers

The Glasgow Collection of Newspapers is available in the Glasgow Collection of the Mitchell Library. This contains a variety of newspapers published since 1715 until 1993 including

Societies

GLASGOW & West of Scotland Family History Society

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[Last updated: 26 November 2008 - David McFarlane]