Overview
This society is a type of nineteenth-century county association. In the stricter sense, county associations were groups whose members (or whose parents) were former residents of counties across Scotland who had moved to Glasgow. This type of group incorporated elements of a benevolent society in that they could offer a combination of accommodation, advice, referrals, and general assistance to newcomers in the city when they arrived, while also offering aid to widows, unemployed members, or members undergoing financial hardship. In addition, they might offer to provide for the education of their members’ children, or money to support their higher education.
The details that we have about this society come from a magazine that was produced by its members in manuscript (see ‘Additional Notes’ below). From this, we know that the society was associated with the Glasgow Border Counties Association. The President was D. Paton, Vice-President was D. Moffat, and Secretary was R. W. Carrie. The Editor of the magazine was John Wallace.
The ‘Editorial’ for the volume sets out the society’s objects, which were to provide a place where Borderers could meet and discuss ideas — with the implication that this would lead to ‘improvement’ — and to share their memories for their former homes.
Date of Existence
1885-1887?
Source of Information
Glasgow Border Counties’ Literary Society’s Manuscript Magazine, 1885-87
Repository
Scottish Borders Archive and Local History Centre, Heritage Hub, Hawick
Reference Number
GB1097/SC/M/28
Additional Notes
Volumes I and II are bound together.
See also entry for Glasgow Border Counties’ Literary Society’s Manuscript Magazine on our sister website, Literary Bonds.