This association initially met on Saturday mornings from 9.30-10.30 (later changed to 12.30-1.30pm, and then to 10-11am) in the Hall of Blythswood Church, located at 258 Bath Street (near Charing Cross). The yearly session ran from November or December until April. Membership was open to students who belonged to the Church of Scotland, some of whom were studying at the University of Glasgow for the ministry of the Church of Scotland. The group’s objects were to encourage conviviality and literary culture. As was the norm for many of these societies, meetings were opened and closed with prayer.

There are no (extant?) roll books for this association, but the number of members who attended each meeting was recorded in the minutes. From these, in the 1877-1878 session, it appears that there were at least 50 members of this group (the number of attendees at the opening meeting), but normally only between 10 and 20 people attended. In the following year, there seems to have been a drop in numbers, with only 15 members attending the opening meeting, and between 7 and 10 members at the meetings thereafter. The minutes end part-way through the session, on 8 February 1879.

The minute book is then taken over by the Glasgow University Theological Society in 1881. There was some continuity between the two societies in that there were several office bearers and committee members of The Church of Scotland Students’ Literary Association who later served the same or similar roles in the Theological Society. The new society was more focused on religious issues and doctrine than the previous group, which regularly included essays on authors (e.g. Tennyson, Byron, Milton, Wordsworth, Scott, and Schiller in the 1877-1878 session alone), and on literature and language more generally.

Date of Existence

1877?-1883?

Source of Information

1. Minute Book, Church of Scotland Students’ Literary Association, 1877-83;

2. Minutes of Church of Scotland Students’ Literary Association, 10th November 1877 to 8th February 1879;

This literary club was in fact an institution, in the sense of being a building where club members met for in/formal literary and social events and activities. The club was founded in 1911 and located at 266 St Vincent Street. It had club rooms, bedrooms, a dining room as well as its own library for club members. Membership lists were separated into town and country members.

Whilst later in date than the materials considered in this project (and later than the magazines investigated in our sister project, Literary Bonds), of interest amongst the collection for this group is the club’s magazine. The earliest is dated Christmas 1921, and is entitled the Glasgow Literary Club Magazine. This issue contains type-written original poetry, essays, artwork, music, and recipes. Later, in the 1930s, the club had another magazine called The Chap Book, which contains original essays and poetry, and reports on various events at the club. It also included news of various reading and study circles that were running within the club. For example, there was a study circle, French circle, and Poetry and Literature circle.

Date of Existence

Premises opened 1/5/1911 (Formal Opening 15/5/1911) -1964?

Source of Information

The Glasgow Literary Club (Constitution and bye-laws, 1928-51; membership records, 1911-49; magazines, 1921-35; visitors books, 1934-40; finance, 1958)

Repository

Glasgow City Archives

Reference Number

GB243 TD1858

Additional Notes

The documents from this club are contained in 2 large boxes with the following reference numbers on them: first box: TD1858/8/1-6; second box: TD1858/1-7, TD1858/9-11. In pencil underneath is the following ‘(See Box 2/2 for TD1858/8)’.

The online catalogue of the University of Glasgow Archives Services, Archives Hub, offers a summary of this society and its activities:

‘Administrative / Biographical History
Glasgow University Dialectic Society was instituted in 1861 at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, as a society for the discussion of literary, philosophical and political subjects. The Society, in some form, has been in existence for some years earlier. The Society has been prominent in University life and in 1885 , along with the Glasgow University Medico-Chirurgical Society , helped to establish the Glasgow University Union (GUU).

Originally a male only club, membership is now mixed and open to matriculated members of the University and ex-members upon payment of a subscription. The Society’s main aim is to foster and promote debate.’

(‘Records of the Glasgow University Dialectic Society, student society, University of Glasgow, Scotland’, ‘Administrative/Biographical History’, Archives Hub)

Date of Existence

(few years prior to) 1861-present

Source of Information

1. Records of the Glasgow University Dialectic Society (includes: Constitution and bye-laws; membership card; syllabus) (UGAS, GB 248 DC 38);

2. Records of the Glasgow University Dialectic Society (includes: Board minutes; Society meeting minutes; Membership roll books) (UGSC, GB 247 MS Gen 1307-1310);

3. (Newspaper clipping, annotated:) ‘Citizen, 4 Mch. 1912’ (MLSC, Young’s Scrapbooks, Vol. 33, p. 55);

4. ‘University Notes’, Evening Citizen, 4 March 1912, p. 10

5. University of Glasgow Dialectic Society Homepage

Repository

Mitchell Library Special Collections (MLSC)

University of Glasgow Archives Services (UGAS)

University of Glasgow Special Collections (UGSC)

Reference Number

(See Source of Information)

Additional Notes

Copies of the Evening Citizen are available at the Mitchell Library and the National Library of Scotland. Digitised issues are available through the British Newspaper Archive: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk.

From the University of Glasgow Archives Services online catalogue Archives Hub:

‘Administrative / Biographical History: Glasgow University Dumfriesshire & Galloway Literary Society was formed at the University of Glasgow , Scotland, in 1876 . The object of the society was to “hold discussions of the chief literary and philosophical, social and political questions of the day and to keep its members acquainted with the spirit of the age” . Membership was open to students of the University and natives of, or connected to, Dumfriesshire and Galloway, Scotland (now Dumfries & Galloway).

A committee consisting of a president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and 4 regular members managed the society. The committee was elected at the annual general meeting held in the second week of November.

Regular meetings of the society were held on the second Monday of each month for the reading of essays, criticism and debate. The society was still functioning in 1882 but nothing is known about its activities after this date’ [accessed 28/01/18].

Date of Existence

1876-1882?

Source of Information

Records of Glasgow University Dumfriesshire and Galloway Literary Society, 1876-fl. 1882 (Constitution and bye-laws 1876; List of members 1881-1882; Treasurer’s account book 1876-1882)

Repository

University of Glasgow Archives Services

Reference Number

GB 248 DC 062/2

Additional Notes

–

This society was made up of young men from the congregation of the Hope Street Free Gaelic Church. (For more information on this church, see ‘Glasgow — Hope Street‘ on the Ecclegen website, and ‘Glasgow, 58 Waterloo Street, Gaelic Free Church‘ on ScotlandsPlaces website.)

Meetings were held every Tuesday evening, but later became fortnightly. Essays read include: ‘Literary Pursuits’; ‘Man, A Study’; ‘Be Men of the Times’; ‘The importance of our opinions as a guide of Life’; Cromwell’; ‘Characterists [sic] of Highlanders’; and ‘Self-culture’ to name a few. Meetings were of the order of addresses, debates, essays and business meetings.

There were 28 members on the Secretary’s Roll for the first session (1889-1890), but usually about half or even less attended each meeting. Some of these meetings were open to ladies. ‘[S]trangers & friends’ were also allowed to attend, although their numbers were not recorded. Among the papers is a document with a list of the office-bearers for 1891-1892, and on the inside is the ‘Syllabus, 1891-92′. On the back of the Syllabus are the Constitution and Rules, which gives the society’s object as the members’ moral and intellectual improvement.

Date of Existence

1889-?

Source of Information

Records of Hope Street Gaelic Free Church, Glasgow, Bundle of papers relating to Hope Street Free Church Literary Society, 1889-92

Repository

Glasgow City Archives

Reference Number

CH16/3/11

Additional Notes

–

This group of young women were — or were previously– students of Queen Margaret College, membership being open to current and former students. (For more information on this college, see’ Queen Margaret College‘ on The University of Glasgow Story website, and ‘North Park House‘ on The Glasgow Story website.) It is currently unknown if this group had any connections with the earlier Queen Margaret College Literary and Debating Society.

The object of the society was to promote and encourage the study of literature. The union met to listen to lectures by invited speakers, and to form reading circles. In 1908, it was reported that there were also study circles specifically for Gaelic and Irish literature, as well as Icelandic (see ‘Additional Notes’ below).

The Union held an annual business meeting at which they elected officers and determined the subject of study for the coming year. In the annual statement supplied to its members, in addition to a few original contributions by union members, a guided reading list was included. The annual fee was half-a-crown (or 2s 6d, which was the average for other literary societies at this time). In its first year, the union was happy to report a membership of 134 members.

Date of Existence

1907?-1912?

Source of Information

1. Queen Margaret College Reading Union, 1908-1909 [annual report of the Queen Margaret College Reading Union, and print magazine, printed by Bone & Hulley, Glasgow] [1908], (MLSC) Mitchell (GC) 828 169800)*;

2. Queen Margaret College Reading Union, 1908-09 (MLSC, Mitchell (GC) 828 431393);

3. Queen Margaret College Reading Union, [Year Book], 1908-09 (UGAS, GB 248 DC/233/2/16/7/1/5);

4. Queen Margaret College Reading Union, Year Book, 1909-10 (UGAS, GB 248 DC/233/2/16/7/1/1);

5. Queen Margaret College Reading Union, Year Book, 1910 (UGAS, GB 248 DC/233/2/16/7/1/2);

6. Queen Margaret College Reading Union, Year Book, 1911 (UGAS, GB 248 DC/233/2/16/7/1/3);

7. Queen Margaret College Reading Union, Year Book, 1912 (UGAS, GB 248 DC/233/2/16/7/1/4)

Repository

Mitchell Library Special Collections (MLSC)

University of Glasgow Archives Services (UGAS)

Reference Number

(See Source of Information)

Additional Notes

See also Queen Margaret College Literary and Debating Society.

The print magazine for Queen Margaret College Reading Union’s 1908-1909 session includes a list of Office-Bearers, list of members, Constitution of the Union, Report for the 1907-08 session, Report of the Irish Reading Circles (Miss Hutton), and contributions from two members (MLSC, Mitchell (GC) 828 169800).

See also entry for Queen Margaret College Reading Union Year Book on our sister website, Literary Bonds.