Members of this association were most likely part of the congregation of the Kelvinside United Free Church (earlier known as the Kelvinside Free Church) which was located at the corner of Byres Road and Great Western Road in the West End of the city (now ÒranMór, an arts and entertainment venue). (For more information on this church, see ‘Glasgow — Kelvinside‘ on the Ecclegen website.) The group met in the Session House of the church.

In D. S. Riddoch’s Kelvinside United Free Church Glasgow: A Record of Fifty Years, 1859-1909, there is a brief history of this association from its founding until its jubilee in 1909. The group had two breaks in its history, but Riddoch nonetheless counted its 44 years of more-or-less continued existence as a marker of the long-standing, established nature of this association in the city. According to Riddoch, the group provided companionship and guidance for young men in regards to citizenship. While ladies were admitted to the meetings as early as the 1873-1874 session, it was only in 1890 that membership was opened up to them. (Interestingly, if ladies did attend, their names are not recorded in the minutes.) In 1907, the fortnightly meetings were changed to monthly ones. The group changed its name in the same year to ‘The Young People’s At Home’.

In 1873, a proposal was put forward to start a society magazine, and the topic was discussed at two subsequent meetings. It is currently unknown if the magazine was ever started (see ‘Additional Notes’ below).

Date of Existence

1865-(at least 1909)

Source of Information

1. Glasgow, Kelvinside, Free Church, U.F., Congregational committee minutes, 1867-8 (GCA, CH3/1012/9);

2. (Handwritten copy of syllabus for 1870-71, author unknown) (MLSC, Glasgow Scrapbooks, No. 21, p. 159);

3. Glasgow, Kelvinside, Free Church, U.F., Literary association minutes, 1871-84 (GCA, CH3/1012/11);

4. Kelvinside United Free Church Year Book 1904; Report and Financial Statement 1903; Lists of Office-Bearers and Agencies, Lists of Members and Adherents (Glasgow: Printed at the University Press by Robert MacLehose and Co. Ltd., 1904), p. 12; pp. 28-9 (ML, Mitchell (GC) 285.241443 KEL 272765);

5. Kelvinside United Free Church Glasgow: A Record of Fifty Years, 1859-1909, ed. by D. S. Riddoch (Glasgow: Printed at the University Press, 1909), pp. 58-60 (MLSC, Mitchell (GC), 285.241443 KEL 499011)

Repository

Mitchell Library (ML)

Mitchell Library Special Collections (MLSC)

Glasgow City Archives (GCA)

Reference Number

(See Source of Information)

Additional Notes

This society is not to be confused with Kelvinside Parish Church Literary Society, which is a Church of Scotland society.

See also Glasgow Western Literary Union.

See also entry for Kelvinside Literary Association magazine (currently unknown if ever produced) on our sister website, Literary Bonds.

In the early nineteenth century, the East Campbell Street Old Light congregationalists moved around to different premises before a church was built for them in 1823 on the corner of Renfield Street and Gordon Street. In 1858, a new church was erected at 311 Bath Street (on the corner of Elmbank Street), to the west of the city centre and near Charing Cross. (For a more complete history of this church, see ‘Glasgow — Renfield‘ on the the Ecclegen website. For a brief history of Professor Marcus Dods, one of the ministers of the church during the time when the young men’s society was running, see ‘Marcus Dods‘ on The Glasgow Story website).

At the first meeting, the full name of this group was given as the ‘Renfield Free Church Young men’s society for mutual improvement’. There are 30 members listed on the roll at the start. As per the rules, the young men were either part of the church congregation or of the same denomination. Although most of the them lived in and around the city centre, two members lived in the south side of the city, in the Gorbals and Tradeston areas just south of the River Clyde.

The rules of the group were modeled on those of ‘Dr Buchanan’s congregation’, which possibly refers to Robert Buchanan, D.D., who was minister of the Tron Church in Glasgow between 1843 and 1857. (For more information about the Tron Church, see ‘Glasgow — Tron‘ on the the Ecclegen website.)

The society met every other week on a Tuesday in the church session house at 8pm for the purpose of its members’ intellectual, moral and religious improvement. The annual subscription fee was 2s, which was a bit cheaper than the average in the second half of the century (2s 6d). As per the norm for this type of group, meetings were opened and closed with prayer. At the meetings, papers were read and debates were held. Once a quarter, a devotional meeting was to be held.

The society was dissolved at the end of the meeting held on 18 January 1870. In the last session, there were 10 members on the roll.

In a ‘Report of Committee appointed at meeting of Renfield Association, April 28th 1868’, the members discussed the formation of an Association Magazine to be issued monthly in manuscript (see ‘Additional Notes’ below). There were six magazines produced. Upon the dissolution of the society, the issues were allocated to six society members.

Date of Existence

26 February 1851-18 January 1870

Source of Information

Glasgow, Renfield Free Church, U.F., Young Men’s Society minutes, 1851-69

(Note: in the back of this minute book are various loose correspondence, annual and financial reports in manuscript, in addition to a printed ‘Programme’ (i.e. syllabus) for the 1869-1870 session,

Repository

Glasgow City Archives

Reference Number

CH3/1166/13

Additional Notes

See also entry for [Manuscript magazine of the Renfield Free Church Young Men’s Society] on our sister website, Literary Bonds.