Minute Book – Glasgow's Literary Bonds

Bridgeton Burns Club

Overview Bridgeton is an area to the east of Glasgow’s city centre. (For more information about this area, see Gordon Adams’s chapter, [Bridgeton & Dalmarnock], ‘Historical Background‘, on the East Glasgow History website.) The Bridgeton Burns Club’s website gives the group’s earliest Read More …

The Church of Scotland Students’ Literary Association

Overview 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 Read More …

City of Glasgow Literary Society

Overview The object of this society was its members’ intellectual improvement through the reading and discussion of essays written by society members, but this was to exclude the subject of religious doctrine. A couple of examples of the essays Read More …

Free Church Students’ Literary Association

Overview This association met on Friday evenings at 7.30 in the Greek Class Room of the Free Church Presbytery House, which was located on Holmhead Street. Its object (i.e. the purpose for meeting) was its members’ intellectual as well as Read More …

Free College Church Association

Overview To date, there is little known about this society. The information that we have comes from the minute book of the Wellington United Presbyterian Church Literary Association: the Free College Church Association was scheduled to take part in a Read More …

Gaelic Society of Glasgow (not same as Gaelic Club)

Overview The Glasgow Post Office directory for 1906-1907 provides a list of this society’s objects, its membership requirements, along with its subscription fees: ‘[…] The objects of the Society are: — The cultivation of the Gaelic Language; the cultivation and Read More …

Glasgow Addisonian Literary Society

Overview Alexander Smith (1829-1867) was a well-known working-class Scottish poet, and was one of the founding members and Secretary of this society. (For more information on Smith, see, for example, ‘Alexander Smith (1829 – 1867)‘ on the Scottish Poetry Library Read More …

Glasgow Caithness Literary Association (aka Glasgow Caithness Literary Society)

Overview Caithness is a county in the far north of Scotland. 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 Read More …

Glasgow Clerical Literary Society

Overview This society is particularly interesting as some of its members were ministers of churches that later ‘came out’ in 1843; that is, their congregations broke away from the established church in what is known as the Disruption of 1843, Read More …

Glasgow Free Tron Literary Society

Overview Members of this society were most likely part of the congregation of the Free Tron Church in the city centre. (For more information on this church, see ‘Glasgow — Tron‘ on the Ecclegen website.) There is little currently known about this society. Read More …

Glasgow Literary Forum (aka Glasgow Public Literary Forum)

Overview This ‘literary forum’ was primarily a debating society that posed one question at each meeting which its members then discussed. In 1823, gentlemen were allowed to introduce a lady to the meetings. Included in the earliest minute book is Read More …

Glasgow Orkney and Shetland Literary and Scientific Association

Overview The members of this group (and/or their parents) were originally from Orkney and Shetland, and had since settled in Glasgow. This society is a type of nineteenth-century county association. In the stricter sense, county associations were groups whose members (or whose Read More …

Glasgow Philological and Literary Club (aka This Club of Ours, or ‘Ours’ Club)

Overview According to club records, this group was founded in 1871 by William Sloan, and its ten original members were dominies (Scots for schoolmasters). Meetings took place on Friday nights on North Street (in the Anderston area, to the west Read More …

Glasgow Queen’s Park (Burns Club)

Overview There is very little currently known about this club. There is only a brief mention of this group in the minutes of the Glasgow and District Burns Club. We learn a bit more from the ‘Club Notes’ of the Read More …

Glasgow University Dialectic Society

Overview 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, Read More …

Glasgow Western Literary Union

Overview There is little currently known about this union, which appears to have been a debating society. The only information we have comes from the minute book of the Kelvinside Literary Association, which discusses a Union circular that was received Read More …

Govan Parish Young Men’s Association (later became Govan Literary Association, and then Govan Parish Young Men’s Literary Association)

Overview This society was based in Govan, an area south of the River Clyde and southwest of the city centre. (For more information about this area, see Gerald Blaikie’s article, ‘Govan, Glasgow. Architecture & History‘ on the ScotCities website.) The group weekly met in Read More …

Greyfriars Young Men’s Institute (of Greyfriars U.P. Church)

Overview This group of working-class young men met fortnightly on Tuesdays at 8pm in the Committee Rooms (and later in the North Hall) at Greyfriars United Presbyterian Church. The church was located at 186 Albion Street in the city centre Read More …

Holyrood Literary Society

Overview This group is an interesting example of a literary society whose history was not straight-forward, being the result of alliances made and broken — societies being formed, amalgamated with other societies, dissolved and/or re-formed as new clubs — over Read More …

Hutchesontown Free Church Young Men’s Literary Society

Overview Hutchesontown is an area to the south of the River Clyde and forms part of the Gorbals. (For more information about the area, see ‘Gorbals , Glasgow. Origins & History‘ on the ScotCities website.) Members of this society were most likely Read More …

Kelvinside Literary Association (Kelvinside United Free Church) (later becomes The Young People’s At Home)

Overview 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 Read More …

Kent Road United Presbyterian Church Young Men’s Institute

Overview This society was made up of young men from the congregation of the Kent Road United Presbyterian Church, located near Charing Cross, to the west of the city centre. (For more information on this church, see ‘Kent Road UP Church‘ Read More …

Kingston Burns Club

Overview Kingston is an area just to the south of the River Clyde and site of the Kingston Dock. (For more information on this area, see the entry for ‘Kingston Dock‘ on The Glasgow Story website). The Kingston Burns Club Read More …

Kintyre Young Men’s Literary Association (later resurrected as Kintyre Literary Association)

Overview Kintyre is a peninsula on the west coast of Scotland. 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 Read More …

Lansdowne Literary Association

Overview Lansdowne is an area in the West End of Glasgow. There is little currently known about this society. The only information we have comes from the minute book of the Kelvinside Literary Association. In the minute entry for 19 Read More …

Mauchline Society (aka Glasgow-Mauchline Society)

Overview Mauchline is a town in East Ayrshire. Robert Burns lived there for a time on Mossgiel Farm. This group is a type of nineteenth-century county association. In the stricter sense, county associations were groups whose members (or whose parents) were Read More …

Monday Shakspere Club

Overview According to the 1881 printed list of rules for this group, the group’s object was the study of Shakespeare’s works. The meetings were to alternate between the reading of a play and criticism (i.e. discussion). The meetings in which Read More …

Mosspark Burns Club

Overview Mosspark is an area of Glasgow located south of Bellahouston Park, in the south side of Glasgow. (For more information on this area, see Irene Maver’s article, ‘No Mean City: 1914 to 1950s. Neighbourhoods: Mosspark‘ on The Glasgow Story website). There is Read More …

New Literary Club (later became Literary Twenty-One Club)

Newton Place Literary Society, Partick

Overview This literary society was based at the Newton Place United Presbyterian Church on Dumbarton Road, Partick, in the West End of Glasgow. (For more information on this church, see ‘Newton Place United Presbyterian Church‘ on The Glasgow Story website.) The Read More …

Palaver Society

Overview The first meeting of this society was held at the Ramshorn Inn (which might be the same as the Ramshorn Bar, 437 Arglye Street, in the city centre) at the end of May 1831. (For more information on this Read More …

Pollokshaws Burns Club

Overview Pollokshaws is an area in the south side of Glasgow. (For more information on this area, see Irene Maver’s article, ‘No Mean City: 1914 to 1950s. Neighbourhoods: Pollokshaws‘ on The Glasgow Story website). This Burns club had 70 members in 1896, which dropped Read More …

Queen Margaret College Literary and Debating Society

Overview This group of young women met at 4.30pm on the first and third Thursdays of the month at Queen Margaret College. (For more information on this college, see’ Queen Margaret College‘ on The University of Glasgow Story website, and Read More …

Queen’s Park, St. George’s UP, UK Church Literary Institute

Overview Queen’s Park is located in the south side of Glasgow. (For more information about this park and the surrounding area, see ‘Queen’s Park‘ on The Glasgow Story website, and ‘Queen’s Park: A short history‘, on the Friends of Queen’s Park website). Read More …

Renfield Free Church Young Men’s Society for Mutual Improvement (currently unknown if this is the same society as Young Men’s Association [Renfield Street United Presbyterian Church])

Overview 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 Read More …

Renwick Free Church Branch Glasgow United Young Men’s Christian Association

Overview The congregation of this church was known as the Southern Reformed Presbyterian Congregation and their church was located on Salisbury Street, located in the south side of the city in the Laurieston area. (For more information on this area, Read More …

Renwick Free Church Literary Association (not the same as Renwick Book Club, but part of same Church)

Overview The congregation of this church was known as the Southern Reformed Presbyterian Congregation and their church was located on Salisbury Street, in the south side of the city in the Laurieston area. (For more information on this area, see Read More …

Rosebery Burns Club (not same as Kilbirnie Rosebery Burns Club)

Overview This was a fairly large Burns club, with 94 members on the roll in 1893, and it nearly doubled its size in 1902, with 180 members reported. The group met from September until April on Tuesdays at 8pm (later Read More …

Round Table Club

Overview There is little currently known about this club. The evidence is limited to the record of a joint meeting that appears in another literary society’s minute book (the New Holyrood Club) (see ‘Additional Notes’ below). According to the minute Read More …

The Royal Philosophical Society of Glasgow (not the same as Philosophical Society, 1795-1796?)

Overview This group began as the Glasgow Philosophical Society and later became the Philosophical Society of Glasgow. A Royal Charter was granted in 1901. The Royal Philosophical Society of Glasgow’s website offers an excellent summary of the long history of this Read More …

Ruskin Society of Glasgow; Society of the Rose

Overview The Glasgow Post Office directory published in 1881 provides the earliest information we have to date on this group and lists the office bearers and committee members. In addition, it gives the aims of the society, which were: ‘(1) Read More …

Shettleston Burns Club

Overview Shettleston is an area in Glasgow’s east end. (For more information on this area, see Gordon Adams’s article on the ‘History of Shettleston‘ on the ‘East Glasgow History‘ website). According to the 1902 Annual Burns Chronicle and Club Directory, this Burns club Read More …

Spoutmouth Bible Institution (St James’ Free Church) Mutual Improvement Association

Overview A manuscript magazine was produced by this institution in 1873 (see ‘Additional Notes’ below), but it is unclear if it was the production of a society formed within the organisation, or the result of a group effort by those Read More …

St. Columba Literary Association (later became St. Columba Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Association)

Overview Members of this association were most likely part of the congregation of St. Columba’s Gaelic Chapel in Glasgow. The National Records of Scotland’s online catalogue offers a brief history of the church: ‘Admin history A separate place of worship Read More …

St. Rollox Debating Society

Overview St. Rollox was located in the north of the city in the Springburn area. The area was home of the St Rollox Railway Works, and St Rollox Chemical Works, which was reportedly the largest in Europe. (For more information on Read More …

St. Stephen’s Literary Association

Overview Members of this association were most likely part of the congregation of St. Stephen’s Church. At the time that this group was running, they would have been based at the church built in 1850 for the congregation on New Read More …

Strathbungo Parish Literary Association (aka Strathbungo Parish Church Literary Society)

Overview Strathbungo is an area in the south side of Glasgow. Members of this association were most likely part of the congregation of the Strathbungo Parish Church, located at 605 Pollokshaws Road. The earlier church was replaced by a new building Read More …

The British Empire Shakespeare Society

Overview This society was the Glasgow branch of the larger British Empire Shakespeare Society that was founded by Greta Morritt (actress) in 1901. According to The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare, she founded the society ‘to promote Shakespeare’s works throughout the Empire Read More …

Waverley Burns Club (later became Western Burns Club)

Overview Prior to its official formation, the members of this Burns club met for an annual dinner in 1859 to celebrate the 100th birthday of Burns. In the following year, the Waverley Burns Club was founded at a meeting held Read More …

Wellington United Presbyterian Church Literary Association

Overview A good summary of the history of the Wellington Church can be found on the Discover Glasgow website: ‘The Wellington United Presbyterian Church congregation gained its name from their original church that was located on Wellington Street in the city Read More …

Ye Govan Cronies Burns Club (aka Govan Ye Cronies Burns Club)

Overview This club was based in Govan, an area south of the River Clyde and southwest of the city centre. (For more information about this area, see Gerald Blaikie’s article, ‘Govan, Glasgow. Architecture & History‘ on the ScotCities website.) In 1913, there were 50 Read More …

Youths Reading and Recreation Club (Glasgow Foundry Boys Religious Society, South Cumberland Street Branch) (later became Renwick Halls Branch)

Overview Members of this club were most likely part of the congregation of the Renwick Free Church. To go back a bit to the early nineteenth century, the congregation was known as the Southern Reformed Presbyterian Congregation and their church Read More …