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.)

According to the evidence given in 1836 to the Commissioners of Religious Instruction by Reverend John Edwards, Minister of the Relief Congregation, Edwards’ church was the only one in the village, and his congregation was comprised chiefly of the poor and the working classes. More specifically, he lists them as being ‘[e]very species of handicraftsman, weavers, cotton spinners, masons, wrights, and shopkeepers’. At that time, the Association was a collective of 10 Sabbath Schools in the area that were supported by voluntary subscription from the villagers. In addition to a library, there was also a charity reading school. The Association’s listing in the 1870 to 1871 Glasgow Post Office directory suggests that their original aims were still being carried out:

‘The principal object of the Assocation is the moral and religious improvement of the population of Bridgeton by the circulation of the Scriptures; the delivery of lectures; the establishment of Sabbath schools; the support of week-day and evening schools; and such other measures as appear best calculated to promote those ends. Institution Buildings, Bridgeton Public School, 96 Main Street, Bridgeton.’

(‘Bridgeton Association for Religious and Intellectual Improvement’, ‘Religious and Moral Societies’, Post Office Glasgow Directory for 1870-1871… (Glasgow: William Mackenzie, 1870), p. 81)

Date of Existence

1824-?

Source of Information

1. ‘Declaration of Mr Andrew Thomson, Relief Congregation, Barony Parish, Glasgow, 13th April 1836’, Report of the Commissioners of Religious Instruction, Scotland, Vol. 2 (Edinburgh: printed by W. & A. K. Johnston, 1837), p. 441, https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=p-NHAQAAMAAJ [accessed 20/08/17];

2.’Bridgeton Association for Religious and Intellectual Improvement’, ‘Religious and Moral Societies’, Post Office Glasgow Directory for 1870-1871… (Glasgow: William Mackenzie, 1870), p. 81;

3. Records for Glasgow: Bridgeton Friendly Association (NRS, FS1/16/51)

Repository

Mitchell Library (Glasgow Post Office directory)

National Library of Scotland (Glasgow Post Office directory)

National Records of Scotland (NRS) (records, Bridgeton Friendly Assoc.)

Reference Number

(see Source of Information)

Additional Notes

Andrew Thomson was a Clerk to the managers of the Relief Congregation, Barony Parish, Glasgow. Thomson was an elder of the church and the Director of  the association.

The Glasgow Post Office directories are available at the Mitchell Library and the National Library of Scotland. Digitised copies are available through the NLS website: https://www.nls.uk/family-history/directories/post-office/index.cfm?place=Glasgow

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‘ on The Glasgow Story website.) The group also allowed other young men who were not part of the congregation to join upon agreement with the other members.

According to the printed ‘Rules’ affixed in the front of the first minute book, the object of the group was its members’ improvement, which included intellectual, religious and moral. The subscription fee was one shilling per year, which was cheaper than the average fee for these societies (2s 6d), which means that this group’s members were probably from the working classes.

The yearly session ran from October until April. Meetings were held weekly on Thursday nights at 8.15pm at the Church Hall, located under the church. The ‘Rules’ state that the meetings were to include debates and the reading of essays and other papers written by the members, which was to be followed by conversation.

The subjects of the debates and essays had to be pre-approved by the Committee of Management consisting of the office bearers and directors. This prior selection of subjects was similar to the procedures of the St. Columba Literary Association, wherein the Directors set the society’s agenda.

There are 46 named individuals next to their attendance records in the back of the minute book for the 1869-1870 session. Six names have been scored through, however, as it appears five members stopped attending the meetings and one member ‘Left Glasgow’.

Members of this group produced a manuscript magazine in April 1872, and there are known to be at least two issues that were produced prior to this date (see ‘Additional Notes’ below).

Date of Existence

1 November 1865-?

Source of Information

1. Kent Road, UP Church, UF, and C of S, Young Men’s Institute Minutes, 1865-74 (GCA, CH3/1443/34);

2. Kent Road Quarterly, issued by Kent Road U.P. Church Young Men’s Institute, Vol. 3, No. 2, 1 April 1872 (MLSC, Mitchell (AL), 725431);

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 at the Waverley Hotel, located at 18 George Square in the city centre.

The club gathered monthly at the Waverley Hotel for dinner, with the meeting following thereafter. At the meetings, various items were read, including original poetry, and songs were sung. The original poetry and songs are occasionally included in the records following the minutes. Following the dinners, there was customarily ‘Harmony, Joke[s] and Eloquence’. In 1863, the club voted to celebrate Shakespeare’s tri-century birthday with a club dinner. On 23 April 1864, the Waverley Burns Club, along with some of the members of the Pen & Pencil Club, celebrated with a dinner at the Bedford Hotel. Between 1862 and 1865, there were 44 members on the roll.  In the minute entry of 24 February 1863, there is a mention of a club library that was beginning to be formed.

In March 1872, the group changed its name to the Western Burns Club. There were approximately 70 members. It appears that over the years, the minute books become increasingly focused on the social events and outings, and include less on the readings that were done at the meetings. The last entry in Minute Book 4 is dated 21 October 1882.

Minute Books 1 and 2 are from the Waverley Burns Club, and most of Minute Book 3 and all of Minute Book 4 are from the Western Burns Club.

Date of Existence

25 January 1860-26 March 1872; (Western Burns Club) March 1872-1882?

Source of Information

1. Sederunt book, Waverly Burns Club (3 notebooks), 1860-72 (MLSC, Robert Burns Collection, Mitchell (AL) 391557-59);

2. [Printed papers] Waverley/Western Burns Club, 1867 (Pamphlets and papers bound together) (MLSC, Robert Burns Collection, Mitchell (AL) 13 WES 644307);

3. [Minute book] Waverly/Western Burns Club, 1872-1882 (from Mitchell online catalogue: ‘Handwritten records of meetings, with printed cuttings, menu cards, correspondence, obituary notices, etc., inserted Minute books nos. 3 and 4, the first two being minutes of the Waverley Burns Club. Book 3 records the change of name to the Western Burns Club in March 1872’) (MLSC, Robert Burns Collection, Mitchell (AL)391559-60);

4. ‘A natal lay: written for the anniversary of Burns birth-day, 25th January, 1875’ (MLSC, Mitchell (AL) 12A WIN52901);

5. Robert Burns, [The Western Burns Club] (reports of Burns suppers, and excursions) (MLSC, Mitchell (AL) 13 WES 907654);

6. (Mentioned in minutes of Glasgow and District Burns Club: Minute entry, 30 March 1908, Glasgow and District Burns Club, Minutes, 8 November 1907-5 September 1912, p. 18 (MLSC, 891709)

Repository

Mitchell Library Special Collections (MLSC)

Reference Number

(See Source of Information)

Additional Notes

See also Glasgow and District Burns Club.

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 centre. That church, completed in 1827 and designed by John Baird, served the congregation for fifty years.

By this time their membership numbers had expanded beyond the church’s capacity, and so a competition was held for the design of a new one, with Thomas Lennox Watson beating out John Burnet. A suitable site was found on University Place, opposite the University of Glasgow’s main building which had moved west the decade before […]

While Baird’s original church was demolished in 1909, the current Wellington Church is still very active […].’

(‘Wellington Church’, Discover Glasgow <http://www.discoverglasgow.org/religious-wellington/4573943352> [accessed 01/04/18]).

A brief history of the church’s Literary Association comes from Alexander Fleming’s, Historical Sketch of Wellington United Presbyterian Congregation, Glasgow (1792-1892) (1893). According to this account, in 1839, a group of young men from the congregation formed The Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Association, which was to be short-lived. The group was revived in 1851, and, at the time of publication, was still running as the Literary Association.

The 1892 Constitution for this society sets out the group’s object as its members’ moral and intellectual improvement. While the earlier group was exclusively for young men, in the late nineteenth century, the association accepted both young men and women as members. The annual subscription charge was quite low, being only 1s, as compared to the average for other literary societies during this period (2s 6d). The meetings were held at 8pm in the Library Room of Wellington Church, which was just around the corner on Ann Street (now known as Southpark Avenue), Hillhead. In March 1892, there was a total of 58 members, which grew to 132 in 1896.

This association was very active in its participation with the literary culture of the period by hosting joint meetings and itself taking part in other literary societies’ meetings across the city (see ‘Additional Notes’ below). In 1900, the group became the Wellington United Free Church Literary Association.

Date of Existence

1851-?

Source of Information

1. Mitchell, James, Lecture on the principles of the Secession Church: delivered to the Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Association, in connection with Wellington Street Congregation, Glasgow, on 12th May, 1863 (UGSC, Sp Coll T.C.L. 4126);

2. Jubilee of the United Presbyterian Church, Wellington Street, Glasgow. Report of Services (Glasgow: Aird & Coghill, 1878); see ‘Report of Congregational Meeting, on 21st November, 1877 in Wellington Street Church, in Connection with the Jubilee Celebration’ (GCA, CH3/1238/1-2);

3. Wellington United Presbyterian Church, Literary Association [Fifth] Minute Book, 1892-1896 (GCA, CH3/1238/1-2);

4. Fleming, Alexander, Historical Sketch of Wellington United Presbyterian Congregation, Glasgow (1792-1892), with an Account of the Proceedings in Connection with the Celebration of the Centenary of the Congregation and of the Rev. Dr. Black’s Semi-jubilee as its Minister (Glasgow: Maclure, Macdonald & Co., 1893) (MLSC, Mitchell (GC) 285.241443 WEL 475664);

5. Report of Wellington United Free Church, Glasgow, for the Year Ended 30th September, 1901 (GCA, CH3/1238/1);

6. Report and year book, Wellington United Free Church (Glasgow: [The Church]); Notes from the Mitchell Library online catalogue: GC: 1905/06-1919/20, 1921/22-1926/27; 285.241443 (MLSC, Mitchell (GC), 285.241443 WEL 575166)

Repository

Glasgow City Archives (GCA)

Mitchell Library Special Collections (MLSC)

University of Glasgow Special Collections (UGSC)

Reference Number

(See Source of Information)

Additional Notes

See also Langside (Literary) Society, St. Columba Literary Association, St. Stephen’s Literary Association, College U.F. Church Literary Society, Berkeley Street U.P. Church Literary Association, Free St. Matthew’s Y.M.C. Union, St. Columba’s Literary Association, Sandyford Church Literary Association [aka Sandyford Established Association], and Free College Church Association, with whom this society had a least one joint meeting.