The evidence for this society comes from the syllabus for the Spring 1862 session and from the three extant issues of a magazine produced in manuscript by its members (see ‘Additional Notes’ below). The ‘Order of Readers’ at the front of the April 1862 issue lists 21 readers (presumably all male; the July issue only lists 17), which suggests that this was a relatively small group.

At the front of the April 1862 issue of The Albion Journal can be found a flyer for the April to June 1862 syllabus. From this, we know that members met weekly on Wednesday evenings at 1 Cross Gibson Street in the Gallowgate area (in the heart of the city centre). They read essays and held debates on a variety of subjects. According to a note at the bottom of the syllabus, ‘Grammar, &c., will be engaged in each evening’, and a formal ‘Conversation’ between the members on a pre-arranged topic was held on nights when essays were read.

Within the April 1862 issue is transcribed an address given by their President to the group at the inauguration of the society in September 1860. Speaking  for the society, he said that it was through their mutual improvement class, through reading, writing and debating — indeed their ‘labour‘ — that members hoped they could improve their position in and contribute to society.

Date of Existence

13 September 1860-1863?

Source of Information

Members of this literary society were most likely part of the congregation of the Barony Church (Church of Scotland), which was located in the Townhead area of Glasgow and near the cathedral. (For more information about the church, see ‘Barony Church, Glasgow. History‘, on the University of Strathclyde Archives online catalogue. See also Gordon Adams’s article, ‘Barony Church of Scotland‘, on the East Glasgow History website. For more information about the Townhead area of Glasgow, see Gerald Blaikie’s article, ‘Townhead Glasgow. Cathedral Precinct‘, on the ScotCities website.)

This group met weekly on Wednesdays at 8pm in M’Lauchlan School Room (Free School), which was located at 107 Cathedral Street in the city centre. The subscription for membership was three shillings per annum (a bit more expensive than the average, which was 2s 6d) and entitled members to use of the society’s Library. The Library (also located at the M’Lauchlan School Room) was open on the last Wednesday of every month at 8pm. While membership was restricted to male members of the congregation, women nonetheless contributed to the society’s magazine, which was not unusual.

The group produced a magazine for their society in manuscript between 1863 and 1875 (at least) (see ‘Additional Notes’ below).

Date of Existence

1863-1875?

Source of Information

Calton is a district just to the east of Glasgow’s city centre. (For more information about this area, see Gordon Adams’s article, ‘Calton’ on the East Glasgow History website.) Members of this young men’s society were most likely part of the congregation of the Calton Wesleyan-Methodist Church. According to the Glasgow Post Office directory, the church was one of three Wesleyan Methodist chapels in the city at the time when this society was running. Daniel S. Tatham was minister in 1839.

To date, we don’t know how many young men belonged to this society, nor how long the group was in existence. The information we do have comes from the society’s magazine that was produced by and for its members (see ‘Additional Notes’ below). There are a total of 15 extant issues of this magazine.

Date of Existence

1839-1840?

Source of Information

Calton Wesleyan-Methodist Congregational Young Men’s Society Magazine, ed. by G. Currie, March 1839-January 1840, with Supplement to Dec. 1839; Mar. 1840-May 1840

Repository

Mitchell Library Special Collections

Reference Number

Mitchell (AL) 585510-585510a

Additional Notes

From the Mitchell Library online catalogue on the magazines: ‘Note: Handwritten anthology of essays and poems on religious subjects, missionary intelligence, letters to the editor[.] Donated by Miss H.E. Waddel’ [accessed 21 January 2018].

See also entry for Calton Wesleyan-Methodist Congregational Young Men’s Society Magazine on our sister website, Literary Bonds.

This society was based at Anderston Church on University Avenue in Glasgow’s West End. Members of this society were most likely part of the congregation. (For more information on this church, see ‘Glasgow — Anderston‘ on the Ecclegen website.) Meetings were held on Friday evenings at the church.

The information on this group comes predominantly from their society manuscript magazine (see ‘Additional Notes’ below). According to the article, ‘Memorandum for the Curious’, the society met fortnightly from January until June 1849, and from then on, they met weekly. The average attendance is also listed for the yearly sessions running from 1851 until 1871, and during this period it was around 20 (‘Memorandum for the Curious’, The Literary Bond, Vol. 12, No. 1, October 1872). In the 1871-72 session, the Annual Report gives the following as its then current state of membership: 14 Honorary Members; 3 Correspondent Members; and 49 Ordinary Members (‘Report. Session 1871-72. Read at Annual Meeting 2nd Octr. 1872’, The Literary Bond, Vol. 11, No. 2, November 1872, [pp. 9-21, p. 20].

There are 15 bound volumes of The Literary Bond, and 2 bound volumes of The Literary Magazine, its successor. Like other literary society magazines, these were also miscellanies containing contributions on a wide range of subjects.

Date of Existence

1849-1897?

Source of Information

1. ‘Glasgow Free Church Literary Union’, ‘Local Institutions–Religious’, Glasgow Post-Office Annual Directory for 1853-1854… (Glasgow: William Mackenzie, 1853), p. 79;

2. The Literary Bond: the Mitchell Library has Vol. 2 (Sept. 1862) – Vol. 13 (Dec. 1875), Vol. 16, No. 1 (Oct. 1876) – Vol. 19, No. 6 (March 1880), and Vol. 21, No. 1 (Oct. 1881) – Vol. 22, No. 6 (March 1883) (Vols. 14, 15 and 20 no longer extant?); The Literary Magazine: the Mitchell Library has Vol. 1, No. 1 (Jan. 1896) – Vol. 2, No. 2 (Feb. 1897) (MLSC)

Repository

Mitchell Library Special Collections (MLSC) (magazines, and Glasgow Post Office directory)

National Library of Scotland (Glasgow Post Office directory)

Reference Number

Mitchell (AL) 891310-11; Dewey Class: 820.80941443 (MLSC) (magazines)

Additional Notes

This society was part of the Glasgow Free Church Literary Union, which is listed separately.

See also entry for The Literary Bond of Free Anderston Church Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Society on our sister website, Literary Bonds.

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

Members of this society were  part of the congregation of St. Peter’s Free Church, located at 53 Mains Street (now Blythswood Street), off Argyle Street in the city centre. (For more information on this church, see John Goodwin’s History of Free St Peter’s Church (1886) — Goodwin was a former President of the Association; see also ‘Glasgow — St. Peter’s‘ on the Ecclegen website.)

The Young Men’s Association had a relatively good-sized number of members in 1850: from Goodwin’s history of the church, we know that there were at least 48 members in that year. The group met weekly at the church session house from September to May to read and discuss papers written by members of the society.  Interestingly, the Geological Society of Glasgow developed out of this young men’s association.

A motion to start a manuscript magazine in connection with the society was raised in 1858. It is currently unknown if a magazine was ever founded at this early date. A magazine was started by the later Young Men’s Literary Society — instituted circa 1860 — and was produced until at least 1883 (see ‘Additional Notes’ below).

This group was one of 12 societies that made up the Glasgow Free Church Literary Union in 1853 (at least) (see ‘Additional Notes’ below).

Date of Existence

1843-1886?

Source of Information

1. Fergusson, Alex. A., St. Rollox, Glasgow, [Diaries], 1851-53, 1854-56 (MLSC, Mitchell (AL), 891398-99);

2. Glasgow Free Church Literary Union’, ‘Local Institutions’, Glasgow Post-Office Annual Directory for 1853-1854… (Glasgow: William Mackenzie, 1853), p. 79;

3. Free St. Peter’s Young Men’s Literary Society, Behind the Scenes, A Special New Year’s Number of Blythswood Holm M. S. Magazine, January 1871 (MLSC, 321129, GO52 BLY);

4. Free St Peter’s Literary Society magazine. 1883 (Dunn & Wright, [1883?]) (UGSC, Sp Coll Robertson Bf68-b.23);

5. Goodwin, John, History of Free St Peter’s Church, Glasgow: with personal reminiscences, from origin till jubilee (Glasgow: Printed by James C. Erskine, 1886) (ML, Mitchell (GC) CD285.241443 STP 761767)

Repository

Mitchell Library (ML)

Mitchell Library Special Collections (MLSC)

University of Glasgow Special Collections (UGSC)

Reference Number

(See Source of Information)

Additional Notes

This society was part of the Glasgow Free Church Literary Union, which is listed separately.

Free St Peter’s Literary Society magazine. 1883, is housed at the University of Glasgow Special Collections and is item 8 of 9 in the bound collection of materials.

See also entry for Blythswood Holm M.S. Magazine, ‘Behind the Scenes’, A special New Year’s Number; later Free St Peter’s Literary Society Magazine on our sister website, Literary Bonds.

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.

The Glasgow Foundry Boys Religious Society was instituted in 1865, two years before the founding of the Wellington Palace Branch. According to the ‘Plan of Tea Tables and Names of Branches’ in the 1900 ‘Souvenir Programme’ for the annual social dinner, there were (at least) 25 branches of the Glasgow Foundry Boys’ Religious Society in the city  at that time. They were as follows:

Anderston Hall; St James’ Hall; City Hall; Rutherglen; Renwick Hall; Gordon Hall; Clyde Street Port Dundas; Victoria Hall; Christian Institute; Spoutmouth; St Andrew’s; Crossmyloof; Blackfriars; Possilpark; Church Branch; Portman Street; National Halls; St George’s; Finnieston Street; Osborne Halls; Cathcart; Lorne Hall; Shettleston; Church Place; and Doncaster Street.

It is currently unknown if there were also 25 literary societies attached to those groups.

The Glasgow Post Office directories for the early years of the twentieth century show that the Glasgow Foundry Boys Religious Society was a huge organisation whose quickly growing membership only began to decline at the start First World War. In 1902, it had on its rolls ‘16,861 lads and girls, and 1848 voluntary workers’ (‘Glasgow Foundry Boys’ Religious Society’, ‘Religious and Moral Institutions’, Post Office Glasgow Directory for 1902-1903… (Glasgow: Aird & Coghill, 1902), p. 151). The number of young men and women members rose to almost 18,000 in 1906, but by 1914, it had ‘14,652 lads and girls, and 1561 voluntary workers […] [with] 83 branches in the city and suburbs’ (‘Glasgow Foundry Boys Religious Society’, ‘Institutions’, Post Office Glasgow Directory for 1914-1915… (Glasgow: Aird & Coghill, 1914), p. 1793).

Wellington Palace was a public hall located at 11 Commercial Road, just south of the River Clyde (it would later be used as a music hall, and even later as a cinema; see ‘Wellington Palace‘ on the Scottish Cinemas and Theatres Project website). The information on the Wellington Palace Branch comes primarily from the society magazine, The Foundry Boy (see ‘Additional Notes’ below), which was written and produced by the members.

Date of Existence

1867-1914?

Source of Information

1. ‘Glasgow Foundry Boy’s Religious Society’, Glasgow Herald, 21 July 1866, p. 6;

2. ‘Glasgow Foundry Boys’ Religious Society — Hallow E’en Gathering’, Glasgow Herald, 3 November 1866, p. 2;

3. Glasgow Foundry Boys’ Religious Society, Scripture text book, 1870-1876 (Glasgow: [The Society], [1876?]) (MLSC, Mitchell (GC), 206 437839);

4. Annual Report, Glasgow Foundry Boys’ Religious Society (Glasgow: [The Society], 1880) (MLSC, Mitchell (GC), 206 46801);

5. Glasgow Foundry Boys’ Religious Society, The Foundry Boy, the Monthly Magazine of the Wellington Palace Branch (January-December 1886) (Glasgow: [The Society], 1886) (MLSC, Mitchell (GC) 206 98783);

6. ‘Souvenir Programme’ for Glasgow Foundry Boys Religious Society Annual Conversazione of Workers and Friends. In the City Hall, Enter By Albion Street, On Thursday Evening, 15th Nov., 1900′ (MLSC, Glasgow Scrapbooks, No. 23, p. 212);

7. (Newspaper clipping on annual social meeting of the office-bearers and monitors) (MLSC, Young’s Scrapbooks, No. 9, p. 150-51);

8. (Numerous articles in Glasgow Herald on this and its parent society, see the British Newspaper Archive)

Repository

Mitchell Library (Glasgow Herald)

Mitchell Library Special Collections (MLSC)

National Library of Scotland (Glasgow Herald)

Reference Number

(See Source of Information)

Additional Notes

The Glasgow Herald is available at the Mitchell Library and the National Library of Scotland in both hard copy and microfilm (check libraries for availability in both formats). Digitised issues are also available through the British Newspaper Archive: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/

See also entry for The Foundry Boy on our sister website, Literary Bonds.

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 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 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.

Formed in 1862, the Glasgow Orkney and Shetland Association (to use its current title) is still running. This is an uncommon case of a literary society founded in the nineteenth century that continues to meet (a number of Burns clubs have survived, but they are, arguably a special type of  literary society). In addition, it has the further distinction of having the largest known and most complete collection of materials available on any nineteenth-century Glasgow literary society that we have come across. In 2015, the records and the majority of the books from the association’s library were deposited in the Shetland Archives in Lerwick, where they are currently housed.

The history of the Association has already been the subject of a book by Jerry Eunson and Olivia D. Scott. The book provides an overview of the history of the Association, and covers the years from its founding until 1962, when the authors discuss its then current state and reflect on the Association’s centenary. A more in-depth case study was done on this society by Lauren Weiss in 2017. It also covers the association’s history, but focuses on the group’s ‘literary’ history, that is, the role of reading, and the production and consumption of their own manuscript magazines in the fulfilment of its objects and aims. Only the records between 1862 and 1914 were covered.

Date of Existence

9 November 1862-present

Source of Information

1. Papers of Glasgow Orkney and Shetland Literary and Scientific Association (almost complete records and remaining library books from association library; includes minutes, manuscript magazines, typescript magazines, copies of papers given to society, financial records, membership records, annual reports, printed year books, scrapbook, and photographs) (SA, D58);

2. Eunson, Jerry and Scott, Olivia D., The Glasgow Orkney and Shetland Literary and Scientific Association, 1862-1962 ([Glasgow]: [The Association], 1962) (ML, Mitchell (GC) 367 EUN);

3. Glasgow Orkney & Shetland Literary & Scientific Association Year Book. 1942-1966 (ML, Mitchell (GC) 367 669976) (for full holdings, apply to staff);

4. Smith, Brian, ‘Significant archive donation’, Unkans, The newsletter of the Shetland Heritage and Culture Community, 48 (February 2015), 2 <http://www.shetland-museum.org.uk/downloads/data/unkans/Unkans_no48.pdf> [accessed 7 May 2015].;

5. Weiss, Lauren, ‘The Literary Clubs and Societies of Glasgow during the Long Nineteenth Century: A City’s History of Reading through its Communal Reading Practices and Productions’ (unpublished doctoral thesis, University of Stirling, 2017): The Literary Clubs and Societies of Glasgow during the Long Nineteenth Century

Repository

Mitchell Library (ML)

Shetland Archives (SA)

Reference Number

(See Source of Information)

Additional Notes

See Glasgow Orcadian Literary and Scientific Society.

See also entry for Ultima Thule; later changed to The Manuscript Magazines of the Glasgow Orkney and Shetland Literary and Scientific Association; later changed to The Pole Star on our sister website, Literary Bonds.

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 of the city centre). (For more information about this area, see Michael Moss’s article, ‘Industrial Revolution: 1770s to 1830s. Neighbourhoods. Anderston‘ on The Glasgow Story website). Over the years, the venue would change, with meetings being held at various restaurants and hotels across the city. From its beginnings, in addition to their weekly meetings, members met on a number of other occasions during the year for Burns suppers, Christmas suppers, concerts, and for various local and regional excursions during the summer.

Whilst being more informal and primarily social in nature, the meetings were nonetheless well-organised: members took it in turns to read aloud their original compositions on a variety of topics, which the other members then ‘criticised’ the piece (in the sense that they expressed their judgement). The chairman resided over the proceedings. Recruitment of new members was confined to friends of current members who came along to the meetings, and (eventually) a vote would be called to decide if they were to be admitted.

A rather interesting tradition has evolved in the meetings. Included in the club’s possessions is ‘The Green Lady’. This is a small, green, early twentieth-century terracotta suffragette bell that bears the inscription, ‘Votes for Women’. According to the Archivist of the club:

‘[t]he bell is placed on the table during Ours Club meetings. If any member thinks that any speaker is being unduly verbose he places the green lady in front of him. The hint it taken.’

(‘The Green Lady’, D. K. Macaskill,  [Inventory of the Glasgow Philological and Literary Society. Ours Club. Archive — Minutes and Associated Paper], 12 January 2015 (copy of original in possession of club Archivist, D. K. Macaskill)).

The club produced a magazine in 1909 that included original contributions written by the members (see ‘Additional Notes’ below).

The group continues to meet at the Glasgow Art Club (185 Bath Street).

Date of Existence

1871-present

Source of Information

1. Minutes and associated papers (includes minutes, club rules, members lists, syllabi, original poems and songs: ‘A Book of Ours’, Burns suppers, Christmas suppers, concerts, photos, 1871-1971 (GCA, TD1896); records from 1971-present are in possession of club Archivist, D. K. Macaskill (Glasgow);

2. ‘A Book of “Ours”‘ (“Ours” Literary and Social Club. A book of “Ours.” Contributions by the members. [Andrew Lyon, Editor] (Glasgow, 1909) (print magazine)

Repository

Glasgow City Archives (GCA) (minutes and associated papers)

University of Glasgow Special Collections (UGSC) (print magazine)

Reference Number

TC1896 (GCA)

Sp Coll Bh11-c.28 (Wylie Collection) (UGSC)

Additional Notes

Thomas Gildard was President of the “Ours” Club from 1882-1893, and was also a member of The Literary and Artistic Society.

See also entry for A Book of “Ours” on our sister website, Literary Bonds.