There is little currently known about this society. The only information we have to date comes from a 1903 printed brochure for the Wellington United Free Church, Glasgow (see ‘Additional Notes’ below), which lists a a joint debate with the College United Free Church Literary Society.

It is likely that this society was connected with the Glasgow University United Free Church Students’ Society, which was founded in 1845, and was running about the same as the literary society (see, for example, The Glasgow University Calendar for the Year 1908-9 (Glasgow: James Maclehose and Sons, 1908, p. 756).

Date of Existence

1903?-?

Source of Information

(Mentioned in printed brochure: ‘Wellington United Free Church, Glasgow. Supplement. March, 1903’, The Missionary Record of the United Free Church of Scotland (Edinburgh and London: Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1903); [annotated:] ‘First issue G.H.M’, p. 2; joint debate between the two societies, pp. 2-3)

Repository

University of Glasgow Library

Reference Number

Theology Pers MI700

Additional Notes

See also Wellington United Presbyterian Church Literary Association, with whom this society at least one joint meeting.

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 religious and moral improvement. Members were students of the United Free Church College, or were approved to become members by a general vote. (For more information about the Free Church College, see ‘Glasgow College of the United Free Church of Scotland‘, on the GASHE (Gateway to Archives of Scottish Higher Education) website.) The subscription fee was rather low, being only 1s per year.

According to the membership rolls, in 1869, the year of the association’s founding, there were 64 Ordinary Members, and in the following session (November 1869-April 1870), there were 57 members. This dropped to 37 in the subsequent year, when the association was dissolved.

In the first session from January until March 1869, the essays and debates were restricted to religious issues and debates on doctrine, but the subsequent years saw a more eclectic mix of subjects — including authors, their works and literature more generally — which was the norm for literary societies throughout the nineteenth century.

Date of Existence

15 January 1869-21 November 1871

Source of Information

Minute-book of Free Church Students’ Literary Association. Glasgow, 1869-1871 (Treasurer’s documents, letters, syllabuses in pocket) (12 items total)

Repository

University of Glasgow Special Collections

Reference Number

MS Gen 898

Additional Notes

Full description of 12 items is available on the University of Glasgow Special Collections Manuscripts Catalogue.

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 Parliamentary Debate with Wellington United Presbyterian Church Literary Association on 18 February 1896.

Date of Existence

1895?-?

Source of Information

(Mentioned in minute book of the Wellington United Presbyterian Church Literary Association: Syllabus, 1895-96 [next to minute entry, 1 November 1895], Wellington United Presbyterian Church Literary Association, Minute Book, 1892-1896)

Repository

Glasgow City Archives

Reference Number

(See Wellington United Presbyterian Church Literary Association, Minute Book, CH3/1238/2)

Additional Notes

See also Wellington United Presbyterian Church Literary Association, with whom they had a Parliamentary Debate.

There is little currently known about this literary committee. To date, the evidence for it consists of four photographs.

A brief description is available on the University of Strathclyde Archives Online Catalogue:

‘Name of creator Glasgow Training College Literary Committee (Established 1907)

Administrative history: The Literary Committee was responsible for producing the Training College Magazine, 1907 – c 1923, and arranging debates and talks on literary subjects’ [accessed 28/01/18]

Date of Existence

1907-c. 1923

Source of Information

Glasgow Training College Literary Committee records, 1907-1914 (4 photographs)

Repository

University of Strathclyde Archives

Reference Number

JCE/23/2

Additional Notes

–