Glasgow & West of Scotland Family History Society
@gwsfhs.org.uk
Here to connect with other family historians, genealogists, and people with a passion for Glasgow's past. Drop in to our Glasgow West End research centre or visit us online! Registered Scottish charity. gwsfhs.org.uk
The (rather faded) Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom as used in Scotland can be seen above the River Nile corner shop at 27 Paisley Road West, premises owned in 1913/14 by the Trustees of the Savings Bank of Glasgow.
![This picture shows the (rather faded) Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom as used in Scotland. The image can be seen above the River Nile corner shop at 27 Paisley Road West, premises owned in 1913/14 by the Trustees of the Savings Bank of Glasgow. Although the dark wooden panelling of the original bank has long disappeared, one of our members can remember being taken there by her mother, with the counter too high for the wee girl to see over. The building is Category B Listed, and the heraldic device is described as “Ornate heraldic corner piece above bank front at 1st floor, comprising lion and unicorn flanking shield, painted gilded.”
[Image: Paul Burns]
gwsfhs – where yesteryear comes round again
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June 9, 2025 at 4:57 PM
The (rather faded) Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom as used in Scotland can be seen above the River Nile corner shop at 27 Paisley Road West, premises owned in 1913/14 by the Trustees of the Savings Bank of Glasgow.
Memorial halls are a feature of cities, towns and villages across Britain. This photograph shows the Co-operative Memorial Building on Kingston Street in Glasgow and its plaque to all those members of the co-operative movement who lost their lives in the first World War.
May 31, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Memorial halls are a feature of cities, towns and villages across Britain. This photograph shows the Co-operative Memorial Building on Kingston Street in Glasgow and its plaque to all those members of the co-operative movement who lost their lives in the first World War.
Until 1930 there were three streets named Kelvin in Glasgow. The one in Milton was renamed Balnain Street in 1928, another in Maryhill was renamed Cowel St in 1929, and the following year the last was renamed Keith Street. But before Keith Street was called Kelvin Street, it was called 'The Goat'!
May 25, 2025 at 12:41 PM
Until 1930 there were three streets named Kelvin in Glasgow. The one in Milton was renamed Balnain Street in 1928, another in Maryhill was renamed Cowel St in 1929, and the following year the last was renamed Keith Street. But before Keith Street was called Kelvin Street, it was called 'The Goat'!
Did you know the Glasgow Fire Brigade made a dog an accredited member in 1898? Wallace was a setter-collie cross and of "unusual intelligence". His dog license was paid by the Glasgow Corporation, a nod to his official role. He died in 1902 and was preserved and displayed at Central Headquarters.
May 5, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Did you know the Glasgow Fire Brigade made a dog an accredited member in 1898? Wallace was a setter-collie cross and of "unusual intelligence". His dog license was paid by the Glasgow Corporation, a nod to his official role. He died in 1902 and was preserved and displayed at Central Headquarters.
Found photos of a summer holiday in Kelso from 1904. The border town of Kelso lies 8 miles from Kirk Yetholm, the royal seat of the Kings and Queens of the Gypsies. In the early 18th century several gypsy clans settled in Kirk Yetholm where they were given favourable leases by the local landowner.
April 26, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Found photos of a summer holiday in Kelso from 1904. The border town of Kelso lies 8 miles from Kirk Yetholm, the royal seat of the Kings and Queens of the Gypsies. In the early 18th century several gypsy clans settled in Kirk Yetholm where they were given favourable leases by the local landowner.
Tag yourself, I'm 'deil's buckle'
Page from 'The Old Scots Tongue' an adaptation of a dictionary compiled in 1857 by 'Cleishbotham the Younger of the Manse of Gandercluech' (a fictional name).
Page from 'The Old Scots Tongue' an adaptation of a dictionary compiled in 1857 by 'Cleishbotham the Younger of the Manse of Gandercluech' (a fictional name).
April 23, 2025 at 11:26 AM
Tag yourself, I'm 'deil's buckle'
Page from 'The Old Scots Tongue' an adaptation of a dictionary compiled in 1857 by 'Cleishbotham the Younger of the Manse of Gandercluech' (a fictional name).
Page from 'The Old Scots Tongue' an adaptation of a dictionary compiled in 1857 by 'Cleishbotham the Younger of the Manse of Gandercluech' (a fictional name).
By cross-referencing your family census records with government reports such as the Commission on the Housing of the Poor and Royal Commission on the Poor Laws and Relief of Distress, it's possible to add rich and interesting context and allow you to better understand your family history.
April 18, 2025 at 11:44 AM
By cross-referencing your family census records with government reports such as the Commission on the Housing of the Poor and Royal Commission on the Poor Laws and Relief of Distress, it's possible to add rich and interesting context and allow you to better understand your family history.
When examining the Scotland census, much more can be gleaned about your ancestors than just their age and address. How many rooms did they live in, and how many people lived in their home? Did they share the flat with other families? Were they located in one of the areas that were considered slums?
April 18, 2025 at 11:44 AM
When examining the Scotland census, much more can be gleaned about your ancestors than just their age and address. How many rooms did they live in, and how many people lived in their home? Did they share the flat with other families? Were they located in one of the areas that were considered slums?
Sorry, this was meant to be the image for this!
![Glasgow, in this respect, occupies a bad pre-eminence. Eighteen per cent, of the mothers there are in bad and 36 per cent, in poor health. Dundee shows more in bad health but also more in good health. Those in Classes II. and III. in Dundee were miserable women, hopeless and depressed, as well as physically unfit. The mill-work, child-bearing and year after year of low earnings and bad housing make the lot of the women hard and the drunkenness and riotous ways of the town increase these ills. In Edinburgh, the standard of health was higher than elsewhere, probably because with incomes about equal to those in Glasgow there is less struggle to keep up a good appearance and so more money spent on food and less anxiety on the mother's part to keep the ohildren " looking respectable."
Report to the royal commission on the poor laws and relief of distress on the condition of the children who are in receipt of the various forms of poor law relief in certain parishes in Scotland, appendix, vol. xxxiii, pt. 1, p. 17 [Cd. 5075], H.C. 1910, lii, 45.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:nobtfwgdyc2l4wmddfuums6i/bafkreiemg5dvpjqyxpcadlombee7rokuc3nhs2zwxqghmciscubnh4ugu4@jpeg)
April 18, 2025 at 11:43 AM
Sorry, this was meant to be the image for this!
One doctor testified to the Royal Commission on the Poor Laws and Relief of Distress that 56 per cent of Glasgow mothers on poor relief in the first decade of the 20th century were in 'bad' or 'poor' health.
April 17, 2025 at 12:12 PM
One doctor testified to the Royal Commission on the Poor Laws and Relief of Distress that 56 per cent of Glasgow mothers on poor relief in the first decade of the 20th century were in 'bad' or 'poor' health.
Many family history researchers try to prove links to nobility. But our less well-off ancestors can be even more interesting, if sometimes difficult to research. In Glasgow around the turn of the century, much attention was given to the plight of mothers living in slums. #genealogy
April 17, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Many family history researchers try to prove links to nobility. But our less well-off ancestors can be even more interesting, if sometimes difficult to research. In Glasgow around the turn of the century, much attention was given to the plight of mothers living in slums. #genealogy
Bruges, the capital of West Flanders, was the first Scottish Staple port with a monopoly on Scottish goods trade. Our connections with the city are evident through 'corbie' gables in Scottish architecture and surnames like Fleming, Lindsay, and Douglas, suggesting Flemish ancestry.
![In the early medieval period, the ancient province of Flanders in northern Belgium was the economic powerhouse of Europe and the principal outlet for Scotland's major export of wool for the Flemish weaving industry. Bruges, the provincial capital of West Flanders, was the first Scottish Staple port, with a valuable monopoly on importing, storing and trading Scottish goods, and the city still has a historic wharf – the Schottendyk – formerly used by the Scottish merchants.
The importance of Bruges diminished as the harbour silted up, to be replaced ultimately by Rotterdam, but we continue to be reminded of our connections with the city by the crow step or 'corbie' gables seen in buildings across Scotland and by surnames such as Fleming, Lindsay and Douglas, all familiex believed to have Flemish ancestors in their bloodlines.
[Images: Maddie Burns]
gwsfhs – where yesteryear comes round again
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April 16, 2025 at 11:26 AM
Bruges, the capital of West Flanders, was the first Scottish Staple port with a monopoly on Scottish goods trade. Our connections with the city are evident through 'corbie' gables in Scottish architecture and surnames like Fleming, Lindsay, and Douglas, suggesting Flemish ancestry.
The history includes the medieval Waddells, the Lairds of Balquhatstone, the Waddells of Airdriehill, Easter Moffat, Gain and Inch, Holehouseburn, Magiscroft, Nellfield and Fife, Rashiehill, Ryden, Shotts, Stanrigg, Stow and Lauderdale, all with family trees. And of course overseas branches, too!
April 13, 2025 at 1:26 PM
The history includes the medieval Waddells, the Lairds of Balquhatstone, the Waddells of Airdriehill, Easter Moffat, Gain and Inch, Holehouseburn, Magiscroft, Nellfield and Fife, Rashiehill, Ryden, Shotts, Stanrigg, Stow and Lauderdale, all with family trees. And of course overseas branches, too!
On a wee tour of cemeteries in Stirling, Scotland. Ballengeich is a beautiful cemetery in the shadow of Stirling castle.🪦
April 12, 2025 at 11:15 AM
On a wee tour of cemeteries in Stirling, Scotland. Ballengeich is a beautiful cemetery in the shadow of Stirling castle.🪦
Historic hand-painted ghost signs are preserved on buildings, which have often changed use. The sign outside the Kelvingrove Cafe, opened in 1896 on Argyle Street, is one of the best preserved ghost signs in Glasgow. The cafe mascot, Pearl the Oyster Lady, remains painted on the stone outside.
April 9, 2025 at 11:26 AM
Historic hand-painted ghost signs are preserved on buildings, which have often changed use. The sign outside the Kelvingrove Cafe, opened in 1896 on Argyle Street, is one of the best preserved ghost signs in Glasgow. The cafe mascot, Pearl the Oyster Lady, remains painted on the stone outside.
A church dedicated to St Michael was built in Shiskine, Arran in 1708 using parts from a medieval chapel, including a 'Leper's Hole' for sacraments. By 1886, it was left to decay. Restoration began in 2010, led by a local farmer, and now the church's walls and leper's window have been restored.
![A place of worship has stood at Shiskine in Arran for centuries. A church, dedicated to St Michael, was erected in 1708 on or near the site of an older building, incorporating features which had probably been taken from a medieval chapel, including a window carved out of a single block of stone, and a 'Leper's Hole' where those afflicted with that terrible disease could still take the sacraments.
By 1886, the old 'preaching house' was leaking. A new building was erected down the valley and the church was left to deteriorate, to the point of becoming a roofless shell. It was bought by the Shiskine Valley Trust in 2004 but despite restoration fund-raising by local people, the building was deemed in a dangerous condition and the Trustees proposed demolition. A group of determined folk, led by a local farmer, decided otherwise and restoration work commenced in 2010. Today, the work completed, the walls have been rebuilt and capped and the wooden lintels replaced – even the leper's window can be seen again.
[Images: Paul Burns]
gwsfhs – where yesteryear comes round again.
Visit us at www.gwsfhs.org.uk](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:nobtfwgdyc2l4wmddfuums6i/bafkreibkm6iofsmamrac2xhltj5vsn4wkkbydwvykw447b74qc4x5s5ciy@jpeg)
![A place of worship has stood at Shiskine in Arran for centuries. A church, dedicated to St Michael, was erected in 1708 on or near the site of an older building, incorporating features which had probably been taken from a medieval chapel, including a window carved out of a single block of stone, and a 'Leper's Hole' where those afflicted with that terrible disease could still take the sacraments.
By 1886, the old 'preaching house' was leaking. A new building was erected down the valley and the church was left to deteriorate, to the point of becoming a roofless shell. It was bought by the Shiskine Valley Trust in 2004 but despite restoration fund-raising by local people, the building was deemed in a dangerous condition and the Trustees proposed demolition. A group of determined folk, led by a local farmer, decided otherwise and restoration work commenced in 2010. Today, the work completed, the walls have been rebuilt and capped and the wooden lintels replaced – even the leper's window can be seen again.
[Images: Paul Burns]
gwsfhs – where yesteryear comes round again.
Visit us at www.gwsfhs.org.uk](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:nobtfwgdyc2l4wmddfuums6i/bafkreighvaltu3xil6kq4sf3jagko3pm7wkkmuiqtzuzt4z2rfnsbf4nw4@jpeg)
April 1, 2025 at 6:18 PM
A church dedicated to St Michael was built in Shiskine, Arran in 1708 using parts from a medieval chapel, including a 'Leper's Hole' for sacraments. By 1886, it was left to decay. Restoration began in 2010, led by a local farmer, and now the church's walls and leper's window have been restored.
In 1870 Glasgow University shifted the campus to the West End of the city, due to overcrowding at its previous High Street site. This new location boasted a magnificent open undercroft called The Cloisters, which serves as a passageway connecting the East and West Quadrangles beneath Bute Hall.
March 30, 2025 at 7:18 AM
In 1870 Glasgow University shifted the campus to the West End of the city, due to overcrowding at its previous High Street site. This new location boasted a magnificent open undercroft called The Cloisters, which serves as a passageway connecting the East and West Quadrangles beneath Bute Hall.
Doulton Fountain, the largest terracotta fountain in the world, marks Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee and Glasgow's role in the British Empire. It features symbols of former colonies—Australia, Canada, India, and South Africa—and figures representing Scotland, England, Ireland, and the Royal Navy.
March 27, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Doulton Fountain, the largest terracotta fountain in the world, marks Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee and Glasgow's role in the British Empire. It features symbols of former colonies—Australia, Canada, India, and South Africa—and figures representing Scotland, England, Ireland, and the Royal Navy.
Many of our ancestors were in rural Scotland where much of the landscape remains unchanged. This is the view enjoyed by village shoemaker Niel McKenzie from his bothy on Arran, looking out over Ailsa Craig, around 1860. Why not see if you can find the views your own ancestors might have seen!
March 26, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Many of our ancestors were in rural Scotland where much of the landscape remains unchanged. This is the view enjoyed by village shoemaker Niel McKenzie from his bothy on Arran, looking out over Ailsa Craig, around 1860. Why not see if you can find the views your own ancestors might have seen!
Not far from our research centre is an old Dairy sign above a shop that has not been a dairy in quite some time. Most recently it was a coffee shop, which closed during the pandemic. A little digging revealed that the dairy and general goods story was owned by the Paddas, a Partick Sikh family.
March 25, 2025 at 10:18 AM
Not far from our research centre is an old Dairy sign above a shop that has not been a dairy in quite some time. Most recently it was a coffee shop, which closed during the pandemic. A little digging revealed that the dairy and general goods story was owned by the Paddas, a Partick Sikh family.
There's a monument to George Buchanan in Killearn, where he was born in 1506 at a farmhouse called The Moss. Buchanan was an early Scottish historian, writer, and scholar.
March 24, 2025 at 3:26 PM
There's a monument to George Buchanan in Killearn, where he was born in 1506 at a farmhouse called The Moss. Buchanan was an early Scottish historian, writer, and scholar.
Early Scottish influencer George Buchanan (1506-1582)
March 24, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Early Scottish influencer George Buchanan (1506-1582)
The SS Daphne was launched on 3 July 1883 at Govan, Glasgow. Within minutes of her launch, she sank in deep water at high tide, taking 124 people down with her. What went so horribly wrong?
March 23, 2025 at 8:18 AM
The SS Daphne was launched on 3 July 1883 at Govan, Glasgow. Within minutes of her launch, she sank in deep water at high tide, taking 124 people down with her. What went so horribly wrong?
Raise your hand if you're old enough to remember microfilm 🙋
March 21, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Raise your hand if you're old enough to remember microfilm 🙋