Glasgow

England Glasgow

Guide to Glasgow history, family history, and genealogy: parish registers, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.



HISTORY
The present site of Glasgow has been used since prehistoric times for settlement, being the furthest downstream fording point of the River Clyde, at the point of its confluence with the Molendinar Burn. After the Romans left Caledonia, the settlement was part of the extensive Kingdom of Strathclyde, with its capital at Dumbarton 15 mi (24 km) downstream, which merged in the 9th century with other regions to create the united Kingdom of Scotland.

Glasgow grew over the following centuries, the first bridge over the River Clyde at Glasgow was recorded from around 1285, giving its name to the Briggait area of the city, forming the main North-South route over the river via Glasgow Cross.

The river has always been the major 'raison d'etre' for the city, and became the major thoroughfare for east - west transportation within the region.

Glasgow was subsequently raised to the status of Royal Burgh in 1611. Glasgow's substantial fortunes came from international trade, manufacturing and invention starting in the 17th century with sugar, followed by tobacco, and then cotton and linen.

LOCATION
Glasgow is located on the banks of the River Clyde, in West Central Scotland. It is at the lowest point where the Clyde could be forded in ancient times, and thus a locale for north and south commerce.

The Clyde is also a critically located river for merchant trading via the North Sea and thence south, and thus Glasgow became a critical hub for trade with Europe and the rest of the world.

After the Acts of Union in 1707, Scotland gained further access to the vast markets of the new British Empire, and Glasgow became prominent as a hub of international trade to and from the Americas, especially in sugar, tobacco, cotton, and manufactured goods.

Its second most important river is the Kelvin whose name was used for creating the title of Baron Kelvin and thereby ended up as the scientific unit of temperature. On older maps Glasgow will be found within the area of the pre-1975 county of Lanarkshire, from 1975 to 1996 it will appear within Strathclyde Region; current maps will generally show Glasgow as one of 32 Council Areas in Scotland.

RELIGION
Glasgow is a city of significant religious diversity. The Church of Scotland and the Roman Catholic Church are the two largest Christian denominations in the city. There are 147 congregations in the Church of Scotland's Presbytery of Glasgow (of which 104 are within the city boundaries, the other 43 being in adjacent areas such as Giffnock). The city has four Christian cathedrals: Glasgow Cathedral, of the Church of Scotland; St Andrew's Cathedral, of the Roman Catholic Church; St Mary's Cathedral, of the Scottish Episcopal Church, and St Luke's Cathedral, of the Greek Orthodox Church.

Additionally other non-christian religions are well represented. The Sikh community is served by 4 Gurdwaras.

Glasgow Central Mosque in the Gorbals district is the largest mosque in Scotland and, along with twelve other mosques in the city, caters for the city's Muslim population, estimated to number 33,000.

Glasgow also has a Hindu Mandir,

Glasgow has seven synagogues with the seventh largest Jewish population in the United Kingdom after London, Manchester, Leeds, Gateshead, Brighton and Bournemouth, but once had a Jewish population second only to London, estimated at 20,000 in the Gorbals alone.

INDUSTRY
The opening of the Monkland Canal and basin linking to the Forth and Clyde Canal at Port Dundas in 1795, facilitated access to the extensive iron-ore and coal mines in Lanarkshire. This area, south of the river Clyde, became the scene of numerous tips, from the tailings from the coal fields.

After extensive river engineering projects to dredge and deepen the River Clyde as far as Glasgow, shipbuilding became a major industry on the upper stretches of the river, pioneered by industrialists such as Robert Napier, John Elder, George Thomson, Sir William Pearce and Sir Alfred Yarrow.

In addition to its preeminence in shipbuilding, engineering, industrial machinery, bridge building, chemicals, explosives, coal and oil industries it developed as a major center in textiles, garment-making, carpet manufacturing, leather processing, furniture-making, pottery, food, drink and cigarette making; printing and publishing. Shipping, banking, insurance and professional services expanded at the same time.

After a deep decline in shipbuilding and heavy industry, Glasgow remade itself into a much more service industry based community. It's new role became a European center for business services and finance and promoted an increase in tourism and inward investment.

CEMETERIES AND GRAVEYARDS
Ancestry.com records

The Necropolis

Find a grave in Scotland

Glasgow Port Cemetery

Glasgow Roman Catholic Cemetery

Find a Grave in Glasgow

GENEALOGY AND FAMILY HISTORY
Acestry.com Family History

Glasgow and West Scotland Family History Society

Genuki Scotland Societies

Dumfries and Galloway Family History