JAMES HEDDERWICK, ESQ.,
Editor of the "Glasgow Citizen."
MY
DEAR SIR,
The thread of the gossamer,
"a trifle light as air," shows the way of the wind; the evanescent
foam-bell upon the surface of the stream indicates the tendency of the
current; and the dedication of my little book may serve to manifest the
drift of my feelings towards one whom I regard as a friend and benefactor.
Permit me therefore to inscribe it to you, with every sentiment of respect
and gratitude.
Or Glimpses of Conditions, Manners, Characters and Oddities
of the City By John Strang LL.D. (1857)
History Tour of the Merchant City | Glasgow Scotland
A guided tour of the merchant city in Glasgow Scotland. We
walk through the streets and learn about Glasgow's merchant
past.
The River Clyde and the Clyde Burghs
The City of Glasgow and its old relations with Rutherglen, Renfrew, Paisley,
Dumbarton, Port Glasgow, Greenock, Rothsey and Irvine by the late Sir James D.
Marwick, LL.D. (1909) (pdf)
Old Glasgow
The Place and the People, from the Roman Occupation to the Eighteenth Century by
Andrew MacGeorge (1880) (pdf)
Glasgow Characters
This Illustrated Series of Pen and Ink Sketches, collected from large and
expensive works, is issued with the view of supplying the numerous demands of
the Public for a cheap and compact volume containing the racy and popular
delineations of well known Glasgow Characters, by the late Peter Mackenzie and
contemporary writers (pdf)
Old World Glasgow, Scotland: 1860-1899 Oldest Known
Photographs
History of the Water Supply to
Glasgow
From Commencement of present Century with descriptions of
the Water Works projected, executed, and from time to time
in operation and an appendix by John Burnet (1869) (pdf)
A History of Glasgow Harbour
From the demolition of St Enoch Railway Station to the
demise of Queen's Dock, a look at how in a one-hundred-year
period Glasgow Harbour grew to become one of the busiest
ports in the world. So why is the River Clyde now so silent,
and what caused the collapse of so many of Glasgow's major
riverside industries? Included in the video are many of
Glasgow's docks and quays, from Kingston Dock to Prince's
Dock (originally named Cessnock Dock) and Queen's Dock, and
quays and basins at Yorkhill. Glasgow was once referred to
as The Second City of the British Empire, supplying much of
The Empire and the world with goods made in the city. So
what went wrong?
Where Glasgow Really Began
The rape that led to the birth of a city. Well, there's a
strange subtitle for you! And yet, it's true, or as true as
we can be when looking at something that took place in the
6th century AD.
But although facts can get a bit fuzzy as the centuries roll
by, in general myths and legends develop around a truthful
core.
Today's video visits Traprain Law in East Lothian, not far
from East Linton.
This rocky hill was was probably occupied from the Bronze
Age right through to the early medieval period. And in the
Dark Ages, during the time of King Arthur and legends of the
Knights of the Round Table, Traprain Law was not just any
old defended settlement or fort, it was the home and
powerhouse of the King of the Votadini, an ancient Celtic
tribe.
Traprain Law contained a large number of Celtic round houses
during the Iron Age and into Scotland's Dark Ages, and in
the latter period, towards the end of the 5th and beginning
of the 6th centuries, it was also home to King Loth, or
Lleuddun, who eventually gave his name to the whole area:
Lothian.
Indeed, King Loth eventually moved from Traprain Law and
settled on the rock on which now sits Edinburgh Castle. In
short, he founded Edinburgh, and probably a good part of
Central Scotland.
But Traprain Law is much more important than that,
especially if you come from Glasgow.
King Loth's daughter, Princess Thenew or Teneu, was raped on
or near the hill; raped by her cousin. And rather than blame
her cousin, King Loth blamed his daughter. He had her tied
to a chariot and thrown over one of the many rocky crags on
Traprain Law.
Somehow, she survived, was placed in a small coracle, and
set adrift on the wide River Forth. Eventually she reached
Culross on the other side of the river, and was taken in by
monks.
And it was there, in Culross, that she gave birth to a child
named Kentigern, later named Mungo by the monks.
So, as you may see, it is really on Traprain Law, a small
hill in East Lothian, that Glasgow began. For Glasgow may
never have been a town or city at all if it hadn't been for
that rape long long ago, and the eventual arrival of Mungo
on a small hill by a stream and a chapel. Saint Mungo:
Patron Saint of Glasgow.
But it doesn't even end there. For the name of Mungo's
mother, Princess Teneu, lives on in St Enoch Square in
Glasgow, the name a slight spelling corruption of Teneu.
Indeed, she is actually buried in St Enoch Square, although
to look at the square these days you'd never know.
So here, on a small hill in East Lothian, is the very
beginnings of the mighty city of Glasgow.
NOTE - The figure used in the video thumbnail and in the
video titles was taken from the album cover: 'Argus' by
Wishbone Ash. The photo that makes up the album cover was
taken by Barry Wentzell.
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