5. Franciscan Benefactors
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The Franciscans arrived in Glasgow in the early 14th century and built their first chapel in the George Street area of the city. A Franciscan presence remained on the High Street near the University until around 1559 when the forces of the Reformation led to their suppression.
Despite attempts to carry on their good work in dangerous conditions the Franciscans did not re-establish themselves in the city until 1868 when they established a small mission in Calton. |
In the same year the mission purchased a piece of land in Cumberland Street, Gorbals. The succeeding years saw the parish of Gorbals prosper and grow till soon a larger chapel was needed. The first turf was turned on the 2nd February 1880, closely followed by a ceremony on 25th May to lay the foundation stone. Although the original design by the famous architect Peter Paul Pugin had been altered the formal opening of the magnificent St Francis church took place on the 1st June 1881.
During an archaeological excavation at the site of the new City Science Centre on High Street, the remains of twenty followers, or benefactors, of St Francis were discovered on the site of the aforementioned monastery. After a deeply moving service by Archbishop Conti at St. Andrew’s Cathedral on 18th March 2005 the historic remains of St Francis’ faithful medieval followers were taken on the short journey to the Southern Necropolis where they were respectfully laid to rest at a graveside committal given by the Rev. Patrick Lonsdale, OFM, Guardian of the Glasgow Franciscan Friary in the Gorbals.
6. Malcolm MacFarlane
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Malcolm MacFarlane was a cabinet maker and trade unionist and also one of the leaders of the Glasgow Chartist movement. The rise of Chartism sprang from the failure of the 1832 Reform Act to extend the vote beyond the middle classes. The political system was openly corrupt and it was common knowledge that wealth and power conferred political power through the buying of votes.
When the Chartist organisation collapsed Malcolm MacFarlane continued to work for the fledgling Temperance Movement and also for the abolition of slavery. Above all he strove to make people aware that the improvement in standards of living and labour for working class people depended on their ability to work together. |
It is worth noting that Malcolm MacFarlane’s revolutionary aims on voting, universal suffrage and slavery were ultimately achieved and that today we take the Chartist’s accomplishments for granted.
Another famous Gorbals boy who became a Chartist was Allan Pinkerton, whose political fervour saw his name on the King’s Warrant list – the threat of which forced him into hiding for several months till his departure for America in 1842. In Chicago he formed the legendary Pinkerton’s Private Detective Agency which is in existence to this day.
7. Agnes Harkness
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Agnes Harkness (1771-1856) is recorded on the monument to her husband James Reston as the ‘Heroine of Matagorda’. Her actions are detailed in a rare book entitled ‘The Eventful Life of a Soldier’ by Joseph Donaldson. The small fort of Matagorda was part of the outlying defences of Cadiz, the capital of free Spain. It was occupied on the 22nd February 1810 by a detachment of British Artillery and the 94th (Scotch Brigade) Regiment of Foot, aided by a small flotilla of Spanish Gunboats.
Agnes Harkness and her four year old son, like many women and their families at this time, accompanied her husband on campaign. While under bombardment from 30 pieces of French cannon, Agnes took her son to the shelters and returned to aid the surgeon in the dressing of the wounded and made use of her own and her husband’s linen as the number of injured increased. |
The surgeon ordered a drummer boy to brave the battery and fetch water from the well. On seeing the boy hesitate, Agnes grabbed the water bucket and ventured out into the battery while under heavy bombardment. As she was about to lower the bucket into the well a piece of shot severed the rope but with the help of a sailor she managed to retrieve the situation and return with a fresh supply of water. At intervals in the almost incessant French bombardment she carried sandbags to help in the repair of the battery. She handed out ammunition to the troops and supplied them with wine and water.
The order to withdraw form Matagorda was given by General Graham on the 22nd April 1810. There were 64 casualties out of an original force of 140 men. During their withdrawal Agnes made three forays across the battery, amid shot and shell, to retrieve her husband’s and her own belongings and finally her last foray was for her four year old son.
Agnes returned to Glasgow with her son and received neither thanks nor reward for her actions. After his discharge from the army Sergeant James Reston returned to join his wife in Glasgow where they lived on his small army pension of one shilling and ten pence a day. James Reston passed away on the 24th October 1834, and unfortunately the pension died with him. Agnes descended into poverty and destitution and found herself in the Glasgow Poorhouse where she occupied a position of a sick nurse when required to pay for her board. The Poorhouse stood at the north side of Parliamentary Road, to the west of its junction with St James Road.
In 1845, the plight of the Heroine of Matagorda came to the public attention through a report in the local press and an appeal was raised on her behalf. The appeal raised enough funds to present an annuity of £30 a year to give Agnes the independence and financial security she richly deserved. Agnes spent the remainder of her life in comfort in the Town Hospital, where she paid for her board out of the annuity raised by a generous public. After setting aside funds for her funeral she generously made donations to charitable causes. Agnes Harkness passed away after a short illness on the 24th of December 1856, aged 85 years.
8. William Cameron
William Cameron (1801-1877) the son of John Cameron and Jean McAdam was born in Dunnipace, Stirling on 3rd December 1801 where he spent the early years of his life. It was hoped that he would be educated with the focus of joining the ministry and his studies in divinity progressed to this end.
However, when William was just 17 years old the death of his father ended any thoughts of the church as a career. Turning his attention to the teaching profession, he was appointed as a schoolmaster at Bathgate in 1826 and spent over 10 years in that position. It was here that his inspiration for poetry and song writing began. Around 1836 he left for Glasgow where he became a pawnbroker and the first Chairman of the Glasgow Pawnbrokers Association.
Found in a handwritten manuscript containing 56 songs and 50 poems his works include the songs 'Gourock Bay', 'My Ain Wife', 'Gowan Lea' (also the name of his cottage in Dunoon) and "Morag's Fairy Glen". The glen located to the south of Dunoon towards Innellan, was gifted to the town in 1929. It is described as a picturesque spot with walkways and bridges.
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