Glasgow & West of Scotland Family History Society

07/10/2026

'Rus in urbe' was the description by the Roman poet Martial of a rural retreat within the city walls. The Victorians enthusiastically adopted the idea of 'breathing spaces' in urban areas to combat overcrowding and poor health, and to demonstrate municipal achievement and philanthropy. More public parks were created between 1885 and 1914 than at any other time in British history. Land for Glasgow's Kelvingrove Park (shown here) was purchased in 1852 and it was the first purpose designed and constructed park in Scotland.

Images: Paul Burns

gwsfhs – where yesteryear comes round again

Visit us at www.gwsfhs.org.uk

07/10/2026

We invite you to discover your Glasgow area ancestors with these essential resources family history research.

Most of them are surname-indexed transcriptions of gravestones giving details that might not survive anywhere else.

61 PDF files to download and keep forever.

The society now has over 60 publications available in PDF format in the Shop: By County We thus invite our readers to discover your Glasgow and West of Scotland ancestors with these essential resources for Scottish genealogy and family history research. The majority of the PDFs are of Monumental Ins...

28/09/2026

In July 1913, militant suffragettes Dorothea Chalmers Smith and Ethel Moorhead were arrested for breaking and entering this property at 6 Park Gardens with intent to set fire to it. (The house was empty at the time). Hundreds of campaigners attended their trial at Glasgow High Court. Apples were thrown at the judge after he passed prison sentences of eight months on each woman. Both went on hunger strike. Ethel was the first woman in Scotland to be force fed, while Dorothea was released under the Cat & Mouse Acr and successfully avoided house arrest.

Image: Paul Burns

gwsfhs – where yesteryear comes round again

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25/09/2026

This cosy stone alcove is one of a pair in Hackney's Victoria Park. The old London Bridge underwent extensive renovation in the 18th century, including the removal of all buildings erected along it in previous centuries. But it was felt that travellers needed shelter while crossing the bridge, so 14 alcoves were erected along its length. In 1831 Scots designer John Rennie junior supervised the construction, started by his father, of a new London bridge. The stone alcoves were sold off and two donated to Victoria Park. In 1968, a new bridge was constructed and Rennie's bridge was dismantled and shipped to Lake Havasu in Arizona, where it is looking very decorative.

Image: Maddie Burns

gwsfhs – where yesteryear comes round again

Visit us at www.gwsfhs.org.uk

19/09/2026

FamilySearch Full Text Search Feature is a Game Changer in Family Research – Amber Godfrey
Date: Monday 21st September 2026 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Venue: Zoom Presentation
Being able to do a full text search of so many databases on FamilySearch has completely changed the way that family historians and genealogists are able to use these documents. Indexing on the major research websites usually cover only the main person in a document and the type of records being added to the full-text search feature are full of names – spouses, children, parents, siblings, other relatives, witnesses and more. I will show you how to search the records efficiently and give examples of the kind of information you can find within them. I’ve found detailed wills and estate inventories, guardianship records for minor children, deeds with very specific boundary descriptions and much more! Join me on a journey back in time!

Amber Godfrey is an amateur family historian whose love of family history started in childhood, listening to family stories shared by her parents, grandmothers, and extended family. She received a Family History kit for Christmas from the Sears Wish Book when she was twelve that started her on a family history research journey that continues to this day.

Her other great love, reading and books, led to a career in public, private and school libraries for many years. Now Amber is taking some time to focus on her own family research and to do talks on genealogy topics. She was chosen to do a presentation at the Nova Scotia Genealogy Virtual Conference in 2025 and has been busy doing presentations for other groups this year.

Amber is a member of the Alberta Family Histories Society and editor of the AFHS Chinook Arch newsletter. She is passionate about sharing the stories of ordinary people, especially women, who led interesting lives.

17/09/2026

Highland cattle are among the oldest breeds of cattle in the world, originating in the Scottish Highlands and Western Isles some time before the sixth century. Their ancestors included the now extinct aurochs which had massive horns and very bad tempers. While the early Highland cattle were predominantly black, iconic ginger became the preferred standard in Victorian times, and they were bred for that colour. Their thick double coats comprising an oily outer layer and a soft under layer evolved to resist the bitter winds, heavy rain and freezing temperatures of the Highlands. Here Angus dubh and Fergus ruadh are enjoying their Arran staycation.

Images: Diana Burns

gwsfhs – where yesteryear comes round again

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11/09/2026

Gorbals burial lists - 2 x PDFs - £5

Gorbals Old Burying Ground and Gorbals Rose Garden:

- Transcriptions of 90+ gravestones dated 1723 - 1917. Name index, photographs of selected memorials, 1861 map

- Lair Holders - list of Glasgow plot owners including the old and new Gorbals Burial Grounds

https://www.gwsfhs.org.uk/product/gorbals-burying-grounds-set/

06/09/2026

Now the Malmaison Hotel (named after the Chateau de Malmaison of Napoleon and Josephine), this former church stands on West George Street. Built as St Jude's in 1838 in the grand Greek Revival style, it started life as an Episcopal church and carries the inscription (in Greek) of “God as the head of the church”. Until the 1960s, a tall lantern 'in the style of the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates' stood at the top of the building. A Google search revealed that Lysicrates was a wealthy patron of the arts who erected just such a lantern in 334 BC Athens, and the style became popular in 18th century Europe.

Researching this piece has produced more questions than answers but it is a very arresting building.

Image: Diana Burns

gwsfhs – where yesteryear comes round again

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27/08/2026

These two magnificent angels now overlook the main staircase of Hamilton Town House. They were donated by the daughters of wealthy muslin manufacturer, John Richard Cochrane. The angels had originally decorated a chapel in the grounds of the family home, Calderglen House in Blantyre. The chapel had been erected in memory of their brother, Pelham Maitland Cochrane, who had tragically lost his life in a railway accident in 1884. John Richard Cochrane died in 1921 and four years later his daughters donated the mosaics to the Burleigh Church in Low Blantyre. But the angels' adventures wee not over. In 1974, the church was destroyed by fire, and the smoke damaged angels were passed to Hamilton town council for safe keeping and restoration. . Unfortunately, I have been unable to identify the original artist, or the angels themselves whose chequered career is not recorded alongside their images. Further information can be found at the website of the Blantyre Project.

Images: Diana Burns

gwsfhs – where yesteryear comes round again

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20/08/2026

Next time you're walking (or even jogging) along the Clyde Walkway, look out for the memorial to the Blockade Runners to Spain, next to Jamaica Bridge. This honours the brave Merchant and Royal Navy seamen who risked their lives to deliver food and supplies to the Republicans during the Spanish Civil War. The memorial was unveiled by the RMT's Glasgow Shipping Branch on 2 March 2019.

Image: Scott Fairie

gwsfhs – where yesteryear comes round again

Visit us at www.gwsfhs.org.uk