» 7\_ &$""*}/ -". " Ain i linn National Library of Scotland B0001 33866 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from National Library of Scotland http://www.archive.org/details/reprintofjonessd1789dire X A REPRINT OF JONES'S DIRECTORY; OR, USEFUL POCKET COMPANION, FOR THE YEAR 1789: CONTAINING AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF THE NAMES AND PLACES OF ABODE OF THE MERCHANTS, MANUFACTURERS, TRADERS, AND SHOPKEEPERS, IN AND ABOUT THE C IT T OF GLASGOW, WITH INTRODUCTION AND NOTES. GLASGOW: JAMES MACLEHOSE, 61 ST. VINCENT STREET, Bookseller to the University. MDCCCLXVI. — INTRODUCTORY. THE republication of this little volume is purely acci- dental. Sometime ago, one of the Editors found the original among a collection of old pamphlets, and laid it aside as a thing to be looked to at leisure. At that time he was not aware that there had been a Glasgow Directory of so old a date. The preface seemed to indicate that it was the first ever published, but he afterwards dis- covered that it was really the second, the first having been printed two years before—in 1 787. It is exactly like this, in size and appearance—containing nearly as many names, but nothing more than names, designations, and addresses. The second is in every way more curious and complete. It contains an extremely interesting Appendix of about 20 pages of " lists ;'' which, coupled with the number of names that appear in it of persons connected in one way or another with -the progress of the city, names that suggest and explain the history of many a family, well-known or well remembered — dead or still existing, induced the idea of republication. The natural course would have been, to have reprinted the first edition, simply because it was the first; but the two being so much alike—the interval between them being only two years—preference has been given to the second, chiefly on account of its supplementary pages. [ vi ] The whole book tells a story of what Glasgow was in 1789 better perhaps than any lengthened history could now do. Any one who has the curiosity to go over the 84 pages of this little book, and then go over the Directory of 1 866, with its 880 pages of small type, in double columns, will find the two works very different indeed ; yet he will perceive in the former nearly all the elements that contribute to make the present Glasgow so great. The population of 1789 cannot be accurately ascertained; it is supposed to have been about 55,000. It was 45,889 in 1785, 66,578 in 1791, 83,000 in 1801. It is now 500,000. The city was then as it is still, the second in the Empire. It was then nearly as large as Aberdeen was in 1 86 1 ; much larger than Paisley is to-day; nearly twice as large as Greenock. Such a population nearly 80 years ago must have made Glasgow a place of great importance. It had, indeed, little political influence, for it possessed only a fourth part in the choice of a single representative to Parliament, — Renfrew, Rutherglen, and Dumbarton having precisely the same weight in an election,—but its social mercantile, and literary importance gave it then a position relatively as great as it possesses now. Its University was presided over by Adam Smith as its Lord Rector; John Miller was Professor of Law; John An- derson, the Founder of the Andersonian University, Professor of Natural Philosophy; Thomas Reid, of Moral Philosophy ; John Young, of Greek -, George Jardine, of Logic ; William Richardson, of Latin; and Dr. Thomas Hope, of Chemistry. Men like these, associated [ vii '] with other men of eminence, could not but exert much influence on any community. There were also a Faculty of Procurators, and a Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons. The profession of the Law numbered $$ members, while now there are 209 on the roll of the Faculty. Medicine numbered 25, while now there are 149. From this it will be seen that Medicine has outstripped Law, if one may judge by the respective Faculties, but the Clergy, as far as numbers are concerned, have greatly eclipsed both. 1 In 1789 there were only 1 6 Clergymen in Glasgow ; 1 of these were of the Established Church, I the minister of " the English Chapel," the remaining 4 were Burgher, Anti-burgher, and Relief. Some people say that the former times were better than these : but if the number of Clergymen be any test of this, the olden times could not have been so good as the present, for there was then only one " minister" to every 5000 souls, while now there is one to every 2860. The Directory of 1866 thus contains the names of 235 Clerygymen ; who have increased during these 77 years about fifteen fold, while the Medical Faculty have increased six fold, the Legal about four fold, and the great body of the people eight fold. As to trade and manufacture, it appears that out of a population of 55,000 people, nearly 1500 were engaged in business as employers, that is, they had shops, offices, u warehouses, or places of call." In 1 866 the same class amounted to about 22,000, showing an increase in a four- teen fold ratio. There is now a larger number of streets, squares, and terraces in Glasgow, than there were of such [ viii ] persons engaged in trade and professional life in 1 789. The variety of occupations in 1789 amounted to 147, in 1865 they numbered about 500 « In these old lists, in the main the useful trades prepon- derate. There were 87 grocers, 51 bakers, 26 boot- makers, 18 fleshers, 22 hardwaremen, 120 manufacturers, 10 painters, 9 printers, 26 smiths, 33 teachers, 44 woollen drapers, 9 watchmakers, 26 wrights, 24 yarn merchants ; but there were also occupations that indicated a large aristocratic element in the community, telling both of wealth and refinement ; such as 2 coach builders, 14 saddlers, 14 booksellers, 3 perfumers, 26 hairdressers, besides 18 barbers! 4 architects, I carver and gilder, 3 jewellers, 23 cabinet-makers, I carpet warehouse, 3 engravers, 5 mer- chant tailors, 2 marble cutters, I optician, 26 wine merchants, and no less than 240 merchants. There- were no shipbuilders in those days, no power-loom fac- tories, iron founders, machine makers, or iron masters. There was one engineer and one coalmaster. There were then too, a type founder, a quill dresser, a card fac- tory, 2 broad cloth manufacturers, 3 incle factories, and 7 rum merchants. None of these latter occupations seem to exist here now. The Editor, in his homely preface, confesses that " in collecting the names he found a great backwardness in receiving an explicit answer from"! a number of persons in trade, for reasons best known to themselves/' In estimating the relative position of the term " mer- chant" then and now, it must be borne in mind that the term merchant in 1 789 meant properly both a whole- sale and retail dealer,—and generally applied to those L ix ] who dealt in miscellaneous articles brought from England as well as from abroad ; while now it applies almost exclusively to those who are engaged in large transactions with Foreign countries. It must also be remembered that in many of the occupations of 1 866 the same name, or firm may appear in the Directory twice, and sometimes thrice, as when it is classed both under "accountant'' and "sharebroker," or under "book- seller " and u stationer." These businesses are as often conjoined as separated, and when conjoined, the same name appears under both the one and the other desig- nation. Banking establishments were as numerous in 1 789 as in 1866—the number being in both cases eight—but the business now done by one of our large Banking houses probably far exceeds the business done by them all in those days. There were then as at present a " Chamber of Commerce," a " Merchants' " and a " Trades' House," a " Dean of Guild and his Court," a " Master of Police," and 6 Water Engines in case of Fire! " The Forth and Clyde Navigation Company," the " Monkland Canal Company," and the " West India Association.'' had all then been established. The latter was a very powerful interest. There was also a " Silver Golf Club," and a " Clyde Marine Society," neither of which any longer exist. In looking over the names of the members of these societies, especially the Golf Club and the West Indian Association, names will be recognised that gave origin to many of the county families now settled around Glasgow. In glancing over the pages of the old Directory one is —— x X ] rather surprised to find so many names of individuals or of firms in business still, whose fathers or grandfathers were engaged in nearly the same kind of business then in some instances under precisely the same designations, thus—William Stirling and Sons, calico printers in West George Street, were then " calico and linen printers in High Street, by No. 42 ;" John Black and Co., calico printers, 64 Gordon Street, were then " calico and linen printers in 79 Trongate ;" Austin and M'Auslin, nursery and seedsmen, of 16 Buchanan Street, were then " M'Auslin, Austin, and Co., seed shop, Trongate, No. 29 ;" Walter Crum and Co., calico printers, 4 West Regent Street, were " James and Alexander Crum and Co., muslin manufacturers, calico and linen printers, warehouse and shop, Gallowgate, No. 12."—"James Lumsden, engraver and copperplate printer, 2d flat Craig's land, head of the Old Wynd ;" " Andrew Orr, bookseller and stationer, Saltmarket;" " John Smith, jun., bookseller and circulating library, Trongate, No.