New book draws attention to Glasgow's ties to slavery

Many of Glasgow's links to slavery are now invisible to the naked eye. Demolitions, refurbishments and modernisation have erased many of the physical reminders.

But brick and mortar only make up part of Glasgow’s heritage. The names of streets, institutions and flow of money through the city have their own stories to tell.

Local historian David Pettigrew and his colleagues hope to draw more attention to these ties in their new book Glasgow, The Clyde and Slavery. 

Commissioned by Richard Stenlake of Ayrshire-based Stenlake Publishing, the book serves as a gazetteer for anyone interested in exploring the ties to slavery along the banks of the Clyde.

During his research, Mr Pettigrew discovered that the “veneer of respectability” that had previously been drawn over Glasgow’s merchant past – and the individuals instrumental in its growth – is beginning to crumble. 

“There’s hardly a stately home in Scotland that doesn’t have a link to slavery. But the perceptions of these figures are changing.

“People are starting to look more closely and asking where all this money came from and what it means.”

Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities are two of the many Scottish institutions that have recently published reports into their historical links to the slave trade. 

Read more: University of Strathclyde linked to slave money in new report

In response, they have promised more work on educating the public about the past and promoting a more equal future

Mr Pettigrew hopes that the new book can help everyday citizens take part in the conversation.

“The slave trade and slavery-based economy was a terrible thing, and it needs to be understood.

“We think people should know about this information. They can decide how they feel about it.”

The first entry in Glasgow, The Clyde and Slavery illustrates the city’s intimate ties to the slave trade.

Abercromby Street is named for Lieutenant General Ralph Abercromby, a Scottish officer who was instrumental in subduing a series of Caribbean islands and placing them under British control.

Abercromby also used slave soldiers – commonly known as the “West India Regiments” – in his campaigns. 

A sketch of Cunninghame Mansion by Joseph Swan circa 1828. It has since been incorporated into the Gallery of Modern Art. (Image: Stenlake Publishing)

The rest of the book features similar figures whose connections to slavery range from defending the trade on moral grounds to using slave profits to fund institutions that still operate today.

Mr Pettigrew feels that it’s important for everyone to know how their community fits into the larger narrative of history.

“Growing up in the west of Scotland, people would talk about the Tobacco Lords, people like John Glassford. 

“But in my memory, they weren’t often criticised. They were just figures from the past. 

“But now people are asking: 'What does that actually mean if you were a Tobacco Lord? How were you actually making your money?'

“It doesn’t take too long to make a connection. And it’s horrifying when you think they were making so much money from the misery of others.”

Sometimes it is possible to see this legacy in person. A Glasgow University researcher recently organised a walking tour featuring some of the most prominent buildings, streets and places with links to slavery.

Read more: Glasgow walking tour connects city to slavery past

But Mr Pettigrew said that many links have left little or no physical traces.

In those places, the history was demolished decades ago.

Now, only the names survive.

In other places, however, the story is about a dark legacy hiding in plain sight.

The Gallery of Modern Art in Royal Exchange Square incorporates the remnants of the old Cunninghame Mansion, and it carries two links to the slave trade.

When William Cunninghame built the mansion in 1778, he did so off the back of his lucrative career in the tobacco and sugar trades. Both industries relied on slave labour.

After the property was sold and converted into the Royal Exchange in the nineteenth century, the old mansion became a popular meeting place for Scottish business leaders.

This included the Glasgow West India Association, one of the most determined pro-slavery lobbying groups of the time.

With the old Exchange building now incorporated into the museum, Mr Pettigrew feels it illustrates the difficulty of erasing the past. 

“It makes me think how in some ways the legacy has been disguised. 

“But even though there is always an overlay of change, the roots of slavery are there.”

As Mr Pettigrew pored over sources from University College London, Glasgow City Council and other records documenting Glasgow’s history, he was moved by the work. 

He hopes readers will engage with what he and his colleagues have highlighted and begin to ask their own questions.

“It was a privilege and sobering experience to look into this subject. 

“I came away from it learning so much, and I hope that’s the reaction a reader would have as well.”

The book is available in bookshops, online and in the Stenlake shop at 54 Mill Square in Catrine.