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The National
13-05-2025
- Science
- The National
Glasgow is one of the most ancient areas of Scotland
I will complete the series in a few weeks' time with Edinburgh. Living for the first time in Glasgow, the city in which I was born, it's been impossible to miss the publicity that is slowly building about the celebration of Glasgow 850, a year-long programme of diverse events which according to the official website is marking the 'birthday' of Glasgow in 1175. I am particularly pleased that the 850th celebrations are going to mark the transformation of the city over the past 50 years since the Glasgow 800 programme, as I have recently been writing a weekly column about just exactly that massive period of change in The National's sister paper, the Glasgow Times. Do subscribe and you can read all my columns on Glasgow's history on the Times website. I am also delighted that pride of place during Glasgow 850 will go to the River Clyde, for I've always believed and stated that the Clyde made Glasgow, not the other way round. READ MORE: 'Little Englander': Keir Starmer provokes fury over 'speak English' post That being said, I must take issue with those who say we are celebrating Glasgow's 850th 'birthday' for as you are about to learn, the anniversary is only that of Glasgow's elevation to the status of royal burgh in 1175 – a huge development in Glasgow's history for sure, but this city is far older than that. As I have stated throughout this series, I am concentrating on the ancient history of our cities and I am writing about nothing that happened after 1800. Anyone who knows anything about Glasgow will realise that means I will not be featuring the city's greatest period when it rose to become the Second City of the Empire as a result of its industrial growth. In one sense Glasgow is one of the most ancient areas of Scotland. Fossil records show there was life of sorts in what is now Scotland more than 400 million years ago, and several fossils indicate that there were forms of early life in and around Glasgow. Fossils and geological findings also show that at one point the Glasgow area was south of the Equator, before continental drift moved Scotland to its present position. The most important single fossil is that of the Bearsden Shark, now held in the Hunterian Museum. It proves Glasgow was under a warm lagoon 330 million years ago. There are also the fossilised trees in Victoria Park – the Fossil Grove – which date from the same era. We do not know for sure who the first human inhabitants of the Glasgow area were but we can be pretty certain they were immigrants from the south and ultimately the Continent who came to populate Scotland in the Stone Age. READ MORE: Kathleen MacInnes captures magic of Tradfest in live album recording They came as hunter-gatherers and developed a lifestyle that included early forms of agriculture – and they seem to have found the natural crossing point on the River Clyde an irresistible attraction. We know from the findings from the remains of canoes during excavations that took place in the 18th and 19th centuries that native people, most probably Brythonic-speaking Celts, inhabited the Glasgow area and fished in the Clyde in the time before the Romans arrived. We can surmise that legionaries must have been in the Glasgow area for some time, because between 142AD and 154AD they built the Antonine Wall, named after Emperor Antoninus Pius, who ruled Rome from 138CE to his death in 161CE. The earthen wall with its 16 forts was constructed just north of Glasgow, running between what is now Old Kilpatrick in West Dunbartonshire and what is now Bo'ness in Falkirk district. The Romans built the wall to defend themselves against the incursions of the fierce warrior tribes who lived north of the Forth and Clyde valleys in a land the Romans called Caledonia. They tried at least three times to conquer Caledonia but eventually had to admit defeat and abandoned the Antonine Wall after just 20 years to retreat to the stone-built Hadrian's Wall further south. But in the 1970s, the remains of a stout Roman bath house dating from around 150CE were found in the centre of Bearsden. Other finds indicating a Roman presence in Glasgow include a 'distance stone' discovered at Summerston and a Samian-ware bowl dating from the second century AD which was found 41ft under Glasgow Green during excavation work in 1876. Again the Hunterian Museum is the best place to go if you want more information about this period in the history of the Greater Glasgow area. The Roman Empire officially departed Britannia province in 410CE, leaving behind Romano-Britons who intermingled with local tribes. At this point in its history Glasgow very much played second fiddle to a town just 15 miles down the Clyde. Readers of my series on the ancient history of Scotland's towns will recall that Dumbarton was for centuries the capital of Strathclyde and due to its rock and fortification was known as Alt Clut, the height of the Clyde, the river on which Glasgow would be founded. Alt Clut or variations of it was indeed known to the Romans. The derivation of the name of the River Clyde is fascinating. West Dunbartonshire Council's internet pages on local history state: 'This name emerged out of the so-called 'Dark Ages' in the time of the Strathclyde Britons. They were a Celtic people who spoke a Brythonic language related to modern Welsh. Their word for the river we call 'Clyde' is thought by scholars to have derived from an old Indo-European root clut that meant something like 'wash'.' As with the rest of Strathclyde, Christianity first arrived in the area in the fifth century via missionaries sent by St Ninian of Whithorn. But it was another Christian missionary who came to found Glasgow a century later and Mungo – originally known as Kentigern – is still the patron saint of the city. All of our cities had religious institutes and royal patronage in their early times and Glasgow had both of these advantages earlier than most. One king of Alt Clut who we know a lot about was Rhydderch Hael – Rhydderch the Generous, the name often translated to Roderick – who ruled over Strathclyde in the sixth and early seventh centuries. He was a big supporter of Mungo, whose life is the subject of much speculation and legend, due to the fact that the first written history of him was penned six centuries later by a monk, Joceline (or Jocelyn) of Furness, who wrote the Life Of St Kentigern in the late 12th century. Mungo is said to have been the illegitimate son of St Thenew or Teneu, better known as Enoch. She in turn was supposedly the daughter of King Loth (Lot), after whom the Lothians are named. He was so enraged at her pregnancy that he had her thrown off Traprain Law – only for divine salvation to occur with Thenew/Enoch being miraculously transported across the Forth to Culross where Mungo was raised by the monk St Serf and took holy orders before going west around the 540s to start a settlement at the confluence of the River Clyde and the Molendinar Burn. HE was not greeted well at first and had to leave for Wales, where he rose in the church ranks before returning to the Clyde and establishing a chapel at the place he called 'Glas-chu', meaning 'dear green place'. He was able to do this after gaining the support of King Rhydderch, who features in several legends about St Mungo. It was said that Rhydderch suspected his queen, Languoreth, of adultery as she had 'lost' her wedding ring in the Clyde. St Mungo duly summoned a salmon which had the ring in its mouth, and the fish and the ring appear in the city's coat of arms to this day. So much for legend, but what about the facts? Apart from Jocelyn of Furness, there is no written or archaeological evidence to support this supposition, but I believe that first chapel was established by Mungo in the year 543, as good a date as any for the real foundation of Glasgow. When he returned to his dear green place he came as bishop, having been elected to that post by the clerics of the kingdom of Strathclyde which, don't forget, stretched all the way down to Wales. As bishop of Glasgow, Mungo still lived a simple life and spent some time founding other churches – St Kentigern's in Lanark was said to be one of his foundations. Mungo developed Glasgow on the banks of the Molendinar, then some distance from the Clyde. Where that burn joins the Clyde is now quite different from where it originally did so, having been rerouted and culverted in the 19th century. We do not know exactly where or what the original settlement consisted of, but there was certainly a church that developed from the original chapel. It was here that Mungo is said to have stated, 'Let Glasgow flourish by the preaching of thy word', which became the motto of the city. According to Jocelyn, Mungo met with St Columba. The latter died in 597, while Mungo himself suffered severe ill-health later in his life and died in 603, though some say he lived until 614. As happened in the church in Scotland at that time, Mungo was acclaimed a saint by the people, and his burial place is where Glasgow Cathedral – the oldest cathedral in mainland Scotland, which survived the Reformation mostly intact – now stands. It became a place of pilgrimage, which again helped Glasgow develop, and successors to Mungo as Bishop of Glasgow continued the saint's work albeit slowly but surely. Even as the Scoti and the Picts united under King Kenneth Mac Alpin in the 840s, Strathclyde remained a separate kingdom and Dumbarton remained its capital until a savage Viking raid from Dublin carried off many of its people in 870, after which the capital became not Glasgow but Govan. As with most of Scotland, Glasgow largely disappears from view in what we call the Dark Ages, but in the then-separate settlement of Govan – which was only incorporated into Glasgow in 1912, against the views of many Govanites – Christianity had already taken root by the 9th century which we know thanks to the astonishing Govan Stones. Now contained mostly inside Govan Old Church, the Stones are, in the words of Glasgow University's archaeology website, 'the most remarkable relics of the early Middle Ages.' It adds that the 47 sculptured stones are 'ornamented with Celtic designs. Analysis of the carving style indicates that the entire collection date to the 9th-11th centuries AD. 'Thirty-one of the best-preserved stones are on display inside Govan Old, while the others are still in the churchyard. The collection on display consists of the sarcophagus, two cross-shafts, two upright cross-slabs, five hogbacks, and 21 recumbent cross-slabs.' The extent of the Govan Stones, and the fact that Govan parish also included the royal parkland across the Clyde, suggests that Govan was indeed the capital of Strathclyde and the city may have developed there had it not been for a bishop of Glasgow and a famous king.
The National
12-05-2025
- Business
- The National
Scottish charity handed £50k from LEZ fines to help 'vital' work
Managed by the North West Glasgow Voluntary Sector Network, Plugged In was established during the pandemic. Their goal is to provide support to members of the community who have no or limited access to technology. Councillor Angus Millar, City Convener for Climate, said reinvesting LEZ penalties will play a key role in helping projects, like Plugged In, benefit the community. READ MORE: 'Little Englander': Keir Starmer provokes fury over 'speak English' post 'The £50,000 grant will enable Plugged In to continue its vital work, which breathes new life into discarded technology,' he said. 'By rescuing devices from landfill, this inspiring recycling initiative empowers members of the local community and promotes digital inclusion.' Councillor Millar emphasised the magnitude of the community benefit already achieved through the fund. 'So far, 18 organisations have secured vital funding totalling £620,409 from the LEZ Community Support Fund, and we expect to re-open the scheme for new applications later this year,' he added. Martina Johnston-Gray, network manager at North West Glasgow Voluntary Sector Network, said she was pleased with the support as it will allow them to not only bolster their workforce but expand their work to other parts around the city. 'I'm delighted to receive the funding as it will allow us to employ someone full time and roll out the project to another area of Glasgow,' she said. 'Our aim is to equip Glasgow citizens with a device that will help them learn, find employment, contact family and friends, and take more control of their lives.'
The National
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Ian Murray's 'Farage is smiling' attack back to haunt him
The Edinburgh South MP had been one of a number of Labour politicians to brief against then-party leader Jeremy Corbyn after a speech on immigration in 2018. Corbyn had told his party's conference that the government needed to stop employers from 'being able to import cheap agency labour to undercut existing pay and conditions' in the UK. The comments were leapt on by Murray, who said that politicians should instead be 'brave' enough to talk about the benefits of immigration. READ MORE: Why Labour's care visa reforms just won't work for Scotland In comments reported by the Independent, the Scottish Secretary said: 'I'm disappointed that the Labour Party is not making this argument: immigration is good for the United Kingdom and Scotland and we have to be brave enough to stand up and make that point. 'And I was incredibly disappointed to see yesterday that the only person smiling after that passage in Jeremy's speech would have been Nigel Farage.' However, in the UK Government's new white paper on immigration reform, which was published on Monday, similar arguments to Corbyn's are made. Under a section confirming that no visas will be issued for care workers, the Labour Government argued that critical workforce issues in the sector are the fault of 'historic levels of poor pay and poor terms and conditions leading to low domestic recruitment'. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage (Image: Sarah Caldecott) The paper goes on: 'This Government is committed to tackling these issues and has committed to establishing Fair Pay Agreements which will empower worker, employer and other sector representatives to negotiate improvements in the terms of employment. 'These agreements will move the UK away from a dependence on overseas workers to fulfil our care needs.' The Scotland Office has been asked if Murray still believes that the argument would make Farage smile, or if he supports the UK Government's white paper. SNP MSP Rona Mackay said: 'U-turns and broken promises are what we have come to expect from senior Scottish Labour politicians who now seem more interested in dancing to Nigel Farage's tune than standing up for the interests of Scotland. 'Labour's plans are not only completely out of step with Scotland's values and economic interests – they are a dangerous threat to our NHS and care services and will harm our public services, businesses and economic growth across the country.' READ MORE: 'Little Englander': Keir Starmer provokes fury over 'speak English' post And Green MSP Maggie Chapman added: 'Labour has gone from one low to another, choosing to double down, scapegoat and punish migrant communities rather than dismantling the hostile environment policies that were put in place by the Tories. 'Ian Murray knows how cruel these changes are and how much damage they will do to Scotland, so why is he pretending otherwise? 'Labour could improve conditions and increase wages if it wanted to, but instead this UK Labour Government is opting to play cynical games with people's lives. 'Labour is more interested in pandering to Reform than it is in building a compassionate and humane system that supports our services. 'Scotland deserves much better than this nasty Nigel Farage knock-off, and so do our workers and communities.' Labour leader Keir StarmerPrime Minister Keir Starmer drew furious comparisons to racist English politician Enoch Powell on Monday after he claimed the country was on the path to becoming 'an island of strangers' and said that anyone who wanted to live in the UK should 'speak English'. Donald Macaskill, the chief executive of Scottish Care, said: 'As a bit of a student of political history I cannot but conclude that it has echoes of Powell at his worst. It is deeply regrettable that using language that plays into negative stereotypes around the contribution of migrants will lead to a devaluing of their contribution. 'The skills and the abilities of our international colleagues are excellent and we have to hold onto our colleagues. We have to get the UK Government to reconsider.' First Minister John Swinney said the Prime Minister was 'terrified' of Reform UK and had "walked right into the arms of Nigel Farage". 'Nigel Farage could have delivered that speech this morning. I can't believe that Keir Starmer found himself able to," the SNP leader said.
The National
12-05-2025
- The National
Police and fire brigade attend fire at Keir Starmer's house
A police cordon and officers, as well as investigators from London Fire Brigade, could be seen outside the Kentish Town property after a fire in the early hours of Monday. At one point, the length of the street was cordoned off to all vehicles. Starmer is understood to still own the home, but lives at the Prime Minister's official residence in Downing Street. READ MORE: 'Little Englander': Keir Starmer provokes fury over 'speak English' post A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: 'On Monday, May 12 at 01.35hrs, police were alerted by the London Fire Brigade to reports of a fire at a residential address. 'Officers attended the scene. Damage was caused to the property's entrance, nobody was hurt. 'The fire is being investigated and cordons remain in place while enquiries continue.' A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: 'Firefighters were called to a small fire outside a property in Kentish Town this morning. 'The Brigade was called at 01.11 and the fire was under control by 01.33. Two fire engines from Kentish Town Fire Station attended the scene.'
The National
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Fury in Scotland and Wales over Keir Starmer's ‘speak English' post
The Prime Minister posted on social media a message to promote his plan, which includes a requirement of a higher standard of English including, for the first time, adult dependents required to display a basic understanding of the language. The effort comes as Labour battles a surge in support for Reform UK, which won the Runcorn and Helsby by-election and council seats across England with policies including a 'freeze' on immigration. READ MORE: Labour plan new immigration rules: How it works and how you're affected Starmer posted on Twitter/X: "If you want to live in the UK, you should speak English. That's common sense. So we're raising English language requirements across every main immigration route." SNP MSP James Dornan replied to the post, writing: "You truly are a Little Englander. Let's see how you cope if other countries follow suit and all these Costa Del Fortune residents come back with their illnesses and disabilities from countries where they think speaking the local language simply means shouting louder. Pathetic." Plaid Cymru Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts (below) also responded, with :"The Welsh language holds the same legal status as the English language in Wales. Labour under Keir Starmer are forgetting about Wales and our nation's identity once again. "Where's the common sense in devaluing our heritage?" Neil Alexander, Scottish LibDems spokesperson for culture and sport, replied: "What about Gaelic Sir Keir? Are those speaking it in Scotland not welcome? It's almost like no lessons were learned in losing seats in the local elections to the LibDems." "If you live in Wales you should speak Welsh. Or are we not doing that?", Welsh author and presenter Jess Davies responded. BBC Radio 4 presenter David Aaronovitch said: "My grandmother couldn't. Would she have been sent back to Russia? Not let in in the first place?" READ MORE: Alister Jack sworn into House of Lords as Lord Jack of Courance One person wrote: "Genuinely had to check this didn't come from a parody account! "What about all the Brits living in Spain, Dubai etc. who don't speak a word of the countries language?" Another campaigner responded, "thalla's cac," which translates from Scottish Gaelic to "Away and sh*te [yourself]".
