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| The '''Calton weavers''' were a community of handweavers established in the village of ] just outside ] in the late 18th century. In 1787 the weavers went on strike. Troops opened fire on the demonstrators and six weavers were killed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://living.scotsman.com/janeygodley/Weaving-a-new-image-for.3281094.jp|title=Weaving a new image for people of Calton |date=30 April 2007 |author=JANEY GODLEY |work=The Scotsman |accessdate=2010-02-05}}</ref> | |||
| {{db-hoax}} | |||
| In the early 19th century, many of the weavers emigrated to ], settling in ] and other communities in eastern ], where they continued their trade.<ref name=campey>{{cite book |page=52ff |title=The Scottish pioneers of Upper Canada, 1784-1855: Glengarry and beyond |author=Lucille H. Campey |publisher=Dundurn Press Ltd. |year=2005 |ISBN=1897045018}}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | In the 18th century, |
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| In 1787 there was a massive strike by the weavers - about 7000. Lots of fighting and several left dead. | |||
| ==History== | |||
| ⚫ | Over a period time between 1760 and 1830 there was also the Lowland Clearances going on. |
||
| ⚫ | In the 18th century, Calton (no 'r') was a a village outside of Glasgow. It was set up as a weaving centre. In 1817 it became a Burgh and in 1846 it was incorporated in Glasgow itself. The reason it was set up as a weaving village outside of Glasgow was because it was beyond the reach of the weavers craft guild (union).{{fact}} | ||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | Over a period of time between 1760 and 1830 there was also the ] going on. Farms were taken over and labourers fled to the cities to find work...usually in the mills. Life was hard, poverty and disease and desperation were rife.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Lowland clearances: Scotland's silent revolution, 1760-1830 |author=Peter Aitchison, Andrew Cassell |publisher=Tuckwell |year=2003 |ISBN=1862322775}}</ref> | ||
| In 1787 there was a massive strike in Calton by about 7000 weavers. During a demonstration at Drygate Bridge on the 3rd of September 1787, soldiers were sent in and six of the strikers were killed. This was the earliest major industrial dispute in Scottish history, and the Calton Weavers became Scotland's first working-class martyrs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/friends-set-to-bring-city-s-calton-weavers-back-to-life-1.948796 |title=Friends set to bring city's Calton Weavers back to life |author=Iain Lundy |date=17 May 2007 |work=Evening Times |accessdate=2010-02-05}}</ref> | |||
| The song Nancy Whiskey, written c. 1960, is based on a not so long-ago traditional song. And being Scots it should be spelled without an 'e'. However it is not (some Irish labels spell Whiskey). And that is another whole debate. | |||
| In October 1800 there were food riots in Calton. In 1816 a soup kitchen established in Calton led to a riot that again had to be put down by troops. By the 1830s the Calton handloom weavers were among the most destitute of the skilled working class. Not just men but women and children worked the looms in their struggle to survive. During the frequent depressions of that period, many were forced to pawn their bedding and clothes to avoid starvation.<ref>{{cite book |title=Episcopalianism in nineteenth-century Scotland: religious responses to a modernizing society |author=Rowan Strong |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2002 |ISBN=0199249229|page=188-189}}</ref> | |||
| ==Migration== | |||
| Many emigration societies were formed by the Scottish weaver communities, asking for government assistance to emigrate.<ref>{{cite book |page=126 |title=Emigration from North-east Scotland: Willing exiles |author=Marjory Harper |publisher=Aberdeen University Press |year=1988 |ISBN=0080364152}}</ref> | |||
| The government provided free land in the ], a strategically important part of ] where the government was anxious to settle loyal Scots. Nearly three thousand people were helped to emigrate in 1820 and 1821, founding the Lanark Settlements in what is now ] to the north of ].<ref name=campey/> | |||
| ⚫ | One wonders why they named the place they arrived at for the awful place they left! However Carleton Place (now with an 'r' and an 'e') and many other names from Scotland set up along the Rideau and the small lake area north of Kingston. | ||
| Many more went on to areas near Kingston and into Peterborough. | |||
| ==In popular culture== | |||
| The Calton Weavers massacre of 1787 is commemorated in a panel by Scottish artist ] in the ], Glasgow, commissioned on the 200th anniversary of the event.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mediamatters.co.uk/media/kc_panel1.html |title=WEAVERS STRUGGLES ... THE CALTON WEAVERS MASSACRE |accessdate=2010-2-5 |author=Ken Currie |publisher=Media Matters}}</ref> | |||
| The song ''The Calton Weaver'' is a variant of ''Nancy Whiskey'' which first appeared in print in the early 1900s. The Scottish folksinger ] took her name from the song,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2003/feb/08/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries |title=Nancy Whiskey - Vocalist whose hit song Freight Train made her, briefly, the queen of skiffle |author=Dean Steel |work=The Guardian |date=8 February 2003 |accessdate=2010-2-5}}</ref> | |||
| and it has been recorded by many other artists.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://video.google.ca/videosearch?rlz=1C1GGLS_enCA329CA329&sourceid=chrome&q=Calton+Weaver&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=1D5sS-v0D4TYNt7cwc0E&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CBoQqwQwAw# |title=Videos of Calton Weaver|work=Google Videos |accessdate=2010-2-5}}</ref> | |||
| The song tells of a Calton weaver who spent his life savings on Whisky. | |||
| The song ends with a solemn caution:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.contemplator.com/scotland/weaver3.html |title=The Calton Weaver |author=John Renfro Davis |work=contemplator.com |accessdate=2010-2-5}}</ref> | |||
| <poem>Come all ye weavers, Calton weavers | |||
| A' ye weavers where'er ye be | |||
| Beware of whiskey, Nancy Whiskey | |||
| She'll ruin you as she ruined me.</poem> | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{reflist}} | |||
| ] | |||
Revision as of 16:56, 5 February 2010
The Calton weavers were a community of handweavers established in the village of Calton just outside Glasgow in the late 18th century. In 1787 the weavers went on strike. Troops opened fire on the demonstrators and six weavers were killed. In the early 19th century, many of the weavers emigrated to Canada, settling in Carleton Place and other communities in eastern Ontario, where they continued their trade.
History
In the 18th century, Calton (no 'r') was a a village outside of Glasgow. It was set up as a weaving centre. In 1817 it became a Burgh and in 1846 it was incorporated in Glasgow itself. The reason it was set up as a weaving village outside of Glasgow was because it was beyond the reach of the weavers craft guild (union). Over a period of time between 1760 and 1830 there was also the Lowland Clearances going on. Farms were taken over and labourers fled to the cities to find work...usually in the mills. Life was hard, poverty and disease and desperation were rife.
In 1787 there was a massive strike in Calton by about 7000 weavers. During a demonstration at Drygate Bridge on the 3rd of September 1787, soldiers were sent in and six of the strikers were killed. This was the earliest major industrial dispute in Scottish history, and the Calton Weavers became Scotland's first working-class martyrs. In October 1800 there were food riots in Calton. In 1816 a soup kitchen established in Calton led to a riot that again had to be put down by troops. By the 1830s the Calton handloom weavers were among the most destitute of the skilled working class. Not just men but women and children worked the looms in their struggle to survive. During the frequent depressions of that period, many were forced to pawn their bedding and clothes to avoid starvation.
Migration
Many emigration societies were formed by the Scottish weaver communities, asking for government assistance to emigrate. The government provided free land in the Rideau Valley, a strategically important part of Upper Canada where the government was anxious to settle loyal Scots. Nearly three thousand people were helped to emigrate in 1820 and 1821, founding the Lanark Settlements in what is now Lanark County to the north of Perth, Ontario. One wonders why they named the place they arrived at for the awful place they left! However Carleton Place (now with an 'r' and an 'e') and many other names from Scotland set up along the Rideau and the small lake area north of Kingston. Many more went on to areas near Kingston and into Peterborough.
In popular culture
The Calton Weavers massacre of 1787 is commemorated in a panel by Scottish artist Ken Currie in the People's Palace, Glasgow, commissioned on the 200th anniversary of the event. The song The Calton Weaver is a variant of Nancy Whiskey which first appeared in print in the early 1900s. The Scottish folksinger Nancy Whiskey took her name from the song, and it has been recorded by many other artists. The song tells of a Calton weaver who spent his life savings on Whisky. The song ends with a solemn caution:
Come all ye weavers, Calton weavers
A' ye weavers where'er ye be
Beware of whiskey, Nancy Whiskey
She'll ruin you as she ruined me.
References
- JANEY GODLEY (30 April 2007). "Weaving a new image for people of Calton". The Scotsman. Retrieved 2010-02-05.
- ^ Lucille H. Campey (2005). The Scottish pioneers of Upper Canada, 1784-1855: Glengarry and beyond. Dundurn Press Ltd. p. 52ff. ISBN 1897045018.
- Peter Aitchison, Andrew Cassell (2003). The Lowland clearances: Scotland's silent revolution, 1760-1830. Tuckwell. ISBN 1862322775.
- Iain Lundy (17 May 2007). "Friends set to bring city's Calton Weavers back to life". Evening Times. Retrieved 2010-02-05.
- Rowan Strong (2002). Episcopalianism in nineteenth-century Scotland: religious responses to a modernizing society. Oxford University Press. p. 188-189. ISBN 0199249229.
- Marjory Harper (1988). Emigration from North-east Scotland: Willing exiles. Aberdeen University Press. p. 126. ISBN 0080364152.
- Ken Currie. "WEAVERS STRUGGLES ... THE CALTON WEAVERS MASSACRE". Media Matters. Retrieved 2010-2-5.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - Dean Steel (8 February 2003). "Nancy Whiskey - Vocalist whose hit song Freight Train made her, briefly, the queen of skiffle". The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-2-5.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - "Videos of Calton Weaver". Google Videos. Retrieved 2010-2-5.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - John Renfro Davis. "The Calton Weaver". contemplator.com. Retrieved 2010-2-5.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help)