Ordnance gazetteer of Scotland

GLASGOW
burgh in that year at the time of the census, but by
the action of the Extension of Boundaries Act a popu-
lation of 92,359 was added to that given, so that the
population within the municipal area became 658,198,
as against 577,419 within the same area in 1881; while
to the end of 1895 the number was estimated at
695,000. If the population of the burghs of Govan,
Kinning Park, Partick, and of Govan parish landward
(all of which naturally belong to Glasgow) were added,
the total for 1891 would be nearly 780,000. Of the
population of 658,198 in the extended area in 1891,
320,081 were males and 338,117 females; while 53
persons spoke Gaelic only, and 17,925 both Gaelic and
English. Of the males, 112,723 were under 15 years of
age, 145,529 between 15 and 20, 107,632 between 20
and 40, 52,539 between 40 and 60, and 14,381 over 60;
of the females, 112,634 were under 15, 147,281 between
15 and 20, 111,434 between 20 and 40, 58,113 between
40 and 60, and 21,289 over 60. Of the 207,358 males
over 15 years of age, 95,137 were bachelors, 102,061
husbands,and 10,160 widowers; andof the225,483females
over 15, 92,433 were spinsters, 104,962 wives, and 28,088
widows; while of the whole population, 561,074 had
been born in Scotland — 349,597 of them being natives
of the city itself — and 66,071 in Ireland, the latter
number being the smallest proportionally since 1851,
when the maximum (18 per cent.) was recorded. Of
the total population, 83,472 were under 5 years of age
and 141,885 between 5 and 15, and of the latter number
104,910 were at school. There were in 1891 within the
enlarged municipal boundary 144,634 separate families,
134,753 houses inhabited, 6472 uninhabited, and 1089
being built; and the number of rooms with one or more
windows was 348,890. Of the 126,262 separate families
residing in 1891 within the parliamentary burgh (for
which alone detailed statistics are available), 2385 lived
in houses of 7 or more rooms with windows, 1412 in
houses of 6 rooms with windows, 1953 in houses of 5
rooms with windows, 6094 in houses of 4 rooms with
windows, 18,295 in houses of three rooms with windows,
53,988 (262,427 persons) in houses of 2 rooms with win-
dows, 42,134 (123,643 persons) in houses of 1 room with
windows, and one family of 2 persons in a house of one
room without a window, while in what was suburban
Glasgow at the same date, out of 18, 212 separate families,
5520 (27,238 persons) lived in houses of 2 rooms with
windows, 2418 (7358 persons) in houses of one room
with windows, and one family of one person in a
house of 1 room without a window. In other words,
over 76 per cent, of the families, and over 68 per
cent, of the population of the parliamentary burgh lived
in houses of 1 or 2 rooms, and this constitutes one of
the most serious features in dealing with the sanitary
and social condition of the citizens, though since 1871
there has been a great improvement, inasmuch as the
number of houses of one apartment has greatly decreased,
and of those of 2 and 3 apartments greatly increased.
Leaving ' Institutions ' and ' Shipping ' out of account,
over 26 per cent, of the houses were of 1 room, and con-
tained 18 per cent, of the population; while over 45 per
cent, were of 2 rooms, containing over 47 per cent, of
the population. The average number of rooms per house
in 1891 was 2'33 (2'32 in 1881), and each house con-
tained 4727 people or 2 '033 persons to each room
(2'040inl881); while the average house rent was slightly
over £10, 12s. 'The secret of the health of Glasgow,'
says Dr Russell, ' lies within the one and two room houses, '
and he points out that over 81 per cent, of the deaths
from zymotic diseases and of children, and nearly 74 per
cent, of the total deaths occur in such dwellings. Under
the Police Act ' houses of not more than three rooms,
and not exceeding an aggregate capacity of 2000 cubic
feet, exclusive of lobbies and recesses,' must not have
more than 5 adult inmates, or children and adults to
make up that number, 2 children under 10 being reckoned
as equal to one adult; and of these dwellings — which,
marked by tin-plate tickets affixed to the door, are
known as ' ticketed houses ' — there are in Greater Glas-
gow some 24,000. with accommodation for over 81,000
728
GLASGOW
inmates. They are always full, and were it not for
the rigid system of night inspection they would be con-
stantly overcrowded. The system has led to a great
diminution in the number of cases of typhus fever. The
average death rate in 1892 was 22 - 8 for the extended
municipality, and 23 - 6 for the parliamentary burgh.
Of the average yearly number of deaths, nearly half are
cases where the age was five years or under; about £
between five and twenty ; about ^ between twenty and
sixty; and about J upwards of sixty. More than J of the
average number of deaths is due to consumption and
acute diseases of the lungs ; about £ to nervous diseases
of children ; about fc to scarlet-fever, and other diseases
that mainly affect children ; and more than J to
various other diseases ; while about 1 death in every
forty is due to accident, or some other form of violence.
The average yearly number of marriages for the last ten
years is about 4800. The average rainfall is about 40
inches, but in many years rain falls to a greater or less
degree on 200 days in the year. The average mean
temperature is about 48°.
Parliamentary Representation. — The first mention of
Glasgow as being represented in the Scottish Parliament
is in 1546, and from that time to the Union it fifty-four
times sent a representative to the various parliaments
held down to 1703, the member, on many occasions,
being the provost. After the Union, for a period of 125
years, it had only a fourth part of a member, as the repre-
sentative was returned by Rutherglen, Renfrew, Dum-
barton, and Glasgow conjointly. This came, however,
to an end in 1832, when the Reform Bill provided that
there were to be two members returned entirely by the
electors in the city within the parliamentary boundary,
which was then enlarged; and by the Reform Act of
1868 the number of members was further increased to
three. By the Redistribution of Seats Act of 1885 the
city was divided into seven parliamentary districts each
returning one member, and these with the numbers of
the electors in 1896 were: — Bridgeton, 10, 652 ; Camlachie,
10,191; St Rollox, 14,944; Central, 14,990; College,
15,137; Tradeston, 10,128; Blackfriars and Hutcheson-
town, 10,221. Of the total electorate 1811 were qualified
as owners, 77,603 as tenants or occupiers, and 3641 as
lodgers. The municipal electors in 1896 numbered
122,678, of whom 20,437 were females, and the school-
board electors in 1894 was 145,193.
Royal Visits, ete. — The first royal visit to Glasgow
after the overthrow of the kingdom of Strathclyde
seems to have been in 1136, when King David was
present at the consecration of the original Cathedral,
and from that time there are no indications of a visit
again till 1510, when James IV. visited the place in
high state. The next royal visit was the historical one
paid by Queen Mary to Darnley when he was lying ill
in Glasgow in 1567. James VI. seems to have been in
Glasgow in 1601 and again in 1617, but details of his
visits do not seem to have been preserved. In 1681 the
Duke of York, afterwards James VII., paid a visit of
two days, during which the council spent a sum equal
to £333, 17s. lOd. in his entertainment, including the
cost of the gold box in which his burgess ticket was
presented; and from that time none of the sovereigns
seem to have honoured the city with their presence till
1849, when the Queen, on 14 Aug., landed at the foot
of West Street and drove through the principal streets,
being everywhere welcomed with the greatest enthusiasm.
She came again in 1888, as already noticed, to visit the
International Exhibition, and a second timereceived a most
cordial reception. In 1866 the Duke of Edinburgh, as
representing the Queen, came to unveil the statue of the
Prince Consort in George Square; in 1868 the Prince
and Princess of Wales visited the city to lay the founda-
tion stone of the new University Buildings; they came
again in 1876, when the Prince laid the foundation stone
of the new Post Office; and in 1888, when the Prince
opened the Exhibition; while finally, in 1882, the Duke
and Duchess of Albany paid it a visit for the purpose of
opening the Exhibition of the branch of the Royal
School of Art-needlework in Glasgow.