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Catalogue · 27 Sep 2026
Scotland and records

Glasgow History

A maintained local edition of the research, with the original sources and assessments.

Glasgow Name Study: project home and current history · research directory · medieval evidence

Evidence guide This narrative includes both documented history and research hypotheses. John de Glasgu, the Holyrood John and Master John of Dunkeld are distinct working identities; Alexander, not “Andrew”, is the supported 1289/90 reading; and no continuous pedigree from these bearers is proved. The linked medieval register gives the record-by-record evidence.

Origins

On 2 February 1259, John de Glasgu was recorded as chaplain of Bishop Gamelin of St Andrews.[1] The record does not call John “Master”, identify his parents or make him Gamelin's brother. Earlier de Glasgu bearers are documented from the late twelfth century, so John is not the first known appearance of the name.

Master John de Glasgu, chaplain of Bishop Gamelin, at the time of the exchange, was a member of the household of Walter, commonly called cardinal of Glasgow in 1258 bishop of St. Andrews in 1258[2] and may be connected to 1207 - John, canon of Glasgow[3]

Gamelin was parson of Kilbucho and a chaplain of Pope Innocent IV in 1254; he also served as Chancellor of Scotland from 1250-1263. (Watt, 1977, p.85). During the minority of Alexander III of Scotland and the political turmoil this situation engendered, Gamelin’s loyalties lay with the Comyns, his presumed grandmother’s family[4], Registrum, i, 127, seems to show him as parson of Kilbucho and to link him Gilbert (son of Richer) [5] so that Gamelins early connections may have been with the families of Adam, son of Gilbert, and the Grahams as much as with the Comyns[6] but in any case certain that he was a leading Comyn supporter. It was, of course, part of Walter Comyn's political awareness that he realised the importance of the see of St Andrew[7]

The Comyns were one of the most powerful and politically influential families in thirteenth-century Scotland. An accurate assessment of their political role, however, has long been obscured by the anti-Comyn writings of Scottish annalists such as John Fordun or literary historians such as Buchanan who wrote when Stewarts had long held the throne and the traditions of Bruce and Wallace were deep-seated. The role of Walter Comyn, earl of Menteith, has especially suffered from extreme interpretations, largely as a result of his involvement in the minority crisis which both dominated and shaped his career between 1249 and 1258.[8]

  • 1258,Master John de Glasgu
    • 1289, Andrew de Glasgow an official of the burgh, was appointed to take notice of the "escheats" or forfeitures in the county, and to certify them to the Exchequer. [9]
    • 1299, John of Glasgow appears as a monk of Holyrood in 1299 (Bain, II, 1052). in Exchequer rolls, his death is described in 1414 -<ref>These extracts are from the "Calendar of Scottish Supplications to Rome 1418-1422" edited by E R Lindsay and A I Cameron, publ. Scottish History Society, Edinburgh 1934.

1419

[No rubric, but 1419. 2 May. Florence]

MICHAEL OUCHTRE, priest, Dunblane diocese, B.Dec., that the Pope would provide him to the canonry and prebend of OBNY in the Church of Dunkeld, void by the death outwith the Curia of the late John de Glasgu, who was despoiled of the said canonry and prebend, which William Croyser, who bears himself as a clerk, St. Andrews diocese, detains in unlawful possession, as Richard de Crech, his predecessor and principal despoiler, detained it (£10 of old sterling), whether void as above, or in whatsoever way : notwithstanding that he holds the canonry and prebend of Moyeze [Monzie] in the Church of Dunblane, and the perpetual vicarage of the parish church of Strongeth, Dunblane diocese (all the fruits £14 of old sterling), and not withstanding defect of birth as the son of a priest and an unmarried woman, for which he has dispensation, as may be expressed in Chancery.

Fiat ut petitur pro utroque. O.

Florence, 6 Non. May, anno 2. 124,236 </ref>

      • 1343, John Glasgow was a caterer for the King's household[10]

Canons

It's unclear if the following are titles or surnames, but a connection seems likely considering first appearances of the Glasgow surname were in Kilwinning (Irvine) and Kelso (Roxburghshire).

  • 1394 William de Glasgu, priest, was gifted the abbot and convent of Kilwinning[11]& Kelso in 1394[12]
  • -1419 Master John de Glasgow, Canon of Moray Not mentioned iREM. nor found elsewhere as canon of Moray. But, 24 May, 1405, apetition to the pope records that John de Glasgow has exchanged thecanonry, prebend and chancellorship of Dunkeld for another benefice[13] ; and another petition, granted, 19 Aug., 1413, reveals that the exchange had been made twenty-six years before and that John had thus obtained the perpetual vicarage of Obney (i.e. Auchter-gaven)[14]. On 2 May, 1419, the canonry and prebendof Obney in Dunkeld are stated to be void by the death of John de Glasgu out with the Curia[15]
  • 1425, William Croyser, alleged priest, M.A detained Dunkeld disosce unlawfully, void by the death of John de Glasgu[16]
  • 1476, John de Glasgu, calling himself priest, 1476-1480 - Witness for sasine
  • 1476 Charter by King James III., granting and confirming to Bishop John of Glasgow, and his successors, bishops of the church of Glasgow, the city of Glasgow, barony of Glasgow, and lands of Bishopforest, in full and free regality[17][18]

Ayrshire

Cunninghame became one of the three districts or bailieries of Ayrshire, the shire or sheriffdom of Ayr which includes the civil parishes of Ardrossan, Beith, Dalry, Dreghorn, Fenwick, Irvine, North Ayrshire, Kilbirnie, West Kilbride, Kilmarnock, Kilmaurs, Kilwinning, Largs, Loudoun, Stevenston, Stewarton and part of Dunlop.

Roxburgh

The Croune of London was carrying 257 prisoners of war that were being banished to the American Plantations. They were all Covenanters who had been captured at the Battle of Bothwell Bridge[21].

The Covenanters were a 17th Century Scottish Presbyterian Christian sect. They were evangelical and militaristic, effectively governing Scotland for a time during the War of the Three Kingdoms. At nine to ten o’clock at night on Wednesday 10 December, 1679, The Croune was shipwrecked near the Mull of Deerness in Orkney. What made The Croune one of the most infamous shipwrecks in Scottish History was its cargo of human beings, their ill treatment and how they were abandoned to their fate, locked below the deck. Among the survivors were John Glasgow and William Glasgow of Cavers, Roxburghsire parish.

  • 1655, William Glasgow , who's great-great-great grandson has written a family history available here[22]. Stating that the Glasgow surname was originaly Cameron, devoted covenanters presbyterians - following Calvinistic theology and Gameronian principles. The name 'Cameronian' was given to the most militant of the Presbyterian sects which sought to prevent any dilution of the Presbyterian faith
  • 1744, David Glasgow & Janet Hood (Roxburghshire/Kelso)[23]
    • 1786, William Glasgow founded the settlement that would become Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, the remotest community in the world. The rules William Glasgow established are still the basis of the Tristan da Cunha society of today. The council decides how to spend the communal money earned from the crayfish exports, and ensures that a member of the family with the lowest income gets the next job to come up. Everybody works for the common good. Everybody helps each other. Everything is shared; there is no private property.<ref>

William Glass Founder of the Remotest Community in the World. Born Kelso 1786 died Tristan da Cunha 1853 William Glass is an enigma. Born William Glasgow in Kelso on 11th May 1786 to David Glasgow and Janet Hood, he changed his name to William Glass when he enlisted in the army as a gun-driver with the Royal Artillery. Glass, before enlisting, had worked as a servant to the Duke of Roxburghe and was skilled in horsemanship. In South Africa with the British Forces, he was an officer´s servant and had reached the rank of corporal of artillery.

Five officers and 36 soldiers, sent from South Africa, took possession of the island of Tristan da Cunha on 28th November 1816. The garrison had been sent by the British Government because they were worried that the island might be used for an attempt by the French to rescue Napoleon from St. Helena where he was in exile. The troops were withdrawn in 1817, as the threat had passed, but Corporal William Glass from Kelso in Scotland, with his South African wife, Maria Magdalena Leenders, and two children, asked to stay. Napoleon died on St Helena on 5 May 1821.

With Glass, there remained on the Island two stonemason companions: John W. Nankiwell & Samuel Burnell, both of Plymouth, England. They began a most remarkable project which they called 'The Firm', underpinned by a signed voluntary agreement of communal living including : equal shares of stock and stores; equally divided profit; equal shares in paying for purchases; no one superior over another. This agreement was signed on 7th November 1817.

Glass ruled over the little community from 1817 to 1853 in patriarchal fashion. William Glass set up the rules for the people living on Tristan da Cunha. They are still the basis of the Tristan da Cunha society of today. The council decides how to spend the communal money earned from the crayfish exports, and ensures that a member of the family with the lowest income gets the next job to come up. Everybody works for the common good. Everybody helps each other. Everything is shared; there is no private property.

William Glass died of cancer in 1853 at the age of 66 and his death was the catalyst for an exodus of 25 family members to join relatives in New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1856. The next year a further 45 people left for South Africa with Rev Taylor, many settling in Riversdale, South Cape Province. After they left, there were only four families, totalling 28 people in the world's most isolated community. Peter Green took over from William Glass as the unofficial spokesman, (but never regarded as leader) of the island's people.

William Glass was a deeply religious man, and had a good education, coupled with administrative gifts of no mean order. He was chosen headman, and in the course of a long life governed the growing community with vigour and justice. He regularly held religious service, reading morning and evening prayer daily, and adding one of Dr. Hugh Blair's sermons on Sundays. Of these discourses he remarked, "They are very good, but no one can understand them much," and pleaded for something simpler. The islanders still keep much of the patriarchal way of life instituted by William Glass, who used to assemble all his family in the house on Christmas Day, his own birthday, and other high occasions. Rev. W. F. Taylor, the missionary at the time, was one of the company the year before the old man's death in 1853, and on that occasion thirty-four persons, all his descendants or connections by marriage, sat down to dinner. Glass had the remarkable family of sixteen—eight boys and eight girls. Like Swain, he is buried in the island cemetery. His monument, subscribed for and sent by his sons in America, is a handsome piece of marble. The inscription is rather an interesting one:

WILLIAM GLASS. Born at Kelso, Scotland, the Founder of the Settlement of Tristan da Cunha in which he resided 37 years, and fell asleep in Jesus. November 24, 1853, aged 67 years. Asleep in Jesus, far from thee. Thy kindred and their graves may be. But thine is still a blessed sleep. From which none ever wakes to weep.

Glass should be considered as the real founder of the settlement of Tristan da Cunha. All land is still communally owned and stock numbers controlled to conserve grass and avoid some families getting richer than others. No outsiders can buy land on Tristan.

He established a settlement based on equality, a policy that still stands today. We are however left with the question – what made a man who was obviously a committed Christian and a kind and considerate human being change his name when still a teenager? Did something happen that he wanted to hide? Will we ever know? Probably not, but it does nothing to lessen the legacy he left in Tristan da Cunha. </ref>

Plantations of Ireland

Sons of families, whose patrimony at home was too limited to permit of division into smaller lots, and who, therefore, sought the wider fields of Ulster as a place of settlement, under the strong inducements offered by the Crown.

The earliest Glasgows of record in County Antrim, were Jas. (James) Glascho and Jo. (John) Glascho, who appeared on the 1669 Hearth Money Rolls for Kilwaughter Parish (Glascho being the Gaelic spelling of Glasgow). Arranged by county and parish, the Hearth Money Rolls listed the name of the householder and the number of hearths on which he was taxed at the rate of 2 shillings on every hearth or fireplace. Jas. and Jo. Glascho of Kilwaughter each had one hearth.

We can only speculate as to whether the John Glascho also listed was a brother, father, son, or uncle to James. He seems to be contemporary with James, in that their lifespans overlapped at least 50 years; i.e, they were both adults in 1669 and both were still active in the church 30 years later. In 1700 in the session minutes for the Head of the Town Meeting House in Larne13 mention a James Glasgow1, a John Glasgow1, sen., and a Robert Glasgow1.

In 1890, a birth census of Scottish families in Ireland was taken. From that census, it was estimated that there were over between 312-314 people bearingthe surname Glasgow throughout Ireland; all of which were living in the province of Ulster where the families were found in Tyrone, Antrim, and Armagh'''.[24] [25]

The Age of Discovery

American Settlers

  • John Glasgow, who landed in Antigua (Antego) in 1707-1708 [26]
  • Agnes Glasgow, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1742 [27]
  • James Glasgow, who arrived in South Carolina in 1769 [28]
  • David Glasgow Born Ireland 1803. Died Indiana 13 March 1866. familysearch
  • Edward Glasgow, aged 17, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1812 [29]
  • Robert Glasgow, aged 25, who landed in New York in 1835 [30]
  • Dr. Robert Glasgow - Slave-owner on St Vincent, moving to Scotland and leaving a significant physical legacy there in Montgreenan House.
  • Alexander Glasgow 1807 (PA)
  • Agnes of Glasgow (1760–1780) was a Scottish woman who became a figure of American folklore. [31]
  • Dr. Maude Glasgow (1876–1955) was an early pioneer in public health and preventive medicine as well as an activist for equal rights. [32]

New Zealand Settlers

  • Adam Glasgow, who landed in Turakina, New Zealand in 1840
  • John Glasgow, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
  • Robert Glasgow, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
  • Robert Glasgow, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in1842
  • Miss Jean Glasgow, Scottish settler from Tillicoultry travelling from Glasgow aboardthe ship "Strathfieldsaye" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island,New Zealand on 29th April 1858 [33]
  • Mr. D. Glasgow, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "DerwentWater" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 26th November 1861 [34]
  • Mrs. Glasgow, British settler travelling from London with 4 children aboard the ship"Derwent Water" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 26th November 1861 [35]
  • Robert Glasgow, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Empress"in 1865
  • Ann Glasgow, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Empress" in1865
  • William Glasgow, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Empress"in 1865
  • Samuel Glasgow, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Empress"in 1865
  • Sarah Glasgow, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Empress" in1865

Modern Times

  • in 1881 there were 654 Glasgows in Great Britain, mostly in Lanarks & Midlothian. [36]
  • Notable people on []wikipedia
  • Current frequencies: 1648 (GB) and 312 in Ireland.
  • As of 2010, there were 9,078 Glasgow's on the US Census, 74.90% White, 19.42% Black, 2.46% Hispanic, and 0.40% Asian. [37]
  • As of 2020 this last name is indexed 16,547 times on Geneanet, with 1 in 5 males being named James or John [38]
  • As of 2020, There was 933 Glasgow's indexed on WikiTree at the [39]
  • As of 2020, There was 19,037 Glasgow's indexed on [40]

https://www.wikitree.com/images/icons/list-star.png.pagespeed.ce.Sox4T0A5sj.png

Surname Variants

In both Ireland and Scotland, the surname Glasgow is occasionally found as an Anglicised form of the Gaelic "MacCluskey", originally "MacBhloscaidhe", and a patronymic of "Bloscadh" meaning "Loud One". Irish variant of the English family name Glasscock, which was once common in County Kildare.

  • Elizabeth, Hannah, Samuel, and William Glascow, who settled in New England in 1760
  • Samuel Glascow, who landed in America in 1760-1763 [41]
  • Edward Glascow who settled in New York in 1822
  • Anna Glasco, aged 24, who landed in America, in 1893
  • T Glasco, aged 22, who landed in America, in 1894

Source references

  1. Registrum Prioratus Sancti Andree (Bannatyne Club, Edinburgh, 1841), p. 173; Internet Archive; People of Medieval Scotland, person 3404.
  2. This was dated 1258, in the "Charter Book of the Priory of St. Andrew's", during the reign of King Alexander 111 of Scotland, 1249 - 1286 (RPSA., p. 173),
  3. https://www.poms.ac.uk/record/source/1682/
  4. https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-10325
  5. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=BZkgAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA189&dq=Kelbechoc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwib_PnksNnqAhWhVBUIHbOqBbkQ6AEwAHoECAUQAg#v=onepage&q=Kelbechoc&f=false
  6. (see Watt, Dictionary, 209-10. 2 Buchanan, History of Scotland, 240)
  7. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25529300?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
  8. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25529300
  9. (ER., I, p. 47),
  10. https://www.houseofnames.com/glasgow-family-crest
  11. https://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/petitions-to-pope/1342-1419/pp588-590
  12. https://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/petitions-to-pope/1342-1419/pp588-590
  13. (CPR., Pet., i. p. 631)
  14. (ibid., Pet., i. p. 600)
  15. (Supplies., p. 39).
  16. Norubric]JohnMalcolmi,clerk,Dunkelddiocese,—thatthePope1425.wouldprovidehimtothesubdeaneryoftheChurchofDunkeld,towhichthecanonryandprebendofObeysApoStoii.[Obny]areannexed(fruits,tooneresidingandtakingpartindivineofficestogetherwithdailydistributions,£16,toanon-residentandwithoutdistributions,£7ofoldsterling),whichsubdeanerywithcanonryandprebendannexedacertainWilliamCroyser,allegedpriest,M.A.,hasdetainedforabout(quasi)tenyears,andstilldetains,unlawfullyoccupied,voidbythedeathoutwiththeRomanCourtofJohndeGlasgu,formerlypossessor,orbythesimpleresignationofWilliamCroyserinCuriainthehandsofthePopebeforeanotarypublicandwitnesses,orvoidinwhatsoeverway.Fiatutpetitur.0.Fiat.Rome,S.Apostoli,8Id.Sept.,anno8.190,46[|p.]
  17. https://www.british-history.ac.uk/glasgow-charters/1175-1649/no2/pp429-441
  18. , and as one barony, and empowering the bishop to appoint and remove the provost and magistrates, to appoint a sergeant for making arrestments and executing the precepts of the prelate; as also, ratifying and confirming all gifts, grants, and foundations by his predecessors and others, to the bishops, prelates, and see of Glasgow. Edinburgh, 15 July 1476.
  19. in (Trials, I, p. 19).
  20. George Smythe slaughtered Alan Glasgw for adultery
  21. https://drmarkjardine.wordpress.com/2016/12/10/beyond-orkneys-fatal-shore-the-wreck-of-the-croune-10-december-1679-history-scotland/
  22. https://www.wikitree.com/photo.php/0/0a/Glasgow-590.pdf
  23. https://www.geni.com/people/David-Glasgow/6000000036891183011
  24. Hanna, Charles Augustus, The Scotch-Irish: Or, the Scot in North Britain, North Ireland, and NorthAmerica Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2005. Print (ISBN 9780806301686
  25. Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland
  26. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrivalrecords of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth,eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. :Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  27. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrivalrecords of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth,eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. :Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  28. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrivalrecords of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth,eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. :Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  29. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrivalrecords of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth,eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. :Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  30. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrivalrecords of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth,eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. :Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  31. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnes_of_Glasgow
  32. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maude_Glasgow
  33. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved fromhttp://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  34. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved fromhttp://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.htm
  35. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved fromhttp://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.htm
  36. Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland
  37. https://projects.newsday.com/databases/long-island/census-last-names/?where=name^Glasgow&offset=0
  38. https://en.geneanet.org/genealogy/glasgow/GLASGOW
  39. Glasgow Surname Index
  40. FamilySearch
  41. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrivalrecords of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth,eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. :Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)

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