John de Glasgow alias Smith / John Glasgow of Saltmarket'

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Biography

John Glasgow was probably born about 1480 and died before 21 October 1553. His birth year is estimated from his apparent participation as an adult in a Glasgow property acquisition in 1506; no birth or baptism record survives.

He lived in Glasgow and held property in the burgh. The earliest likely record calls him John of Glasgow alias Smith, joint acquirer with Sir Allan Smith of a High Street annual rent in 1506. In 1527 John Glasgow held the identifiable Saltmarket tenement between John Rankin and James Young that later passed to William Glasgow. The shared name, place, generation and property milieu make the 1506 and 1527 bearers most likely the same man, although no later deed repeats the Smith alias.

Eufame Craig was probably John's wife. In 1564 she still held a widow's liferent in the rear of the same property block. That reserved interest fits naturally if it was created while John held the property and then survived the transfer of the fee to William. William Glasgow is consequently the leading candidate for their son: he held John's exact burdened title by 20 February 1528/29, only about twenty-one and a half months after John's recorded possession.

John was dead by 21 October 1553, when Rankin's adjoining property was bounded by the lands of the late John Glasgow. He was not John Glasgow, husband of Jonet Spreull, who remained alive in 1565, nor the much earlier burgess recorded in 1447 and 1455.

High Street property, 1506

On 28 April 1506 Agnes, daughter and heir of Robert Watson, sold a ground-annual of 4s from a tenement on Glasgow High Street to Sir Allan Smith and John of Glasgow alias Smith. Sir Allan's property was the northern boundary.^[1]

The expression alias Smith may indicate:

• an occupational surname;
• a paternal or maternal surname used for identification;
• a household or family association;
• or a second established name.

The instrument does not call John a smith or armourer and does not state that Sir Allan Smith was his father, brother or other relative.

The catalogue's legacy description contains the malformed form Watsonm, which must be checked against the instrument. The complete instrument has not yet been transcribed. Its witnesses, terms of joint acquisition, survivorship, source of title and precise alias syntax may materially affect the identification.

Saltmarket property, 1527–1553

2 May 1527

Andrew Loppe resigned in favour of Master James Houston, subdean of Glasgow, an annual rent of 4s payable from the tenement of John Glasgow.^[2]

The tenement:

• stood on the west side of the street leading from Glasgow's Market Cross to the South Port;
• lay between John Rankyn's land on the south and the former land of James Young on the north;
• and owed an annual rent of 4s.

The street was the Walkergate or Fullers' Street, now Saltmarket. John was not resigning the rent; Andrew Loppe held the right to receive it, while John's tenement was burdened by the payment.

A related description places John Rankyn's adjoining tenement between John Glasgow on the north and Andrew Craig on the south. The frontage therefore ran approximately:

1. former land of James Young;
2. John Glasgow's tenement;
3. John Rankyn's tenement;
4. Andrew Craig's land.

5 January 1548

The collegiate church's fresh foundation sasine again recorded the same four-shilling annual rent from the tenement of John Glasgu, with the same street position and adjoining holdings: John Rankyn to the south and the former land of James Young to the north.^[3]

The 1527 and 1548 entries concern the same identifiable holding. Because the 1548 act renews sasine in the collegiate foundation's whole property portfolio, its description may copy the 1527 title wording; it does not by itself prove that John remained alive or in possession in 1548.

William Glasgow on the same parcel, 1534/35–1535/36

On 17 February 1534/35, John Rankin's adjoining property was bounded by the lands of William Glasgow on the north and Andrew Craig on the south.^[4] On 16 March 1535/36 James Young's place was bounded by the lands of the late William Glasgow on the south and Robert Cochran on the north.^[5]

The two lateral boundaries place William on John's exact 1527 parcel. In 1564 William's son John entered a fore tenement as heir of William, his father, still between the late John Rankin south and Robert Young north.^[6] This is strong property succession evidence, but no inspected act states that the older John was William's father or explains the John-to-William transmission.

Dead by 21 October 1553

On 21 October 1553 John Rankyn transferred his adjoining property. It was bounded on the north by the lands of q. John Glasgow, where q. represents quondam, meaning the late or deceased John Glasgow.^[7]

The property-holder was therefore:

• still used as the parcel's title-name on 5 January 1548, possibly from copied foundation wording;
• expressly deceased by 21 October 1553;
• and associated with one continuously identifiable Saltmarket tenement for at least twenty-one years.

Possible Bridgegate appearance, 1536

Protocol 1258 records the transfer of a tenement extending from the South Barras gate towards the bridge over the Clyde. John Glasgw appears as a witness with Richard Allane, Alexander Myllar, John Waulderston and Adam Lyon.^[8]

The chronology makes him a plausible occurrence of the Saltmarket owner. The record does not repeat the property, alias, occupation or relationship, so the identity remains unproved.

Family and succession

This John is the strongest candidate for William Glasgow's father. John Glasgw of Stirling is the leading candidate for the preceding generation and a plausible father of this John.

That structure is compatible with:

• the Stirling John's adult activity in 1475–1479/80;
• Alias Smith's adult property acquisition in 1506;
• William's activity in the early sixteenth century;
• their shared surname and urban property setting;
• and William naming his proved son John.

It remains an inference. No inspected record calls this John William's brother, father, heir or nearest in blood, and no record identifies the father of William Glasgow.

On 31 December 1534 William Glasgow and Esbell Brade transferred property to their son John Glasgow and his wife Jonet Spreull.^[9] This proves William's son John, not William's own father or siblings.

Distinction from other John Glasgows

The Saltmarket owner cannot be John Glasgow, husband of Jonet Spreull. The Saltmarket owner was dead by October 1553, while the younger John remained alive on 24 August 1565 when he transferred a burgage tenement to his son William and reserved liferent to himself and Jonet.^[10]

He also cannot reasonably be John de Glasgu I, first recorded as a burgess in 1447. Extending that man to 1548 would require an implausibly long adult career.

Evidence assessment

The secure evidence establishes that:

• John alias Smith jointly acquired a Glasgow High Street annual rent in 1506;
• a John Glasgow held an identifiable Saltmarket tenement in 1527 and his name remained in its 1548 foundation title-description;
• William Glasgow occupied the exact Rankin–Young parcel in 1534/35 and was deceased by 16 March 1535/36;
• William's son John inherited the same fore tenement in 1564;
• that owner was dead by 21 October 1553;
• and he was distinct from John, husband of Jonet Spreull.

The evidence does not prove that Alias Smith and the Saltmarket owner were one man, that the 1536 witness was the same owner, or that he was son of the Stirling John or brother of William Glasgow.

Timeline summary

• before c.1485 — working birth estimate based on adult participation in the 1506 acquisition
• 28 April 1506 — John of Glasgow alias Smith jointly acquires a High Street ground-annual
• 2 May 1527 — John Glasgow's west-side Saltmarket tenement owes an annual rent of 4s
• 11 July 1536 — John Glasgw witnesses a Bridgegate transaction; possible occurrence
• 17 February 1534/35 — Rankin's adjoining property has William Glasgow north
• 16 March 1535/36 — James Young's adjoining property has the late William Glasgow south
• 5 January 1548 — the same rent, tenement and neighbours are repeated under John Glasgu's name in the foundation sasine
• before 21 October 1553 — John is deceased; adjoining property is bounded by his former lands

Secure Alias Smith record: 1.

Secure Saltmarket property records: 3, comprising the 1527 holding, its 1548 continuation and the 1553 deceased-owner boundary.

For further research

• Transcribe GUA BL/204 in full.
• Compare the 1506 witnesses, source of title and property with the Saltmarket holding.
• Trace the Saltmarket tenement after John's death, searching for an heir, widow, assignee or nearest relative.
• Search for heres quondam Johannis Glasgu, filius, frater, relicta, proximior de sanguine and similar clauses.
• Inspect the full 1536 protocol and neighbouring entries.
• Test the proposed relationship to William Glasgow through property succession rather than naming alone.
• Keep the Alias Smith–Saltmarket identity labelled unproved until a repeated alias, matching property or relationship clause appears.

See also

• John de Glasgu I, fl. 1447–1455
• John Glasgw of Stirling, fl. 1475–1479/80
• William Glasgow and Esbell Brade
• Glasgow Origins Research (1170–1600)
• Other Medieval Glasgow Candidates

Resources

• University of Glasgow Blackhouse Charters
• Blackhouse Charters catalogue