History of Partick facts for kids

Partick is an old area in Glasgow, Scotland. It has a long and interesting history, from being a royal home to a busy industrial town. Let's explore how Partick grew and changed over hundreds of years.

What's in a Name? Partick's Meaning

The name Partick comes from an old language called Cumbric. This word meant 'thicket' or a dense group of bushes. People in the Glasgow area used to speak Cumbric, which was like an Old Welsh language. Later, a different language called Gaelic became more common, around the 11th century.

Partick: A Royal Home in Ancient Times

Long ago, Partick might have been an important place for the kings of Alt Clut/Strathclyde. A monk named Jocelin of Furness wrote that King Rhydderch had a home in 'Pertnech' (Partick). Some experts think this royal estate was part of a bigger important area. This area also included a church across the River Clyde in Govan. Partick and Govan may have become important after Vikings attacked Dumbarton in 870.

The land of Partick stayed with the kings until King David gave it to the Bishops of Glasgow. This happened when the cathedral was dedicated to Saint Kentigern, and the lands of Govan were given too.

The Bishop's Home in Partick

The old coat of arms for Partick, showing the castle and bishop's hat.

After King David gave the land, the Bishops of Glasgow had a country home in Partick. We know this because of an old document from 1277. It says that Maurice, Lord of Luss, made a deal in Perthec to sell wood for Glasgow Cathedral.

The Bishops' home is shown as a castle on Partick's old coat of arms. In 1362, a problem between the Bishop and his church was solved at his manor-house of Perthic. Glasgow's Bishops kept using their home in Partick until 1560. That's when the Reformation happened. Bishop James Beaton II left for France from Partick, taking important religious items from Glasgow Cathedral with him.

Partick After the Reformation

After the Reformation in 1560, the land went back to the Scottish Crown. From then until the 1800s, Partick was part of Govan parish. This meant it was in Renfrewshire. The River Kelvin was the border between Glasgow and Partick. However, a small area at Pointhouse was also part of Partick.

Partick was the main place to cross the River Kelvin on the road between Glasgow and Dumbarton. At first, people crossed the river by walking through a shallow part (a ford). Later, a wooden bridge was built for people to walk across. Many believe the first permanent stone bridge was built by Captain Thomas Crawford. He was the Provost of Glasgow in the early 1600s.

The building known as Partick Castle was near Partick's original river crossing. It was built by George Hutcheson, who helped Glasgow a lot. By the late 1700s, the castle was falling apart.

Partick: A Center for Mills

Partick was a small village until the early 1800s. The River Kelvin drops sharply between what is now Glasgow's Botanic Gardens and where it meets the Clyde. This made Partick a great place for mills, especially for grinding grain. Glasgow's own Molendinar Burn powered some mills, but it wasn't enough for the growing city. So, Glasgow started to rely on the fast-flowing River Kelvin for its milling needs.

Records show Partick was a milling center even in the Middle Ages. Before the Reformation, people in Glasgow ground their grain at the Town Mill of Partick. They also used a smaller mill owned by Glasgow's Archbishop.

By 1820, Partick was a major milling center. It had several mills nearby, including the Old Mill and the Archbishop's Mill. This led to the Clyde Navigation Trust building huge grain storage buildings. These were called granaries, at Meadowside in Partick, between 1911 and 1913. They were later made even bigger but were torn down in 2004. Now, the Glasgow Harbour homes are there.

Of all Partick's mills, Scotstoun Mill was the last one working. It closed in 2013.

Partick's Growth in the 1800s

In the 1800s, Partick grew from a small village into a busy town. This happened because of fast industrial growth along the River Clyde. Better ways to travel also helped. The table below shows how Partick's population grew during the 1800s:

The growth of the Clydeside ship building industry especially helped Partick expand quickly. This was possible because the River Clyde was made deeper and narrower between 1773 and the 1830s. This allowed large ships to sail on it. Making the river deeper also created stronger banks. This made it easier to build factories and businesses along the river.

In 1844, David Tod and John McGregor moved their shipbuilding business to Partick. In 1858, they opened a new dry dock at Meadowside. Many other shipyards then opened along the north bank of the Clyde. This included one at Pointhouse in 1845. Further west, Barclay Curle's shipyard opened in 1855. This led to the quick growth of the Whiteinch area. Connell's shipyard opened in 1861, and the Yarrow shipyard in 1906, both even further west in Scotstoun.

Building the Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire Railway helped move people and goods. This railway opened in stages between 1894 and 1896.

Partick Becomes a Police Burgh

The Police of Towns (Scotland) Act of 1850 made it easier for towns to become "Police Burghs." This meant they could set up their own police system.

Partick was growing very fast, and its old systems couldn't handle it. In June 1852, people in Partick had a public meeting. They decided to become a Police Burgh to fix problems like:

• Bad drainage systems.
• Streets and roads that needed repair.
• Too many messy or unhealthy areas.
• Not being able to make rules for the community's well-being.

Twelve local householders were chosen as Commissioners. From them, the shipbuilder David Tod became Partick's first Provost. A local historian named James Napier said these Commissioners acted quickly. He wrote that the death rate in Partick went down a lot after they started making improvements. This showed they saved many lives.

By 1853, the Commissioners built a small office building for the Burgh. This building later became Partick's police station. You can still see it on Anderson Street today. In 1872, the larger Partick Burgh Hall was built. It was designed by William Leiper.

In 1912, the Burgh of Partick stopped existing. It became part of the growing Glasgow Corporation. A story from that time says that as the Provost's chain of office was taken off, he said, "There they lie, the abandoned habits of the Provost of Partick, taken from him by Act of Parliament."

Leaders of Partick: The Provosts

Here is a list of the people who served as Provost (leader) of Partick:

• 1852–1857: David Tod
• 1857–1860: John White
• 1860–1863: Robert Robinson
• 1863–1869: Allan Arthur
• 1869–1872: Robert Hunter
• 1872–1875: George Thomson
• 1875–1878: John Ferguson
• 1878–1883: Hugh Kennedy
• 1883–1891: Andrew Maclean
• 1891–1898: James Caird
• 1898–1902: Alexander Wood
• 1902–1905: William Kennedy
• 1905–1908: John White
• 1908–1911: Thomas Logan
• 1911–1912: Thomas Stark Brown

Partick's last Provost, Thomas Stark Brown, was born in Markinch, Fife, on January 8, 1855.