The Gorbals (?)

[Momma]

Hi there. Not sure about the spelling here maybe one or two of you Scots out there can help with this.
I have a hand written note from my g.g. grandfather's landlord saying he was "a hard working industrious and sober man" the landlords address was given as Bucannan St. My grandfather however was said to be from the goverls or gorbels the hand writing is casual. This is one of 2 letters he was given by his landlord before sailing to "Merica" dated appox. one year apart. My guess is something happened to delay them.
Not sure this falls into what is considered "history" to you folks, but it is MY history, and I am looking for a bit of history on this specific area. My grandfather was a weaver there, and I have visions of him selling his wears out of an alleyway. God knows where I get this stuff.LOL
Thanks for you help.
Momma
P.S. I find your info very interesting. I have been reading some of the posts. I love history and I love Scotland. WHAT A COMBO !!!

[ANDY-J]

Buchanan Street is a thoroughfare in Glasgow city centre.The Gorbals is an area in the south of the city which until recent years was filled with run down tenament buildings.Living conditions were often atrocious and the name Gorbals was synonymous with poverty and urban squalor.

[Celyn]

The landlord's address would be Buchanan Street, and the Gorbals is an area just south of the River Clyde in Glasgow. These days, it's been knocked down, rebuilt with high-rise flats (apartment blocks), and even some of the supposed "modern" (in the slum clearances of the the 1960s) blocks were so damn badly designed (by Sir Basil Spence) and built that they too had to be demolished.

As regards weaving, I have a nasty feeling that it's more likely that your great-great grandfather had to work long hours in dreadful conditions in a factory, depending on the time period. Yes, your picture of him selling his ares in an alleyway is nicer, but working and living conditions for the weavers were not good.

Click on this link to look at the history of the Gorbals -

http://www.gorbalslive.org.uk/data/about/history.htm

and on this one

http://www.condorrat.freeserve.co.uk/gorbals_story.htm

Have fun. You can easily find more links on the net, I think, but I'm off to cook dinner now, I'm afraid. History good, dinner better!

[Celyn]

Originally posted by Momma
I love history and I love Scotland. WHAT A COMBO !!!

Not to do with your Gorbals g-g granddad, but I think, for general interest, you might like to click on this link. It has links to lots of Scottish history stuff (as well as lots of non-history stuff.)

http://www.rampantscotland.com/