e: info@advertizer.co.uk | www.advertizer.co.uk | SPRING April 2021
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Johnstone History Society Sadly as everyone knows due to the Pandemic and present restrictions the Museum has been closed for several weeks however as soon as restrictions are lifted we plan to open as quickly as we can following government guidelines. Our hours will be as usual Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10.30am till 4pm . Like the Museum our monthly meetings have had to be stopped so as things stand we will not be resuming this season but hopefully in September we will be able to resume as normal with whatever guidelines are in place at the time. Any of the books and publications we offer for sale in the Museum may be purchased online on our website at johnstonehistory.org and paid for through PayPal. We hope all our members and friends are well and staying safe.
Urban Historian - Weavers Project Weavers of Kilbarchan – Who & Where? The Weavers of Kilbarchan – Who & Where? Is a new research project being launched by The Urban Historian in April 2021 to research the people behind Kilbarchan’s weaving industry. A gofundme page has been set up to begin raising the funds to allow the research to proceed. The Weavers of Kilbarchan project aims to investigate the weavers of Kilbarchan Parish from the 17th Century through until the 1921 Census. In addition to the census information the project will also use contemporary 17th & 18th Century records such a Poll Tax, Hearth Tax and other Tax rolls to trace the rise and fall of the weaving industry within the parish. Working on the project will cost about £45 per day to access all of the relevant census data in Edinburgh over 26 days. All funding received goes straight to the project and will be used to access the records and produce a final publication report. The start date for the project will be the 1st April 2021 with the intention to complete the project with 2 years. Why I’m doing this project While preparing a talk on the weavers of Kilbarchan in 2019 it became very apparent that previous research has focused on the weaving processes and the buildings associated with the industry and not the people. Being a genealogist as well as a historian made me start thinking of the people themselves - who were they? Can we put names to properties in the parish/ village? Can we trace the family connections such as children following in their parent’s footsteps or did they move into different parts of the textile industry in the area? Through the project I hope to answer these questions. Donations can be made at https://www.gofundme.com/f/weavers-of-kibarchan-who-where New Books Published In addition to the new project, two new books have been published by the Urban Historian in February 2021. The first is “From the Cottage to the Castle” by Andrew Coats first published in 1887 where Andrew describes his family’s history and then goes on to look at the rise of J & P Coats. The Second volume “Peter Burnet” is a new look at the life of Paisley’s black weaver, who during his lifetime was known as ‘Black Peter’. Peter was born in America and arrived in Paisley in the 1790s learning the weaving trade from Robert Tannahill’s father. He died in Paisley in 1847. Both volumes are available on Amazon. Everyone who supports the fundraiser will receive the final report and updates on the project. We appreciate the support of the community. Full details of The Urban Historians schedule can be found at www.theurbanhistorian.co.uk Stephen can be contacted via email (info@theurbanhistorian.co.uk) or on 07557853960 for further information on any aspect of The Urban Historians activities.
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