117-518: Paisley Town Hall is a public hall in Abbey Close, Paisley , Renfrewshire , Scotland. The building, which is being converted into a centre for performing arts, is a Category A listed building . In the mid-19th century the administrative centre of the town was the old tolbooth at the junction of High Street and Moss Street which was built in 1491, rebuilt in 1610, rebuilt again in 1757 and then demolished in 1821. The administrative centre then moved to
234-611: A Jacobite refugee family, to join forces with 50,000 French soldiers at Cathkin Braes under Kinloch, the fugitive "Radical laird" from Dundee. In Paisley the local reformers' committee met under command of their drill instructor, but scattered when Paisley was put under curfew. Government troops were ready in Glasgow, including the Rifle Brigade, the 83rd Regiment of Foot, the 7th and 10th Hussars and Samuel Hunter's Glasgow Sharpshooters. In
351-430: A 19th-century dispute between weavers and employers over payment for "sma' shot" – a small cotton thread which, although unseen, was necessary in holding together garments. A permanent military presence was established in the town with the completion of Paisley Barracks in 1822. The economic crisis of 1841–43 hit Paisley hard as most of the mills shut down. Among the mill owners, 67 of 112 went bankrupt. A quarter of
468-526: A Provisional Government elected by delegates of local "unions" elected officers and decided to arrange military training for its supporters, giving some responsibility for the training programme to a Condorrat weaver with army experience, John Baird . On 18 March Mitchell of the Glasgow police notified the Home Secretary that "a meeting of the organising committee of the rabble.. . is due in this vicinity in
585-528: A Provisional Government, got those present to resolve to "act accordingly", then gave over a copy of a draft Proclamation to be delivered to a printer. Lees, King and Turner went round encouraging supporters to make pikes for the battles. On Saturday 1 April, Craig and Lees collected the prints which Lees had paid for the previous day. By the morning of Sunday 2 April copies of the Proclamation were displayed throughout Glasgow. The Proclamation, signed "By order of
702-560: A business centre. As the administrative centre of the county of Renfrewshire , Renfrew District and, currently, Renfrewshire council area , Paisley is home to many significant civic buildings. Paisley Town Hall , adjacent to the Abbey, was funded by the will of George Aitken Clark , one of the Clark family, owners of the Anchor Mills. In competition, Sir Peter Coats funded the construction of
819-464: A cost of £22 million, commenced in summer 2019. Paisley, Renfrewshire Paisley ( / ˈ p eɪ z l i / PAYZ -lee ; Scots : Paisley ; Scottish Gaelic : Pàislig [ˈpʰaːʃlɪkʲ] ) is a large town situated in the west central Lowlands of Scotland . Located north of the Gleniffer Braes , the town borders the city of Glasgow to the east, and straddles the banks of
936-665: A culmination of Radical demands for reform in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland which had become prominent in the early years of the French Revolution , but had then been repressed during the long Napoleonic Wars . An economic downturn after the wars ended brought increasing unrest, but the root cause was the Industrial Revolution. Artisan workers, particularly weavers in Scotland , sought action to force
1053-486: A dye works. The foundation stone for the town hall was laid by Mrs Clarke, the benefactor's mother, on 22 October 1879. It was designed by William Henry Lynn and William Young in the Classical style , built by Messrs Morrison and Mason of Glasgow at a cost of £50,000 and officially opened as the "George A. Clark Town Hall" on 30 January 1882. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with nine bays facing Abbey Close;
1170-511: A few days hence." On 21 March, the Committee met in a Glasgow tavern. The weaver John King left the meeting early, shortly before a raid in which the Committee was secretly arrested. Mitchell reported on 25 March that those arrested had "confessed their audacious plot to sever the Kingdom of Scotland from that of England and restore the ancient Scottish Parliament... If some plan were conceived by which
1287-521: A grocer whose wife started making marmalade from oranges in 1860. This product was successful and a factory was opened in Storie Street, Paisley, to produce it in 1866 and additional factories were later opened in Manchester, London and Bristol. The company was taken over by Rank Hovis McDougall who closed its Stevenson Street factory and transferred production to England in the 1970s. Brown and Polson
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#17329136892151404-545: A meeting on Glasgow Green to demand more representative government and an end to the Corn Laws which kept food prices high. The industrial revolution affected handloom weavers in particular, and unrest grew despite attempts by the authorities to employ the workless and to open relief centres to relieve hardship. Government agents brought conspiracy trials to court in 1816 and 1817. The Peterloo Massacre of August 1819 sparked protest demonstrations across Britain. In Scotland,
1521-413: A meeting on 22 March, the 15 to 20 people present included the weavers John King and John Craig, the tin-smith Duncan Turner, and "an Englishman" called Lees. John King told them that a rising was imminent and all present should hold themselves in enthusiastic readiness for the call to arms. The next day some of them met on Glasgow Green then moved on to Rutherglen where Turner revealed plans to establish
1638-570: A memorial rally in Paisley on 11 September led to a week of rioting and cavalry were used to control around 5,000 " Radicals ". Protest meetings were held in Stirling , Airdrie , Renfrewshire , Ayrshire and Fife , mainly in weaving areas. On 13 December, the "Radical Laird" Kinloch was arrested for addressing a mass meeting on Magdalen Green in Dundee , but he escaped and fled abroad. The gentry feared that
1755-521: A new-found Scottish national identity creating widespread enthusiasm for the tartan " plaided pageantry" that Sheriff Ranald MacDonald of Stirling was already enthusiastically engaged in as a Clan chieftain at Ulva and member of various "Highland societies". At the suggestion of Walter Scott, unemployed weavers from the west of Scotland were put to work on paving a track round Salisbury Crags in Holyrood Park adjoining Arthur's Seat . The path
1872-646: A number of "decoy ponds" (mock airfields) used by the RAF after the Battle of Britain as part of a project code-named "Starfish Decoy" designed to confuse German spies. Paisley, as with other areas in Renfrewshire, was at one time famous for its weaving and textile industries. As a consequence, the Paisley pattern has long symbolic associations with the town. Until the Jacquard loom
1989-508: A precedent was established that manufacturers (and other "neighbours" or fellow citizens) owe a duty not to do foreseeable harm to others by negligence, regardless of contractual obligations, which paved the way for modern tort law. The case is often called the "Paisley snail". Owing to its industrial roots, Paisley, like many industrial towns in Renfrewshire , became a target for German Luftwaffe bombers during World War II . Although it
2106-609: A precise location of manufacture. Therefore, in 1973, John Irwin published an update of his book, named as The Kashmir Shawl, in which he removed all the images of the shawls related to a European manufacturing. Monique Lévi-Strauss clearly states that her research led her to focus on the shawls creative industries in France in the 19th century, for the reason that the shawl industries in the United Kingdom (Paisley), Austria (Vienna), Germany (Elberfeld) were inspired by France (Paris) and never
2223-587: A regional centre for local governance and services as well as a residential commuting area within the Greater Glasgow urban region. Formerly and variously known as Paislay , Passelet , Passeleth , and Passelay the burgh's name is of uncertain origin; some sources suggest a derivation either from the Brittonic word pasgill , "pasture", or from the Cumbric basaleg , "basilica", (i.e. major church), derived from
2340-521: A significant collection of the original shawls in this design, and it has been used, for example, in the modern logo of Renfrewshire Council , the local authority. According to Monique Lévi-Strauss, information on the history of Kashmir shawls' weaving techniques had been described in books, but in a very unintelligible language. John Irwin published a book named Shawls, a Study in Indo-European Influences, in 1955, in which he relates
2457-529: A similar way to the United Scotsmen ("Unions" being area related, not Trade Unions ). The authorities were further alarmed and set up spies and informers to forestall any further reformist activity. Between then and 1815, Major John Cartwright made visits to establish radical Hampden Clubs across Scotland. The end of the Napoleonic Wars brought economic depression. In 1816, some 40,000 people attended
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#17329136892152574-496: A special Royal commission Court of Oyer and Terminer was set up to prosecute. James Wilson was arrested and on 20 July was put on trial at Glasgow charged with four counts of treason. The jury found him Not Guilty on three counts, Guilty of "compassing to levy war against the King in order to compel him to change his measures" and recommended mercy, but he was sentenced to death. Five of his colleagues were found Not Guilty, and another
2691-508: A very few minutes shall flow on this scaffold, will cry to heaven for vengeance, and may it be the means of our afflicted Countrymen’s speedy redemption." Hardie then spoke of "our blood [being] shed on this scaffold... for no other sin but seeking the legitimate rights of our ill used and down trodden beloved Countrymen", then when the Sheriff angrily intervened he concluded by asking those present to "go quietly home and read your Bibles, and remember
2808-495: A wide area of central Scotland and, in a swirl of disorderly events, a small group marched towards the Carron Company ironworks to seize weapons, but, while stopped at Bonnymuir , they were confronted by a detachment of hussars . Another small group from Strathaven marched to meet a rumoured larger force, but were warned of an ambush and dispersed. Militia taking prisoners to Greenock jail were attacked by local people and
2925-488: A wide area of central Scotland including Stirlingshire , Dunbartonshire , Renfrewshire , Lanarkshire and Ayrshire , with an estimated total of around 60,000 stopping work. Reports came in that men were carrying out military drill at points round Glasgow, foundries and forges had been raided, and iron files and dyer's poles taken to make pikes. In Kilbarchan soldiers found men making pikes, in Stewarton around 60 strikers
3042-457: Is also the site of Dykebar Hospital , a secure psychiatric hospital. Local parks include Fountain Gardens and Barshaw Park . On the outskirts of the town are a number of settlements such as Ralston , a residential area in the far east bordering the city of Glasgow . Ralston was outside the Paisley burgh boundary when constructed in the 1930s, but as a result of local authority reorganisation in
3159-594: Is divided into five community policing areas: Paisley North-west (incorporating Glasgow Airport); Paisley South-west; Paisley East and Ralston; Paisley South; Gallowhill (as part of Renfrew and Gallowhill). Gallowhill is covered by the Renfrew Area Command. For judicial purposes, the area forms part of the sheriffdom of North Strathclyde and public prosecutions are directed by the Procurator Fiscal for Argyll and Clyde . NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
3276-465: Is listed by the conservation organisation DoCoMoMo as one of the sixty key Scottish monuments of the post-war period. Other civic buildings of interest include the Russell Institute , an art deco building constructed in 1926. Most noticeable among the buildings of Paisley is its medieval Abbey in the centre of the town dating from the 12th century. The earliest surviving architecture
3393-422: Is located within the airport complex. Scotch whisky blenders and bottlers Chivas Brothers , now a subsidiary of Pernod Ricard , are also located in the town. The site of the former Rootes/Chrysler/Talbot on the western outskirts of the town is now home to Phoenix Retail Park. Numerous private developers have invested, creating various retail outlets, vehicle showrooms, restaurants, a cinema complex, hotel and
3510-616: Is still known as the Radical Road . The cause of electoral reform continued, and with the Scottish Reform Act 1832 Glasgow was given its own Member of Parliament for the first time. The event was largely overshadowed by English Radical events and forgotten by school history, but in the 20th century the Scottish National Party historian J. Halliday brought the event back into the curriculum. At an anniversary debate in
3627-534: Is still used today as the congregating point for the annual Sma' Shot parade which takes place on the first Saturday in July. Radical War British Government Various Groups Earl of Liverpool Thomas Bradford Henry Monteith Samuel Hunter Non-centralised leadership The Radical War , also known as the Scottish Insurrection of 1820, was a week of strikes and unrest in Scotland ,
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3744-630: Is the National Health Service Board serving Paisley and the town's main hospital with accident and emergency facilities is the Royal Alexandra Hospital . Strathclyde Fire and Rescue is the statutory fire and rescue service covering Paisley, with one community fire station on the town's Canal Street. Water and sewerage is provided in Paisley by Scottish Water , a public body, and water and sewerage charges are collected alongside council tax by Renfrewshire Council ,
3861-560: Is the Category A listed Anchor Mills, built in 1886. The building was converted in 2005 into residential flats. Textiles have a longer history in Paisley, represented by the Sma' Shot cottages complex on Shuttle Street: a small public museum of weaving from its 18th-century origins as a cottage industry . Another landmark connected with the textile industry is the Dooslan Stane or Stone. The stone
3978-430: Is the south-east doorway in the nave from the cloister, which has a round arched doorway typical of Romanesque architecture which was the prevalent architectural style before the adoption of Gothic. The choir (east end) and tower date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and are examples of Gothic Revival architecture . They were reconstructed in three main phases of restorations with the tower and choir conforming to
4095-655: The American Revolution and the French Revolution , and be influenced by Thomas Paine 's The Rights of Man . The Scottish Society of the Friends of the People held a series of "Conventions" in 1792 and 1793. The government reacted harshly, sentencing successive leaders to penal transportation , and, in 1793 , Dundee Unitarian minister Thomas Fysshe Palmer was also given 7 years transportation for helping to prepare and distribute reform tracts. Dissent went underground with
4212-500: The Cluniac priory at Wenlock in Shropshire, England at the behest of Walter fitz Alan, Steward of Scotland (died 1177). In 1245 this was raised to the status of an abbey. The restored Abbey and adjacent 'Place' (palace), constructed out of part of the medieval claustral buildings, survive as a Church of Scotland parish church. One of Scotland's major religious houses, Paisley Abbey
4329-572: The Greek βασιλική basilika . Some Scottish placename books suggest "Pæssa's wood/clearing", from the Old English personal name Pæssa , "clearing", and leāh , "wood". Pasilege (1182) and Paslie (1214) are recorded previous spellings of the name. The Gaelic translation is Pàislig . It is worth noting that some sources favour the name of the town as having its roots in the Gaelic word Baisleac , which is, like
4446-521: The Paisley seat . For the House of Commons of the United Kingdom the town is divided between two constituencies covering the whole of Renfrewshire: Paisley and Renfrewshire North ( Alison Taylor MP ) and Paisley and Renfrewshire South ( Johanna Baxter MP ). Paisley lies within the Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Division of the Scottish police service and is one of three Area Commands in that division. Paisley
4563-487: The Radical War of 1820, with striking weavers being instrumental in the protests. By the late 19th century, Paisley was a global centre of the weaving industry, giving its name to the Paisley shawl and the Paisley pattern . However, industrial decline followed in the 20th century. By 1993, all of Paisley's mills had closed, although they are memorialised in the town's museums and civic history. The town now functions as
4680-615: The Scottish Parliament members of the various parties each found lessons for their different causes in the "Radical War". A large memorial stone to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Bonnymuir was unveiled in 2021. James Kelman 's play, Hardie and Baird: The Last Days , was produced at the Traverse Theatre , Edinburgh , under the direction of Ian Brown , between 30 June and 22 July 1990. There are discrepancies between
4797-483: The United Scotsmen whose activities were curbed with the trial of George Mealmaker in 1798. Between 1800 and 1808, the earnings of weavers were halved, and, in 1812, they petitioned for an increase which was granted by the magistrates. However, the employers refused to pay so the weavers called a strike which lasted for nine weeks with the support of a " National Committee of Scottish Union Societies ", organised in
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4914-518: The White Cart Water , a tributary of the River Clyde . Paisley serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area , and is the largest town in the historic county of the same name . It is often cited as "Scotland's largest town" and is the fifth largest settlement in the country , although it does not have city status. The town became prominent in the 12th century, with
5031-555: The textile mills of Paisley. The mills in 1861 had a stock of cotton in reserve, but by 1862 there were large-scale shortages and shutdowns. There were no alternative jobs for the workers, and local authorities refused to provide relief. Voluntary relief efforts were inadequate, and the unemployed workers refused to go to workhouses. Workers blamed not the United States, but rather the officials in London for their hardship and did not support
5148-472: The 15-year-old Alexander Johnstone were in due course transported to the penal colonies in New South Wales or Tasmania . Peter Mackenzie, a Glasgow journalist, campaigned unsuccessfully to have them pardoned, and published a small book: The Spy System, including the exploits of Mr Alex. Richmond, the notorious Government Spy of Sidmouth and Castlereagh. Eventually, on 10 August 1835, an absolute pardon
5265-462: The 1930s, there were 28,000 people employed in the huge Anchor and Ferguslie mills of J & P Coats Ltd , said to be the largest of their kind in the world at that time. In the 1950s, the mills diversified into the production of synthetic threads but production diminished rapidly as a result of less expensive imports from overseas and the establishment of mills in India and Brazil by J & P Coats. By
5382-564: The 1990s, it is now a suburb of Paisley. Public sector organisations in Paisley include the headquarters of Renfrewshire Council , the largest campus of the University of the West of Scotland , the Paisley campus of West College Scotland and the Royal Alexandra Hospital . Glasgow Airport , located on the northern edge of Paisley, is also a significant employer and part of the area's transport infrastructure. The airline Loganair 's registered office
5499-638: The Bonnymuir fighting got out, "the Englishman" Lees sent a message asking the radicals of Strathaven to meet up with the "Radical laird" Kinloch's large force at Cathkin , and next morning a small force of 25 men followed the instructions and left at 7 a.m. to march there. The experienced elderly Radical James Wilson is claimed to have had a banner reading "Scotland Free or a Desart" [sic]. At East Kilbride they were warned of an army ambush, and Wilson, suspecting treachery, returned to Strathaven. The others bypassed
5616-535: The Committee of Organisation for forming a Provisional Government. Glasgow April 1st. 1820.", included references to the English Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights . "Friends and Countrymen! Rouse from that torpid state in which we have sunk for so many years, we are at length compelled from the extremity of our sufferings, and the contempt heaped upon our petitions for redress, to assert our rights at
5733-531: The Cumbric basaleg , derived from basilika . As Paisley was part of the Cumbric speaking Kingdom of Strathclyde , before being absorbed into the Gaelic speaking Kingdom of Alba in the 11th century, and with Cumbric being considered extinct by the 12th century, it is uncertain whether the name of Paisley is of Cumbric or Gaelic origin, due to the linguistic shift that occurred around this time. The Roman name for Paisley
5850-630: The Kashmir shawl's history and how these shawls spread on the European market during the 19th century. The book showed images of shawls woven in India and also fifteen images of shawls woven in United Kingdom, amongst which is one assigned to a Paisley manufacture, circa 1850. But according to Monique Lévi-Strauss, it resembles by many details a shawl designed by a French designer named Antony Berrus, born in 1815 at Nîmes-France and died in 1883. The designer studied at
5967-443: The ambush and reached Cathkin, but as there was no sign of the promised army they dispersed. Ten of them were identified and caught, and by nightfall on 7 April they were jailed at Hamilton . Other Radical disturbances occurred at weaver villages around the central lowlands and the west central Scotland, with less obvious activity in some east coast towns. Large numbers of suspected ringleaders were imprisoned at various jails around
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#17329136892156084-467: The central section of five bays featured three glass doorways on the ground floor; there was a huge hexastyle portico with Corinthian order columns on the first floor with a pediment above. There were also curved wings which swept behind the portico and finished in the end bays. The north elevation featured two towers, the taller of which contained a clock designed and manufactured by Gillett and Bland . A grand organ, made by Bryceson Bros and Ellis ,
6201-461: The crowd. A List of Killed and Wounded was "collected from the several Medical Practitioners in Greenock, 11th April 1820", describing the wounds sustained and the condition of the survivors. It listed 18 casualties, including an 8 year old boy, and a 65 year old woman. At this time 6 were noted as dead, others died later from their wounds, and a report published on 15 July said there were "nine of
6318-521: The crowd. The mob pursued the Volunteers into Crawfurdsdyke, then returned to break open the jail. A magistrate urged the crowd to desist, but with no forces to resist them, agreed to release the prisoners who then escaped. A large group set off to burn down Port Glasgow, but were halted at that town's boundary by armed townsfolk who had barricaded the Devol's Glen Bridge. Greenock magistrates arrived, and dispersed
6435-513: The designs of Dr Peter MacGregor Chalmers. The roof in the nave is the most recent of restorations with the plaster ceiling by Rev Dr Boog which was added in the 1790s being replaced by a timber roof in 1981. Former Thomas Coats Memorial Baptist Church , named for the industrialist Thomas Coats (1809–1883), is an example of Gothic Revival architecture . It dominates the town's skyline with its crown spire more than 60 m (197 ft) high. Opened in 1894 and designed by Hippolyte Jean Blanc it
6552-478: The disaffected could be lured out of their lairs - being made to think that the day of "liberty" had come - we could catch them abroad and undefended... few know of the apprehension of the leaders. . . so no suspicion would attach itself to the plan at all. Our informants have infiltrated the disaffected's committees and organisation, and in a few days you shall judge the results." King, Craig, Turner and Lees would now be repeatedly involved in organising agitation. At
6669-705: The drawing School of Nîmes, before settling in Paris and opening in the French capital his own successful design studio, which employed 200 designers. His textile drawings were sold to Lyon in France, in Scotland, in England, in Austria and also in Kashmir. The fact that shawl patterns drawings were made in Europe, sold there and also to India, made the research work extremely difficult, in order to give
6786-480: The end of the 1993, there was no thread being produced in Paisley. The town also supported a number of engineering works some of which relied on the textile industry, others on shipbuilding . Paisley once had five shipyards including John Fullerton and Company (1866–1928), Bow, McLachlan and Company (1872–1932) and Fleming and Ferguson (1877–1969). A number of food manufacture companies existed in Paisley. The preserve manufacturer Robertsons began in Paisley as
6903-595: The establishment of Paisley Abbey , an important religious hub which formerly had control over other local churches. Paisley expanded significantly during the Industrial Revolution as a result of its location beside White Cart Water, with access to the Clyde and nearby ore, mineral and agricultural resources. Factories and mills developed leading to an increase in the town's population. The town's associations with political radicalism were highlighted by its involvement in
7020-407: The evening 300 radicals briefly skirmished with a party "of cavalry", but no one came to harm that day. In Glasgow, John Craig led around 30 men to make for the Carron Company ironworks in Falkirk , Stirlingshire , telling them that weapons would be there for the taking, but the group scattered when intercepted by a police patrol. By coincidence a detachment of Hussars was waiting in ambush with
7137-442: The executioner "Did you ever see such a crowd, Thomas?". On 8 September, Hardie and Baird were executed outside Stirling Tolbooth, watched by a crowd of 2,000. The Sheriff of Stirling, Ranald MacDonald, required that they make no political speech from the gallows, but agreed that they could speak upon the bible. Baird concluded his brief speech by saying "Although this day we die an ignominious death by unjust laws our blood, which in
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#17329136892157254-406: The failed Radical War between 1816 and 1820. Through its weaving fraternity, Paisley gained notoriety as being a literate and somewhat radical town. Political intrigue, early trades unionism and reforming zeal came together to produce mass demonstrations, cavalry charges down the high street, public riots and trials for treason. Documentation from the period indicates that overthrow of the government
7371-460: The fate of Hardie and Baird." They were hanged and then beheaded, in what was the last beheading in the UK, a few months after the Cato Street Plot. Thomas McCulloch, John Barr, William Smith, Benjamin Moir, Allan Murchie, Alexander Latimer, Andrew White, David Thomson, James Wright, William Clackson / William Clarkson, Thomas Pike/Thomas Pink, Robert Gray, James Clelland, Alexander Hart, Thomas McFarlane, John Anderson, Andrew Dawson, John McMillan and
7488-443: The government to enact Luddite protective restrictions. Gentry fearing revolutionary horrors recruited militia and the government deployed an apparatus of spies, informers and agents provocateurs to stamp out the movement. A Committee of Organisation for Forming a Provisional Government put placards around the streets of Glasgow late on Saturday 1 April, calling for an immediate national strike. On Monday, 3 April, work stopped in
7605-492: The hazard of our lives." by "taking up arms for the redress of our common grievances". "Equality of rights (not of property)... Liberty or Death is our motto, and we have sworn to return home in triumph - or return no more.... we earnestly request all to desist from their labour from and after this day, the first of April [until] in possession of those rights..." It called for a rising "To show the world that we are not that lawless, sanguinary rabble which our oppressors would persuade
7722-400: The higher circles we are but a brave and generous people determined to be free." A footnote added: "Britons – God – Justice – the wish of all good men, are with us. Join together and make it one good cause, and the nations of the earth shall hail the day when the Standard of Liberty shall be raised on its native soil." On Monday 3 April, work stopped, particularly in weaving communities, over
7839-512: The idea of war with the United States. Many of the cotton mills either closed or were converted to thread manufacture which became the main focus of the textile industry in Paisley until the 20th century. Paisley suffered heavy losses in the First World War . Paisley War Memorial was designed by Sir Robert Lorimer (other sources say Harold Tarbolton ) in 1922 and depicts Robert the Bruce going into battle on horseback escorted by footsoldiers dressed as First World War infantry soldiers. It
7956-406: The imitation Kashmir (cashmere) shawls called "Paisley". Under the leadership of Thomas Coats (1809–1893), Paisley became the world centre for thread making. Mills and textile factories grew from the late 18th century, coming to dominate the town in the late Victorian era . These include the Anchor and Seedhill mills, as well as the adjacent Atlantic, Pacific and Mile End mills. Another example
8073-485: The importance of weavers. Politically the mill owners remained in control of the town. However, other industrial development continued in and around Paisley outside of textiles, including the development of ironstone and oil shale extraction at Inkerman . The town also had numerous other industries, examples include numerous engineering works, as well as a distillery, ironwork, dye works and tanneries. The American Civil War of 1861–1865 cut off cotton supplies to
8190-431: The intention of catching men marching off from Glasgow to Carron, but was disappointed. Craig was caught, brought before a magistrate and fined, but the magistrate paid his fine for him. On the next day, Tuesday 4 April, Duncan Turner assembled around 60 men to march to Carron, while he carried out organising work elsewhere. Half the group dropped out, the rest accepted his assurances that they would pick up supporters along
8307-454: The kind of revolutionary turmoil that had been seen in France and Ireland could take place in Britain, and there was a great recruiting of volunteer regiments through the Scottish lowlands and Scottish Borders . Walter Scott urged his Borders neighbours to "appeal at this crisis to the good sense and loyalty of the lower orders... All you have to do is sound the men, and mark down those who seem zealous. They will perhaps have to fight with
8424-493: The local authority, on its behalf. Renfrewshire Council is also responsible for the provision of waste management in the area. Paisley's distribution network operator , the organisation licensed to transmit electricity from the National Grid to consumers, is Scottish Power . Paisley sits primarily on an expanse of low ground around 12 metres (40 ft) above sea level surrounding the White Cart Water , which runs through
8541-813: The loss of almost 5,000 jobs. At one time M&Co. (Mackays) had its head office in Caledonia House in Paisley. Paisley had several cinemas in the town, all of which have since closed, including the Palladium (closed 1960s), the Regal, the La Scala Picture House (the B listed art deco 1912 facade of the cinema is now the entrance to the Paisley Centre) and the Kelburne. In 2015, the town launched its bid to become UK City of Culture in 2021. On 15 July 2017 Paisley
8658-427: The men named Kean went with him, and Baird and Hardie set off with a total of 30 men. On the way, they twice came across travellers, but let them go. The travellers passed the information on to authorities at Kilsyth and Stirling Castle . King arrived again, though Kean was not with him. and told them that he had instructions that he had to go quickly to find supporters at Camelon , while Baird and Hardie were to leave
8775-653: The military. Some shots were then fired by the soldiers in return, and after some time the cavalry got through an opening in the wall and attacked the party who resisted till overpowered by the troops who succeeded in taking nineteen of them prisoners, who are lodged in Stirling Castle. Four of the radicals were wounded". The Glasgow Herald sniggered at the small number of radicals encountered, but worried that "the conspiracy appears to be more extensive than almost anyone imagined... radical principles are too widely spread and too deeply rooted to vanish without some explosion and
8892-490: The mob dead, and nine more dangerously wounded, there are two of the volunteers also wounded." In April 1820, hundreds of young Radicals fled by ship to Canada from Greenock, escaping persecution from Lord Sidmouth's spy network. Among them was William Lyon Mackenzie who was a leader in the Canada Rebellions of 1837–1838 . In various towns a total of 88 men were charged with treason. At both Glasgow and Stirling
9009-496: The modern Paisley Museum and Central Library (1871), also in a neo-Classical style. The Clarks and Coats families dominated Paisley industry until their companies merged in 1896. Renfrewshire's former County Buildings, Police Station and Jail on County Square were demolished in 1821, and the County Council then met in a newer neo-classical building, completed in 1890, which now houses Paisley Sheriff Court . Renfrewshire House,
9126-548: The modern headquarters of Renfrewshire Council, was constructed as Paisley Civic Centre. Designed by Hutchison, Locke and Monk following a competition, the building was designed to house offices of both the county and town councils. It was intended to become a civic hub for Paisley but the absence of any shops and non-council premises prevented this from happening. It became the home of the Renfrew sub-region of Strathclyde Regional Council in 1975 and of Renfrewshire Council in 1996. It
9243-499: The municipal buildings, which contained council chambers and offices, further to the east along the High Street. However, civic leaders needed a public hall in which to hold concerts and other public events and George Aitken Clark , one of the members of the Clark family, owners of the Anchor Mills, left money in his will for this purpose. The site they selected, just to the south of the municipal buildings, had previously been occupied by
9360-449: The opposite. The author then invited textile specialists from these countries to conduct research on their own field. Monique Lévi-Strauss notes the large influence that Kashmir had on the French shawl creative industries, narrowly linking the French history of Kashmir shawls to the Indian ones. The high-status skilled weavers mobilised themselves in radical protests after 1790, culminating in
9477-399: The pitmen and colliers of Northumbria for defence of their firesides, for those literal blackguards are got beyond the management of their own people." As 1820 began, the government, frightened by the " Cato Street Conspiracy " in London, acted to suppress reform agitation and drew on its apparatus of spies and agents provocateurs in Scotland. A 28-man Radical Committee for organising
9594-450: The population was on poor relief. The Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel decided to act. He secured additional funds for relief and sent his own representative to the town to supervise its distribution. He convinced Queen Victoria to wear Paisley products in order to popularise the products and stimulate demand. Overproduction, the collapse of the shawl market and a general depression in the textile industry led to technical changes that reduced
9711-420: The post-war period. These include portions of Glenburn (south), Foxbar (south west), Ferguslie Park (north west), Gallowhill (North East) and Hunterhill (South East). Gockston in the far north of the town has many terraced houses, and after regeneration has many detached and semi-detached houses as well as several blocks of flats. Dykebar , to the south east of the town centre, is a residential area which
9828-446: The prisoners had to shelter from stones thrown from higher ground to the south of the jail. A hostile crowd gathered, and shots fired in the air failed to calm the situation. As the Volunteers returned along Cathcart Street, the "mob continued to increase, throwing stones, bottles, &c. from windows and closes." The Volunteers suffered bruising, and as they approached Rue-end Street opened sporadic fire, killing and wounding several of
9945-449: The prisoners released. James Wilson of Strathaven was singled out as a leader of the march there, and was executed by hanging at Glasgow, then decapitated. Of those arrested by government troops at Bonnymuir, John Baird and Andrew Hardie were similarly executed at Stirling after making short defiant speeches. Twenty other Radicals were sentenced to penal transportation . It was suspected that government agents had actively fomented
10062-448: The region. The Port Glasgow Volunteers served in Paisley during the strike, and when returning home on Saturday 8 April escorted five prisoners to be taken on to Greenock jail in a cart. On the way through Port Glasgow, their commanders responded to rumours by increasing the escort from 30 to 80 men, and they met with minor hostility while marching through the town of Crawfurdsdyke . They reached Greenock jail, and while handing over
10179-400: The road and wait at Bonnymuir . Sixteen Hussars and sixteen Yeomanry troopers had been ordered on 4 April to leave Perth and go to protect Carron. They left the road at Bonnybridge early on 5 April and made straight for the slopes of Bonnymuir. As the newspapers subsequently reported, "On observing this force the radicals cheered and advanced to a wall over which they commenced firing at
10296-538: The shawls, which bore the Paisley Pattern made fashionable after being worn by a young Queen Victoria . Despite being of a Kashmiri design and manufactured in other parts of Europe, the teardrop-like pattern soon became known by Paisley's name across the western world. Although the shawls dropped out of fashion in the 1870s, the Paisley pattern remains an important symbol of the town: the Paisley Museum maintains
10413-411: The sooner it takes place the better." During 5 April, more regiments arrived in Glasgow, causing considerable excitement. Some signs of resistance being organised were reported and the army stood on the alert well into the night, but no radical attack materialised. In Duntocher , Paisley and Camelon people thought to be drilling or making pikes were arrested. On the afternoon of 5 April, before news of
10530-434: The surrounding areas to carry out historic building repair and traditional shopfront reinstatement. Paisley is the administrative centre for the council area of Renfrewshire Council , and also lies within the registration county of the same name . The town is divided into Community Councils for representation at the most local level. Paisley in represented in the Scottish Parliament by George Adam MSP , who holds
10647-623: The textile industry, turned Paisley from a small market town to an important industrial town in the late 18th century. Initially beginning with small scale weaving (as took place at the Sma’ Shot cottages located in Shuttle Street), Paisley's location and workforce attracted English mill owners; migrants from Ayrshire and the Highlands poured into a town that offered jobs to women and children until silk fell out of fashion in 1790. The mills switched to
10764-536: The town centre. There are some hills and ridges which have been absorbed as the town has expanded. The settlement is historically centred on Oakshaw, an area surrounding a hill to the north of the current High Street. Oakshaw is a conservation area , and on the high ground many of Paisley's significant buildings can be found, such as the High Kirk , the Coats Observatory and the former John Neilson Institution, which
10881-567: The town's key attractions. This includes a £22million refurbishment to the Town Hall which reopened in October 2023, a new £7million Central Library and Learning Hub on the High Street which opened November 2023, and a £45million transformation of Paisley Museum due to be completed in late 2024. Renfrewshire Council also maintains its Townscape Heritage Initiative and Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme to provide grants to property owners in Paisley and
10998-562: The town's status was raised by James IV to Burgh of barony . Many trades sprang up and the first school was established in 1577 by the Town Council. The Paisley witches , also known as the Bargarran witches or the Renfrewshire witches, were tried in Paisley in 1697. Seven were convicted and five were hanged and then burnt on the Gallow Green. Their remains were buried at Maxwelton Cross in
11115-511: The town, just off Neilston Road toward Barrhead . It contains a variety of architecture ranging from mock Tudor to Art Deco . Many of the houses were designed by W. D. McLennan, a contemporary of Charles Rennie MacIntosh . McLennan also designed several local churches such as St Matthew's Church. Particularly following the Housing Act 1946, modern Paisley grew into the surrounding countryside, and several large residential areas were created in
11232-608: The unrest to bring radicals into the open. The insurrection was largely forgotten as attention focused on better publicised Radical events in England. Two years later, enthusiasm for the visit of King George IV to Scotland successfully boosted loyalist sentiment, ushering in a new-found Scottish national identity . In the 18th century, artisans such as handloom weavers, shoemakers, smiths and wrights worked to commission and so could set their own hours of work, which often left them time to read and debate with friends what they had read. The national Presbyterian Church of Scotland
11349-500: The way. Their leader Andrew Hardie was given a torn half card to be matched with the other half in the possession of a supporter in Condorrat , on the way to Carron. There, John Baird was visited around 11 p.m. by John King, who gave him the other half card. At around 5 a.m. on 5 April Hardie arrived with 25 men, soaked through. Baird had expected a small army, but King urged them on, saying he would go on ahead to rally supporters. One of
11466-466: The west end of the town. This was the last mass execution for witchcraft in western Europe. A horse shoe was placed on top of the site to lock in the evil. A horse shoe is still visible in the middle of this busy road junction today—though not the original. The modern shoe is made of bronze and bears the inscription, "Pain Inflicted, Suffering Endured, Injustice Done". The Industrial Revolution , based on
11583-453: Was Underwood Mill, a cotton mill founded in the 1780s which was later rebuilt as a thread mill in the 1860s (it fell into disuse in the 1970s). Other thread mills include Oakshaw thread works (later used by Arrol-Johnston car manufacturers) and the Burnside thread works. By the mid-19th century weaving had become the town's principal industry. The Paisley weavers' most famous products were
11700-567: Was Vanduara. Paisley has monastic origins. A chapel is said to have been established by the 6th / 7th-century Irish monk, Saint Mirin , at a site near a waterfall on the White Cart Water known as the Hammils. Though Paisley lacks contemporary documentation it may have been, along with Glasgow and Govan , a major religious centre of the Kingdom of Strathclyde . A priory was established in 1163 from
11817-514: Was a meeting place of the Weavers Union in the south of Paisley; it was also used as a " soapbox " and was originally inscribed with its history (now largely faded). It was moved from its original site at the corner of Neilston Road and Rowan Street to its present location in Brodie Park. Also present, arranged around the Dooslan Stane, are the four original Paisley Tolbooth stones. The Dooslan Stane
11934-462: Was announced as one of five shortlisted candidates, On 7 December 2017 it lost to Coventry . Following the announcement, Renfrewshire Council and the Paisley 2021 Board stated that Paisley's "journey will continue" and that the bid process was "just the beginning" for regeneration processes in the town. Funding acquired during the City of Culture bid has led to multi-million pound regenerations for many of
12051-523: Was built in 1905–07. Dating from circa 1160 Blackhall Manor is the oldest building in Paisley. It was given to the Burgh of Paisley by the Shaw-Stewart family in 1940, but was threatened with demolition in 1978. It was privately purchased in 1982 and fully restored as a private dwelling. As a result of its historic textile industry, Paisley has many examples of Victorian industrial architecture. Most notable
12168-418: Was discharged. On 1 August, a jury ignored the abrasive judge and refused to convict two weavers. At Stirling Tolbooth on 4 August, the judge advised "To you Andrew Hardie and John Baird I can hold out little or no hope of mercy" since "as you were the leaders, I am afraid that example must be given by you." James Wilson was hanged and beheaded on 30 August, watched by some 20,000 people, first remarking to
12285-448: Was dispersed, in Balfron around 200 men had assembled for some sort of action. Pikes, gunpowder and weapons called "wasps" (a sort of javelin) and "clegs" (a barbed shuttlecock to throw at horses) were offered for sale. Rumours spread that England was in arms for the cause of reform and that an army was mustering at Campsie commanded by Marshal MacDonald , a Marshal of France and son of
12402-509: Was even contemplated by some. The weavers of Paisley were certainly active in the 'Radical War'. The perceived radical nature of the inhabitants prompted the Tory Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli to comment "Keep your eye on Paisley". The poet Robert Tannahill lived in this setting, working as a weaver. Paisley's annual Sma' Shot Day celebrations held on the first Saturday of July were initiated in 1856 to commemorate
12519-642: Was formed in Paisley in 1840 and two years later started producing starch for the weaving trades, by 1860 it was making food products including its patent cornflour . It later became CPC Foods Ltd, a subsidiary of Unilever , which produced Hellmann's mayonnaise , Gerber baby foods and Knorr soups. The company ceased production in Paisley in 2002. The Piazza shopping centre was opened by Sean Connery in 1970 and has since been modernised several times. In 1981 Peugeot Talbot , formerly Chrysler and before that Rootes , announced that its Linwood factory just outside Paisley would cease production. This led to
12636-529: Was founded on egalitarian attitudes and rights of the individual to make principled judgements, and so encouraged disputatious habits and preoccupation with "rights", as well as continuing the Scottish education tradition which achieved more widespread literacy at that time than other countries. In Scotland, only 1 in 250 people had the right to vote and these artisans were ready to join the Radical movement in welcoming
12753-524: Was granted. The effect of the crushing of this staged insurrection was to effectively discourage serious Radical unrest in Scotland for some time. Lord Melville , the right hand man in Scotland of Lord Liverpool 's government, saw the suggested Visit of King George IV to Scotland as a political need, to engage the feelings of the common people and weaken the Radical movement. The event, largely organised by Sir Walter Scott , succeeded brilliantly and brought
12870-400: Was installed in the main hall and a statue by John Mossman of George Aitken Clark was erected in Abbey Close, in front of the town hall, in 1885. The chiming mechanism for the bells, which had ceased to function, was repaired in 1988. In February 2019 proposals were announced to convert the town hall into a centre for performing arts. The works, which were to be carried out by Kier Group at
12987-419: Was introduced in the 1820s, weaving was a cottage industry . This innovation led to the industrialisation of the process and many larger mills were created in the town. Also as a consequence of greater mechanisation, many weavers lost their livelihoods and left for Canada and Australia. Paisley was for many years a centre for the manufacture of cotton sewing thread . At the heyday of Paisley thread manufacture in
13104-612: Was much favoured by the Bruce and Stewart royal families. King Robert III (1390–1406) was buried in the Abbey. His tomb has not survived, but that of Princess Marjorie Bruce (1296–1316), ancestor of the Stewarts, is one of Scotland 's few royal monuments to survive the Reformation . Paisley coalesced under James II's wish that the lands should become a single regality and, as a result, markets, trading and commerce began to flourish. In 1488
13221-435: Was not bombed as heavily as nearby Glasgow (see Clydebank Blitz ), air raids still occurred periodically during the early years of the war, killing nearly a hundred people in several separate incidents; on 6 May 1941, a parachute mine was dropped in the early hours of the morning claiming 92 victims; this is billed the worst disaster in Paisley's history. The Gleniffer Braes , on the southern outskirts of Paisley, are home to
13338-455: Was once a school and is now converted into residential flats. Paisley expanded steadily, particularly in the Victorian and Edwardian eras , creating many suburbs. Castlehead is a wooded conservation area primarily made up of Victorian villas where many of the town's leading industrialists made their homes in the late 19th century. Thornly Park is another conservation area, to the south of
13455-421: Was sculpted by Alice Meredith Williams . Paisley was also the site of an incident that gave rise to a major legal precedent. In a Paisley cafe in 1928, a woman claimed to find a dead snail in a bottle of ginger beer, and became ill. She sued the manufacturer for negligence. At the time a manufacturer was considered liable only if there was a contract in place with the harmed party. After Donoghue v Stevenson ,
13572-509: Was the first Catholic church to be built in Scotland since the Reformation . With the erection of the Diocese of Paisley in 1947 the church was raised to cathedral status. St Matthew's Church ( Church of the Nazarene ) at the junction of Gordon Street and Johnston Street is Art Nouveau in style. Designed by local architect William Daniel McLennan, a contemporary of Charles Rennie Mackintosh , it
13689-577: Was the largest Baptist church in Europe. The exterior is made of old red sandstone. Inside, the church is decorated with wood carvings, mosaic floors and marble fonts. The church also contains a 3040 pipe Hill Organ. The St Mirin's Cathedral in Incle Street is the seat of the Catholic Bishop of Paisley . The church was completed in 1931 to replace an earlier building, in nearby East Buchanan Street, which dated from 1808. The original St Mirin's church
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