Our History
The Glasgow Eastern Merchants’ and Tradesmen’s Society
-Incorporating the Clydesdale Merchants’ and Tradesmen’s Society (1975)
-The Southern Merchants’ and Tradesmen’s Society (1983)
Our Society 1877–2026
On Thursday the 3rd day of May 1877 at 8 o’clock evening. At a Meeting of gentlemen convened for the purpose of considering the desirability and expediency of forming a friendly society in connection with the east end of the City.
Councillor Alexander Waddel was called to the chair.
After some conversation it was unanimously agreed that such a Society be formed and the following gentlemen were appointed a committee to frame a set of rules to be submitted to a meeting to be held at 8 o’clock on the evening of Tuesday the 22nd May, next.
This commendably brief Minute of a meeting, which took place in the Mechanics Hall, Canning Street, Calton and held during the year in which Queen Victoria was proclaimed the Empress of India, can reasonably be taken to indicate the formation of the Society.
At a subsequent meeting Councillor Alexander Waddel was appointed first Chairman and entry money was fixed at £2–2/-.
At the end of ten years our funds had reached £1,545, rising to £3,254 in 1897 and passing the £10,000 mark in 1923.
This activity has continued to the present day and the Society’s funds remain healthy to this day, which we use to help throughout the city to the best of our ability.
Rule 1 of the Society describes our aims:
“The Society shall be called ‘The Glasgow Eastern Merchants’ and Tradesmen’s Society’
and its objectives are declared to be the aid of such of its members and their widows as may be reduced to necessitous circumstances and to such objects of common weal as may be determined by the Members.”
At present the Society supports a number of Charitable Organisations, Societies and Individuals and will continue to support them into the future.
We do also have an active social scene but, unfortunately, we now have to charge more for our Dinner Dance than we did in 1913, when 500 attended at St Andrew’s Hall at a cost of 10/6 a couple, 7/- a gentleman, and 4/6 a lady.
The Society has been fortunate in having had over 100 years of dedicated and hard-working directors and Past Presidents, and this has continued well into the new millennium.
Over the past number of years our net has been cast wider and we have been able to help a number of needed causes throughout the Glasgow area, especially within Glasgow’s East End, including schools, charities, organisations and worthy individuals.
We have also benefited from the generosity of a number of past members, none more so than Mr R. A. Wilson. With this substantial bequest we have been able to set up The R. A. Wilson Bequest, allowing us to support and sponsor young people who would otherwise find education and the arts difficult to afford.
The future of the Society is looking positive, with funds available to support our many worthy causes, the future looks bright for “The Glasgow Eastern Merchants’ and Tradesmen’s Society.”
