Brief History of the Incorporation
of Tailors in Glasgow
of Tailors in Glasgow
The Tailors were formally incorporated
in October 1527 to uphold the standards of the garment making industry in
Glasgow. New members had to pass an entrance test by producing in a locked room
"for men one upper coat, one waistcoat and a pair of breeches according to
the fashion or for a woman a gown and a petticoat according to the fashion...
or a pair of stays if he is a staymaker." The Tailors did their best for
several centuries to keep women out of the trade, except for the menial tasks
of stitching stays or making buttonholes. There were many rivalries and
quarrels - one tailor who was fined for having partners not in the Craft lost
his temper and called the Masters "dogs and beggar bitches", for
which he lost his voting rights for seven years and had to spend two days in
the Tolbooth.
On the credit side the Craft has always done much charitable work for members fallen upon hard times and in 1756 gave out meal and grain to the starving poor of Glasgow during a year of bad harvests. The tradition of looking after needy members of the Craft and their relatives has been maintained and the Tailors are still involved in a number of charitable and educational projects. They retain practical links with the modern garment making industry in the region, and are active in all the various projects of the Trades House, to which they send 6 representatives.
Membership
For details of membership, please contact glcampbell2004@hotmail.com
On the credit side the Craft has always done much charitable work for members fallen upon hard times and in 1756 gave out meal and grain to the starving poor of Glasgow during a year of bad harvests. The tradition of looking after needy members of the Craft and their relatives has been maintained and the Tailors are still involved in a number of charitable and educational projects. They retain practical links with the modern garment making industry in the region, and are active in all the various projects of the Trades House, to which they send 6 representatives.
Membership
For details of membership, please contact glcampbell2004@hotmail.com