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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Lanarkshire => Topic started by: thommoje on Monday 20 November 06 06:09 GMT (UK)
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I believe I have located some family members in the Parish of Chalmers - not seen this before - where is it?
My modern day map of Glasgow gives Chalmers Court , Chalmers Place , Chalmers Gate and Chalmers Street in the centre of Calton.
Was this once called Chalmers Parish?
Needing confirmation or otherwise, Regards, Thommoje ??? ???
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I've not seen Chalmers listed as a parish in its own right for registration purposes - Calton was a registration district itself although many of these were based around churches and named after them.
Just to muddy the waters slightly there is a Chalmers Parish Church in Larkhall
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Hello thommoje,
This question seems very familiar.
Have a look at the topic raised by 'breac' on this (Lanarkshire) board on 10 July 2006. It suggests that 'Chalmers' did exist but only for 1841 Census.
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Thanks to you both, Falkryn and Tik Tic Too ,this family was centred around Calton for many generations and I was pretty sure that was where it was. Another Parish I have come across for the 1841 census was St James but it also says on the document " Calton Entry".
As a coincidence, yesterday I recieved a copy of a book about William Collins` book publishing company for whom my Grandfather and a couple of uncles worked. Wm Collins , the first one , had a friend and mentor in Dr Thomas Chalmers - a significant figure in Church and civic life at the time. I wonder if this is where the Parish name comes from.
Thanks again, Thommoje
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I've just checked the 1841 index and sure enough Chalmers is listed as one of the registration districts Ward 6441 in Glasgow City area - Calton which was a police burgh in its own right was listed as a registration district within Barony.
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If you have a look at
http://www.nls.uk/digitallibrary/map/early/towns.cfm?id=786
This 1832 map lists the 10 parishes which then made up Glasgow although Chalmers is not listed St James is - it is parish no 10 (X) in the bottom right hand corner of the map which appears to include parts of Glasgow green and the modern day Gorbals area
http://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/exhibns/month/feb2006.html
This 1844 map which accompanies an article about health in the city also lists St James (IX this time) but still no mention of Chalmers.
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To All Calton , Glasgow Researchers, I have just'returned" from a wonderful internet journey. Thanks again Tic Toc Too.
If Glasgow history is what you are after, just go to an entry on the Lanarkshire by - breac on 10 July 2006 - an read the wonderful chat that took place.
This will give you leads to a huge range of Glasgow sites that will keep you interested for a long time.
WARNING ! Make sure the vegies are not boiling on the stove when you begin. A quick look will turn into hours.
This is Roots Chatting at its best
Enjoy, Thommoje
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In amongst all the chat about Chalmers, I must mention that my initial enquiry was prompted by finding Elizabeth Sutherland and son , Robert living in Kingfield Row ( I suspect it was a large block of Flats which would have been demolished by town planners as they were undesirable housing)
Elizabeth and Robert appear ( the writing is poor ) on page 13 of the record and page 14 is still Kingfield Row. As one of the chatters said, 722 people lived here.
Thommoje
Moderator Comment : Separate threads merged
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During the 50 years prior to 1821 Glasgow's population trebled to over 120,000 and the influx continued as the city continued to build up its industrial base
From The Glasgow Story http://www.theglasgowstory.co.uk/storyc.php
By the 1820s and 1830s there was already comment on the difficulties being experienced in coping with the very rapid growth of population. What were once elegant squares were getting built up. What were once mansions for a single family were being made down to house a dozen or more. By the 1840s some of the city's housing conditions were regarded as among the worst in Europe. Overcrowding and a highly mobile population made the city vulnerable to epidemics. Cholera came in lethal waves. Typhus and typhoid struck with depressing regularity in foul housing "backlands" or in dingy lodging houses. Polluted water supplies, a smog-laden atmosphere and a lack of sunlight were ripe conditions for chronic illnesses as well as epidemics.
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The 'Disruption' of the Established Church took place around the early 1840's and I think that a 'Chalmer's Parish' refers to the fact that the parish had disjoined, something like that, I'd need to do a bit more research to confirm but the mention of Thomas Chalmers brought this to mind.
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I come from Port Seton, East Lothian, we had a Chalmers Church there, still there, here is a link to website, see history page, mentions your Thomas Chalmers and 1843 break up.
http://www.chalmerschurch.co.uk/history.htm
It may help with your search.
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Thank you , TidyBooks and Robert, for that information.
Chalmers Parish , it seems existed only during the 1841 Census and I am quite satisfied that it was in Glasgow. No doubt there is some more definitive information out there.
I am currently reading a book about the William Collins publishing house ( my Grandfather Thomas Hislop, was a Director from 1900 - 1903 ) and Dr Thomas Chalmers had a huge influence there.What I have read so far about Dr Chalmers tells me that he was a man of great vision and genuine concern for the ordinary people who flocked to hear his sermons. I expect there could have been several churches built in his honour. His influence was considerable indeed.
Regards, Thommoje
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Hi Thommoje,
Lots of this has been discussed in this thread http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,168740.0.html which I remember from earlier in the year, when I tracked down Kingfield Row previously. It was a block on Gallowgate rather than a street in its own right - not entirely sure where it would have been as Gallowgate is a long street.
Cheers,
Clare
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Hello Thommoje,
In the 1841 census, Chalmers was a Quoad Sacra parish within St John's Parish in the City of Glasgow.
ADP
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Thank you, ADP and Claire and all Chalmers Parish chatters,It semms proven that Chalmers Parish was as we have agreed in Glasgow only for that one census.
I have not yet reached the part of my book about William Collins and Dr Thomas Chalmers which may tell me more about how that came about , so will keep you posted.
Last night, I watched an episode of "Who Do You Think You are?" where Jeremy Paxman was tracing his roots. An historical society in Glasgow has preserved one of those tiny "Flats" in which families perhaps with ten children lived , died . existed or just survived. Absolutely mind blowing. No matter how hard we try , we could not really imagine what that must have been like. Angela`s Ashes comes to mind but that was almost a sanitized version of what those poor but wonderful people went through.
Thommoje
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Hello Thommoje,
In the 1841 census, Chalmers was a Quoad Sacra parish within St John's Parish in the City of Glasgow.
ADP
Thats interesting, a Quoad Sacra parish was an erected parish under the church extension scheme - which basically was devised to cater for the redistribution of the population [i.e. the increase in urban areas]. The first church in Scotland to be built under this scheme was Crosshill chapel of ease in Baillieston. A Quoad Sacra parish would be created by carving it out of an existing one [a Quoad Spirituala] but it was many years before the new parish was legally constituted [in the case of Crosshill from 1833 to 1872 when it was disjoined form its mother parish of Old Monkland]
I'm wondering if this Chalmers Parish was named so because a chapel like the Crosshill one [which was named after a farm] was named after Dr. Chalmers. It certainly would explain things a wee bit.
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thommoje'
Everywhere I go i read about Chalmers, thought you maybe interested.
Works and Papers of Thomas Chalmers... Association for Promoting the Interests of the Church of Scotland", at a meeting held in Roxburgh Church, Edinburgh, on Thursday, 16th February, 1843 ...
www.newble.co.uk/chalmers/copaclist.html - 30k - Cached - Similar pages
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Chalmers Parish Church was located in Claythorn Street, just off the Gallowgate in Glasgow. My parents were married there in 1954 and l believe it was demolished sometime in the 1960s.
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Chalmers Parish Church was located in Claythorn Street, just off the Gallowgate in Glasgow. My parents were married there in 1954 and l believe it was demolished sometime in the 1960s.