RENFREW, November 1871 A fog had descended over Renfrew, swept in by the brisk November winds. Dr Allison turned his collars up against the chill and peered through the gloom, spying the address on Pinkerton Lane where a desperately ill young man awaited his attention. Discarding his cheroot, the doctor knocked firmly on the front…
I was recently interviewed by Christina O’Neill for Glasgow Live about my research into the city’s gay past. It was enjoyable to talk about my research and to add some layers to popular understandings of the city’s LGBT history, and to introduce Glasgow’s gay peaky blinders, the Whitehats. Pretty often, academic research is shepherded beind…
Claire Hayward’s recent blog post on ‘pardoning the past’ examined the meanings, motives and problems with the recent attempts to encourage pardons for the 49,000 men convicted of ‘gross indecency’ with males in Britain after the introduction of the 1885 Criminal Law Amendment Act. The petition has attracted over half a million signatories. Claire Hayward…
By the 1980s the personal ad was fast becoming a popular medium for Scots gay and bisexual men unsure, tired, or weary of the ‘gay scene’ to meet others. During the 1980s these short advertisements were relatively free of the acronyms that would come to dominate the medium and lead to much head-scratching and confusion. Knowing…
I recently revisited some of the interviews I undertook with gay and bisexual men from Scotland while putting together a postgraduate seminar on masculinities. One theme emerging from these interviews related to masculinity and effeminacy. Some of the men I spoke to remarked on the powerful cultural concept of the ‘man’, of the ‘otherness’ associated…
Some years ago, while undertaking research into sodomy cases in Scotland, I began using precognition and trial records, held at the National Archives of Scotland. Although there were significantly fewer prosecutions in Scotland than in England, for obvious reasons, these records provided information on the sexual exploits of men from all walks of life (with…
I recently spoke at the ‘A History of Working-Class Marriage in Scotland, 1855-1976’ Spring Workshop held at the University of Glasgow, in conjunction with the Centre for Gender History. The Workshop – ‘Beyond Tradition?: Non-traditional marriages, partnerships and families in Scotland: Past and Present’ – explored continuity, change and the multiple forms of partnerships and…
The way in which we talk about homosexuality has changed significantly in modern history. Now, sexuality is viewed chiefly as one aspect of our identities, it can exist in multiple forms, be fluid or static, and represents not our whole identity but an important aspect of who we are. Things have, of course, not always…
About 5 years ago I was fortunate to offer some information for Our Story Scotland’s exhibition at Kelvingrove Museum on industrial Glasgow’s hidden queer population, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This was based on analysing High Court records for cases involving sodomy and gross indecency. The narrative can be found at Our…
By the midpoint of the 19th century successful businesses wished to build offices that reflected their optimism, growing wealth and confidence, especially at a time when Glasgow was cementing its position as the second city of the Empire. One such organisation, which emerged during the early part of the century was The National Bank of…
Putting the world to rights, one blog post at a time, over tea and cake.
(Formerly Hatful of History)
A blog about museums, heritage, stories and people
Matt Houlbrook: mobile historian; beard growing, head shaving; occasional cycling.
PhD History, University of Essex
stories from a nineteenth-century prison
the bent bookish blog that's a reel waist of thyme...
Fathers, Fatherhood and Families in Scotland, c.1970-1995
Research in Ontario's post-war labour, gay and lesbian movements
Detective policing and criminal justice in the Victorian capital
My great aunt Norah's wartime diaries
lifestyle. beauty. feminism.
