The origin and history of Glasgow streets

Saint Mungo

The patron saint of Glasgow was also called Saint Kentigern. His father was Ewen ap Urien, a prince of Strath-Clyde; his mother was Thenaw, a daughter of Loth, King of Northumbria. Thenaw was visionary, and dreamed of being a second Virgin Mary; but her paternal parent was too matter-of-fact, so he sent her to sea in a little boat, which was ultimately driven to Culross, where Saint Kentigern was born, and partly educated by Saint Serf, who latterly handed him over to the care of Semanus, Bishop of Orkney, who, after taking the good little boy in charge, found him so loving and kindly in disposition that he called him by a pet-name of his own -Mungo, from the Norwegian phrase Mongah (my friend or dear one), and this stuck to him - hence the name Saint Mungo. Kentigern, his first title, means Lord-in-Chief.

The arms of Glasgow

The tree denotes the frozen branch with which, by blowing into a flame, Saint Mungo re-kindled the monastery fire at Culross. The bird is the robin he brought back to life after it had been decapitated. The fish and ring are emblematic of a miracle, by which he restored to Langueth, the wife of King Ridderch of Strathclyde, a love token she had lost; and the bell represents that which he brought from Rome. He died about 601, and for more than five centuries after that date Glasgow has no authentic records.

The streets of Saint Mungo

Up till 1750 there were only thirteen streets in Glasgow. These were - Bell Street, Bridgegate Street, Candleriggs Street, Canon Street, Drygate Street, Gallowgate Street, High Street, King Street, Princes Street, Rottenrow Street, Saltmarket Street, Stockwell Street, and Trongate Street. At the present time there are approximately two thousand one hundred streets within the bounds of the city, and, in addition, several squares, quadrants, and parades. The total length of streets maintained by the Statute Labour Department is two hundred and sixteen and one-third miles, the actual cost of maintenance and repair of which for the year 1901 was £73,072 16s. 4d. Sixteen new streets, 3589 yards in length, were taken over as public during the course of the twelve months. The Dean of Guild Court in the same time granted linings to the number of 460, the valuations of which were £1,430,312. In the previous year the linings granted numbered 579, and the value was £2,019,822. The streets were first lighted in 1717 with a few oil lamps which were hung on brackets; but in 1780 the first lamps were placed on the south-side of Trongate Street. They were erected as a reward for the formation of a pavement by the local proprietors between the Cross and Stockwell Street. Gas was first introduced for street lighting on 15th September, 1818. Early in 1893 several of the leading thoroughfares were lighted with electricity; and towards the end of the same year the Welsbach incandescent mantle was utilised with satisfactory results.

H.M.