An Inquiry as to the Armorial Insignia of the City of Glasgow [By A. Macgeorge]. (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1866 Excerpt: ...the 4th of Januar last, "wherein your Majestie is graciously pleased to notice and putt "ane value upon the zeall for the Protestant religion and loyal "affections of your Citie of Glasgow, and to give to her a full "right and libertie for electing her own magistrates in all tyme "comeing, als frielie as the royal borrowes of this your majesties "ancient kingdom, by which being emancipated from the slaverie "of ane imposed magistracie (the instruments of our bishops their "tyrannie and avarice), the public interest of this once flourishing "corporation being thereby recovered, we are delivered from the "fears and secured from the dangers of a future relapse into what "has been the source of our past miserie." This address was presented on the 1st of February, 1690, and by the act of William and Mary of that year, the City and Town Council acquired for the first time the "power and privilege to choose their own magistrates, provost, bailies, and other officers within the burgh, als "fully and als freely as the city of Edinburgh or any other royal "burgh within the kingdom enjoys the same." Then, but not till then, may Glasgow be said to have acquired an independent political existence. The population, which, at the restoration of Charles II. in 1660, amounted to 14,600, had in 1688 declined to 11,900. No doubt the great fire of 1677 in part accounted for this. It may not be uninteresting to notice, in passing, that one of the favours bestowed on Glasgow at the Revolution was the appointment by royal warrant of one of the citizens, In the state of matters which I have thus imperfectly attempted to trace, it is not likely that Glasgow--at all events down to a period subsequent to t...