The Hidden History of Glasgow's Women

Book excerpt: This book looks at aspects of Glasgow history which have hitherto been ignored or overlooked by most historians - the history of women in the city. Existing histories are the histories of the men who made Glasgow great: the inventors, industrialists, shipbuilders, philosophers and men of medicine. Although every schoolchild knows the legends of St Mungo, no one knows the legend of his mother St Thenew. The strong machismo culture of the west of Scotland has all but obliterated the contribution of women. St Thenew is actually Scotland's first recorded rape victim, battered woman and unmarried mother. From the time of her death in the seventh century until the present day, there is a discernable trail of oppression and violence against women. At the same time there is a history of strong and sustained resistance to persecution, achievement in the face of adversity and moral triumph in the teeth of injustice. This work deals with women, religon and the Reformation, social and political status, the fight for equal rights and the history of the Suffragettes. Because of the nature of the sources, more space is given to women who stood up and stood out - the 16th century "orray woemen" whom the town council could not control, the revolutionary Owenites and those brave women who threw bombs, burned down big houses, and went on hunger strike.