THE GLASGOW MARTYRS
This website is dedicated to the memory of Britain’s first-ever working class martyrs – the Calton Weavers.
In September 1797, the 39th (East Middlesex) Regiment of Foot arrived on the eastern outskirts of the old Glasgow town centre to crush an industrial strike over wages and conditions.
As a disturbance flared up at Drygate Brig — now the site of the Drygate and Tennent Caledonian breweries — they unleashed a volley of musket fire. Three men died instantly. Another three died later in hospital.
Their courage inspired weavers and other workers across the west of Scotland to organise a wave of resitance against expoitation in the years and decades that followed, culminating in the 1820 Scottish Insurrection.
The Calton Weavers Commemoration Committee (CWCC) was launched in 2023 to restore their place in history and create a lasting memorial to their courage and sacrifice.
This is not just about the past — it is about who we are today and how we challenge exploitation and injustice. It’s time to retie the knot of history.
The Calton Weavers Commemoration Committee organises:
- Annual events that honour the legacy of the Calton Weavers and educate new generations on their radical history.
- The publication of materials —online and in print—that tell the story of the Weavers.
- Campaigning activity and fundraising for a permanent memorial in the Calton Burial Ground, the resting place of three martyrs
- Support from trade unions, political parties, community groups, local businesses and cultural activists.