In 1987, the Scottish trade union movement and other organisations marked the bicentenary of the Calton massacre with a series of events, works of art and publications.

The Glasgow artist Ken Currie created a series of eight paintings, The Weavers’ Struggles, that were exhibited on  the dome of the People’s Palace in Glasgow Green to mark the anniversary  (including The Calton Activist depicted here). Another acclaimed artist,  the late Andrew Hay, was commissioned by the Transport and General Workers Union (now UNITE) to depict the scene of the weavers’ protest.

Elspeth King, then the social history curator of the Glasgow People’s Place, wrote  a definitive history of the Calton Weavers struggle.

In the decades that followed the memory of the Calton Weavers began to fade. While other milestones of working class resistance, such as the Tolpuddle Martyrs, the Peterloo Massacre, and Red Clydeside continued to be celebrated, the Calton Weavers became the forgotten heroes of radical history.

Even the inscriptions on the granite memorial stones erected in the Calton Burial Ground 1957 to replace the original slabs had become almost illegible.

Then in April 2023, an informal group of local community activists and trade unionists established the Calton Weaver’s Commemorative Committee.

From then on,  the  campaign to restore the memory of Scotland and Britain’s first working class martyrs was revitalised. Key milestones have included:

• The reprinting of Elspeth King’s  The Strike of the Glasgow Weavers 1887 with a foreword from the General Secretary of the STUC, Roz Foyer.
• The striking of a commemorative, limited edition badge.
• The establishment of a Calton Weaver’s History Walk with the support of local historian Peter Mortimer.
• The restoration of the 1987 painting by renowned Scottish artist, the late Andrew Hay, which now has pride of place in the Calton Heritage and Learning Centre.
• The staging of series of songwriting workshops inspired by the legacy of the Weavers, which generated 10 new songs across a range of genres.
• The production of a series of powerful lino-prints by artist, print maker and engraver Stuart Murphy.
• Annual commemorative events at the Abercromby Street Burial Ground.
• Inspirational talks from Elspeth King, historian Susan Morrison and actor David Hayman (below)
• The building of cross-party support in Glasgow City Council to revoke the Freedom of the City which was awarded to Lieutenant Colonel Kellet who organised the massacre.
• The tracing and involvement of direct descendants of the Calton Martyrs.