Stitching together our local history
More people join special tapestry project
Work on a major arts and crafts project is getting even more people involved.
Sessions were held by the Tapestry of Renfrewshire to work on the history of the old County of Renfrew, which includes modern day Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire, and parts of Glasgow.
The workshops brought historians and some stitchers together to discuss and contribute to the history of their respective areas.
The tapestry will depict the history of the area from earliest days.
At the East Renfrewshire workshop in Barrhead Foundry there was a successful bringingtogether of people from Neilston, Barrhead and others from Paisley and Lochwinnoch.
There was a long discussion on the development of Neilston and Uplawmoor, along with the realisation that landowners, such as the Montgomery’s of Eaglesham – The Earls of Eglington – held land all over the old county, even in the furthest reaches of the parish of Renfrew in Jordanhill.
The workshop were held by Stephen Clancy, who conducts tours of Paisley and elsewhere under the name The Urban Historian.
He said: “The workshops are a vital part of the tapestry project.
“Without the more modern local histories and stories we could not tell the whole story of the County of Renfrew.
“Renfrewshire has played an important part in the development of Scotland since the 12th century, but the importance has always been underestimated by national historians.
“Now is the time to put Renfrewshire on the map properly, acknowledging the birthplace of the Stewart Dynasty, and the county’s place in early agricultural and industrial revolutions.”
The tapestry history research is ongoing and the Tapestry of Renfrewshire is inviting people who are interested in the history of the old county to get in touch to help developing local timelines for their own areas through small local research groups.
The Tapestry of Renfrewshire is focussed on the original history of the original county of Renfrew, telling its story from the arrival of the early saints in the Dark Ages and Walter Fitz Alan in the 12th century, through to modern times.
In February, £ 20,000 was awarded to the project from Paisley 2021 and from the Heritage Lottery Fund.