This talk is about a little-known memorial which was erected under conditions of secrecy in 1847 and which still stands in Glasgow’s Sighthill Cemetery.
Most people have heard of the Peterloo Massacre in Manchester in 1816, when at least 15 protesters were killed. But the Scottish Radical Wars were more widespread and longer lasting.
The unrest can be dated from the Calton Weavers’ strike of 1787 – the first strike in UK history - and went on until the Battle of Bonnymuir in 1820.
There were anti-conscription riots and massacres, with men women and children shot dead. The struggle spread across the Central Belt up through the Highlands. A castle was stormed and a Duke held to ransom.
Weapons were bought and sold and used in undercover para-military training as well as in street battles with soldiers. There were trials, transportations and executions.
The aims of the Radicals were always political as well as economic. The poems and songs composed by both sides still survive as does their slogan: “Scotland Free or a Desert!”
Mary McCabe, member of the 1820 Society will tell you the story.
Mary McCabe Biography
Mary McCabe is a political activist and author. She began campaigning for Scottish Independence while still at school and is now CoConvener of Pensioners for Independence.
She believes passionately in teaching the people of Scotland about their own history and as a member of the 1820 Society she delivers talks for the Glasgow Doors Open Festival about the Radical Wars of the late 18th and early 19th century.
Her talk received an award in 2022. She is active in the Scottish Branch of PEN International (the organisation for authors who are campaigning for literary freedom) and has published five books as well as short stories and poems. www.marymccabe.scot
