Friday 23 October 2009

James McKinlay Ancestry, Glasgow, Scotland

This morning I encountered this unusual memorial at Eastwood Old Cemetery, Glasgow. It was set up by the Calico Printers of Thornliebank (a southern suburb of Glasgow) in memory of James McKinlay, their foreman for 41 years. No dates are given but see below for industry background.

According to my research, Thornliebank Printworks was one of the largest calico-printing works in Scotland in the late 19th century. It closed on Dec 24th 1929. Going back further in time, Alexander and James Crum bought a small muslim factory in 1789. Walter Crum pioneered the application of chemistry to calico printing. The business transferred to Calico Printing Association in 1893.

1 comment:

Ken McKinlay said...

I'm wondering how many James McKinlays were employed at the Calico printers and when this specific James McKinlay was working there?

The reason for my own interest is that I'm descended from several James McKinlays who lived in Thornliebank and in the records were listed as working in the print field.