Glasgow's Bakers - Times Past
In partnership with the Glasgow Times, our archivists are exploring Glasgow's fascinating history. This week, Michael Gallagher writes about Glasgow's bakers.
Glasgow enjoys a strong baking culture. Today, alongside the bakery chains that can be found in every high street in the country, the city sustains a thriving craft movement that caters to every taste, from rustic sourdough bread to artisanal doughnuts.
Baking has a long tradition in Glasgow. Historically, the baking profession was represented by the Incorporation of Bakers which can trace its origins back to the middle of the 16th century. An Act of Council dated 1556 decreed that the bakers (or “baxteris”) of Glasgow would have three “Mercat Dayes” each week: Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Then, they were permitted to sell their bread at the Cross. The Glasgow bakers enjoyed a monopoly, since it was also stipulated that “nae outtentowneris” bread be sold on these days.
In return for this monopoly, the bakers were expected to perform charitable functions and, crucially, control standards of workmanship. In the early days this was done by what was known as “The Essay”.
New entrants to the Incorporation were required to perform a practical test of their abilities, which could touch on any part of the baking trade. Records of the Incorporation show that, on one occasion, the aspiring bakers had to produce, “satisfactory specimens of beef-steak pies, veal pies, pigeon pies, pork pies, mutton pies, rabbit pies, apple tarts, plum tarts, pear tarts, frouchés, custards and souffles.” Enough to strike fear into the hearts (or should that be tarts?) of today’s Masterchef hopefuls.
The Incorporation of Bakers met in various places before the building of the Trades Hall, including a wheat mill on the Kelvin, a number of taverns (in which the related outgoings could be entered under the convenient heading “expenses at a meeting”) and, by the early 1700s, the Bakers’ Hall, which was located just off the Saltmarket near present day St Andrew’s Street.
Glasgow took its baking seriously. In 1820, the magistrates inspected the bread sold by nearly 100 bakers and issued several fines for selling improper “light bread.” They also sent 20 loaves to a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow, “for the purpose of ascertaining if the bread contained any deleterious matter.” The Professor provided the magistrates with an extremely detailed report on the composition of each loaf.
Over the next century, baking became an important trade in the city. Large factories replaced the small shops and street traders that previously sold baked goods. One example was the magnificent United Co-operative Baking Society factory by Glasgow Green. The Society was formed in 1869 to supply bread to the city’s co-op stores, and by 1958 baked half of all bread eaten in the city.
Other firms such as Bilsland Brothers produced wrapped bread that could be sold in shops across the city. Improved distribution channels also meant that Glaswegian bakers could sell their goods far beyond the city boundaries.
One significant baker was the Govan-based James Jack and Sons. Founded in 1922, the company supplied morning rolls to some 800 shops, mainly in the southside, and counted the noted suffragist, peace campaigner and Communist Helen Crawfurd (maiden name Jack) as a member of the family. Glasgow City Archives holds some records of the firm, including an original recipe book compiled by James himself. As well as bread, this provides instructions on how to make snowballs, Paris buns and many other tasty treats.
As the twentieth century progressed, the range of baked goods available expanded enormously and some bakers opened tea-rooms to sell their wares. Perhaps the most famous was City Bakeries which, by the 1930s, ran more than 60 branches. Many readers will recall fondly its empire biscuits, pies, strawberry tarts and classic roll and mince. It also inspired the most magnificent insult: “you’ve a face like a City Bakeries Halloween cake.” Other major biscuit manufacturers included Macfarlane, Lang & Co and Gray, Dunn & Co.
Whilst many of Glasgow’s classic traditional bakers have since hung up their aprons, the Incorporation still exists today, primarily as a charitable organisation. And a new generation of artisan bread makers and pastry producers are continuing Glasgow’s baking tradition, ensuring that the trade’s future is in good, well-floured, hands.
The collections discussed in this article are held by Glasgow City Archives. Please email archives@glasgowlife.org.uk if you have any questions.
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