“The illustrious Bacon has declared that “knowledge is power”. It is obvious therefore, that the social equilibrium cannot be maintained, unless the higher ranks keep in intellectual advance of the lower.”

In 1823, after many years of disputes over access to the growing library and collection of apparatus in Anderson’s Institution, a number of students in the mechanics’ class broke away to establish the Glasgow Mechanics’ Institution. The original mechanics’ class at the Andersonian continued, and the difference between it and the lectures offered at the new Mechanics’ Institution is satirised in the cartoon above. The former was reputedly attended by the gentry, including a substantial number of women, while the new, rival Institution was attended by the lower working classes seeking to improve their knowledge for everyday application of science. The Mechanics’ Institution evidently had something of a rough reputation: one man sports a black eye and several bleary-eyed ruffians struggle to focus on the lecturer!

Reference: Northern Looking Glass, 14 November 1825, Mechanics/Anderson Collection

Madeline Robertson, MSc Health History, undertook an excellent course work-placement with us this year. Her project was to research the development of the Department of History at the University of Strathclyde and its early staff members. She created ‘authority records’, like biographies, that can be found on our online catalogue and document her findings for future researchers.

Former Professor of Economic History, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Studies, and Vice Principal of the University of Strathclyde, John Butt coined the phrase ‘from small beginnings’ when describing how the History Department in the University of Strathclyde developed. John Butt worked at the institution from the time that the Royal College of Science and Technology merged with the Scottish College of Commerce to become the University of Strathclyde in 1964, until 1994. He is one of many historians I have researched whilst on placement at the University of Strathclyde Archives and Special Collections.

Photograph of John Butt, 1990 (reference: OP4/414).

Archives and Special Collections is located on level five of the Andersonian Library. It is a significant repository of the history of the University of Strathclyde, holding an impressive array of records from as far back as 1796 when the institution was established following the will of John Anderson. Strathclyde university archivists work to collect and preserve important documents. The collection is rich in history ranging from students’ and professors’ records and achievements to university minute books, magazines, and catalogues from the eighteenth century to the present day. For historians this is invaluable, allowing us an insight into the past and helping us understand how the institution has operated through the centuries.

I am passionate about researching and being able to uncover hidden histories. The opportunity to work in the archives has greatly excited me. During my placement I had been tasked to explore the archives of the History Department. As part of this I researched and wrote ‘authority records’ for key members of staff.

I began by looking at how the department was established. This involved researching key dates and individuals. An exciting history of innovation emerged. Following the acceptance of the Royal College of Science and Technology for university status by Sir Keith Murray and the University Grants Committee (UGC) in 1961, the College underwent many developments. Five new departments were created: Economics, Politics, Psychology, Administration and Economic History.

In 1963 five members of staff made up the Economic History department – Edgar Lythe, John Ward, Richard Wilson, Michael Sanderson, and John Moore. In 1964 the Royal College merged with the Scottish College of Commerce and became the University of Strathclyde. Two members of staff joined the Economic History Department from the College of Commerce. Historian John Butt also joined in 1964, introducing American Economic History to the Department. Modern History was introduced into the curriculum in 1974. In the same year, the department was renamed the Department of History. By 1979 the History Department, which had started out with only five staff members in 1963, had grown to fourteen – all of whom were bringing their own specialities and interests to the Department and widening the curriculum. An exciting and innovative learning environment had been and was continuing to be developed. As stated by John Butt,

‘small beginnings which have indeed multiplied to fruition!’

Portrait of Samuel George Edgar Lythe (reference: OP/324)

Researching John Butt’s life and achievements at Strathclyde was inspiring. He was pivotal to the establishment and the development of the History Department at Strathclyde. After becoming Professor of the History Department he immediately began to uncover the History of the University of Strathclyde. His writings and publications were invaluable: preserving the history of the university. Another key individual is Edgar Lythe. He pioneered the teaching of Economic History whilst teaching at Dundee School of Economics. In 1962 he became the founding Professor of Economic History at the Royal College of Science and Technology. Lythe was Professor of Economic History and Vice Principal at the University of Strathclyde until his retirement in 1976. Another important historian I investigated was Hamish Fraser. 

From the outset of my placement, I wanted to include women historians in my project. This proved more challenging than researching John Butt and Edgar Lythe because in the 1960s the Economic History Department was small and male driven. However, in 1964 the first woman history lecturer began to teach at the University of Strathclyde: Barbara Thatcher. Thatcher was a Senior lecturer in Economic History and on her retiral in 1982, became an Honorary Lecturer. As a female historian myself, researching her academic life was inspirational. Furthermore, because it was difficult for women to achieve academic recognition at that time her accomplishments are even more noteworthy.

Working in archives requires patience and thoroughness – researching sources such as staff magazines, calendars, and papers to uncover the careers of individuals. I loved this. It improved my research skills and increased my confidence in my ability to carry out investigative work independently. Rachael, Carol, Anne, and Victoria create a welcoming and supportive environment.

It was a big responsibility and an honour to be tasked with celebrating members of staff who have made a significant impact in my field of study.

Profiles researched by Madeline:

• University of Strathclyde | Department of History
• John Butt (1929-2002)
• Edgar Lythe (1910-1997)
• Hamish Fraser (born 1941)
• Barbara Thatcher (active 1949-1981)

We are delighted to present a guest blog post from William, currently on student placement with us in Archives and Special Collections and contributing to the ongoing project to match our books to those on the English Short Title Catalogue.

There’s nothing quite like perusing the pages of an old book. I remember the time when a thoughtful friend bought me a 1901 copy of the Edmund Rostand play Cyrano de Bergerac. The book had yellowed leaves, an old paper smell, and light bumping to the bindings that showed its age. In addition to a quite excellent play, I was delighted to find the edition included several inserted advertisements pertaining to the early 1900s Paris from which the book had been plucked. It served as a small tangible window into a time and place in a way that only an old book can do.

So, I was pleased that, during the second semester of the MSc Information and Library Studies course, I would have the privilege of completing a placement in the Archives and Special Collections department of the Andersonian Library. In this placement I was tasked with matching holdings of books in the John Anderson collection at Strathclyde with titles in the English Short Title Catalogue (ESTC). The ESTC is a bibliography of English language books published before 1801 and includes links to those academic libraries around the world that hold a copy. This project put me in direct contact with books in the Anderson collection, comparing them to descriptions in the ESTC. A careful eye had to be given to small changes that might be present between differing editions and printings.

One of the joys of working with this collection was simply the ability to connect with a real piece of Glasgow history that is over 200 years old. The texts trace the tale of John Anderson’s interests spanning theology, philosophy, literature and history. These books formed the core of Anderson’s personal collection in a younger Glasgow swept up in the expansion of the ‘Tobacco lords’, while revolution swept through France and America. Through these books he continued to engage with the collective conversation of academia and added his own voice to theirs through his own works. Personal details can be found in these volumes such as a handwritten note from Anderson’s physician, Dr Peter Wright.

'A man of general knowledge and zealous in his profession... I saw him breathe his last'

Inscription written by Peter Wright about John Anderson, in 'Institutes of Physics' 1795 (reference: Anderson Collection (other)).

In addition to Anderson’s history, the books themselves give up enticing details of the times of their writing and beyond through various inserts, advertisements and maps. 

Linking them in the ESTC further reinforced the notion of how books created the shared network of knowledge that was present in the academic institutions of the time. When logging a book, a list of holdings from other academic institutes are displayed. Classic volumes become linked with other copies in special collections across the world. Conversely, books with few holdings may be among the last surviving copies.

The Anderson collection is pure Strathclyde University history in tangible form and I’m glad to have had the chance to work with it. It’s only the tip of the iceberg of what Archives and Special Collections hold. The various collections trace the path of the institution from Anderson to present day. Beyond words on the page there is great value in these collections that are cared for by a good team of welcoming people who would love to share them with you.

Andrew Ure (1778-1857), chemist, succeeded George Birkbeck as Professor of Natural Philosophy at Anderson’s Institution in 1804. Ure had graduated in medicine from Glasgow University in 1801 and had served, briefly, as an army surgeon in Scotland. Ure continued the mechanics’ class begun by Birkbeck and delivered a very successful course of evening lectures on mechanics and chemistry. This outline of the contents of the evening lectures he delivered to the class in 1822 shows the type and range of subjects he tackled.

Ure was perhaps more famous for his experiments with galvanism. In 1818, he caused a sensation by galvanising the body of an executed criminal and apparently bringing it back to life. Many consider this and similar experiments by other scientists to be the inspiration behind Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein.

Mural showing illustration of Frankenstein's monster on the Graham Hills building, George Street.

In 1830, Ure left Anderson’s University to move to London where he set himself up as a consulting chemist, probably the first in Britain.

Archives reference: OB/7/1/11, Outline of course of evening lectures by Andrew Ure on mechanics and chemistry at Anderson’s Institution, 1822.

Dr Margaret (‘Maggie’) Millen Jeffs Sutherland (1881-1972), pictured below on the right, was one of the few female academic scientists employed at Strathclyde’s antecedent institution, the Royal Technical College (RTC) in the early decades of the twentieth century. As a lecturer in the Chemistry Department from 1914-1947, she had extensive teaching responsibilities and was instrumental in keeping the Department’s classes running during the First and Second World Wars, when most of her colleagues left to join the Forces. In addition to this, she conducted research and published papers in her specialist area of inorganic chemistry, and actively supported social and cultural activities for students and staff. This post traces Maggie Sutherland’s academic career and highlights her many achievements at the RTC.

Photograph of Mr J.G. Galletly and Miss M. M. J. Sutherland, chemistry research students in the laboratory, Royal Technical College, c.1910 (reference: OP/4/114/3).

Undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Chemistry

Maggie was the eldest of three children born to Andrew Sutherland, a manufacturer of woollen shawls and mufflers, and his wife Frances, née Jeffs. At the time of the 1891 Census, the family, including Maggie’s younger siblings, William (born in 1885) and Frances (born in 1888) lived at Cedar Villa in Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire. The Sutherlands were still residing in Kirkintilloch in 1904, when Maggie enrolled for undergraduate studies in science at the University of Glasgow.

In the early twentieth century, students pursuing degrees in science or engineering at the University were permitted to take some of their classes at the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College (GWSTC). The GWSTC could not award degrees, but its daytime courses in Chemistry, Natural Philosophy, Mathematics and Engineering were recognised as qualifying classes for the Bachelor of Science degree awarded by the University. Accordingly, Maggie Sutherland attended the GWSTC’s Organic Chemistry courses I and II (session 1904-1905), Physical Chemistry course (session 1905-1906), Physical Laboratory course (session 1907-1908), Technical Chemistry Laboratory course (session 1907-1908), and Chemical Laboratory course (sessions 1904-1905 to 1907-1908 inclusive).

The Chemical Laboratory course, which extended over four academic sessions, comprised a series of experiments illustrative of chemical theory. It was designed to prepare students for a professional career, with the more advanced students being trained in research methods in inorganic and organic chemistry.^[1] At the close of session 1907-1908, George G. Henderson, Professor of Chemistry at the GWSTC, awarded Maggie the Nobel Company Prize as the best Chemical Laboratory student. Supplied by the Directors of Nobel’s Explosives Company Ltd., Glasgow, the prize money of £30 would support her in carrying out research work at the GWSTC under the direction of Professor Henderson during session 1908-1909.^[2]

Having completed the necessary qualifying courses in Chemistry, Botany and Geology, Maggie graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1908 with the degree of Bachelor of Science, awarded with special distinction in Botany. She then enrolled as a postgraduate research student and continued to attend Chemical Laboratory classes at the GWSTC during sessions 1908-1909, 1909-1910 and 1910-1911. In session 1911-1912, she was awarded the GWSTC’s Muirhead Scholarship for Women Students. The scholarship carried the sum of £35 per year and was tenable for up to four years,^[3] which enabled Maggie to support herself financially whilst completing her postgraduate research. Having successfully submitted her doctoral thesis on the topic of ‘Camphenanic acid, its isomers and derivatives,’ she graduated from the University of Glasgow with the degree of Doctor of Science in 1914. Six years later, she gained the Fellowship of the Institute of Chemistry.^[4]

Lecturing and academic research at the Royal Technical College

In 1912, the GWSTC was renamed as the Royal Technical College (RTC). At that time, the teaching staff within the Department of Chemistry included Professor Henderson, four male lecturers - designated as the Senior, Second, Third and Fourth Lecturer respectively - and two male assistants. When the Senior Lecturer, Dr George B. Neave, died in 1913, Professor Henderson recommended to the RTC’s Committee on Chemistry and Metallurgy that the remaining three lecturers should each be advanced one place in the hierarchy (the Second Lecturer thus becoming the Senior Lecturer, and so on). He also proposed that two new members of staff, Miss Maggie Sutherland and Mr D.E. Sharp, be appointed to share the position of Fourth Lecturer, ‘the former to take the greater part of the day work and to be paid at the rate of £70 per annum, and the latter to take the evening work and a small part of the day work, and to be paid at the rate of £50 per annum.’ On 14 January 1914, this was approved by the Committee.^[5] The group photograph below, taken in 1914, shows Maggie with her departmental colleagues.

Group photograph of Department of Chemistry staff in the laboratory, Royal Technical College, 1914 (reference: OP/4/114/7)

Within a matter of months, Maggie’s teaching responsibilities at the RTC would increase significantly. The onset of the Great War (1914-1918) saw the Senior, Second and Third Lecturers in Chemistry all enlist and depart on active service by October 1914. With the depleted Department still hoping to deliver a full programme of classes for session 1914-1915, it was agreed that the two remaining lecturers, Maggie Sutherland and Mr Sharp, should each receive an honorarium of £50 ‘in consideration of the extra and more responsible work they will [now] undertake.’^[6] To help ease the burden, an Assistant for the evening classes, a Temporary Assistant and a Junior Lecture Assistant were also brought in.

The following year saw Maggie gain further advancement at the RTC, again owing to wartime circumstances. When the Third Lecturer in Chemistry, Lieutenant James W. Agnew, died on active service in 1915, she was promoted to his post.

By August 1919, Maggie had achieved the status of Second Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry and her annual salary had increased almost sevenfold to £250 per annum for session 1919-1920.^[7] The end of the war did not lighten her workload, but brought additional challenges, as she and her colleagues now had to cope with a greatly increased number of students. In March 1920, the RTC’s Committee on Chemistry and Metallurgy augmented the lecturers’ and demonstrators’ pay to take account of the extra work thus required. Maggie’s salary consequently rose to £450 per annum.^[8]

In 1935, the RTC’s Chair of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry became vacant on the death of Professor R.M. Caven. This led to a further elevation of Maggie’s status within the Department. Instead of filling the vacant Chair, the Committee on Chemistry and Metallurgy decided to reorganise the Chemistry staff. The Chair of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry was amalgamated with the Chair of Organic Chemistry, held by Professor Wilson, and the status of three lecturers, including Maggie, was advanced, giving her the new title of Lecturer in Inorganic Chemistry.^[9] In 1942, she attained the status of Senior Lecturer in Inorganic Chemistry.^[10]

During the Second World War (1939-1945), Maggie again assumed extra teaching responsibilities, helping to ensure that the Department could still offer a programme of classes. Acknowledging her efforts, the Committee on Chemistry and Metallurgy awarded her an honorarium of £25 for session 1943-1944, and another honorarium of £35 for session 1944-1945.^[11] In session 1945-1946, her salary, which was then £700 per annum, was boosted by a further wartime bonus of £48.

Alongside her teaching commitments, Maggie also pursued her own research on terpenes, semicarbazones and acridines, and published academic papers, some of which she co-authored with Professor Henderson and Professor Wilson. In addition, she wrote The Metal Ammines: volume 10 of an 11-volume Text-Book of Inorganic Chemistry edited by J. Newton Friend (1928).^[12]

Support for staff and student clubs and societies

Despite her consistently heavy workload, Maggie always made time to encourage social and recreational activities at the GWSTC and RTC and was an active member of several clubs and societies. As a postgraduate student, for example, she became the first woman to take an executive position in the Andersonian Chemical Society at the GWSTC, serving on its committee during sessions 1908-1909 and 1909-1910.[13] She was also a founder member of the RTC Dramatic and Musical Club, formed in session 1925-1926 to foster the interests of music and drama amongst students and staff. In each academic year, the club presented one dramatic performance and one or two orchestral concerts. Though she never graced the stage herself, Maggie served on the club’s committee in sessions 1926-1927, 1932-1933 and 1933-1934, and was elected as its Honorary President in sessions 1934-1935 and 1935-1936.^[14]

She was also involved in the Students’ Union, to whose committee she was elected as a staff representative in November 1913.^[15] However, she was most closely associated with the separate Women Students’ Union, formed in 1923 and popularly known as ‘The Muirhead’ in reference to the Muirhead Room, which was the women students’ common room. Maggie served as Honorary President of the Women Students’ Union during sessions 1924-1925, 1933-1936 and 1938-1939.^[16]

Retirement from the Royal Technical College

Under the government’s superannuation rules, Dr Maggie Sutherland was due to retire from the RTC on 18 October 1946. However, the Professor of Technical Chemistry recommended that her services be retained for an additional five months to help the Department deal with the anticipated post-war surge in student enrolments for session 1946-1947.^[17] She finally left the RTC on 31 March 1947, and retired to Comrie, Perthshire, where she and her younger sister, Frances, lived at Lenzie Cottage. After Frances’ death in 1967, Maggie stayed on at the cottage. She died at Perth Royal Infirmary on 19 March 1972, aged 91.

Dr Maggie Sutherland was a significant figure at the RTC, notable for having achieved steady career progression as a female academic within a male-dominated field, but equally remarkable for her longevity of service. Her association with the GWSTC and the RTC, firstly as a student and then as a member of staff, spanned 43 years. A reliable and dedicated colleague, she was also esteemed by her many students, who affectionately referred to her as ‘Dr Maggie’ and commented that ‘her bark is worse than her bite – for which reason she is popular with all students – particularly the men.’^[18]

^[1] OE/10/1/18: Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College Calendar 1904-1905, p.77.

^[2] OE/10/1/23: GWSTC Calendar 1909-1910, p.265.

^[3] OJD/1/1/5: Royal Technical College Magazine, vol.V, no.3, December 1912, p.68.

^[4] OS/80/2/25: University of Strathclyde Gazette, vol.VII (IV), June 1972, pp.20-21.

^[5] OE/1/1/15: Royal Technical College Board of Governors and Committee minutes, 1913-1914, p.16.

^[6] Ibid., p.171.

^[7] OE/1/1/17: RTC Board of Governors and Committee Minutes, 1917-1919, pp.74, 172.

^[8] OE/1/1/18: RTC Board of Governors and Committee Minutes, 1920-1921, p.35.

^[9] OE/1/1/25: RTC Board of Governors and Committee Minutes, 1934-1935, p.106; OJD/1/2/59: The Mask, vol.XX, no.1, October 1935, p.7.

^[10] OS/80/2/25: University of Strathclyde Gazette, vol.VII (IV), June 1972, pp.20-21.

^[11] OE/1/1/30: RTC Board of Governors and Committee Minutes, 1944-1945, pp.20, 98.

^[12] OS/80/2/25: University of Strathclyde Gazette, vol.VII (IV), June 1972, p.20.

^[13] OJD/1/1/2: Glasgow Technical College Magazine, vol.1, no.2, November 1908, p.43; OJD/1/2/61: The Mask, vol.XX, no.3, December 1935, p.93.

^[14] OJD/1/2/21: The Mask, vol.XI, no.2, November 1926, p.49; OK/33/3: Royal Technical College Dramatic and Musical Club minute book, 1929-1939.

^[15] OJD/1/1/6: RTC Magazine, vol.VI no.2, November 1913, p.48.

^[16] OJD/1/1/9: The Mask, vol.IX,no.3, December 1924, p.48; OJD/1/1/23: The Mask, vol.XXIII, no.1, October 1933, p.25; OJD/1/1/19: The Mask, vol.XIX, no.1, October 1934, p.22; OJD/1/2/16: The Mask, vol.XX, no.2, November 1935, p.63; OJD/1/2/76: The Mask, vol.XXIII, no.3, December 1938, p.80.

^[17] OE/1/1/31: RTC Board of Governors and Committee Minutes, 1946-1947, pp.47-48.

^[18] OJD/1/1/9: The Mask, vol.IX,no.3, December 1924, p.48.

In 1799, the managers of Anderson’s Institution appointed George Birkbeck (1776–1841) to replace Thomas Garnett as Professor of Natural Philosophy. A keen supporter of education for the working classes, Birkbeck recognised the need to produce skilled tradesmen. In 1800, he delivered a course which is regarded as being the first engineering course at Anderson’s Institution. The course, entitled ‘The Principles and Powers of Mechanical Energies’, proved to be very popular.

Birkbeck left Anderson’s Institution in 1804, but his mechanics’ class continued to meet. In 1823, the class broke away from Anderson’s Institution and set itself up as the Glasgow Mechanics’ Institute, amongst the first of the new breed of Mechanics Institutes which were being established at that time to offer technical education to the working classes.

After his departure from Anderson’s Institution, Birkbeck continued to encourage education for the working classes. He delivered mechanics’ classes in Liverpool, Hull and Birmingham and, later, whilst working as a physician in London, founded the London Mechanics’ Institution, the ancestor of Birkbeck College. 

This portrait of Birkbeck by William Bewick was commissioned by the mechanics’ class at Andersons’ Institution in 1823. It is part of the University’s collection of artworks.

Reference: GLAEX A15, Portrait of George Birkbeck

Thomas Garnett (1766-1802) was Professor of Natural Philosophy at Anderson’s Institution from 1796 to 1799. A medical graduate of the University of Edinburgh, Garnett was the first lecturer to be appointed by the managers of Anderson’s Institution. In addition to a daytime course on Arts and Manufactures, he offered two ‘popular’ evening lecture courses, one in natural and experimental philosophy and the other in chemistry. These popular courses were designed to entertain as well as to educate the citizens of Glasgow, and, in line with John Anderson’s wishes, they were also open to women. A total of 972 ladies and gentlemen attended Garnett’s classes at the Institution during the first session, making it,

‘the first regular institution in which the fair sex have been admitted…on the same footing as men’. 

Despite this success, however, the Institution’s managers could not afford to give Garnett the security of a fixed salary, and he resigned on 15 October 1799 to take up the more remunerative Chair of Experimental Philosophy, Mechanics and Chemistry at the Royal Institution in London.

The image is of an oil portrait of Garnett by an unknown artist. It is part of the University’s art collection and was donated by James Smith of Jordanhill (GLAEX A9).

Archives reference: OP 4/5/2 Painting of Thomas Garnett.

Archives reference: OB/1/1, Minute Book of Anderson’s Institution, 1796-1799, p.116.