SCOTLAND FREE OR A DESERT
By Stephen Wilson
The attempt by Scots to establish a provisional republic in 1820 warrants much more
attention from teachers. The event is often viewed as either an aberration or accident
rather than reflecting a deeply rooted radical tradition of the Scottish workers.
The casual visitor staying long enough in Scotland can't help coming across dubbed
or scrawled years : '1916' or '1690' in Glasgow toilets or walls. The former recalls the failed 1916 Easter Rising where Irish rebels attempted an insurrection to
drive out the British authorities and establish an independent Irish republic. The
insurrection failed but its legacy strongly inspired the more successful war of
independence which secured a republic in the south. The socialist agitator and
prominent trade unionist James Connolly played a prominent role in this uprising.
Most people know about this rebellion in Glasgow. But how many people know that
a failed insurrection in 1820 took place? If vandals started to paint the year 1820
on walls they might be doing history a favor. After all, ask most people in Scotland
if they know about the 1820 Radical war and you'll get a bewildered, confused or
indifferent response. The fact that an attempted revolution in Scotland received
mass support in Glasgow has been passed over by history. Scotland is hardly an
exception. How many Americans have heard of an armed uprising in Oklahoma
on August 2nd and 3rd 1917 known as 'the Green Corn rebellion?'
The uprising in 1820 in Scotland has been played down by some historians who
prefer a less radical version of history. The interpretation of those events still
arouses controversy. Some people regard it as 'a mere riot', 'a labor dispute by
disaffected weavers' or even as a rouse organised by 'agent provocateurs.' In
other words, the organizers of the rebellion were too hapless to organize an
insurrection so police spies did it! Some historians have argued the rebellion
was doomed to fail because it lacked sufficient mass support. But more recent
evidence indicates that this rebellion received much more mass support than
previously realized.
What were the reasons for the insurrection? Very few people in Scotland had
any democratic rights. Scotland was ruled by despotic and corrupt patronage
system where one lawyer ,Henry Dundas had the last word. Only 0.2% of the
Scottish population had the vote and workers had no right to join a union,
embark on a strike or even organize political meetings. The war against
Napoleon was used as a pretext to repress any radical who could be depicted
as 'a traitor' in the service of France. Whereas previously in Scotland , the
judiciary intervened in labor disputes to force employers to pay a just wage
to workers now this option was closed. Now any form of combination by
workers was outlawed and freedom of speech was largely suppressed. Many
people who had radical beliefs lost their jobs or were blacklisted. The poet
Robert Burns almost lost his job because of his suspected radical beliefs.
Those repressive measures along with the specter of the French Revolution
managed to contain unrest but only for a time. After the Napoleonic wars
economic conditions worsened, wages declined and the price of bread
increased drastically. One group of workers which was hit very hard were
the weavers. Wages suffered as the number of weavers rose from 25,000 in 1780
to 78,000 in 1820. Real wages of the weavers in Glasgow fell drastically by
one third. Shoemakers and colliers also suffered and attempts to peacefully
protest and petition lawyers were suppressed. It was largely due to the
intolerance of the authorities to any kind of peaceful protest than many Scots
became convinced that they had no alternative but to take up arms. So for
some years before 1820, radical workers had formed their own armed groups
and were even drilling in some town squares. I was even surprised to learn
that the Glasgow Herald had reported that in April 1820, as many as 400-
500 rebels were drilling in my locality of Milngavie! And this was only in one
small village. According to the historian T.M. Devine , 'The Underground
societies had a central co-ordinating committee; arms {usually pikes} were
available and military drilling was alleged to be under way in some districts.
In addition, the associations had a network that stretched across the five
counties of the west of Scotland, and substantial contacts had also been
achieved with radical groups in the north of England.There can be little doubt
that an armed revolt was being planned against an intransigent government
which once again had met moderate demands for reform with repression and
judicial retribution'. {The Scottish Nation, 1700 - 2007, T.M . Devine , Penguin
Books , London, New York, 2006} See also 'A brief History of Bearsden and
Milngavie ', by Sheena V. Peters, 1994, Glasgow .
On April the 1st 1820 the rebels struck. They issued a proclamation titled 'Address
to the Inhabitants of Great Britain and Ireland , compiled by 'the Committee of
Organisation for forming a Provisional Government.' It appealed for a union
of classes to unite to help the rich as well as the poor man and urged all workers
to go on strike. And the workers did not ignore the appeal. As many as 60,000
workers in Glasgow went on strike. The Lord Provost of Glasgow, Monteith stated
'Almost the whole population of the working classes have obeyed the orders
contained in the treasonable proclamation by striking work. ' And this was only in
Glasgow. The strikers were waiting for the leaders to issue further orders. But
none came and the rebellion fizzled out. On April the 5th some rebels marched
on their way to the Carron Iron works where they hoped to seize better arms.
On their way they were confronted with government troops and a skirmish took
place . This battle , where several men were killed , became known as 'The
Battle of Bonnymuir. The rebels, being poorly armed with pikes were defeated
and arrested. The main ring leaders such as James Wilson, Andrew Hardie and
John Baird, were put on trial and hung , drawn and quartered. Other rebels were
sent to Botany Bay. Mass repression,witch-hunts and blacklisting took place.
If mainstream history has largely down played those events, then folklore and
folk singers have not forgotten. There are some ballads called 'The Battle of
Bonnymuir' which are still sung in pubs throughout Scotland. One of the rebels,
sentenced to exile, Allan Murchie wrote a ballad with the words:
How long shall tyrants usurp freedom?
How long shall we groan in their vile
servile chains?
There is no doubt that this uprising had mass support. Had it been better led it
might just have succeeded. Unfortunately, this is largely Scotland's forgotten
revolution where rebels carried a banner titled ;' Scotland free or a Desert .'But
the year 1820 where the rebels who struck for freedom deserves homage. The
year 1820 should be written on every Scottish wall!
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