Glasgow dig uncovers wall torn down by residents in 1823 riverside access fight
Archaeologists in Glasgow have uncovered physical evidence of a historic 1823 protest where local residents tore down a wall built by a wealthy distiller to block public access to the River Clyde. The project, titled 'Digging the Dyke,' aims to document the site of this significant community confrontation.
Why it matters
The discovery provides tangible historical context to early 19th-century labor and public access rights movements in Scotland.
More than 200 years after a group of Glasgow residents tore down a wall that prevented them from walking along the River Clyde, archaeologists have uncovered remains linked to the confrontation. According to Scottish News, the discovery was made at Harvie’s Dyke in Dalmarnock, in Glasgow's East End, where a wealthy distiller had built walls around his property in the early 1820s.The dispute began when Thomas "Lang Tam" Harvie, a wealthy whisky distiller, purchased the Westthorn estate on the eastern edge of Glasgow. He built two large walls around the property, including one that extended towards the River Clyde and blocked a route that local workers and residents had used for years.According to historical accounts, the larger wall stood approximately 12 feet high and was protected by iron spikes and broken glass. A section of the structure also had a watchtower equipped with small cannons.
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