Introducing Georgian Glasgow

The 18th and early 19th centuries were a time of remarkable expansion for Glasgow. Described by Daniel Defoe as ‘the cleanest, beautifullest and best built city in Great Britain’, the city expanded from a population of 13,000 in 1712 to over 200,000 by 1832. But what were the causes of this rapid growth in size, wealth and influence? This book looks at the importance of industry, trade, and how the city’s place on the commercial trade routes grew the fortunes of the Glasgow ‘tobacco lords’ and the effects of Empire and links with slavery.