Experiences of Immigrants in Scotland Flashcards

1
Q

Protestant Irish Immigrants - Experiences

A
  • Settled where weaving trade strong e.g. Renfrewshire, Ayrshire & Glasgow.
  • Worked as farm labourers in the South-west.
  • Skilled industries (shipbuilding, iron). Bairds of Coatbridge employed Protestants & job ads in Belfast newspapers. Orange lodge reaction against Catholic secret societies that wanted to rid protestants. Assimilated easily, same religion, generally positive experience.
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2
Q

Protestant Irish Immigrants - Reaction of Scots

A
  • Better relationship, shared language & religion - weren’t a threat.
  • Employers sought out Protestant Irish workers by advertising vacancies in Northern Irish press.
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3
Q

Protestant Irish Immigrants - Identity & Assimilation

A
  • In common with average Scot. Long term & deeply embedded cultural interaction between Ulster & lowland Scotland.
  • Easier assimilation with common faith.
  • Orange Lodges provided way for Protestants to retain identity. First one opened 1800 centre of Maybole, Ayrshire.
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4
Q

Catholic Irish Immigrants - Experiences

A
  • Unskilled jobs - coal mining, sugar refineries, jute mills, construction work (railway navvies, forth railway bridge). Unwanted jobs but necessary for growing economy. Positive experience but difficult & dangerous.
  • Lived in poorest parts of cities e.g Cowgate in Edinburgh, Lochee, Dundee nicknamed “Little Tipperary”.
  • Association with disease - typhus “Irish fever” - Viewed as dirty, drunken & superstitious.
  • Changed surnames, intermarried & converted to protestantism.
  • Catholic church expanded, priests 134 in 1878 to 234 in 1902. Organisations (League of the Cross) combat Alcohol. Celtic FC.
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5
Q

Catholic Irish Immigrants - Reaction of Scots

A
  • Unpopular w/ workers. Strike breakers & kept wages down (coal mining areas).
  • Popular w/ employers, willing to work long hours, did unwanted jobs. Provided essential labour at time when economy was growing.
  • Lived poor conditions (Cowgate, Edinburgh) Typhus “Irish Fever.”
  • ‘Benefit scroungers’ claiming poor relief 3 years residence.
  • Anti-catholic feeling led to ‘Scottish Protestant League.” 23’ Church of Scotland pamphlet ‘The Menace of The Irish Race to our Scottish Identity’.
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6
Q

Catholic Irish Immigrants - Identity & Assimilation

A
  • Kept identity through church. Blamed for disease, low wages & competing for jobs.
  • Celtic FC 1888, Edinburgh Hibernians 1873 separate sporting identity.
  • Built churches - meeting place for young.
  • Education (Scotland) Act 18’ allowed Catholic schools into state system. Gave right to provide Catholic instructions & own teachers.
  • Shared experience w/ Scots, affected by industrial/urbanisation. Trade unions & WW1.
  • Even in 30s’ faced persecution organised by Church of Scotland.
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7
Q

Jewish Immigrants - Experiences

A
  • Settled central Glasgow, Gorbals offered cheap lodgings & others speaking Yiddish.
  • Own businesses, hawkers or peddlers.
  • ‘Sweated trades’ i.e. long hours, low pay (cap makers & tailoring).
  • Positive, non-threatening though faced anti-semitism.
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8
Q

Jewish Immigrants - Reaction of Scots

A
  • Non threatening, own businesses e.g. watchmaking, jewellers, pawnbrokers, tailors - provided service.
  • Provided forselves, not burden on local poor relief e.g. Jewish Benevolent Society.
  • Anti-semitism existed, though few organised attacks. Daily Record 1905 article ‘Alien danger - immigrants infected with loathsome disease’.
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9
Q

Jewish Immigrants - Identity & Assimilation

A
  • Communities e.g. Gorbals. Lived alongside each other, Yiddish.
  • Synagogues built e.g. South Portland Street in Glasgow. Reading rooms set up.
  • Jewish Benevolent Societies provided members of Jewish community in need.
  • Changed names.
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10
Q

Lithuanian Immigrants - Experiences

A
  • Coal, iron & steel industry in Lanarkshire & Ayrshire.
  • Large community Coatbridge.
  • Generally positive, faced negative reaction at first.
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11
Q

Lithuanian Immigrants - Reaction of Scots

A
  • Competitors in coal & iron, lowering wages.
  • Strikebreakers, unpopular w/ workforce.
  • ‘Dirty & immoral’. Soon accepted. Joined trade unions w/ Scots, improving working conditions.
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12
Q

Lithuanian Immigrants - Identity & Assimilation

A
  • Bernotaitis became Brown.
  • Newspapers, shops & insurance societies.
  • 18-14 choice of conscripting in British Army or Russia. Of 1800, 700 chose British.
  • By 1920s many left, remaining integrated.
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13
Q

Italian Immigrants - Experiences

A
  • Provided service, ice cream barrows, “hokey-pokey” men.
  • ‘Morally damaging’, encouraging young people & open Sundays.
  • Long hours, restricted social life, counter meeting point.
  • Fairly positive, non-threatening & prevented alcohol temptations.
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14
Q

Italian Immigrants - Reaction of Scots

A
  • Generally accepted, provided services.
  • Hostility w/ Presbyterian. Criticised for opening on Sabbath & being scene of unruly behaviour. Glasgow Herald Newspaper ‘ice-cream hell’.
  • Italians recall name calling. Hostility 20s-30s concerns grew over Mussolini’s fascist Gov. Attacks start W11.
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15
Q

Italian Immigrants - Identity & Assimilation

A
  • Didn’t try, hoped to go home.
  • Organisations e.g. Casa d’Italia branches Edinburgh, Aberdeen & Dundee.
  • Young Italians local speech pattern through catering trade.
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