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.
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.
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.
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.
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’.
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.
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.
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’.
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.
10
Q
Lithuanian Immigrants - Experiences
A
- Coal, iron & steel industry in Lanarkshire & Ayrshire.
- Large community Coatbridge.
- Generally positive, faced negative reaction at first.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.