Instituted 16th November 1756 · Royal Charter 1899
The Grand Antiquity Society of Glasgow
Uniting the old Burgess families of Glasgow, generation to generation, for more than two and a half centuries.
Welcome
Glasgow's Oldest Society of Burgess Families
Founded on 16th November 1756, the Grand Antiquity Society is among the oldest and most distinguished of Glasgow's historic clubs and societies. It was instituted by the city's Burgesses to unite the old Burgess families of Glasgow, to preserve the continuity of Burgess-ship from generation to generation, and to afford relief to members and their widows in need.
The Society stands within the city's ancient civic family — the Seventeen Burgess Associations that include the Trades House of Glasgow, the Fourteen Incorporated Crafts and the Deacons' Association — yet its qualification is the most exclusive of all. Each member must be a third-generation Burgess and Guild Brother or Guild Sister in direct line, or the spouse of one. Some members trace their Burgess descent through seventeen generations.
Incorporated by Royal Charter in 1899 and honoured since 1992 by the patronage of HRH The Princess Royal, the Society continues its founding work to this day: charitable grants to members and their families, and the celebration of the history, culture and architecture of Glasgow.
A Treasured Inheritance
Passed from Preses to Preses Since 1756
A Lineage of the City
Five Centuries of Glasgow's Guildry
The first Craft charters. Glasgow's craftsmen receive their Seals of Cause — the Skinners & Glovers first among them — founding the Fourteen Incorporated Crafts of the Trades House.
The Letter of Guildry. The Trades House of Glasgow is constituted, drawing the Crafts together under the Deacon Convener.
The Society is instituted. On 16th November, Glasgow Burgesses found the Grand Antiquity Society. James Burns is elected first Preses.
The Guilds' privileges end. Exclusive trading rights are abolished; the Crafts and the Society turn wholly to benevolence and fellowship.
The Royal Charter. The Society is incorporated by Royal Charter, securing its charitable character for the centuries ahead.
A Royal Patron. HRH The Princess Royal follows family tradition — after King Edward VIII, King George VI and The Queen Mother — by joining as Royal Patron and honorary member.
Fellowship
Good Company, Kept for 270 Years
Members gather through the year — at the annual dinner, the annual lecture, and the civic occasions of the Trades House — in the company of the custodians of Glasgow's oldest traditions.
New members are warmly received, and many families are represented by three generations at the same table.
Family History
Your Name May Already Be in Our Books
The Society's rolls reach back to 1756, and Glasgow's Burgess records to 1573. Many families discover — through a grandfather's trade, a great-grandmother's marriage — that they already qualify. We will gladly help you search.
Trace Your Burgess LineJoin the Society
A single entry payment, no annual subscription, and a Diploma to mark your admission to one of Glasgow's most historic societies.
Serve as a Director
Help steward the Society's charity and traditions — the path that leads, in time, to the chair of Preses.
Write to the Clerk
Questions of membership, ancestry, the annual lecture or the Sir Robert Smith Award — all enquiries are warmly received.