Membership · The Two Hands
At the Near Hand & the Far Hand
Two doors into the same hall — the Society's historic terms for those born close to it, and those arriving for the first time.
Children of Members
For those closest to the Society's hearth — applicants whose parent or parent-in-law is already a Member:
- Sons and daughters of a Member of the Society
- Sons-in-law and daughters-in-law of a Member
Near Hand applications are the Society's continuity made visible: the same families, the next generation. Many are made by grandparents on a grandchild's behalf.
The First Qualifying Generation
For families new to the Society, though old in the city:
- Children of a Burgess and Guild Brother or Sister of Glasgow, who was in turn the child of a Burgess — the third generation in direct line
- Husbands and wives of such third-generation Burgesses
A Far Hand admission founds a new Society line: your children will one day apply at the Near Hand.
In Practice
Which Hand Am I?
"My mother is a member."
Near Hand. Children of members apply at the Near Hand — the simplest application of all.
"My father and grandfather were Burgesses, but no one joined the Society."
Far Hand. You are the first qualifying generation; your application opens a new family line in the rolls.
"My wife qualifies — do I?"
Yes. Husbands and wives of those who qualify are equally welcome, at whichever Hand applies to their spouse.
Still unsure? The Clerk untangles family trees weekly, and the Burgess Rolls of Glasgow reach back to 1573. Send what you know — a name, a trade, a date — and we will do the rest.
The Point of It All
Continuity, Made Visible
The Near Hand and the Far Hand exist for one purpose: that the old Burgess families of Glasgow should never lose the thread. Every Far Hand member begins a line; every Near Hand member continues one.
Some of those threads now run through seventeen generations.