The Working-Man's Newspaper first appeared in November 1873. It was run by a co-operative and hoped to become a successful medium of information for the working class. Unfortunately, they ran into printing problems by the second issue, which was…

The Working-Man's Newspaper was a short-lived publication of the 1870s which was owned by workers. In the editorial to the first number, the editorial board pointed out that the philosophy of the publication was to support the working class to the…

This song is addressed to James William Barclay (1833-1907), who represented the 1st ward in Aberdeen town council in from 1864-1867 and the 3rd ward in 1868 to 1871. He was a shipowner, which is referred to in the fourth verse. Barclay stood as a…

This election poster asks the Aberdeen electorate to support the Liberal candidate James W Barclay, rather than the other Liberal planning to stand in the city, John Farley Leith. Farley Leith was returned as the Member of Parliament for Aberdeen in…

Example of pages from the 1872 Municipal Register.

This image of William Alexander (1826 - 1894), the author, comes from an etching by Sir George Reid (1831 - 1913). William Alexander was the editor of the Aberdeen Free Press and his novels, all serialised in the paper, deal with political issues. In…

The central, seated figure represents Provost William Leslie, to whom the image is dedicated. Aberdeen town council at this time were Liberal. The Party of Progress were clearly not as progressive as they wished the town to believe. The image shows…