Mary Laird ( Burns; died 1944) was a founding member and first President of the
Glasgow Women's Housing Association, a President of the Partick Branch of the
Women's Labour League
The Women's Labour League (WLL) was a pressure organisation, founded in London in 1906, to promote the political representation of women in parliament and local bodies. The idea was first suggested by Mary Macpherson, a linguist and journalist wh ...
, associated with the
Red Clydeside
Red Clydeside was an era of political radicalism in Glasgow, Scotland, from the 1910s until the early 1930s. It also referred to the area around the city on the banks of the River Clyde, such as Clydebank, Greenock, Dumbarton and Paisley. Red C ...
movement, and supported the
Glasgow Rent Strikes of 1915 alongside
Mary Barbour
Mary Barbour ( Rough; 20 February 1875 – 2 April 1958) was a Scotland, Scottish Activism, political activist, local councillor, bailie and magistrate. Barbour was closely associated with the Red Clydeside movement in the early 20th century ...
,
Agnes Dollan
Agnes Johnston Dollan MBE ( Moir; 16 August 1887 – 16 July 1966), also known as Agnes, Lady Dollan, was a Scottish suffragette and political activist. She was a leading campaigner during the Glasgow Rent Strikes, and a founding organis ...
,
Mary Jeff
Mary Jeff (1873–1941) was a Scottish activist and politician who was involved in the Glasgow rent strike.
Early life and education
Mary Jeff was born Mary Russell Watson in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire in 1873. She moved to Govan in 1896, and liv ...
and
Helen Crawfurd
Helen Crawfurd ( Jack, later Anderson; 9 November 1877 – 18 April 1954) was a Scottish suffragette, rent strike organiser, Communist activist and politician. Born in Glasgow, she was brought up there and in London.
Biography
Born Helen Jack ...
.
Laird went on to participate in wider social activism for women and children's rights.
Biography
Mary Burns Laird was born in 1864 to Margaret Walker and Hugh Burns, who were both born in Ireland. In 1884, she married John Laird, who was a ship builder's clerk. The wedding took place in
Kinning Park
Kinning Park is a southern suburb of Glasgow, Scotland. It was formerly a separate police burgh between 1871 and 1905 before being absorbed by the city. In 1897, it had a population of 14,326.Govan Parish School Board, ''The Members' Year Book ...
, Glasgow. Laird was a sewing machinist. Her father, Hugh was a Deputy Harbourmaster at the time of her marriage. In the 1891 and 1901 censuses the family lived at Edward Street, Barony and in the 1911 census at Blantyre Road,
Anderston
Anderston (, ) is an area of Glasgow, Scotland. It is on the north bank of the River Clyde and forms the south western edge of the city centre. Established as a village of handloom weavers in the early 18th century, Anderston was an independent ...
. According to the
1911 census
The United Kingdom Census 1911 of 2 April 1911 was the 12th nationwide census conducted in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The total population of the United Kingdom was approximately 45,221,000, with 36,070,000 recorded in England ...
entry Laird and her husband, John had had six children, two of whom were still living. In the 1891 and 1901 censuses three children are listed: Annie, Mary and Robert.
Evidence to the Royal Commission on Housing
Laird was a prominent Labour activist and patron of the
Women's Labour League
The Women's Labour League (WLL) was a pressure organisation, founded in London in 1906, to promote the political representation of women in parliament and local bodies. The idea was first suggested by Mary Macpherson, a linguist and journalist wh ...
. In 1913, as a member of the Women's Labour League, she gave a prepared statement and then was a witness to the Royal Commission on the Housing of the industrial population of Scotland Rural and Urban.
Her statement concerned objections to the single-apartment or one-roomed house as a home for married couples.
In it she describes how difficult it is to observe the decencies of life in one room, particularly when a child is born or a member of the family dies.
The Royal Commission on Housing originated in 1909, when the
Secretary for Scotland
The secretary of state for Scotland (; ), also referred to as the Scottish secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Scotland Office. The incum ...
,
Lord Pentland, directed the
Local Government Board for Scotland to seek reports from county medical officers into the living conditions of miners; this being the result of a meeting with a deputation from the
Scottish Miners Federation
The National Union of Scottish Mineworkers (NUSW) is a trade union in Scotland, founded in 1894 as the Scottish Miners Federation. It joined the Miners' Federation of Great Britain, and in 1914 changed its name to National Union of Scottish Mine ...
earlier that year. This eventually led to the Commission being established in 1912 by Lord Pentland's successor, the Right Honourable
Thomas McKinnon Wood
Thomas McKinnon Wood Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC (26 January 1855 – 26 March 1927) was a British Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician. Regarded as a liberal with "sound Progressive credentials," he served as a member of ...
.
Evidence was taken by a group of commissioners led by Sir Henry Ballantyne, which included
Helen Kerr
Helen Louisa Kerr ( Howden; 9 March 1859 – 8 February 1940) was a Scottish social reformer.
Life
Helen Louisa Howden was born on 9 March 1859, the daughter of Mary Elizabeth Shaw Stewart and her husband, James Howden, a chartered accountant w ...
, from March 1913 until October 1915; the report was published in 1917 and the minutes of evidence not until 1921.
Women's Housing campaign and rent strikes
In 1914, at the age of 50, Laird became one of the founders and first President of the Glasgow Women's Housing Association.

The
Glasgow Women's Housing Association was formed on the eve of the First World War in 1914 with support from the
Women's Labour League
The Women's Labour League (WLL) was a pressure organisation, founded in London in 1906, to promote the political representation of women in parliament and local bodies. The idea was first suggested by Mary Macpherson, a linguist and journalist wh ...
and the Housing Committee of the Glasgow Labour Party, although the organisation was non-political in its membership and commitments.
[ The organisation became a driving force in supporting the 1915 rent strike, and its formation has been described as the major 'pre-war organizational effort' in support of the strikes.][ In 1915 the Glasgow Women's Housing Association organised a number of meetings in Morris Hall on Shaw Street in ]Govan
Govan ( ; Cumbric: ''Gwovan''; Scots language, Scots: ''Gouan''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'') is a district, parish, and former burgh now part of southwest Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the sout ...
to protest rent increases across Glasgow. The first of these meetings, on 16 February, was chaired by Laird and addressed by John S. Taylor, Patrick Dollan
Sir Patrick Joseph Dollan (3 April 1885 – 30 January 1963) and his wife, Agnes, Lady Dollan (née Moir; 16 August 1887 – 16 July 1966) were Glasgow activists in the Scottish Independent Labour Party. During the First World War th ...
and Harry Hopkins. Laird also played a prominent part in another meeting which took place in St Mungo's Halls. In her role as Chair of the Glasgow Women's Housing Association, Laird criticised tenement housing, stating that these were a challenge for housewives, advocating instead the establishment of "cottage homes".
Social activism
A s well as her involvement in the 1915 Glasgow Rent Strikes, Laird spoke on housing issues in various locations-for example, in Milngavie
Milngavie ( ; ) is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland and a suburb of Glasgow. It is on the Allander Water, at the northwestern edge of Greater Glasgow, and about from Glasgow city centre. It neighbours Bearsden. Milngavie is a commuter t ...
in March of the same year, at the Co-operative Women's Guild on the subject of "the Housing Question". Laird's speech is quoted extensively in the local press, and includes details of the conditions that tenants had to contend with, such as 120,000 families in Glasgow being forced to stay in single-apartment flats due to high rents; also to the diseases such as rickets, measles etc which caused high mortality due to the cramped living conditions., and many of the other daily challenges which were faced. Laird continued by advocating social housing rather than for profit.
Laird became increasingly involved with the Labour Party and wider social activism. In 1915, the radical publication ''Forward'' urged that Laird be adopted as a municipal candidate for the Labour Party as a way of linking housing policy with a direct appeal to women voters. In November 1916, as president of the Partick
Partick (, Scottish Gaelic: ''Partaig'') is an area of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde, just across from Govan. To the west lies Whiteinch, to the east Yorkhill and Kelvingrove Park (across the River Kelvin), and to the north Broo ...
Branch of the Women's Labour League
The Women's Labour League (WLL) was a pressure organisation, founded in London in 1906, to promote the political representation of women in parliament and local bodies. The idea was first suggested by Mary Macpherson, a linguist and journalist wh ...
she presided over a meeting protesting the high prices of food, the cause of which she stated was "profiteering organisations".
On May Day 1917, Laird spoke alongside, among others, Mary Barbour
Mary Barbour ( Rough; 20 February 1875 – 2 April 1958) was a Scotland, Scottish Activism, political activist, local councillor, bailie and magistrate. Barbour was closely associated with the Red Clydeside movement in the early 20th century ...
and Agnes Dollan
Agnes Johnston Dollan MBE ( Moir; 16 August 1887 – 16 July 1966), also known as Agnes, Lady Dollan, was a Scottish suffragette and political activist. She was a leading campaigner during the Glasgow Rent Strikes, and a founding organis ...
, at a rally at Glasgow Green
Glasgow Green is a park in the east end of Glasgow, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde. Established in the 15th century, it is the oldest park in the city. It connects to the south via the St Andrew's Suspension Bridge.
History
In ...
attended by 70,000 people. In April 1919, Laird was elected for Labour in School Board elections. As member for Hillhead
Hillhead (, ) is an area of Glasgow, Scotland. Situated north of Kelvingrove Park and to the south of the River Kelvin, Hillhead is at the heart of Glasgow's fashionable West End, with Byres Road forming the western border of the area, the ...
and Partick
Partick (, Scottish Gaelic: ''Partaig'') is an area of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde, just across from Govan. To the west lies Whiteinch, to the east Yorkhill and Kelvingrove Park (across the River Kelvin), and to the north Broo ...
, she served on a number of committees responsible for children's welfare.
Laird was appointed to the Women's Committee on House Planning in Scotland in June 1918. The Committee had been established by the Secretary for Scotland
The secretary of state for Scotland (; ), also referred to as the Scottish secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Scotland Office. The incum ...
, Robert Munro with the purpose of inspecting houses built by the Local Government Board for Scotland for Ministry of Munitions
The Minister of Munitions was a British government position created during the First World War to oversee and co-ordinate the production and distribution of munitions for the war effort. The position was created in response to the Shell Crisis o ...
and the Admiralty, and other housing schemes, and making recommendations from the housewife's point of view; its chair was Helen Kerr
Helen Louisa Kerr ( Howden; 9 March 1859 – 8 February 1940) was a Scottish social reformer.
Life
Helen Louisa Howden was born on 9 March 1859, the daughter of Mary Elizabeth Shaw Stewart and her husband, James Howden, a chartered accountant w ...
. The committee's report was published in October 1918. The women commented on the type and layout of the new houses, many built on Garden City lines, and visits included schemes at Rosyth
Rosyth () is a town and Garden City in Fife, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth.
Scotland's first Garden city movement, Garden City, Rosyth is part of the Greater Dunfermline Area and is located 3 miles south of Dunfermline city cen ...
, Inchinnan
Inchinnan (; ) is a small village in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The village is located on the main A8 road between Renfrew and Greenock, just south east of the town of Erskine.
History
The name of Inchinnan village is derived from the Gaelic ...
, Gourock
Gourock ( ; ) is a town in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area and formerly a burgh of the County of Renfrew in the west of Scotland. It was a resort town, seaside resort on the East shore of the upper Firth of Clyde. Its ma ...
and Greenock
Greenock (; ; , ) is a town in Inverclyde, Scotland, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The town is the administrative centre of Inverclyde Council. It is a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, and forms ...
. Mary Laird was one of those who proposed in an addendum to the report that a proper standard of housing should be a duty and obligation of the state.
In 1922 Mary became Treasurer of the Scottish Labour Housing Association. She stood for election to the town council for Partick East in 1924, losing to the moderate candidate, Donald Fletcher then in 1926 she became a member of the Glasgow Trades Council
{{Use British English, date=January 2018
Glasgow Trades Council is an association of trade union branches in Glasgow in Scotland.
The trades council was founded in 1858 as the Glasgow United Trades Council.Archives Hub,Records of Glasgow District ...
.
Death and legacy
Laird died in Prestwick
Prestwick () is a town in South Ayrshire on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland about southwest of Glasgow. It adjoins the larger town of Ayr to the south on the Firth of Clyde coast, the centre of which is about south, and the small vi ...
in 1944, aged 81.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laird, Mary
People associated with Glasgow
Red Clydeside
Scottish women activists
Scottish women in politics
19th-century Scottish women
20th-century Scottish women
Scottish socialist feminists
1864 births
1944 deaths
Date of birth missing
Date of death missing