Tour Library

The Miners' Library

The Wanlockhead Miner's Library is the second oldest subscription Library in Scotland and indeed Europe and was established '....for our mutual improvement'. on the 1^st November 1756 with 32 men. The Library was funded by subscriptions from the Miners, but a contribution was also made by mining companies too in order to encourage 'self-improvement' in the miners. There was a hidden agenda, as the mining companies believed that the Library would help to cut down on the unruly behaviour which existed at the time! The Duke of Buccleuch was another major patron of the Library.

The Privilege of Membership

The atmosphere in the Miners' Library has to be experienced to fully understand the influence that the books had on the lives of the miners and their families. Only 40 miners' sons 'escaped' from the mines in the 40 years between 1835 and 1875 and this was due in great part to the Miners' Library and the books it held. Wanlockhead has given the world many famous 'sons' and ' daughters', whose first taste of education, was with the books at Wanlockhead Miners' Library.

Membership of the Library was a privilege and new members were subjected to a rigorous interrogation by the Librarian before being admitted to membership. This membership certificate was issued to William Meikle on joining the Library on the 7th January 1829. It was subsequently transferred on the 26th February 1901 to Mr James Gass. Wanlockhead Miners’ Library was very progressive in that it allowed women to subscribe! In 1784 it is recorded that there were 32 male members and 1 female - Isabella Rutherford.

The Library Today

The library originally started in the school but as the subscription numbers increased and the number of books in stock increased, it was necessary to move the library to a cottage, which was given to them by the mine overseers in 1787. However the cottage was too small and it was found to be necessary to build a larger building, which came into use in July 1788. As the stock of books rose to over 2,000 again the problem of space forced them to build a new library from subscription money. This was opened in January 1851and this is the library you can see today.

Once the library was fully repaired and the interior environment had stabilised thus ensuring the books were no longer in danger of further deterioration, the collection was put back on the shelves. Today the library houses a collection of books which have been recognised to have "Great National Importance" and can be seen as a symbol of the lead miners' culture and education.

Interactive Fun

Today the Library has an interactive computer which allows people to find out all about the Lorimer Family. The family lived and worked in Wanlockhead in in the mid 19th century. Find out what Kenneth the son, wrote on at school. Learn about his abacus 'calculator' which helped him to understand arithmetic and what the 'gird and cleek' was that he played with after school. Get to know about his mum, Mary and dad, Thomas.

Robert Owen

It must be said, that in this time period, the realisation had dawned on employers in the new large industries, that if their employees were better treated, educated and happier with their lot then, they would work harder as a result. Robert Owen of New Lanark took a keen interest in discovering how the mining companies at Wanlockhead and Leadhills, looked after their miners and families and some of what he learned here, was applied to his mills in the Clyde Valley.
Photo courtesy of New Lanark Conservation Trust

However when the mines were closed in 1934, sounded the death-knell for the library. Following the First World War, decline set in, due mainly to the fall in demand for lead and the dwindling numbers of people in Wanlockhead. The library finally closed in March 1938.

Once the Library closed, it became the responsibility of the Wanlockhead Village Council to look after the stock and the building. Although repairs were made to the building, the elements had begun to take their toll on the building and its contents.

However by 1960's new interest in the industrial archaeology of Wanlockhead, the mine and the surrounding area was taken mainly due to Geoffrey Downs-Rose, a lecturer at Loughborough Technical College, who in 1974 helped establish the Wanlockhead Museum Trust. One of the aims of the Museum is to preserve the miners' way of life for future generations to see what life was like for miners at Wanlockhead.

There have been many difficulties, which have been overcome. On taking over the library, the Museum discovered that the building was in a poor condition the books were in need of a great deal of attention. Extensive and expensive repairs were required to the interior and exterior to bring it back to how it looked when it was still open.