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As Glasgow tourist attractions go
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 | Seal of Bishop Muirhead |
Probably the smallest of the Glasgow tourist attractions (the seriously low doors and ceilings revealing just how tiny the citizens of old Glasgow must have been!), the Provand's Lordship is thought to have been founded in about 1471 by Bishop Andrew de Durisdeer (or Durisdere) who is now more popularised as Andrew Muirhead.
Around that time, the local parish and diocese of the Church, with the Bishop at its head, represented the oil not only in the ecclesiastical engine of society, being the prime spiritual hand at the heart of the City, but more substantively perhaps in the secular and platonic governance of the populace.
Basically, the money pumped into the Church back in the day went straight "to the Bishop's table", but in turn the Bishops were expected to provide charity and hospitality for the local poor. As time went on therefore, and the population and importance of the City began to explode (at one point the diocese of Glasgow extended as far as the English Border!), hospitals sprung up everywhere at the behest of the Bishop, some merely a place of rest for weary travellers, and others providing accommodation for orphans or lepers, so the term "hospital" was used fairly loosely back in those days.
The folks operating in and around such hospitals are known to have worked tirelessly and unselfishly, the rationale behind such benevolence in the community stemming from their omnipresent belief that they would have a lot to answer for when it came to the Last Judgement.
Ah, that ever-present Catholic Guilt again!
The episcopate of Bishop Muirhead ran from 1455 until 1473, and during that period having been highly praised for his work by Popes Nicholas V and Calixtus III, he was authorised to found pretty near what used to be the Bishop's Palace or "Castle", which would now have been on Castle Street, a chapel and hospital dedicated to St. Nicholas (yes you guessed it, ol' Santa Claus himself!). It's believed that the area on which the hospital was erected was known as Stablegreen, as it was situated near the Castle's stables, and lay over the old Girth Burn.
 | Inside the Provand's Lordship |
Hope I haven't lost you so far!
You may be interested to know that the reason the place is now called the Provand's Lordship is that later on in its life, I think in about 1562, Mary Queen of Scots who's actually thought to have stayed in the house at one time, granted the lands of Provan to a canon of Glasgow Cathedral, William Baillie, who by Royal Charter took up residence in the manse. Drawing his income from the taxes & rents of Balernock, he was known as "Lord of the Prebend of Balernock", which as I'm sure you could suss out was corrupted over time to "Lord of Provan", hence your "Provand's Lordship".
Did I say you'd be interested in that?!!
Most folks you ask here about the oldest Glasgow tourist attractions will tell you that the Provand's Lordship pre-dates any other house in the City, but what most folks don't consider is that Provan Hall, located in Auchinlea Park in the Easterhouse area of Glasgow, may have been built around the same time, maybe even before that time. However, in the spirit of glossing over history which seems to be all the rage these days, the easiest story to tell visitors wandering around our Glasgow tourist attractions is that as the Glasgow Cathedral is our oldest surviving building, it simply makes more sense to say that the Provand's Lordship across the road is our oldest manse.
Talking about glossing over history, what I've never been able to work out (and I'd be happy if someone in the know could confirm this) is the true story behind one of the house's most famous residents, one Cuthbert Simson.
On the first floor of the house you'll see reference to this chap, sitting there as he does in a fetching gown and slippers with an hourglass and apple for some reason - maybe it was time for supper. But who was he? There's references to Simson in the history books as having been hired to lecture daily at Glasgow University which back then was in the High Street area of the City, and who resided in the Provand's Lordship in the 16th Century. On the one hand, I understand that he was a chaplain and master at the hospital, that he published helpfully in the Diocesan Registers a number of protocols on the history of Glasgow, and that he ended his life as a martyr to his religious beliefs during the Reformation, racked, tortured and put to death in Smithfield.
 | The torture of Cuthbert Simson |
Pretty upstanding guy you'd think.
On the other hand however, during my research into the top Glasgow tourist attractions, I've also read about one Cuthbert Simson in the Records of the Assizes of Dorsetshire, A.D. 1560 (yup, just a bit of light reading at bedtime for me!):
Under the hand and seal of my Lord Marmaduke Sloshpate, Sheriff in and for the County of Dorsetshire: Greetings. By these presents know ye that a warrant for the arrest of one Cuthbert Simson, a Masterless Man of Dorchester, was issued this day, the twenty-first of August in the Year of Our Lord, 1560, on the charges of disturbing the Queen’s peace, in this wise: Part the First, that the self-same Cuthbert Simson was discovered by Lord Sloshpate, in flagrante delicto, lying in carnal embrace with Lady Sloshpate, thus disseizing her of her honor and disturbing the domestic bliss and the sanctity of my Lord’s home; Part the Second, that Simson’s licentious attentions were forced upon Lady Sloshpate against her will, as supported by the written testimony of my Lord, who has stated upon his oath that his wife was so distracted by the abuse of her honor, that she was “Giggling in sheere terrore ; and Part the Third, that Simson did trespass and encroach upon the game preserve of my Lord and did dispossess, poach and otherwise convert to his own use one rabbit. Therefore, Cuthbert Simson is ordered to be held in close arrest pending his appearance at the Michaelmas Quarter Sessions, and to be put to the torture so as to discover the whereabouts and to procure the replevin of the aforementioned rabbit.
"In flagrante delicto"? Tortured over the poaching of a poor wee bunny wabbit rather than for high-falootin religious beliefs? Was this the same cheeky chappy who sits with humble respect in the Provand's Lordship?If anyone knows the truth then I'd love to know!
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 | Re ol' Glesca manse |
As I alluded to before, whilst the Provand's Lordship won't waste time trying to convince you that it deserves its place in the top ten Glasgow tourist attractions, once you visit the place you may come to the view that it doesn't need to.
Walking through the door you'll be transported like Marty McFly from the traffic jam of Castle Street to the calmness of a bygone age. This is one of those Glasgow tourist attractions where you can get a genuine feel for an era in history, how folks lived their lives back in the day. It's a house of three levels, and inside you'll notice that whilst the masonry and architecture of the building beautifully restored by the Provand's Lordship Society has its roots in the medieval 15th Century, the furnishings (including kind donations by Sir William Burrell mentioned in my page on another of the top Glasgow tourist attractions, the Burrell Collection), contents and artwork give you a flavour of the house's residents in the centuries that followed. You'll see paintings of King Philip of Spain, Mary Queen of Scots, and amongst the other notable Kings there's even an English invasion by Henry VIII!
 | St. Nicholas Garden |
In this garden you'll come across the medieval answer to aspirin (apparently it's peusedamus, alias hog's fennel, betony, verbena, valerian & dill - our pill-popping days are way easier than all that!), the fragrant scent of camomile under your feet, an intricate Celtic knot garden, and the mysteriously macabre Tontine Faces that formerly graced the arches of the Tontine Hotel at the Trongate down the road.
This really is one of the most historically fascinating Glasgow tourist attractions that connects you more with the City's roots. At the very least it'll provide you with a more personable stop on your tour around the Glasgow Cathedral Precinct, and I hope you enjoy your time here. Let me know what you think once you visit, as it's always great to hear others' memories of the best Glasgow tourist attractions (I tend to bore myself otherwise!).
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How to get there
It's not difficult to find the best Glasgow tourist attractions, given the effort made by the Council over the years to ensure they're all well sign-posted. The Provand's Lordship is on Castle Street opposite the Glasgow Cathedral. Here's a wee map to help you get there.
Basically, if you're at George Square, head along east on George Street, past the Council Chambers on your right, and turn left onto the High Street when you reach it. Then just keep walking up the High Street and you can't miss it.
However, if you need any more directions or info on the Provand's Lordship, one of my favourite Glasgow tourist attractions, just let me know.
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