Paisley was a famous weavers centre producing intricate patterns that became world famous. Like all workers, the bosses tried to get as much profit out of them as they could, and pay them as little as possible. In Paisley this came to a head with a long and bitter strike in 1856, in which the strikers won their battle. Each year now the strike is celebrated on the first Saturday of July with a march and a celebration of the burning of the "Cork".
Photo courtesy of Paisley.org.uk
This from Radical Glasgow History Project.
THE PROBLEM.In the 19th century the intricate patterns of the Paisley weavers work was held together by an unseen strong thread called the Sma' Shot. This secret stitch held together Paisley's famous shawls and without the stitch the patterns would come apart. The weavers had to pay for the thread but the fact that it was unseen meant that the manufacturers who purchased the patterns would not pay for the cotton in the sma' shot.CONFRONTATION.
By the middle of the century the Paisley weavers were fed up with the bosses tight-fistedness and decided to take strike action. In 1856 after a long and bitter dispute the bosses caved in and the weavers won their claim to be paid for the hidden thread.CHARLESTON DRUM.
The original Charleston, (a district in Paisley) drum which historically was used to rally weavers in times of disputes, is now in the Paisley Museum, a copy of the original drum is now used to rally the masses on Sma' Shot Day. The climax of the celebrations on Sma' Shot Day is the burning of an effigy, in top hat and tails, representing “the Cork” who was the despised boss in the days of the dispute.LONGEST RUNNING CLASS WAR CELEBRATION.From 1856 the first Saturday in July, a traditional Paisley holiday was named “Sma' Shot Day. This celebration of the weavers victory continued until 1975. For a few years it seems to have been dropped but in 1986 the tradition was revived and continues today.
The loom that drove the weavers from cottages to factories.
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