William Lightbody 1802-1868
By David Lightbody
The gravestone in the foreground, which has fallen from its plinth, is located in the Lambda section of the Glasgow Necropolis cemetery, in the shadow of Glasgow Cathedral, and marks the grave of a William Lightbody. William was the son of James Lightbody, a Wine and Spirit merchant, and his wife Christina.
William was a Wright to trade (a carpenter) and built a ‘Vat and Tun’ business on Sydney Street, in the Calton area of the city. It was also where the family lived and from where the business supplied timber products to the local brewing and distilling industries. The company (Lightbody & Sons) continued to operate from this site through four generations of Lightbody ownership.
William was a Burgess of the city and a member of the Trades House.
Unfortunately, he suffered from a heart condition and died in 1868, away from the city, in Rothesay on the rural Isle of Bute, aged 66.
He is buried alongside his first wife, Elizabeth Muirhead, his second wife, Mary Campbell, and four of his children.
His first wife, Elizabeth Muirhead, died in 1840 and was pre-deceased by her children Christina, James and Ann. They died between 1838 and 1839, at the tragically young ages of thirteen, nine and one, respectively.
William’s eldest son Thomas, died in 1899, aged 71, and is also buried in this grave. Thomas ultimately left the timber business to work for the Bank of Scotland.
Following the death of Elizabeth, William married Mary Campbell and they had a daughter, Elizabeth, who was born in 1849.
Elizabeth married William Turnbull, a timber merchant, in Glasgow Cathedral in 1870 and they emigrated to Canada in 1879, where William continued his work in the lumber business. They had three children Harry, Gertrude and Teena. Elizabeth died in 1922 aged 73 and is buried in Huntsville, Ontario, alongside her husband.
The carpentry business on Sydney Street continued through William’s son, grandson, and great grandson, interestingly all Williams, ultimately employing sixty people. Through time they obviously prospered and moved from the cramped tenements of Sydney Street to notable properties in Dennistoun, on Broompark Drive and Clayton Terrace.
Interestingly, the Tennants brewery on Duke Street, at that time and to this day, is located at the end of Sydney Street and may have been a significant customer.