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William de Glasgow (fl. 1315–1322), Vicar of Corbridge
This profile is part of the Glasgow Name Study.
Biography
William de Glasgow was instituted as Vicar of Corbridge in Northumberland on 20 November 1315, following the resignation of William de Warthewyk due to incapacity. He is recorded as a witness to a deed dated 19 November 1322.
He appears in:
- Reg. Pal. Dunelm, vol. ii, p. 759: “William de Glasgow, per resig. Warthewyk; instituted 20 November, 1315.”
- History of Northumberland, vol. 10 (https://archive.org/details/historyofnorthum10nort).
Historical Context
Corbridge was within the Bishopric of Durham’s peculiar jurisdiction but close to the Scottish Borders. The living was under the patronage of the Prior and Convent of Carlisle. William’s predecessor, William de Warthewyk, came from the local Warthewyk (Warkworth) family, showing how local gentry often supplied clergy.
No alternative surname is recorded for William. His use of “de Glasgow” appears authentic and consistent with other known early Glasgows.
Possible Kinship and Legacy
Other early clerics used the locative “de Glasgu” or “de Glasgow,” including John de Glasgu at St Andrews in the 1290s. Later Glasgows were well-rooted in the Borders, such as Alan Glasgow (c. 1550–1592) of Jedburgh, whose death involved the Ker family — a classic Borders kinship network. These lines are linked to the Stewarts of Minto and Cunninghams of Robertland and Glencairn, supporting a real hereditary use of the name.
Sources
- History of Northumberland, vol. 10 (https://archive.org/details/historyofnorthum10nort)
- Reg. Pal. Dunelm, vol. ii
- Pitcairn, Robert. Ancient Criminal Trials in Scotland. Vol. 1, Part 2.
- Stevenson, W. B. “The Monastic Presence in Scottish Burghs,” Scottish Historical Review, vol. 60, no. 170 (1981)
Research Notes
No other name for this William has been found. Corbridge’s strategic location near the Scottish Marches makes this connection plausible for later Borders Glasgow families.
