Dixon’s Rows

Dixon’s Rows, Blantyre

1st Door on left: Mrs Helen McDougall Paterson
27 Park Street, Dixons Raws, Blantyre c1919 whose family we have been posting recently thanks to her Granddaughter, Mary Wood.

The raw’s consisted of seven Streets Starting with Calder Street, Dixon Street, Hall Street and Park Street all travelling East to West. The other three streets were Miller Street, Govan Street and Carfin Street.

Just remember that these houses had earthen floors with no electricity or gas or water closet. It was not unusual for 10 or 12 adults and children to occupy the two roomed terraced houses.

The majority of the 212 men and boys who perished in the 1877 Mining Disaster lived in these streets.

No house in Dixon’s Rows was untouched by grief.

Little did they know that within a few short months, before they got over their grief, they would be homeless thanks to Messrs W. Dixon, the Pit owners

This is the last four houses in the Row which served as a Church to the Catholic Mining Community.

As more and more immigrants from Ireland arrived in Blantyre to work in the Pits, they wanted a place of Worship, because at that time there was no Catholic Church.

They approached the Pit Owners, Messrs William Dixon and asked, if not, petitioned, for a place of Worship.

As William Dixon’s family were Catholic and one of his sons was a Priest, they allocated the last five houses at the end of the Row to be used as a Chapel, much to the discontent of the Protestant Community.

This block of four houses were the last to be demolished.

Social Comments…

Elizabeth Weaver: All very fine of Dixon’s (and the priest son) to offer a chapel for worship – shame their Christianity didn’t extend to decent housing and a decent wage for the poor miners.

Marian Maguire: My great uncle, and my wife’s great aunt, who were married to each other lived in the Raws as they were called, it was a hard life, a cousin who was told to start work on Monday at the pit, despite wanting another job altogether was told if he didn’t turn up, the family could be evicted. So much for christian charity. I think they lived in Park Street.

Billy Steven: The Steven family were known as the Steins.

Sally Fisher: My granny lived in Dixon’s Raws she often talked about living there. The Taylor family before marriage was the Ward family.

Margaret Stewart: My father’s family lived in Dixon’s Raws they were the Stewart family.

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