The '''Tobacco Lords''' (or “''Virginia Dons''”) were Glasgow merchants who, in the 18th Century made enormous fortunes by trading in tobacco from Britain's American_Colonies. In 1707, the Treaty_of_Union between Scotland and England gave Scottish merchants access to the English overseas territories, especially in North_America. Glasgow’s position on the River_Clyde, where the Trade Winds first hit Europe gave its merchants an enormous advantage over other ports in Britain and Europe. This position was enhanced by the French monarchy granting it a Monopoly for the importation of Tobacco into French territories, (1747) and, later, by the deepening of the Clyde in 1768. Moreover, Glasgow ships were American built specifically for the Atlantic crossing and were generally bigger than those of other ports. The tobacco trade was part of the Triangular_Trade linking exports of manufactured goods from Britain to West_Africa, where they were exchanged for Slaves who were sent to the British_Colonies in North_America, especially Virginia and the West_Indies, where they were sold. Merchants then bought tobacco, and other tropical goods to complete (and restart) the triangle by importing these to Britain. Glasgow merchants made such fortunes that they adopted the style of aristocratsin their superior manner and in their lavish homes and churches. Their Calvinist background made sure, however, that display was always of rich but sober materials - black Silk clothes, Silver tipped Ebony canes, Mahogany furniture, Classical_architecture. Their mansions were laid out on the western boundaries of the 18th century city, where they gave their names to later streets in what is now called the Merchant_City section of modern Glasgow. Other streets recall the triangular trade more directly - Virginia Street and Jamaica Street especially. Among the important Tobacco Lords whose mansions gave their names to streets were Andrew_Buchanan, James Dunlop, Archibald_Ingram, James Wilson and John_Glassford. An idea of the grandeur of the Tobacco Lords’ houses - which often dramatically punctuated the ends of the streets named after them - can be seen in the Gallery of Modern Art whose kernel is the grand mansion built, at a cost of £10,000, for William_Cunninghame in 1780. A more modest "''Tobacco Merchants House''" (by James Craig, 1775) is being restored at 42 Miller Street. St_Andrew’s_Parish_Church in St Andrew’s Square, built 1739 - 1756 by Alan_Dreghorn was the Tobacco Lord’s ostentatious parish church, in a prestigious area being laid out by such merchants as David_Dale. The American_War_of_Independence (1775 - 1783) may have brought an end to the tobacco trade, but the canny Glasgow merchants merely switched attention to other profitable parts of the triangular trade, particularly Cotton. ==Reference== * Devine,Tom ''The Tobacco Lords: A Study of the Tobacco Merchants of Glasgow and their Trading Activities, 1740-1790'' (John Donald, 1975) Category:History_of_Glasgow