The Southern Necropolis on Caledonia Road represents much of our ancestral past and stands as one of the largest remaining parts of old Gorbals.

From it, I have ‘dug up’ another fascinating instalment of the cemetery’s history through Jane Elliot who lives in Oban.
Jane has a unique family link to Agnes Harkness, the Heroine of Matagorda, who is buried in the Eastern section of the cemetery. For many years Jane’s family have known of the Matagorda Lady by her married name of ‘Reston’. On her headstone this Napoleonic War heroine is identified by her maiden name of ‘Harkness’.

Jane has been in possession of a set of horn drinking cups that belonged to Agnes during the time she spent in Glasgow’s Town Hospital. She also has an undated newspaper cutting detailing some of Agnes’s unique and fascinating life.

Her husband, James Harkness, was a sergeant in the 94th Regiment of Foot which, in 1810, occupied a fort under siege by the French at Matagorda, near Cadiz in Spain.

Agnes and their four-year-old son were also there. They witnessed the bloody campaign and this Scots-born woman rose heroically to the assistance of the army surgeon by tending the wounded soldiers around her.

With bullets from the French flying close by her head and one twenty-four pound shot striking near where she slept, Agnes reacted quickly. First she took her young son to a safer spot within the fort. Then she proceeding to tear up her own clothing to use as bandages.

In another dramatic part of the battle she rushed to the aid of the regimental drummer, who with bucket in hand, had frozen in fear while attempting to reach a well.

With no concern for her own safety, Agnes took the bucket. While filling it with water a passing shot severed the rope which lowered it into the well. Not being one to give up, and with the help of a sailor, she recovered the bucket and quickly took the water to the wounded soldiers.

Amazingly, she and her family survived the ordeal and returned to Glasgow. James was discharged on a pension of one shilling and tenpence a day.

The pension died with him, consigning Agnes to Glasgow City Poor House for 22 years. Even there, Agnes cared for others by taking on the role of sick nurse. A press story describing the past heroic actions of this Poor House resident brought a huge response from the public. The result was that a fund giving her 30 pounds a year was established. But with her own home having long since been broken up, Agnes spent the evening of her life at Glasgow’s Town Hospital. There she paid for her board until her death on 24th December 1856, aged 85.

Jane Elliot is still searching to establish a direct family connection to Agnes, having only the nesting cups and the newspaper cutting. She hopes some of her questions will be answered when the headstone next to Agnes’s is turned face up. There is the possibility Agnes rests in a double lair and the fallen stone could hold vital new information.

Starting on the weekend of Saturday 30th September and Sunday1st October Gorbals Heritage Environment Trust are pleased to announce there will be tours of the cemetery – lasting an hour – on the first Saturday and Sunday of every month. Anyone interested should meet at the gatehouse at 1.00pm. I look forward to seeing you there, ‘live’ on location!

The Happy Reaper.