THEY were lauded centuries ago for helping to put Renfrewshire on the map.

Now, however, new light is being shed on the dark past of some of the area’s most famous sons.

The likes of James Milliken and William Macdowall were both directly involved with the slave trade in the 18th century, having been plantation owners.

Both amassed great fortunes overseeing and owning well over 100 slaves between them.

And both purchased large estates in Renfrewshire on their return to Scotland.

Milliken owned land which is now known as Milliken Park, while Macdowall also made his mark on Johnstone, with Macdowall Street named after one of his descendants.

However, there are now calls for such sites to be renamed in light of the Black Lives Matter protests which have taken place across the world in recent weeks.

Paisley and Renfrewshire South MP Mhairi Black is among those who believe the area’s links to slavery should be highlighted in order to shed more light on the issue of racial equality.

She told The Gazette: “I am very much in favour of proposals to rename Milliken Park and Macdowell Street. These families made their fortunes off the back of the transatlantic slave trade and invested it in land in Johnstone.

“Frankly, it’s a shame on all of us that this hasn’t been done sooner.

“Johnstone has lots of heroes and history that are not built on the foundations of racism, so I am sure it would not be too much of a task for Renfrewshire Council to get this sorted out immediately.

“I am sure the people of Johnstone, and Renfrewshire in general, would be happy to see this action taken across the county and this horrible scar on our local history eradicated instead of celebrated.

“Ultimately, though, it’s other voices who should be leading this discussion.”

The Gazette: Macdowall Street, in JohnstoneMacdowall Street, in Johnstone

Councillor Andy Doig, who represents Johnstone North, Kilbarchan, Howwood and Lochwinnoch, is also keen for a debate on local place names linked to the slave trade.

He said: “I don’t think there should be collective shame on the Scottish people, as my ancestors certainly didn’t benefit from slavery and neither did the families of most Scots.

“However, we have to recognise that, at the time, there were key players in our society who benefitted directly from slavery and that was absolutely wrong.

“If we could have a consultation with Johnstone Community Council and the local businesses in the town centre and go forward on the basis of consensus, I think it would be a reasonable and valid idea to look at renaming streets such as Macdowall Street.

“A number of churchmen in Scotland in the late 17th and 18th centuries were involved in the campaign against slavery, so I hope we could highlight that there were people in Scottish society at the time who recognised it for the evil that it was.”

However, Tom Wallace, chair of Johnstone Community Council, has questioned the timing of such a debate.

He said: “I think the community council would be open to discussing renaming the streets. I wouldn’t object to it, as everything is open for discussion.

“However, with the current Covid-19 situation, I don’t know if this is the best time to do it.”

A Renfrewshire Council spokesperson said: “There are established processes in place for the naming of streets and how best to consult affected residents on that - and any requests to do so would be able to go through that for consideration.”

Read all the latest from Renfrewshire and beyond

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