A MONUMENT in a Paisley cemetery is set to be “listed” higher due to it being of interest, either architecturally or historically.

Historic Environment Scotland has confirmed that they will be listing the 1820 Uprising monument in the Woodside graveyard to a Category B building from a Category C building.

It comes after a motion was put forward to Renfrewshire Council by Councillor John McNaughton which argued the statue deserved a higher listing than it was.

The 1820 Uprising was a week of strikes culminating in a confrontation between radicals and the army.

The monument in the cemetery commemorates the struggles faced by the three leaders of the movement – Baird, Hardie, and Wilson, in creating a better, democratic Scotland.

Councillor McNaughtan said: “I believe that once the historic significance and the true history of Paisley and Renfrewshire within the 1820 Uprising is known, the monument will be upgraded to a Category A listing.

“This is good news for Paisley and confirms the importance of this monument to the history of the 1820 Martyrs of John Baird, Andrew Hardie and James Wilson who gave their lives fighting for Scotland’s freedom.

The Gazette:

“I believe though that once the real history of the monument and the role of Paisley and Renfrewshire in the 1820 Uprising is understood this will lead to the monument getting a Category A listing.”

Councillor Kenny MacLaren added: “This is great work by Councillor John McNaughtan and highlights an important time in Renfrewshire and Scotland’s history. 

“It’s quite shameful that too few people know the story of the 1820 Radical Uprising, where ordinary people marched under a banner of ‘Scotland Free or a Desert’ in trying to assert democracy including Scotland’s Independence.

“In recent years, despite the Covid lockdowns, there has been some extra publicity about the 1820 Radical Uprising and hopefully the books and articles published recently can help spread this story further.”