Some Recollections of Hugh McCall, Lisburn. Lisburn: Printed by J,E, Reilly, 1899. Privately Printed. Pp 55, [14]. Publisher’s maroon cloth boards, title lettered in gilt to upper cover.

Printed For Private Circulation Only. Frontispiece portrait of Hugh McCall. Autograph letter from the grand daughter of McCall inserted, with inscription to the front free endpaper by the recipient Dr. Campbell.

Hugh McCall (1805-1897) Journalist, historian and author, was born on the 21st April 1805 in Chapel Hill, Lisburn. In 1818 Hugh joined his father’s muslin business, before setting up a pawnbrokers in 1823, with premises in Bow Street and another branch in Belfast. A prolific writer, Hugh contributed to The Northern Whig, The Belfast News Letter and The Lisburn Standard. In 1881 he published ‘The Cotton Famine’ which highlighted the plight of Lisburn’s weavers during what was termed the 1863 ‘Cotton Famine.’

McCall investigated the conditions of cotton weavers in Lisburn, producing evidence of severe poverty and starvation among the weaver population. A petition was presented to Lisburn town commissioners, which resulted in a relief fund being established for the weavers.