The Rise and Fall of the Glasgow Tobacco Lords

In the 18th century, a small group of men transformed the city of Glasgow from a sleepy river town into one of the wealthiest commercial hubs in the British Empire. These were not dukes, knights, or landed aristocrats — they were merchants. But not just any merchants: they were the Tobacco Lords, an elite class who built mansions, funded banks, and strutted down the Plainstanes in crimson cloaks and cocked hats like monarchs in a merchant city.

Their reign was short-lived — but glorious, controversial, and unforgettable. This is their story.