William Cummings was a shoemaker’s son born in Paisley in the mid-19th century. He achieved remarkable career success as a distance runner, with stadiums full of excited supporters cheering him and medal triumphs that made him a world champion. His story was recently uncovered by OneRen social history researcher Archie Henderson during the refurbishment of the museum that is currently being carried out.
OneRen is working on curatorial delivery for the project, and it was during this process that Henderson discovered Cummings. Speaking to the Herald, he stated that:
“We were keeping an eye out for anything interesting and I opened a box and there it was. Initially I thought it was a boxing belt, but I quickly noticed that it had depictions of runners and an inscription for the 10-mile world champion.”
Cummings won this medal for defeating English runner Walter George over a series of long-distance races. Should the museum decide to put on an exhibition, colour brochure printing that has been supplied by Paisley shops could help provide visitors with information.
Paisley Museum is being redeveloped at a cost of £45 million and is scheduled to reopen to people living in the town during 2024.