Topographical, statistical, and historical gazetteer of Scotland > Volume 1

708
GREENOCK.
thatched cottages. In 1635, Charles I., as admlni-
strator-in-law of his son Charles, then a minor,
Prince and Steward of Scotland, granted a charter
in favour of John Shaw, proprietor of the barony of
Greenock, holding of the Prince, erecting the village
of Greenock into a free burgh-of-barony, with the
privilege of holding a weekly market on Friday, and
two fairs annually. This creation was confirmed and
renewed by Charles II., as Prince and Steward, in
1670, and received the ratification of parliament in
1681. In the course of that century it acquired some
shipping, and engaged in coasting, and, to some ex-
tent, in foreign trade. The herring-fishery was the
principal business prosecuted, and in it no less than
900 boats, each having on board 4 men, and 24 nets
were, during some seasons, employed. Besides the
home consumption, immense quantities of herrings
were exported to foreign markets ; in particular, in
the year 1674, 1700 lasts, equal to 20,000 barrels,
were exported to Rochelle, besides what were sent
to other ports of France, to Sweden, to Dantzic,
and other places on the Baltic. This branch of in-
dustry is still prosecuted here. In 1684, a vessel
sailed from Greenock with a number of the perse-
cuted religionists of the West of Scotland, who
were sentenced to transportation to the American
colonies. Next year a party connected with the
Earl of Argyle's invasion landed here ; the bay pro-
bably affording some facility for such a purpose.. In
1699, as appears from Borland's History, and not in
1697, as is usually represented, part of the Darien
expedition was fitted out at Cartsdyke, which at that
time was separate from Greenock, and had a quay,
while Greenock had none.
The baronial family of Shaw took a deep interest
in the progress of the town, which indeed may be
said to have been formed under their patronage.
In 1696, and again in 1700, Sir John Shaw applied
to the Scottish parliament for public aid to build a
harbour at Greenock ; but his applications were un-
successful. The importance of the measure induced
the inhabitants to make a contract with Sir John by
which they agreed to an assessment of Is. 4d. ster-
ling on every sack of malt brewed into ale within the
limits of the town ; the money so levied to be ap-
plied in defraying the expense of forming a pier
and harbour. The work was begun in 1707, and
was finished in 3 years. Within 2 circular quays —
a mid quay or tongue intervening, consisting of
above 2,000 feet of stone — were enclosed about 13
imperial acres. This formidable undertaking, the
greatest of the kind at that time in Scotland, in-
curred an expense of about £5,600, the magnitude of
which alarmed the good people of Greenock so much,
that on Sir John Shaw's agreeing to take the debt
upon himself, they gladly resigned to him the har-
bour and the assessment. Such, however, was the
effect of the harbour in increasing the trade and the
population of the town, that by the year 1740 the
whole debt was extinguished, and there remained a
surplus of £1,500, the foundation of the present
town's funds. In our day it may seem strange that
the above tax on malt should have produced so large
a sum as £5,600; and Messrs. Chambers, in their
Gazetteer, pleasantly remark that the speedy liquida-
tion of the expense affords a proof, either of the
great trade carried on, " or of the extreme thirsti-
ness of the inhabitants," at the time in question ;
but it is to be recollected that at that time, and for
a good while after, ale, not ardent spirits, formed
the common drink of the labouring people.
Since 1773, several acts of parliament have been
passed for regulating the affairs of the port, which
are under the management of trustees or commis-
sioners, consisting of the magistrates and town-
council, and 6 gentlemen annually elected by the
shipowners of the place. Of the original harbour
scarcely a vestige remains, successive repairs and
new erections having nearly effaced it. More capa-
cious harbours, with dry docks and other appropriate
accommodations, have, from time to time, been
formed at an immense expense. These works are
as commodious and elegant as any in the kingdom.
The east quay is 531 feet in extent ; entrance to the
harbour, 105 feet; custom-house quay, 1,035 feet;
entrance to the harbour, 105 feet; west quay, 425
feet ; extreme length from east to west, 2,201 feet ;
breadth of piers, 60 feet. The quays run into deep
water, and are approached by steamers at any state
of the tide. Vessels of the largest class can be ad-
mitted into the harbours. In the outer harbour ves-
sels of any burthen have sufficient depth of water,
and good anchorage, but the roadstead is narrowed
by a sand-bank of considerable breadth, which
renders the navigation to Port-Glasgow difficult,
though it serves as a protection to the harbour of
Greenock during north-east gales.
The prosperity of Greenock began at the auspici-
ous era of the Union with England in 1 707, which
opened new views to the traders of the Clyde, by
giving them a free commerce to America and the
West Indies, which they had not before enjoyed ;
and they soon began to send out goods to the colonies,
returning chiefly with tobacco. After the completion
of the harbour, Greenock was established a custom-
house port, and a branch of Port-Glasgow, by an
exchequer commission, dated the 16th of September,
1710. In 1719, the first vessel belonging to Green-
ock crossed the Atlantic. The growing prosperity
of the port excited the jealousy of the traders of
London, Bristol, Liverpool, and Whitehaven, who
accused those of Greenock and Port-Glasgow of
defrauding the revenue ; but the charge was tri-
umphantly refuted. The commerce of Greenock
continued to increase gradually tiU about 1760, when
the increase became very rapid, and continued its
course till it met with a check from the American
war. After the peace in 1783, the increase became
still more rapid ; and during the 7 years from 1784
to 1791, the shipping trade of the place was nearly
tripled in amount. About the beginning of the
present century, it had increased to a much greater
amount than that of any other port in Scotland.
The principal intercourse is with North and South
America, and the East and West Indies ; and here
it deserves to be remarked that it was in Greenock,
in 1813, that the first movement was made for break-
ing up the monopoly of the East India Company.
The Greenland whale-fishery, commenced here in
1752, was never of any importance, and is now dis-
continued. The coasting trade at this port has de-
clined since 1800. This, however, does not indicate
a general failure of that trade on the Clyde, which,
upon the whole, has greatly increased, but merely an
alteration of the mode of carrying it on ; many of the
coasters, in consequence of the deepening of the
river, and the introduction of towing by steam, now
proceeding direct to Glasgow, instead of stopping in
the first instance at Greenock. For the same rea-
sons, not a little of the foreign trade has been trans-
ferred to Glasgow.
In 1728, the gross receipt of the customs at Green-
ock was £15,231; in 1770, £57,336; in 1802,
£211,087; in 183J, £592,008; in 1834, £482,138;
in 1837, £380,704; in 1838, £417,673; and in 1839,
£315,084. The recent decrease is partly accounted
for by the duties on tobacco having been paid at
Glasgow since 1834.
The vessels entered inwards, and cleared out-
wards, to foreign ports, with cargoes, in the years