BLACKNESS, a village, in the parish of Carriden,
county of Linlithgow, 3 miles (E.) from Borrowstounness;
containing 107 inhabitants. This place was
formerly the sea-port of Linhthgow, and the residence of
numerous merchants, who carried on an extensive trade
with Holland, Bremen, Hamburgh, and Dantzic, in
y^
B L A C BL A 1
which they employed thirty-six ships of large burthen.
It is now an inconsiderable hamlet, distinguished only
by its royal castle, which is one of the four Scottish
fortresses kept in repair according to the articles of the
union of the two kingdoms. The harbour and quay
are in a ruinous state: the custom-house has been converted
into lodgings for the few individuals who, during
the summer, resort to this deserted spot for the benefit
of bathing; and the only business carried on is the occasional
shipping of bricks and tiles made at Brickfield,
in the immediate vicinity, and the landing of lime and
manure. Stake-nets for salmon have been laid down
from the point of Blackness.
The castle, which is still entire, is situated on a promontory
on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, near
the influx of the Black burn, and at a small distance
from the village. It is supposed to occupy the site of
a Roman station on the wall of Antonine, which, according
to most writers, terminated at this place; but the
date of the present structure is not distinctly known.
In 14S1, the castle, with eight ships at that time in the
harbour, was burnt by the English fleet; and in 1488,
the nobles who had rebelled against James III. held a
conference with that monarch here, which was called
the "Pacification of Blackness". In 1542, Cardinal
Beaton was imprisoned in the castle by the Earl of
Arran, then regent, but he was soon liberated, through
the influence of the clergy; and after the battle of
Pinkie, in 1547, Lord Clinton, the admiral of the English
fleet, took three and burnt seven of the vessels
lying in the harbour. The castle was garrisoned by the
French forces under the command of General D'Esse
in 1548, and also under the regency of Mary of Guise;
but in 1560 it was taken by the sheriff of Linlithgow.
In 15/1, it was garrisoned by Claude Hamilton, a zealous
adherent to the interests of Mary, Queen of Scots;
and by him it was held in her name till 1 573, when it
was delivered up to the Earl of Morton, then regent.
During the progress of the Reformation, and the contests
that arose between the advocates of Presbytery and
Episcopacy, the castle was frequently a place of confinement
for the non-conforming clergy; and in the latter
part of the eighteenth and earlier part of the nineteenth
century, it was chiefly occupied by French prisoners of
war. The Earls of Linlithgow were hereditary constables
of the castle till 1715, when that office was forfeited on
the attainder of James the sixth earl, for his participation
in the Earl of Mar's rebellion. There are a governor
and a lieutenant-governor attached to the castle,
neither of whom is resident; and the garrison till lately
consisted of two gunners, a Serjeant, two corporals, and
fifteen privates; but at present the only inmates are an
inferior officer and his family. The buildings consist
of a principal tower, with ramparts commanding the entrance,
and a court-yard, and have accommodation for
100 men.