QUEENSFERRY, a parish and burgh (royal), in the county of Linlithgow,
9 miles (E. by N.) from Linlithgow, and 9 (W. by N.) from Edinburgh; containing
721 inhabitants. This place, which is of great antiquity, appears, from the numerous
remains of sepulchral urns, burnt bones, and other relics discovered at various times.
to have been visited by the Romans, who probably deemed it the most convenient
spot for crossing the Firth of Forth, and by whom it was
called Freti Transitus. Its proximity to the military way
leading to the wall of Antonine, also, affords presumptive
evidence of its early importance. At the time of the
Norman conquest, in 1066, Edgar Atheling, with his
sister Margaret, afterwards queen of Scotland, fleeing
from England, arrived here to take refuge at the Scottish
court i and the place where he landed, westward of the
town, is in commemoration of that event still called
Port- Edgar. After her marriage to Malcolm Canmore,
in 106/, this place was frequently visited bj' the queen,
in her way to and from the royal palace of Dunfermline;
and the particular spot where she was in the habit of
crossing the Firth obtained the appellation of the Queen's
Ferry, from which the town derives its present name.
Malcolm IV. granted to the monks of Scone a free
passage to this place, which in his charter to that effect
is designated Portus Regime; and the same privilege was
granted to the abbey of Dunfermline, by Pope Gregory,
in 12.'J4, and by Robert L and Robert IIL, and confirmed
to it by charter of James IL in 1450. Though the place
had been constituted a port in the reign of Malcolm IV.,
it was not erected into a royal burgh till 1636, when
the inhabitants obtained a charter of privileges from
Charles I. From this time the town rapidly increased
in commercial importance; the inhabitants carried on a
considerable trade with Holland, and in 1641 there were
about twenty ships of large burthen belonging to the
port, and several coasting-vessels. During the reign of
Charles I., the town suffered frequent depredation from
the contending parties, and in the time of Cromwell was
injured by the cannon of some sliips of his fleet. At
the rebellion in 174.5, it was threatened by the Highland
troops in the Pretender's service; but was saved from
being plundered by a ship of war at that time lying off
the harbour.
The TOWN is situated on the south side of the Firth
of For^h, which is here a mile and a half in breadth. It
consists chiefly of one street, extending about a quarter
of a mile in length, and containing several good houses
of modern erection; and is plentifully supplied with
water, conveyed into a reservoir formed at the expense
of the Earl of Rosebery, who also gave to the inhabitants
a piece of ground for a bleach-green. The town
has greatly improved j new houses have been built,
and handsome shops opened. There is a subscription
library of about 600 volumes; and the place is
much resorted to for sea-bathing. A considerable degree
of traffic arises from the numbers of persons crossing
the ferry. No large vessels now belong to the port, nor
is any foreign trade carried on: occasionally, however,
a few coasting-vessels land cargoes of barley for the
distilleries in the vicinity, and also of rape-cake, drainingtiles,
and manure, for the use of the farmers, who frequently
during the winter send potatoes to the London
market. Coal, also, for the supply of the steamers on
the ferry, and for the consumption of the neighbourhood,
is brought in boats carrying from ten to twelve tons;
and freestone from the quarries of Humbie, about three
miles distant, is sometimes shipped at the port. The
manufacture of soap, which was extensive, and also a
brev^ery long established, have both been discontinued;
but a distillery under the Glenforth Distillery Company,
making about 2000 gallons of whisky weekly, and employing
twenty persons, is in high repute for the quality
of the spirit.
The inhabitants are chiefly engaged in fisheries. To
the west of the town a salmon-fishery has been established,
and is carried on with success; stake-nets are
employed, and during the months of July and August
great quantities of salmon, grilse, and sea-trout are
taken, and sent regularly to the Edinburgh market. In
1844 a stake-net fishery was established by the burgh,
which has succeeded very well. During the winter
months, many of the inhabitants are occupied in the
herring-fishery, which was first established at St. Margaret's
Hope, and in the bay of Inverkeithing, nearly
opposite to the town, in the year 1792, and has since
been pursued with various success. In a favourable
season, from forty to fifty carts have been frequently
waiting, the carters purchasing the fish taken, and
carrying it away to different places; so that comparatively
few fish are cured here. There are twelve
boats belonging to the town, each having a crew of five
men; besides which, from fifty to 100 boats from Fishcrrow,
Prestonpans, and other villages are employed in
the fishery, the greater number discharging their cargoes
here. Many of the females spin hemj), which is made
by the younger children into nets. The shore is level
and sandy, with the exception of some ledges of rock
extending into the firth on the east and west extremities
of the parish, at the latter of which is the harbour,
where a sul)stantial stone pier has been erected, and
several important im])r()vcments made, under the direction
of Mr. Hugh Baird, civil engineer. The tide rises
at the mouth of the harbour to the height of eighteen
feet; and (luring the season, the port is generally
crowded with the vessels employed in fishing. Since the
discontinuance of the soap manufacture, whicli contributed
largely to the excise-duties, the harbour-dues have
been greatly diminished; and they at present scarcely
produce £100 per annum. A fair is held annually in
August; and facility of intercourse with Edinburgh,
Linlithgow, and the other towns in the vicinity, is
afforded by roads kept in excellent order, of which the
chief are the great north road and the road to Edinburgh.
An act was passed in 1846, authorizing the Edinburgh
and Glasgow railway company to construct a branch to
Queensferry, about si.x miles and three-quarters long.
The FERRY, the history of which is rather obscure, is
supposed to have been at first private property, to the
owner of which the lands of Muiry Hall, consisting of
about fifteen acres, were granted by Queen Margaret, in
order to keep the landing-places in due repair. It was
subsequently divided among several individuals, under
whose management it was much neglected. The piers
on the south side were in a very dilapidated condition;
on the opposite shore of the firth, where the boats were
kept, and all the boatmen lived, there was only one pier;
and much delay and inconvenience were experienced in
crossino;. In 1809, application was accordingly made
to parliament, and an act obtained for the construction
of proper landing-places; for purchasing sites for the
erection of houses to receive the boatmen; for altering
the system of management; and other things connected
with the improvement of the ferry. Under the provisions
of this act, the ferry was purchased by trustees
from the various shareholders, for the sum of £86/3,
including which the total amount expended on the
works was £33,824, whereof £13,500 were advanced
by government, and the remainder raised by loan.
With part of these funds, the pier at Port-Edgar, to the
west of the town, which had become much dilapidated,
was rebuilt on a larger scale at an expense of £4764;
it is 3/8 feet in length, and has been rendered perfectly
commodious. A pier, also, "'22 feet in length,
was constructed at New Halls, about half a mile eastward
of the town, at an expense of £8700; and is now
the principal landing-place on the south side of the
ferry. A small pier was erected at Port-Nuick, at an
expense of £587; and several houses for the boatmen
were built, at a cost of nearly £1000. The pier on the
north side of the ferry was erected at a cost of £4206:
a signal-house, and a house for the superintendant, were
also built, at an expense of about £700. A second
grant was obtained from government, and a new subscription
opened, in 1812, by which means a pier was
constructed at the Long Craig, 1 177 feet in length, and
also a small pier at the East Battery; while on the
north side, the West Battery pier was enlarged, and the
North Ferry pier considerably lengthened. An act was
passed in 1848 for the further extension and improvement
of the ferry, harbours, piers, and other works, at Queensferry.
Previously to 1821, there were but two sailing-boats
and two pinnaces regularly employed in the ferry; but
in that year steam navigation was introduced, and a fine
steamer called the Queen Margaret was built at a cost of
£2400, which, with three large sailing-boats, a half-tide
boat, and three pinnaces, the several crews together
amounting to thirty-six men and boys, performed the
whole business of the ferry. In 1838, a larger steamer,
of forty-eight horse power, called the William Adam, was
substituted in the place of the Queen Margaret, which
had been found inadequate to the work. Since this
time, only two large sailing-boats and two pinnaces have
been employed, besides the steamer; and the number
of i)crsons engaged in navigating the steamer and the
boats has been diminished to sixteen, with a shoremaster,
clerk, and two porters, on each side of the ferry.
With such regularity i.s the business conducted, that
passengers know the precise moment of their departure,
and, by well-regulated signals while on the passage,
may have carriages waiting to forward them on their
landing. Her Majesty Queen Victoria, accompanied by
Prince Albert, crossed the firth in the IVilUam Adam on
the 5th of September, 1842, in her visit to the north,
on which occasion the shore on both sides was crowded
with spectators, and the firth with vessels adorned with
flags in honour of Her Majesty, who was hailed with
the most joyful acclamations. Twenty years previous,
on the 15th of August, 1822, His Majesty George IV.
had embarked at Port-Edgar, on his return to England:
he was accompanied from Hopetoun House by General
the Earl of Hopetoun. There are several good houses
at New Halls, and an excellent inn for the accommodation
of passengers crossing the ferry; and the pleasingly
romantic scenery in the neighbourhood renders the town
the frequent resort of visiters, and parties of pleasure.
The government of the burgh is vested in a provost,
two bailies, and seventeen town-councillors, by whom
all the other municipal officers of the place are elected.
There are three incorporated trades or companies,
namely, the wrights, the tailors, and the weavers, in one
of which it is necessary to enter previously to becoming
a burgess; the fees of admission are, for the son or
son-in-law of a burgess £2. 1. 2., and for a stranger
£5. 2. 2. The jurisdiction of the magistrates extends
over the royalty, and they hold courts for the determination
of civil pleas to any amount, but for some
years not more than ten causes have been tried annually;
they also hold criminal courts, but for the trial of
petty oifences only, the more serious cases being sent
to Linlithgow. The town-hall contains a room for the
meetings of the council, with the requisite accommodation
for holding the courts, and offices for transacting
other public business. A town-officer, who is assisted
by six constables, is appointed by the magistrates. The
inhabitants appear to have sent a representative to the
Scottish parliament previous to the Union; the burgh
is now associated with Stirling, Inverkeithing, Culross,
and Dunfermline, in returning a member to the imperial parliament.
The parish was separated from the parish of Dalmeny
in 1636, by charter under the great seal, ratified by act
of parliament in 1641. It comprises only the site of the
main part of the town, and the gardens and lands of the
royalty, in all from eight to ten acres. The annual
value of real property is £689. Ecclesiastically the
place is within the bounds of the presbytery of Linlithgow
and synod of Lothian and Tvifceddale. The stipend
of the minister is £171. 8. 6., of which £52. 2. 1. are paid
from the exchequer; and he receives an allowance, in
lieu of manse and glebe, of £50 per annum, granted by
a late act of parliament: patrons, the Town-council.
Queensferry church, situated in the centre of the town,
is a neat plain structure with a belfry, erected in 1635, and
thoroughly repaired in 1821 at an expense of £500; the
interior is well arranged, and contains 400 sittings.
There is a place of worship in connexion with the United
Presbyterian Synod, in that part of the town beyond
the royalty. The parochial school is well attended, and
the master has a salary of £29. 4. 6., and the fees, averaging
about £44: a new building has been erected for
the school, which is handsome and well adapted for
the purpose. There is also a Sabbath school, to which
is attached a library for the children. The poor of the
parish have the yearly rent of land, and interest of
money, amounting to £"23, and part of the proceeds of a
bequest of £5000 by Capt. Henry Meek to the poor in the
town of Queensferry, in which bequest the poor of those
small parts of the town that are within Dalmeny parish
participate. The Countess of Rosebery gives employment
to widows and industrious females in spinning,
which contributes to their relief. In the western portion
of the town are some remains of the ancient church of
the Carmelite Friars, founded about the year 1330, by the
Dundas family, whose place of sepulture it still remains;
and there was formerly a house on the beach, called the
Binks, erected for the accommodation of Queen Margaret
while waiting for the arrival of her boat from the
opposite shore of the ferry.