Old Harbours in Northern and Western Scotland Angus Graham (1892-1979 Joannd )An a Gordon*
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Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 117 (1987), 265-352 Old harbours in northern and western Scotland Angus Graham (1892-1979 Joannd )an a Gordon* CONTENTS Introduction ............... 265 north-ease Th t coast: Invernes Duncansbo st y Head .......7 26 . The north coast: Duncansby Head to Cape Wrath ........ 309 The north-west coast: Cape Wrath to Loch Linnhe ........ 322 The south-west coast: Loch Linnhe to Loch Fyne ........ 331 Appendix 1: Capstans, mooring posts and iron fittings of piers . ..... 345 Appendix 2: Alphabetical index of sites .......... 348 INTRODUCTION The purpose of this paper is to carry forward, to the north and west, some studies already made of old harbours on the adjoining coasts (Graham 1968; 1969; Graham & Tmckell 1977; Graham 1979a; 1979b; 1984)coase parth e f t o Th .tcovere presene th y db t study runs northwards froe mth opening of the Inverness Firth and then westwards and southwards, returning as far as the head of Loch Fynet carriereviee no Th s . dw wa further int Clyde oth e approache reasoe th r nfo s thae th t estuary ports have undergone such extensive industria commerciad lan l development that useful evidence of their earlier condition can now hardly be looked for. The terminal date has been set at 1850 to take advantage of the Parliamentary Report on Tidal Harbours that was published in 1847. Whereas the first two of the earlier studies were based on their author's observations of existing structural remains, the present paper is based on documentary evidence, much of which was collected and reviewe originae th y db l author. Thi bees sha n supplemente somy db e further work, including survivin e sites0 th visit 11 y b ,o st g collaborator. Descriptive note presentee sar f thosdo e harbours which possess historical background r regardinso g which some significant fac recordeds i t greaA . t many sites of little general importance are listed with references and brief comment. The larger harbours are identified in the text and on the maps by small capitals, while the lesser sites are denoted by lower case Roman type. In the text, the name of each site is followed by its national grid reference. factn I muco s , f thiho s coastlin welo s s eli provided with minor customary landings, use locay db l fisherme tradersd an n , tha attempn a t includo t t e the l woulmal weightn d collapsow r s Fo it . f eo example, inspectio Ordnance th f no e Survey [OS] maps, particularl Gaelif yo c speaking areas, will disclose a very large number of coastal place-names containing the element 'port'. For a similar reason, the review as a whole has been confined to the mainland. The sites are taken in topographical orde counter-clockwisa n ri e direction, wit alphabetican ha l lis Appendin i t . x2 *33 Russell Court, Cambridge 266 | SOCIETY or ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1987 It may be thought that this method of treatment tends to give undue importance to the sites of the eastern seaboard but two points must be considered here, namely the physical character of the coast itself and the quality of the associated hinterland. The manner in which the Atlantic seaboard is brokepenetrated an p nu lon y dlocha b gse sufficientls si y well-known obvious wa d s,an enough even compeo t notice e invadinth th l f eo g Romans. Tacitus (Tacitus ) describe10 , s thi singularln si y apposite language. 'Nowhere', he says, 'does the sea rule more widely, many tidal currents setting flowt hithe ebb inlande bu r thithershore d sth ,fa th rd an s edoer an a , r goin;no rist sfa i s ega round dan about as if in its own domain' (. nusquam latius dominari mare, multum fluminum hue illucferre, nee litore tenus adcrescere resorberi,et influeresed penitus ambire,et etjugis etiam montis insere velut in suo). These great arms of the sea, and the multitude of lesser but often considerable inlets, have provide vere dth y large numbe naturaf ro l haven whicn si h fishing boats coul basee db coulr do d find temporary shelter lighd an , t cargoe commerciaf so l craft coul workee db rowey db d boat r oveso ra beach. Such undeveloped customary landing coursef note o s,ar , peculia Atlantie th o rt c seaboars da they occur equally on the north and east coasts and call for the same treatment there. The influence of their respective hinterland eastere th western d so nan n coat likewiss si considerablf eo e importance. The contrast between the modest prosperity of the eastern shore, enjoying tolerable conditions for agricultur comparativeld ean y easy acces southero st oversead nan s markets aptle th yd namean , d 'wet desert' that back westmuce o ss th f ,ho strikes hom stressee t onc eneea b d t ean d no d further. In the course of the harbours' development a series of phases may be seen. Who first caught fish in these waters, or at any rate caught them from a boat rather than in a land-based trap, is a question prehistorianso t t pu e b o t fishermet ;bu n must have bee wort na k from very early times, originallo yn doubt for subsistence. Their activities would naturally have given them a thorough knowledge of all practicable landings, as well as of convenient stretches of beach for boat-work and, in due course, of suitable site settlementr sfo culturs .A e advance stage th supportinf eo do t gclasa primitivf so e traders piratesd an , perhap t readilsno y distinguishable, such incomers would rapidly acquire whatevef o r local lore as promoted their own purposes; and thus the mariners who served the overseas trade of regular medieval merchants may well have inherited the experience of 4000 years or more. At the same time fishing retained fundamental importance sometimed an , stills doubto swa n , , carrien i n do a primitive fashion. A post-medieval phase, in which powerful interests were playing an increasing part in commercial affairs, leads on, in the 18th century, to one typified by the development and improvemen f rico t h men's estates amond an ; improvemente gth s entailed wer buildine eth f go harbours for boats at regular fishing stations, a movement encouraged by the frequency with which large shoals of herring visited certain areas at this time. As a special case of such improvement there may be seen the establishment of coastal settlements accommodating some clearance victims, whose land had been taken for sheep-farming. The connection between improvement, so well-known as an agricultural phenomenon, the development of fishing stations and their harbours and the institu- tionalization of the landed proprietors' initiatives appears in the original form of the name of the body which later became the British Fisheries Society. The joint stock company of 1785 was entitled, The British Society for extending the fisheries and improving the sea coasts of the Kingdom (Dunlop 1952, 1). The east coast was to see more of the lasting improvements, but the Society began by selecting a west coast site - Ullapool - on which to found a fishing port and build a harbour. Ferry terminals, too, were further developed at this time, and constituted essential links in all coastal routes in northern Scotland until the present century, while some served, and have survived stil serveo t l , fisherme tradersd nan latese Th . t smalphase th f leo harbours' histor bees yha n their obsolescenc e fac f steath o e n ei m navigatio good nan d roads. Fishing, however, seem havo st e maintaine s importancdit l previoual n i s a se history, while ferrie e onlar s y now, wit e solhth e exception of Corran, finally disappearing. GRAHA GORDOND MAN HARBOURD OL : NORTHERN SI WESTERD NAN N SCOTLAND 267 NORTH-EASE TH T COAST: INVERNES DUNCANSBO ST Y HEAD (illu) s1 The east coast may be seen as consisting of three contrasting sections. From Inverness to Golspie much of the shoreline is flat and sandy, though there are rugged outcrops. The near hinterland, especially the Black Isle, is agriculturally productive. It is, however, deeply incised by the Moray, Cromarty Dornocd an , h Firths Locd an , h Fleet. From Bror Wico at coastline kth rockys ei , rising to impressive cliffs where the Ord of Caithness meets the sea above Berriedale. Small areas D u n robin BONAR Newton -/ Golspie BRIDGE Point vCa/UTTLEFERRY N.8S , MEIKLE FERRY 'DORNOCH . _. - SHORE A r dmore north-ease th f o p ILLUt Ma coas S1 t | SOCIET 8 26 ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1987 onl agriculturaf yo l land exist nea mouthe rth somf s o whicf o e w rivershfe thera harboursn e i , ear . The characteristic small harbour site of this coast is the 'goe', a fault in the cliff-line, making a narrow inlet only to be reached by a steep track or even steps, down as much as 300 feet from inhabited levels (illus 2). The northern third of the coastline, from Wick to Duncansby Head, backs on to the plain of Caithness, bleak indeed alwayt ,bu s more habitable tha mountaine nth south-weste th f so sande .Th s of Sinclair' Freswicd an y interrupy sBa kBa rocke th t y shoreline harboud an , r sites, other thae nth problematic moutRivee th Wickf f hro o restrictee ar , smalo dt l pocket rockse th n si . southere th n I n section Invernes soms sha e histor maritimf yo e trade most bu , t harbour works on the shores of the firths relate to the development of a system of communications for an area ill- served by roads until very recent times.