Borrowstounness and District Being Historical Sketches of
Kinneil, Carriden and Bo'ness c. 1550 to 1850 by Thomas James Salmon
(1913)
The Roman Tablet found at Bridgeness in 1868.Now
in the National Museum of Antiquities, Edinburgh.
PREFACE
Influencedby
a liking for things historical and by the sentiment that my
kinsfolk have been closely identified with this district for
many generations, I commenced to collect the material which will
be found in the following pages by way of a recreation seven
years ago. There was at first no idea of the present
publication. But as my investigations proceeded I discovered so
much of what I believed to be new and interesting information
that I felt impelled to preserve it, however imperfectly, in
volume form. Many difficulties of treatment and arrangement
presented themselves. The chief of these was in deciding whether
to continue the narrative to the present time or to end it at
the middle of the 19th century. Ultimately the latter method was
adopted, and for various reasons. Apart from the comparatively
brief narratives in the Old and New Statistical Accounts there
was nothing in the nature of a local chronicle; detailed
reference to early history was very desirable; the space at
disposal for modern events would be wholly inadequate; and
compression was not always possible. I decided therefore to
leave the more modern period alone.
In all cases the official books and papers have
been carefully examined. Each Chapter, with two exceptions, is
complete in itself, and everything has been done to make the
volume reliable. Great care has been taken to avoid errors and
omissions, and should any such be discovered it is hoped that
they will be put down to the exacting nature of the work.
It does not profess to be a complete history, but
rather a series of sketches dealing with various phases of
burghal and parish life. Facts and events are stated, but in
such a way as to raise pictures of periods, of outstanding
events and individuals, of progress and of decay, all of which
point their own lessons.
Throughout my labours I have received the
encouragement and assistance of many good friends; and in
particular I have to express my thanks to the Faculty of
Advocates for permission to use their valuable library; to Mr.
W. K. Dickson, LL.D., for useful suggestions concerning the
Regality; to Mr. A. P. Simpson, Sheriff-Clerk of Linlithgowshire,
for access to the Regality volumes in his official custody; and
to Bo'ness Town Council and other local bodies and their
officials for access to their books and documents. I am also
obliged for special aid in various directions to Mr. Lloyd
Verney, of Carriden, and Professor Mounsey, Edinburgh; to Mr. H.
M. Cadell, of Grange; to Mr. George Dalziel, W.S., Edinburgh; to
Dr. T. F. Barrett, City Librarian, Glasgow; and to Mr. Alex.
Ross, Closeburn, Hamilton. Other special aid I have acknowledged
throughout the text and appendices and in the illustrations. I
also desire to thank Mr. John "Watt and Mr. George Salmon for a
great deal of practical assistance.
For much of the information in the latter half of
the con- • eluding Chapter I am indebted to Mr. William Miller,
Mr. James Paris, and Mr. William Donaldson.
In conclusion, I heartily express my gratitude to
the Rev. T. Ratcliffe Barnett for his careful revision of "the
proofs and for supplying sketches of old gravestones for
reproduction.
THOMAS J. SALMON.
Grange Terrace,
Bo'ness,June,1913.
Bo'ness to
Birkill Railway Journey
CONTENTS
Chapter I. Introductory Chapter II. The House of Hamilton and Kinneil Chapter III. Kinneil Chapter IV. What the Privy Council Registers Reveal. Period
1549-1668 Chapter V. Regality Court Book Chapter VI. Regality—the Register of Deeds Chapter VII. The trial and burning of the Borrowstounness
witches Chapter VIII. Local Covenanting History and "The Borrowstounness
Martyrs," Chapter IX. Grange Estate and its Owners Chapter X. Carriden (See also Appendix) Chapter XI. Ecclesiastical Chapter XII. The "Trustees for the two pennies in the pint" Chapter XIII. The "Trustees for the two pennies" continued Chapter XIV. The Representatives of Bo'ness Chapter XV. Coal and Coal Mining Chapter XVI. The Borrowstounness and Grangemouth Canal Chapter XVII. Local Societies and Lodges Chapter XVIII. Eminent Natives and Residents Chapter XIX. Conclusion—Educational: Industrial
The Bridgeness Tablet
Bonhard Castle
Lady Anne Cunningham
James, Duke of Hamilton
Kinneil House
Anne, Duchess of Hamilton
Blackness Castle
Gravestones in Kinneil Churchyard (No. 1)
Gravestones in Kinneil Churchyard (No. 2)
Old Grange House
William Cadell
Carriden House
The Old Kirk Roads, Carriden
James Duguid
Rev. Kenneth Mackenzie
Page of First Town Minute-Book
The Old Town Hall
James Watt
John Anderson
Dr. Roebuck's Tombstone
Plan of Borrowstounness and Grangemouth Canal
Captain Donald Potter
Colonel Gardiner
Dugald Stewart
Admiral Sir James Hope
Henry Bell
Old Church and Churchyard of Carriden
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