OS1/34/14/40

Continued entries/extra info

[Page] 40
Parish of Borrowstourness
Sheet 1 Plan 7 Trace 2

& two smithies. A great number of the female population are employed labouring. There is 26 public houses, and all the other necessary shops. There is a very commodious harbour and the Bo'ness Branch of the Monkland Railway, extends to the end of the western pier. The harbour is about 18 feet deep at spring tides, and about 12 at neaptides. There is a harbour master who collects harbour dues, for the repair of the harbour; they average about £500 a year. The average number of vessels inwards from foreign parts is about 25 a year and their cargo is chiefly wood and blubber, from Norway, The average number of vessels outward for foreign parts is about 700 and the chief export is Pig Iron, for the Continent, excepting a whaler that goes to Greenland every season. Average number of coasters inwards per year is about [3000] average number outwards about 2000. (Their chief trade is Pig Iron, coal, and grain. The [works] of Inverkeithing and Limekilns are under the jurisdiction of the officers of Bo'ness Customhouses; so I have included their amount of shipping in the above. The Societies of Bo'ness still in existance are as follows: General Sea Box instituted 1634 Landsman's Box, 1659; Shipmasters Society, 1738; Friendly Society of Shipmasters, 1759 - Beneficent Society, 1781; and the Bo'ness Provident Union Society, instituted in 1824. The town is under the management of 12 Trustees, constituted by Act of Parliament and are elected annually. The yearly revenue of the town is about £300. The town is written Barrowstounness on all legal documents; but it is written and prounounced Bo'ness in nearly every other case. It was erected into a Burgh of Regality in 1669 and a Burgh of Barony in 1748, when the Jurisdiction Act was repealed. There used to be a Baron Bailie appointed by the Duke of Hamilton for the government of the town but that has now fallen into disuse; all cases are now tried at Linlithgow. There used to be a market held here anew a week, but [all] accounts of it being so near Linlithgow they made that town answer their purposes. But there is a fair over a year. A stage coach runs between this and Linlithgow twice a day (morning and night) A large number of the inhabitants are employed at the surrounding Iron Mines.
[Symbol] The wrecks of Irnver Keithing, and Limekilns, are under the jurisdiction of the officers of Bo'ness Customhouse; so have included their amount of Shipping in the above.