a seaport town of Renfrewshire, Scotland, on the south bank of the Firth of Clyde, 22 miles below Glasgow, in N. Lat. 55° 57' 2", W. Long. 4° 45' 30". In front of the town there is a fine and extensive bay, formerly known by the name of the Bay of St Lawrence, from a religious house that anciently stood there. Behind the town the land rises into a picturesque ridge of hills, about 800 feet high, between which and the bay Greenock stretches for upwards of two miles and a half along the shore, but its breadth is inconsiderable. Its name is supposed to be derived from the compound Gaelic word Grianag.—Grian signifying sun, and Aig port or bay,—the bay being directly opposite to the rising sun.
In the earlier part of the 17th century Greenock was an obscure fishing village, consisting of one row of thatched cottages; and in 1716 there were only six slated houses in the place. In 1589 James VI. granted leave to Schaw, the proprietor, to erect a place of worship for the convenience of the inhabitants of the district.
In a charter, dated 5th June 1635, granted by Charles I., as administrator-in-law to his son Charles, Prince of Scotland, in favour of "John Schaw of Greenock, and Helen Houston, his spouse," a novocamus grant is made
"To the saids John Schaw, his spouse, and their foresalds, off the toun or village of Greinock, in ane frie burgh of baronie, to be callit, now and in all tym cuming, the burgh of Greinock." This charter, which was ratified by the Scottish parliament in 1641, appears to have excited the jealousy of the neighbouring royal burgh of Renfrew, whose representative, John Spurrell, protested, in name of the Provost, Bailies, Counsel, and Community of the burgh of Renfrew, that any ratification of the charter "be nane ways prejudiciall to our said breugh liberties, and privileges thereof, contentit in our antient infestments as accords of law." Being merely a burgh of barony, and thereby excluded from the right of foreign trade, Greenock had to contend with the royal burghs in its immediate neighbourhood, Dumbarton, Renfrew, and Glasgow, to which alone this privilege was accorded. A second charter by Charles II., and dated 11th July 1670, grants in favour of "John Schaw of Greenock in liberent, and of Sir John Schaw, now of Greenock, designed therein his eldest lawful son in fee" of the lands and barony of Greenock, "with the harbour built and erected thereupon;" a new grant is made "to the said Sir John Schaw, younger, of Greenock, and his airs male," of all casualties of superiority which might have accrued to His Majesty, "by reason of ward, nonentry, forfeiture, purpresture . . . or for building and edificeing the foresaid Harbour."
It is evident from these extracts that in the interval between 1635 and 1670, John Schaw, the elder, had built a harbour at Greenock; and as he had thereby incurred the penalty of purpresture by encroaching on the ground between the ebbs and flows of the Clyde, the last charter was necessary to exonerate him therefrom. It further conveyed "special and full power and libertie, to the said ung'l. John Schaw, and his said sons, and their foresalts, to repair and build free Ports, Harbours, and Havening-places, upon any part of the grounds of the said lands." John Schaw, the younger, had distinguished himself in the royal cause at the battle of Worcester, for which the honour of knighthood had been conferred upon him, as was subsequently that of baronetcy; and to this may probably be attributed the favourable provisions of the charter.
For upwards of a quarter of a century the original harbour appears to have remained little more than an insufficient and insecure landing-place; but on 22d September 1696, an overture was made in the Scottish parliament "for building ane harbour at Greenock;—read, and re-mitted to the committee of trade." To this overture reference is made as follows, in the minute of parliament of 29th November 1700:—"Petition: Sir John and John Schaw's, elder and younger, of Greenock, craving that the act brought in from the committee of trade, allowing the imposition therein-contained for building ane harbour at Greenock, be now passed; and the draft of the said act being also read, it was ordered to lye on the table." The petition and draft were again read on 23d December, but nothing further was done.
Sir John Schaw died in 1702, and was succeeded by his son of the same name, who, with equal zeal, prosecuted the erection of a harbour. Notwithstanding the refusal of the legislature to aid the undertaking, he resolved to accomplish it by advancing his own money, and encouraging his feuars to advance theirs. To secure repayment an assessment was voluntarily imposed, and a regular contract to this end entered into in 1703. The harbour thus originated underwent, in the progress of its construction, many alterations and additions, of which no record now remains; it was not finished till 1734. It then comprised an area of 8 acres, 3 roads, and 10 falls; was contained within two quays, east and west, and equally divided in the centre by a middle quay.
The prosperity of Greenock had continued to advance from the period of the Union in 1707; and in 1710 it was established a custom-house port, and a branch of Port-Glasgow. In 1751 application was made to parliament, and an act (25 Geo. II.) was procured whereby an imposition of two pennies Scots, over and above the duty of excise payable to His Majesty, was laid upon every Scots pint of ale or beer that should "either be brewed, brought in, tapped, or sold within the said town of Greenock"—made payable to certain trustees—"for cleaning, deepening, building, and repairing the said harbour and piers." This tax continued to be levied for thirty years.
Prior to 1772 the harbour had been leased to the town by the superior; in that year, however, the magistrates received a feu-right thereof from John Shaw Stewart, Esq., who had succeeded to the Greenock estate on the death of Sir John Schaw on 5th April 1752. On the completion of this transaction, the magistrates having resolved on the erection of a new quay, a plan of the ground requisite for a new harbour was prepared under the engineering superintendence of James Watt; and a feu-right thereof was granted to the magistrates by Lord Cathcart, who was the grandson of Marion, the only child of the last Sir John Schaw, and inherited thereby a part of the Greenock estate. The transaction is dated 3d March 1773; and at the same time the magistrates and council brought their first bill into parliament, "for deepening, cleansing, and making more commodious the harbour of Greenock." This act received the royal assent on the 1st of April following; and the works it contemplated were prosecuted during many subsequent years.
Various acts of parliament having reference to successive enlargements and alterations of the harbours were from time to time procured as the increase of trade rendered such necessary, so that now of the original erections scarcely a vestige remains. In 1785 a dry deck was built in the western division of the old harbour, the expense of which was defrayed by subscription; and in 1818 the magistrates and council contracted for and built another, and greatly larger, entering from what is now known as the East India Harbour, and which was finished in 1824 at an expense of L.20,000.
On the 29th day of May 1805 was laid the foundation-stone of the East India Harbour; and almost contemporaneously with this large addition to the dock accommodation of Greenock, a general improvement and renovation of the quays and breasts of the older portions of the harbour were undertaken. These works, which were very extensive, and involved an expenditure of upwards of L.120,000, were not completed till September 1819.
The steadily increasing trade of the port rendered a further extension of dock accommodation absolutely necessary; and in 1840 an act was procured for the construction of an entirely new harbour and dock. Six years subsequently, the work was commenced on a site directly east of the East India Harbour, and on the 17th October 1850 the new dock was formally opened, under the designation of Victoria Harbour.
It consists of a tidal basin, covering an area of about 6 acres, and exceeding 30 feet in depth. The east and west walls are each 563 feet long, and the outer quay wall, divided by the entrance, 150 feet wide, is 176 feet long on the west, and 60 on the east side. The average width of the quays on the east, west, and south, is upwards of 85 feet, and on the north, toward the river, it is 70. The depth of water within the basin is 25 feet at high tide, and 14 feet at low water. The whole work, which is of the most substantial character, cost upwards of L.129,000; and, as a tidal harbour, has not, in respect of its size and depth, its equal in the world. On the east side a massive crane, capable of lifting from 70 to 80 tons, has been erected; and here many of those gigantic steam vessels, for which the Clyde has become universally famous, are fitted with their engines. A crane has also been erected at the East India Harbour capable of lifting 40 tons.
With the clearing out and deepening of the Victoria Harbour an embankment was formed toward the west end of the town, reclaiming upwards of 4 acres of ground between high and low water-mark. The walls, which are founded 6 feet beneath low water, extend 600 linear feet parallel with the river, and upwards of 300 feet on the east and west. A landing slip is formed on the eastern side. The depth of water hereby secured is at high tide from 16 to 18 feet. This embankment is denominated Albert Quay, and is used for the discharge of timber-laden vessels: a portion has recently been leased for a ship-building yard.
The old graving docks having become altogether inadequate, the harbour trustees have recently purchased, for upwards of L.30,000 several acres of ground adjoining Albert Quay, and here it is in contemplation to construct a new harbour, with the requisite dock accommodation for repairing the largest vessels.
The following measurements show the extent of the existing dock and quay accommodation:
- Albert quay and slip ................. 906 linear feet. - West harbour and quays ............... 3940 feet, girthed. The harbour trustees, who manage the affairs of the docks, consist of the town-council, and commissioners annually elected. Greenock enjoys coasting and foreign trade to a very considerable extent. In 1719 a vessel from this port first crossed the Atlantic; but shortly afterwards the shipping rapidly increased, for the Union had now opened full prospects to Scottish industry. With such rapidity did Greenock extend her maritime relations that the jealousy of the traders of London, Liverpool, and Bristol was excited. They accused the merchants of Greenock and Port-Glasgow of defrauding the revenue, but the charge was triumphantly refuted. The earliest trade seems to have been in herrings, and it is still continued, the amount cured annually averaging about 19,000 barrels. Trading in tobacco was also carried on at a very early period. It was first brought from the colonies, and then exported to the Continent. The Greenland whale-fishing commenced as far back as 1752, but it never rose to be of any importance, and is now discontinued. The American War greatly interrupted the progress of Greenock, as the principal trade of the port was then with that country; but after the peace in 1783 it speedily revived, and within the seven following years the shipping trade was tripled in amount. At present the principal intercourse is with the East and West Indies, Australia, and North America. Newfoundland and South America have also employed a considerable quantity of shipping. The gradual increase of trade is shown by the following tables:
**Account of the gross receipt of customs at the port of Greenock during 1728, and various subsequent years:**
| Year | Amount | |------|--------| | 1728 | £15,231 | | 1770 | £7,336 | | 1802 | £211,087 | | 1822 | £263,464 | | 1831 | £592,008 |
The stationary state of the duties of late years is ascribed partly to their reduction, and partly to the improvements effected in the navigation of the Clyde, which enable vessels that formerly had to load and unload here or at Port-Glasgow, to ascend to Glasgow.
**Account of the number of registered vessels belonging to the Port of Greenock during the years 1825, 1834, 1845, and 1853:**
| Year | No. | |------|-----| | 1825 | 211 | | 1834 | 367 | | 1845 | 428 | | 1853 | 418 |
Of these last, 14 vessels, with an aggregate of 2012 tons, were steamers.
**Account of the number and tonnage of vessels that entered and cleared from and to foreign ports in various years since 1784:**
| Year | British | Foreign | British | Foreign | |------|---------|---------|---------|---------| | 1784 | 52 | 6,509 | 4 | 630 | 63 | 7,297 | 3 | 620 | | 1804 | 165 | 30,802 | 25 | 5,120 | 155 | 31,896 | 20 | 5,965 | | 1824 | 188 | 46,162 | 11 | 3,054 | 188 | 46,837 | 9 | 2,629 | | 1834 | 277 | 69,843 | 10 | 2,673 | 284 | 71,698 | 8 | 2,140 | | 1853 | 274 | 94,575 | 44 | 13,764 | 153 | 55,630 | 43 | 11,975 |
In 1830, 684 vessels of 67,884 tons entered, and 706 vessels of 81,988 tons cleared coastwise at the port.
In 1853, 674 sailing vessels of 38,328 tons, and 214 steam vessels of 33,511 tons entered, and 162 sailing vessels of 8662 tons, and 102 steam vessels of 10,732 tons cleared at the port.
Prior to 1741 the police and burgh affairs of Greenock were exclusively in the hands of the superior, through whose baron-bailie they were ministerially discharged. By a series of charters, however, dated respectively 30th January 1741, 10th April, and 24th September 1761, Sir John Scott conferred upon them the feuars and salutary franchises, nine trustees from among themselves, swearing two to be bailies, one to be treasurer, and the other six to be councillors for the good government of the town, and public funds thereof. Authority was given to hold weekly courts, to punish delinquents, to make laws for maintaining order, and to admit merchants and tradesmen to the privilege of burgesses. The burghal affairs of the town continued to be administered under the charter of September 1751 till 14th November 1833, when the election of councillors took place under the provisions of the Reform Act. That act conferred no special benefit upon Greenock in respect of the election of councillors, as under the charter referred to, the qualified electors of Greenock formed the largest numerical constituency in Scotland. The town is divided into 6 municipal wards, and the town-council consists of a provost, 4 bailies, a treasurer, and ten councillors. A sheriff criminal court, sheriff small-debt court, and justices-of-peace court respectively are held every week.
Greenock has a very irregular appearance, and, until lately, the drainage of the town was very defective. A thorough system of drainage, however, has recently been instituted, and a corresponding improvement in the healthiness of the place is the result. The town is rapidly extending on the east by the increase of ship-building yards and other public works; and on the west a series of elegant and handsome villas stretch along the shore. The view from the heights above the town is exceedingly beautiful. Amongst the public structures which deserve to be noticed is the custom-house, a handsome edifice in a good Doric style, erected in 1818, at a cost of £12,000. It is said to much advantage, being situated in the centre of the town. The building is a substantial and handsome building, erected in 1801, at a cost of £10,000, and containing one large hall, and many smaller rooms. Besides these, the town can boast of several other handsome buildings. The railway to Paisley and Glasgow was opened in 1841. The line is 22½ miles in length. In 1828, a gas work was constructed at an expense of nearly £15,000, and being exclusively the property of the corporation, has hitherto been conducted with great advantage to the inhabitants. The West Parish church is a graceful and elegant structure. The Watt monument was erected in Union Street in 1838 to commemorate the genius of James Watt, who was born in Greenock. It is in the early English style of architecture, after a design by Broere, and has cost upwards of £12,000, of which the son of Watt contributed £10,000. It contains an exquisitely finished statue of the philosopher, by Gurney.
Within this building also is the public library, founded in 1783, and now containing upwards of 12,000 volumes. A mechanics' library was founded in 1832; and a mechanics' institution erected in 1840.
On the high ground between Greenock and Govan stands the Wood Mariners' Asylum, a very handsome and extensive erection in the style of the Tudor period. It is the fruit of the generosity of the late commissary-general Sir Gabriel Wood, a native of Greenock, who died in 1845. It was founded for the benefit of decayed master mariners and seamen belonging to the various sea-ports on the Clyde. This building, which cost £110,000, was begun in 1830, and opened in 1834. It provides accommodation for 50 inmates, although in the possession of the asylum have been admitted, Greenock's grammar-school was founded in the middle of last century. Its business was conducted in hired school-rooms till the present year (1855), when a handsome building in the old monastic style, erected by public subscription, was opened.
The Highlanders' Academy, a substantial and handsome building, was erected in 1833. There are various other educational institutions in Greenock adapted to every class.
The town is plentifully supplied with water, brought by an aqueduct 61 miles in length, from an artificial lake in the neighbouring highlands, which receives the waters of a number of small streams. For several miles it runs at an elevation of 500 feet above the level of the sea, and in the vicinity of the town it pours down a torrent of water in successive falls, affording power to a number of mills erected on its course. There is also a compensation reservoir covering 40 acres of ground, besides other smaller basins. Also a series of self-acting sluices, constructed in an ingeniously manner, not only obviating all danger of an overflow, but preserving every drop of water even during the greatest floods. The whole of this magnificent public work, including two expensive filters, was planned by Mr Thom, an ingenious engineer, and executed under his directions at an expense of £150,000.
The mill of the Shaw Water Cotton Spinning Company, erected in connection with the preceding works, was founded in June 1838, and opened in March 1841. It is an oblong building, 300 feet long, 65 wide, and 4 stories high. The centre portion projects, with a pediment on the top, surmounted by an octagon belfry. Each room is 215 feet long, and 61 broad, and the ceilings... are supported by two ranges of cast-iron pillars, 29 in each. The wheel-house, which stands at a little distance from the main building, is 90 feet long and 33 broad. The base of the building is nearly 50 feet below, while the roof is about 35 feet above, the level of the road. The wheel itself is, in respect of its size and structure, unequalled in the world. It measures 70 feet 2 inches in diameter, or 220 feet 6 inches in circumference; the axle is of cast-iron, and weighs 11 tons; the cestres or naves, into which the arms and braces are fitted with gibs and cutters, are 10 feet in diameter, and weigh 8½ tons each. The buckets are constructed of iron plates, fastened with 20,000 rivets; the buckets are 100 in number, and each contains 100 gallons of water; the wheel revolves once in a revolution more than a minute, and, with a full supply of water, is equal to 200 horse power. The weight of the whole is 117 tons. The spur wheel, with its shaft, weighs 23 tons, measures upwards of 18 feet in diameter, and revolves at the rate of 600 feet per minute. The wheel, with all its accompanying apparatus, was the workmanship of the late Mr Smith of Darnamun. The mill, when fully engaged, occupies 600 hands.
A new cemetery, in the south-western part of the town, was opened in 1846. It contains upwards of 20 imperial acres, the carriage ways and walks alone considerably exceeding five miles.
On the high ground at the eastern end of the town, and commanding an extensive view of the town and adjacent country, stands the mansion-house, the old residence of the Schaw family. Adjacent to this building lies the Well Park, an extensive piece of table-land overlooking the town, and inclosing the old well, on which is the date 1629. In 1834 this was generously given to the public by Sir M. R. S. Stewart. It is finely laid out with plants and evergreens, and forms an agreeable promenade ground. Another and larger park, the Wellington Park, has since been appropriated by the same donor exclusively to the use of the working classes; and here bowling, quoiting, and other athletic exercises, for which it has been adapted at the expense of the town, are zealously prosecuted.
Greenock is divided into three parishes, named respectively the Old or West, the Middle, and the East. The first church was built in 1591 on a piece of ground which at an early period had been close to the sea. It was demolished in 1837. Its ruins still stand in the centre of a venerable burying-ground, near the spot where a part of the rebel forces raised by the Earl of Argyll landed in 1685. Within the burying-ground lie the remains of Burns' Highland Mary, and over the spot a public monument, bearing an appropriate inscription, was erected in 1842.
The New or Middle Parish was dissociated from the Old in 1741. The church, a plain but elegant edifice, was erected in 1757.
The East Parish was disjoined from the Old, and constituted a separate parish in 1809. The original church, which was built as a chapel of ease in 1774, was condemned in 1861, and a plain but elegant structure was erected by the town-council in 1853.
A church containing seven hundred sittings was built by subscription, as a chapel of ease in the north-western part of the town in 1823, and subsequently designated the North Parish Church. Having stood empty since 1843, it has recently been sold, and is about to be converted into a public bazaar and hall for public meetings. There are also in Greenock 6 Free Church places of worship, 4 United Presbyterian, a Congregational, an Episcopal, an Evangelical Union, a Roman Catholic, a Methodist, a Baptist, an Irvingite, and a Reformed Presbyterian chapel. A sailors' home, capable of accommodating 40 inmates, was opened in 1852. In connection with this there is a chapel containing 300 sittings, in which divine service is regularly conducted by a chaplain. Attached to the institution are a school, reading-room, library, and other advantages.
The manufactures of Greenock are various, but the principal are those immediately connected with the commercial interests of the port. Shipbuilding, of which there are seven large establishments, was introduced at an early period, and has largely increased of late years in connection with the use of iron in the construction of vessels. Four yards employ iron almost exclusively; and several of the largest steamers and merchant ships afloat have been built here. There is one patent slip which is large enough to admit a vessel of 400 tons register. Boat building is also extensively carried on; and in connection with these naval establishments are 2 sail-cloth factories, 5 rope-works, and 5 sail-making sheds. There are also several extensive engineering establishments, machine manufactories, and forges. Greenock is the chief seat of sugar-refining in Scotland, in which department there are 11 houses. In addition to the cotton mill formerly described, there are two woollen factories, a flax mill, a paper mill, 3 dyewood mills, 6 grain Greenwich mills, 4 steam-saw mills, a distillery, 2 breweries, 5 tanneries, a pottery, several chemical works, and various other establishments common to large towns. The manufacture of straw-plait was extensively prosecuted for some years, but has gradually declined, and is now almost extinct. Letterpress printing was introduced in 1765, but the first book was not printed till 1810. There are 2 bi-weekly newspapers. During summer steamers arrive and depart from and to the principal places on the coast several times each day; there is also daily communication by steamboat with Liverpool, and various Irish ports. Trains run to and from Glasgow almost every hour, and the time occupied by express is 40 minutes. The philanthropic and benevolent institutions of the town are numerous, and comprehend various objects, domestic and foreign. A man-of-war is permanently stationed in the roadstead to receive volunteers for the navy.
The opposition to the monopoly of the East India Company originated with the merchants of Greenock in 1812, who were the first publicly to petition against that abuse. Greenock confers the second title of the noble family of Cathcart, who are descended from Marion, the only child of the last Sir John Schaw. The population in 1741 was 4100; in 1841, 38,946; in 1851, 39,391.