History of Newport and the parish of Forgan; and rambles round the district

Front matter

LEUCHAR-S CHURCH. HISTORY OF NEWPORT &.nd t\\t Parish of Morgan; AND RAMBLES ROUND THE DISTRICT. By J. S. NEISH, Author of "In the Bye-Ways of Life A' Gr*c. Pitnbec : W. & D. C. THOMSON, "Weekly News" Office. I 890. Piinledby W. & U. C. Thomson, Weekly News Office, Dundee CONTENTS. Page. Part I. The Early History of the Parish, . . i „ II. Origin of Newport — The Old Boatmen of the Tay, 12 „ III. The Old Coaching Days — Disaster on the Tay — Tom Hood and Ballad Jock, ...... 24 „ IV. The Tay Ferries Trust — Introduction of Steamboats, 39 „ V. Storms and Disasters on the Tay — Salmon Fishings — Rival Hotels, . 58 „ VI. The Old Kirk of Forgan— The Parish Ministers, 6S „ VII. The Disruption — History of Newport Free Church, ..... 87 „ VIII. Origin of Independent Church, . . 100 „ IX. Progress of Independent and other Churches, . . . . 113 „ X. Progress of Newport — Curling and Bowling Clubs, . . . .125 „ XI.

The Mars Training Ship — Tay Bridges — Water Supply — Railways, . 134 „ XII. Newport Water Supply — Fall of the Tay Bridge, 149 „ XIII. The Blyth Hall— School Board— Conclusion, CONTENTS. RAMBLES AROUND NEWPORT. Page. Tayport and Scotscraig, ...... 169 Scotscraig (continued), 191 Kilmany, ......... 204 Balmerino, 226 Leuchars, 1 .

Introduction

. The " History of Newport " originally appeared in a series of papers in the Courier & Argus several years ago. These articles have been revised and extended, and, with the addition of a few historical and descriptive sketches of places of interest in the neighbourhood, are now presented in a more permanent form. The writer makes no apology for thrusting himself on the public as the historian of Newport. The task was laid to his hands, and he felt bound to complete it to the best of his ability. Materials were collected from the most authentic sources, and every care has been taken to render the work as reliable as possible. From the meagre information available to the writer, many things may have heen omitted, and inaccuracies may have slipped in unconsciously, but the main facts have been well attested, and the writer trusts that the work may prove useful and interesting as a local history.

The writer owes a deep debt of gratitude to the late Rev. Dr. THOMSON of Forgan, who kindly supplied valuable information, and took a warm interest in the publication of the papers. Many kind friends in Dundee and Newport also lent their aid, and to these he begs to return his sincere thanks. VI

INTRODUCTION.

. During the progress of the work through the press many events have transpired which have only been briefly alluded to. We began by calling Newport a village, but it has now been raised to the position of a burgh. That result was largely due to Mr. Alexander Scott, banker, whose zeal on behalf of the community was rewarded by his having been elected to the position of Chief Magistrate and Chairman of the first Police Commission. His colleagues in office were — Messrs. J. H. Walker (Senior Magistrate), J. F. MILLAR (Junior Magistrate), M. S. Carr, L. M'KENZIE, J. THOMSON, Thos. Scott, J. M'Laggan, R. Hunter, Thos. Congleton, Clerk, and F. G. Kemp, Collector and Treasurer. Great improvements have been wrought out since the Police Act was adopted, which have added to the comfort of the inhabitants.

The Lindsay Act has also been adopted in Tayport, and a supply of water from Dundee via Tay Bridge, has been introduced. The following gentlemen were elected as the first Police Commission : — James S. YOUNG (Chief Magistrate). Jas. Donaldson, Jun. (Senior Magistrate), William Miln, James Fyfe, James Scott, John D. Whyte, William Henderson, Marshall Duncan, William Welch, Peter Kay White, Clerk, JOHN Erskine, Collector and Treasurer. A new Railway Bridge has been erected on the Tay, almost on the site of the unfortunate structure which was blown down in the winter of 1879. Railway Stations have also been established at introduction. VII the north and south end of the Bridge, and the travelling public appear to have confidence in the stability ofthe structure. The opening of the new Bridge has given an impetus to building operations on the Fife side of the Tay, and a village is rapidly springing into existence on Wormit Bay.

In the " Rambles" the writer has combined historical notes with descriptions of the places visited, with the view of rendering the work valuable as a his torical guide to Newport and district. AND THE PARISH OF FORGAN.

Part I

ancient history of the parish. HE beautiful village of Newport, situated on the Fife shore of the Firth of Tay, may fitly be termed the southern suburb of the busy town of Dundee. The village is pleasantly situated on a series of gentle slopes and terraced ridges rising from the shores of the Firth, and, when viewed from the river or the opposite shore, presents a charming and picturesque appear ance. From the beach the slopes are dotted with elegant villas and stately mansions, handsome churches and other public buildings, and terraces of tastefully-built houses rising upwards to the crest of the hill, which is crowned by a fringe of A green shady woods. The whole village has an air of wealth and refinement about it, and, from its situation and surroundings, it offers a quiet rural residence to the merchants and well-to-do middle classes of Dundee, where they can breathe the pure, fresh air, and enjoy the calm and peace of a rural or seaside retreat after the harassing cares of the day in the factory or counting-house.

The modern village is not yet fifty years old, and may be said to have scarcely a history of its own worthy of being recorded, as its origin and growth are so intimately connected with the progress and prosperity of Dundee. Of course, Newport is so closely associated with Dundee that it is impossible to disconnect the history of the one from the other ; yet, at the same time, the village forms a distinct community, and, being situated in another county, and separated from Dundee by an arm of the sea, it can, to a certain extent, claim an independent existence and a history of its own. The parish of Forgan, in which Newport is situated, is little known except in ecclesiastical lore. Within its bounds no event of national importance can be said to have taken place — at least none has been recorded — though, from the existence of several cairns in certain parts of the parish, antiquarians have come to the conclusion that some of the fierce battles between the Danes and Scots must have been sought in this neighbourhood.

The lines of a fortified hill are still seen in St. Fort woods, and a stone coffin was, a few years ago, discovered in a field on the neigh bouring farm of Newton. On this farm there was a knoll, called the " Castle Hill," but it has been nearly all cut away by the making of the railway. Some urns were dug up in the field where the villa of Westwood is now built, and under the hearth stone of an old cottage a human skull was found, but how long it had been buried there was simply a matter of conjecture. There is a great probability that these cairns or tumuli were the burying-places of the slain in some ancient battle, but, beyond the discovery of a few bones, the mounds have never been fully explored. The principal estates in the parish are Naughton, St. Fort, Inverdovat, Wormit, and Newton.

Anciently Naughton was owned by the family of Lascelles, or Lassels, whose lands at one time extended from the old castle of Balmerino to Kirkton of Forgan. The Lascelles were succeeded by a branch of the ancient family of Hay, descendants of the gallant peasant who, with his sons, turned the fortunes of the battle of Luncarty in favour of the Scots, and repulsed the Danes, their only weapons being the oxen yokes with which they had been ploughing their field. The Hays of Morton, in the eastern part of the parish, are descended from this ancient family. They still retain possession of their family inheritance, and over the door of their house is seen the family coat of arms, the oxen yokes conjoined with other heraldic emblems. One ofthe Hays of Naughton was a notorious persecutor in the Covenanting times.

The Hays were succeeded by the family of Gillespie, who, in the beginning of the present century, removed from their old mansion house of Kirkton to their modern residence of Mountquhannie. The estates on which Newport is built are Scots craig, Tayfield (formerly Inverdovat), and St. Fort. By far the largest portion of the lands of Scots craig are contained within the parish of Ferry-Port on-Craig, now known by the modern name of Tayport. A portion of the lands of Scotscraig was once within the boundaries of Forgan, and included part of East Newport, but by far the largest portion of the village has been built on the estate of Tayfield. East Newport was at first called Maryton, while Newport proper was that part to the west of the pier, built chiefly on the estate of St. Fort, and presently known as West Newport.

Originally Scotscraig belonged to the Arch bishops of St. Andrews. In the reign of Alexander II. it was feued to Sir Michael Scott of Balwearie, the father of the famous Michael Scott, the Wizard. From the Scotts it derived its present name, which seemed to have been given to distinguish it from other " craigs," a name very common in the district and throughout Scotland generally. It passed from the Scotts into the possession of the Duries, an old Fifeshire family that figured prominently during the Reformation times. It was afterwards purchased by the Ramsays, the ancestors of the Earls of Dalhousie. In the seventeenth century it be came the property of Archbishop Sharpe, and from his representatives it was purchased by Alexander Colville, a relative of the Lords Colville of Culross. Since then it has been owned by families of lesser note.

Mr. Dalgleish was proprietor in the beginning of this century, and it was purchased from him by Mr. Dougal. Through marriage with Mr. Dougal's heiress it is now the property of Admiral Maitland-Dougal, a gentleman highly esteemed for his public spirit and large-hearted benevolence. Tayfield was formerly part ofthe barony of Inver dovat, which was held by a branch of theLeightons of Usan, in Forfarshire, from whom sprung the famous Bishop Leighton of Dunblane. Inverdovat after wards came into possession of John Lindsay, second son of Sir David Lindsay of Edzel, and ninth Earl of Crawford. This John Lindsay was the founder of the family of Lindsay of Balcarres. In the last century Inverdovat was owned by a Mr. John Lyon. The estate, or at least the largest part of it, was, about the close of the century, purchased by Mr. John Berry, descended from the Nairnes of St. Fort, who erected a fine mansion-house on the high ground overlooking the Tay.

The mansion house was named Tayfield, and the estate now bears the same name. Mr. Berry was born on 17th January, 1725, and died on 14th October, 1S17 at the age of 92. He was succeeded by his son, Mr. William Berry, who was born in 1754, and died on 9th December, 1852. His son, Mr. John Berry, the third proprietor of Tayfield, was born on 7th November, 1824, died at Nice, 17th December, 1877, and was interred in Forgan Churchyard on 7th January, 1878. He left a widow and family, who still reside in the beautiful mansion of Tayfield, and are highly respected in the village and neighbourhood. The Estate of St. Fort, the largest in the parish, has been made up of small properties successively added one to another under the present family of Stewart. There were formerly three St. Fords or Sanfords — St. Ford Nairne, St. Ford Walker, and St. Ford Hay.

Of these the first is the most noted, both in national and parochial records. The Nairnes figure prominently in the annals of Scottish His tory, and the title of Lord Nairne was conferred on a younger member of the family in the reign of Charles II. Lord Nairne was a staunch Jacobite, and took part in the Rebellion of 1745, for which he was proscribed, and had his title and inheritance forfeited. In the reign of George IV. the title was restored. About the beginning of the last century St. Fort was sold, and passed from the Nairnes to a gentleman named Duncan. About the close of the century the estate came into the possession of Mr. Robert Stewart, and is still owned by his descendants, his daughter being the present owner. In the early part of the pre sent century the old house was demolished, and a more modern and commodious mansion erected.

There is to be seen on the borders of the estate an old tomb, overgrown with flourishing "gean" trees, said to be the burying-place of the Nairnes, the ancient possessors of St. Fort. Over the en trance of this ancient sepulchre the following quaint lines are inscribed : — " Stuip low, Poor Soule, and mourn for sinne, Cry unto Christ to bring thee in, That when the bodie is lodged heir Thou may injoy His presence deir Until the day ofthe gryte call, When we must ryse to judgment all ; Then all united we shall be To praise the glorious Trinitie." There is a shield with pellets, and the initials " A. N." above the inscription. That the Nairnes were not all buried here is known from a record in " Lamont's Diary," under "date 1664, July 15. Samford Nairne, in Fyffe, depairted out of this life att his dwelling-house, and was interred the 17th of Jul. after, att his parish church, in the night season."

The farm of Newton is the property of the Earl of Zetland, but nothing worthy of record is known concerning it. Wormit also is a small property owned by the Wedderburns of BirkhiU. This part of the parish has been rendered famous in modern times by the Tay Bridge, of which we will have more to say in a future chapter. A close connection has, from the earliest times in Scottish history, existed between Dundee and the parish of Forgan by means of the Ferries across the River Tay. Naturally, the direct access to Dundee from the south is by crossing the Tay, which, after its junction with the Earn, opens out into a broad navigable Firth, separating the county of Fife from the counties of Perth and Forfar. It is a beautiful expanse of water, bounded by the Fife hills on the south and the Sidlaws on the north, and has the appearance of a great lake when seen at full tide under the golden rays of the setting sun or the pale glimpses of the moon.

The most important place on its shores is the ancient and bustling town of Dundee. In olden times the north side of the Firth was termed the " Dundee Water," while the Fife side was known as the " Dundee Waterside," which shows the importance of Dundee in former days. Along the north side of Fife there was the pas sage between Ferry-Port-on-Craig and Broughty Castle, and, proceeding upwards, the old ferries of Newport, Woodhaven, and Balmerino, in connec tion with Dundee. Balmerino, with its harbour and Ferry road, carried on a considerable traffic from the rural districts with the further side of the river, especially in the days of its abbots and their royal visitors. The Woodhaven and Newport passage to Dundee was early recognised as a " public ferry" in the great line of communication between the southern and north-eastern parts of Scotland.

This ferry, along with " the highways and bridges," was placed by Act of the Scottish Parliament, of the year 1669, under the regulation of the Justices of the Peace of the respective counties, their powers being " to visit the ferries in their shire, and appoint fit and sufficient boats and convenient landing places." This old ferry was, in ancient times, often the scene of great bustle and excitement, the boats and horses there being at the call of some hasty traveller from Dundee, or grave ecclesiastic returning to St. Andrews, or a merry monarch and his retinue from the Palace of Falkland on a hunting expedition to Monrummon Muir. There are records of some strange scandals about a Sir David Arnot and the Justices, in the year 1698, regarding a woman and a child who had come, no one knew from whence, to the Waterside, and were visited there by the said Sir David.

The same year a man named Alexander Garvie, having come to reside without his wife, and being ordered by the Kirk Session of Forgan to bring her home from Angus, where he had left her, submissively states — taking excuse we may suppose, from the difficulties of the passage — " that he could not get his wife brought here till the day was longer." Rob Roy Macgregor, after his cruel raid in Fife, in 1715, retreating before the Royal army approach ing from Perth, led off his whole Highland host by this route to Dundee. There was an inn and hiring establishment at the "Waterside" known, in the year 1699, as " Alexander Cupar's House," where, to the scandal of all good people of the parish, it was alleged " that manie go and drinks in the tyme of after noon sermon." Though a ferry had existed from " time immemorial" between Dundee and that part of the "Waterside" now known as Newport, it was not till the beginning of the eighteenth cen tury that it began to assume anything like the importance which was attached to its rival, Woodhaven.

In the sixteenth century the old mills at Seamylnes were leased or purchased by the Magistrates of Dundee, as the town's mills at the "Burn head" were unable to supply the town with meal. A pier was then built, about the place where the old harbour of Newport is situated, for the accommodation of the boats and small vessels that carried the corn and meal to and from the mills. The " Sea Mills," as they were called, were built on the ground between the old and new piers, and extended from the present farm steading over the grounds now occupied by the north lodge and gateway of Tayfield. The Meal Mill was, about the beginning of this century, possessed by Mr. Russell, father of Oliver Russell, lately of Haystone, who used to act as his father's " lade man," carrying the corn into the mill. This place gave its name to an ancient Chapel of" St. Thomas of the Seamylnes," which, in proprietorship at least had a connection with the ferry, as appears from the record given in Mr. Campbell's " History of the Abbey of Balmerino" — how "the patronage of the Chapel of St. Thomas of Seamylnes, the ferry from Seamylnes to Dundee, and the Mill of Sea mylnes," belonged in the year 1616 to Kinnaird of Kinnaird. WotToW

Part II. Origin Of Newport

— THE OLD BOATMEN OF THE TAY. IN the year 17 13 the Guildry of Dundee, at the suggestion of the Town Council, resolved to take steps to establish a regular ferry from Dundee direct to the south or Fife side of the Tay. Previous to this there was a Ferry at Woodhaven, but, as a want began to be felt for more direct communication between Dundee and Edinburgh, passage boats occasionally plied to " Seamylnes," lying between the new pier and the old harbour of Newport. From extracts of the minutes of the Guildry, published in A. J. Warden's " Burgh Laws," it would appear that the Incorporation in those days was a public-spirited body. The suggestion of the Town Council was heartily taken up, and ground purchased from the estates of St. Fort and Inver dovat (now Tayfield), on which a pier was built, and also a house for the tacksman, which was to be used as an inn and horse-hiring establishment.

Previous to the purchase of these lands there was only one house there, and great delay was often experienced by strangers seeking a passage across the river to Dundee. The property acquired by the Guildry comprised about six acres. Three and a half acres were purchased from Mr. Hamilton of Inverdovat, at £924 Scots ; and two and a half acres from the estate of St. Fort, at Scots. The place formerly called Seamylnes was then named New Dundee, and afterwards Newport Dundee, and latterly was changed to Newport. Piers, and a house and offices, were forthwith erected, and two years later, viz., in 17 15, the accounts were laid before the Court, the works having been completed in about eighteen months. The total sum expended in this enterprise is not very clearly stated, as there are some inaccuracies in the accounts, but, as far as can be gathered, the cost was somewhere about But the Guildry did not rest satisfied with the construction ofa harbour for "boats and yals" at New Dundee.

Through their exertions a public highway was made from Newport to Kirkcaldy, the cost having been defrayed by subscriptions raised in Fife and Dundee, and in the towns to the North as far as Inverness. Thus direct communication was opened up between the Metropolis and the North of Scotland, by the passage of the Ferries on the Forth between Leith and Kirkcaldy, and on the Tay between Newport and Dundee. The Guild Merchants of Dundee, in the beginning of the last century, must have been shrewd and far-seeing men. Doubtless they had expected that by the new route opened up a stream of traffic would flow so steadily across the Tay that in a few years a flourishing town would spring up on the Fife side of the river, and form a new outlet for the enterprise of the traders of Dundee ; but their anticipations were not realised, and we find that in the year 1777 the Guildry resolved to sell their property in Fife.

From what we can gather from the extracts taken from the minutes of the Guildry on the subject, it is abundantly clear that " New Dundee" had turned out a bad spec. The subjects were first let for a term of years at 6 per cent. — on the outlay, probably, though that is not definitely stated. In May, 1716, the house and pier were advertised to be let within the Tolbooth at the yearly rent of 400 merks Scots ; but, as the reserve price was not bid, the Guildry bought it and afterwards sublet it to a tacksman at the yearly rent of .£20 sterling. In August of the following year a Mr. Gentleman, vintner, offered 8,000 merks for the Guildry's interest in New Dundee, but the Court, by their vote, refused to sell. Troubles had early begun in connection with the property. Only a few months after the property had been acquired the minister of Forgan summoned the Guildry for an augmentation of stipend on their new purchase.

The piers had not been very substantially erected at first, for by the year 1717 they had broken down two or three times, and various sums were spent on repairs. In 1725 the tenant complained that he was doing very little business in horse-hiring, though he had six good horses for the service of the public. The shore dues leviable from small vessels loading and discharging at the Harbour had not been well paid, and the tacksman had to be authorised to collect them. The rent never exceeded £20 a year, and was often not well paid ; while, from the continual outlay for repairs and other charges, the Court began to consider that the place was a great burden on their stock. In 1749 the property was offered for sale, but at thattimenopurchasercameforward. Twelveyears later,in 1761, it appears, from an entry in the Guildry minutes, that Newport had been sold to a Mr. Maxwell of Bogmiln, but, as the price had not been paid, the Dean was instructed to confer with Mr. Maxwell, with the view of getting the money out of him.

The result of that conference is not stated, but it proved a failure, as we find that twenty years later (1782) a Mr. M'Nab, a writer in Edinburgh, paid to Maxwell's trustees for the interest they had acquired in Newport, which sum was handed over to the Guildry in payment of part of the debt Maxwell was due to the Court. From details of this transaction it appears that, with the consent of the Guildry, the subjects were put up for sale by public roup by the trustees, and that they were bought on behalf of Mr. A. Duncan of St. Fort and Mr. John Lyon of Inverdovat, each proprietor getting back the portion of land which had been originally purchased from his respective estate. It further appeared that, after deducting the sum realised by the sale, Maxwell was still due £189 principal and £192 interest on the lands of Newport.

By the year 1787 this balance had been reduced to £21 14s. 9d., on which sum the Guildry accepted a composition of ios. in the £1, and thus the Incorporation got rid of their "White Elephant" of Newport. From what has been already stated it will' be seen that thc house and piers of Newport came into the possession of the proprietors of Inverdovat, and subsequently to Mr. Berry of Tayfield, when he became proprietor of that portion of the old barony. Although two direct ferries were maintained between Dundee and Fife, the one at Wood haven and the other at what is now known as Newport, the former passage had always been the most popular ; and, notwithstanding the exertions of the Guildry, it continued to be most resorted to by passengers down to the beginning of the present century. In 1770 a new turnpike road was con structed to Woodhaven, and that gave an impetus to the traffic by that passage.

According to the Statistical Account of the parish, prepared by the Rev. Charles Nairn in 1838, through the exertions of Mr. Berry of Tayfield and his son, another turn pike road was made from Newport, communicating with the road from Woodhaven to Cupar at a point about four miles from Newport, known as Michael's Wood. From that time Newport became the principal route for passengers journeying from the South to Dundee and the North East of Scotland. We have said that previous to the Guildry of Dundee establishing a harbour at " Seamylnes," there was only one house in the locality. The building of the inn and the improvement of the road were calculated to attract settlers, but we find that after the lapse of a century very little progress had been made in that direction. In the beginning of the present century Newport consisted of about twenty cottages, scattered here and there on the braes and cliffs.

These cottages were chiefly occupied by the boatmen employed at the ferries and their families, the whole population not ex ceeding one hundred souls. In addition to the boatmen and their families, there were a few trades men, such as shoemakers and tailors, who had been attracted to the settlement. Almost on the very spot where the present inn is built was a thatched cottage inhabited by Tibby Landsman, who carried on business as a sort of general merchant, her house and shop being combined under the same roof. The slope now occupied by the inn stables and stableyard was then a fine grassy beach, some parts of which were utilised as " kail yairds " by the villagers. Two cottages stood on Seacraig Cliff, one of which was occupied by a shoemaker ; while further east, at Craighead, and on other points of the coast, salmon fishing stations had long been established.

Since then the aspect of the place has been entirely changed. Up to the year 1820, when steamboats were, for the first time, put on the passage, the communication P. was maintained by a fleet of sailing boats, owned and manned by those hardy boatmen. The ferry boats were of two kinds — yawls and pinnaces. The yawls were large, strongly built, and sloop rigged, carried a good spread of canvas, and were adapted for transporting horses, cattle, carts, and carriages. They were fitted with a half deck at the stern, while the fore part was open, the keelson being covered with paving stones, which gave a flooring and could be easily cleaned. An inclined plane led from the bows to the bottom of the hold, where the live stock and vehicles were stowed away during the passage. ' It was not an easy matter to get horses and cattle shipped on board these vessels, and ludicrous scenes were often witnessed at the ferries between bipeds and quadrupeds, especially on market days.

The pinnaces were a smaller class of boats, adapted only for the con veyance of passengers. They were smartly built, and were fitted with masts, and carried lug sails like fishing boats. With a good breeze and the tide in their favour, they flew through the water with great speed, and under such circumstances they made the passage in less time than the steamers take to cross. At that time the two landing places on the Fife side were known as the " West Water " and " East Water " ferries. About the year 1815 there were somewhere about twenty five boats plying on the two ferries, giving employment to about one hundred men and boys. The boats were generally owned by their respective crews, who shared in the profits according to the amount of capital each man had invested in the craft. - Each boat was under the command of a coxswain or skipper, but beyond that they owned no authority.