The story of the Ferry
Local History
A ferry is known to have existed from earliest historic times at the point on the coast where the estuary narrows before entering the open sea; indeed some say that it was the first ever in Scotland. The first historical reference to a ferry is in 1050 AD when Macduff, the Thane of Fife, is said to have crossed the Firth by this ferry when he escaped from Macbeth’s court to England and, according to local legend, he had to pay the boatman with bread because he had no money, hence the old name ‘the ferry of the loaf’.
The first settlement on the site of Tayport probably comprised a cluster of ferrymen’s dwellings, around which a village gradually grew. The name ‘Port-on-Craig’ or ‘Ferry-Port-on-Craig’ was used to distinguish the ferry at Tayport from those on the site of Newport, Wormit, and Balmerino, and came about because there was no pier or quay at Tayport and boats were drawn up at a ‘criag’ or rock, from which cattle and horses could be embarked. Owners of the ferry had to provide ‘brigges’ or platforms to facilitate the shipment of livestock.
The rights of this ferry have always been vested in the Lairds of Scotscraig, a strip of land along the foreshore being feued at merely nominal sums to ensure sufficient men to man the ferryboats at all times. On this strip of land old Ferry-Port-on-Craig was built, and as every householder was a law unto himself he planted his dwelling where and how he thought best, the result being the Tay and Dalgleish Streets of today, which are as irregular and uneven as it is possible to make them.
Before the bridge was built over the Tay at Perth, the ferry was widely used by people of all ranks and was regarded as one of the safest crossings on the firth – even after the river had been bridged, the Tayport ferry remained highly popular with cattle drovers. By an Act of Parliament passed during the reign of James III in 1474, the passage money was fixed at One Penny Scots for each person and each horse conveyed from shore to shore – and any ferry owner who over-charged was liable to a fine of 40s and to be imprisoned during His Majesty’s Pleasure. By 1793, when there was a large traffic in livestock reared in the north of Scotland for southern markets, the fares were 2d for each person and 4d per head for horses.
Historical records show that in the late 12th or early 13th century, a branch cell of the Abbey of Arbroath was founded near the ferry, probably to provide a hostel for travellers. There is no visible trace of this building now, but the foundations have been found in a field south-west of ‘Lover’s Loan’.
By 1836, the local ferry was no longer used for transporting cattle and horses because of the introduction of a steamboat on the Newport-Dundee ferry.
Learn how the introduction of the Railway brought positive growth to Tayport.
Sources:
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a booklet titled ‘The Burgh of Tayport: an Introduction’, published in 1985 by Tayport Community Council.
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a booklet titled ‘Tayport and round about: official guide’, published by Fife Tourist Association, (no date shown, approx. 1970’s).
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a leaflet titled ‘3 Tayport Walks’, by Fife Council (no date shown, ~2001).
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History of Tayport, by Sir James Scott, Kt. (at the age of 87), printed in Cupar by J. & G. Innes Ltd., 1927.