Ferryden - an Angus Fishing Village
Ferryden is a picturesque former village situated on the south side of the river South Esk, near the where the river meets the North Sea. It looks across to its larger neighbour Montrose, separated by river but linked by a bridge.
Ferryden was once a major fishing port but it owes its existence to an ancient river crossing. The road from the south emerged in the vicinity of the pier and provided the crossing over to the royal burgh of Montrose and onwards to the north. The earliest mention of the ferry is in 1178 when King William the Lion granted the ferryboat of Montrose and its lands to Arbroath Abbey. These lands were probably what is now Ferryden farm, since ferryden means ‘the valley of the ferry’.
The ferry operated for hundreds of years until the first bridge across the river was completed in 1795. The ferry service ceased for many years. A new ferry service operated from the at least the late nineteenth century to the middle of the twentieth century.
The village of Ferryden began to grow in the early 1700’s when fishermen colonists from the North East coast were encouraged to settle by Patrick Scott of Rossie. Local legend believes that as part of Scott’s estate improvements he wished to encourage the growing white fish trade. Many fishermen are believed to have come from the Banff area. They brought names such as West and Coull coupled with local Perts, Patons, Findlays and Mearns, names still much in evidence in the village. The new inhabitants were drawn by the deep anchorage and the abundance of mussel bait in the tidal basin.
The growth of the village really took off in the first three quarters of the 19th century. There was a three fold growth in population during that period from 190 people to 679.
Until the middle of the 18th century most fishermen had operated in small boats close to shore. The market for their catch was mainly local, sold in the Montrose fish market on the south side of what is now George Street. Further opportunities arose for the fleet as Dutch control over the North Sea waned throughout the 18th century. The herring fisheries were encouraged by the government, local landowners and merchants. By 1785 the local minister, Rev James Paton, recorded that 38 Ferryden families operated 6 boats, with 4 men in each boat. Many of these fishermen had found it necessary to supplement their incomes from other sources. A number of them would sail down to the Forth either with a cargo of fish or grain and would return loaded with coal for local consumption. Alternatively, smuggling wine and other contraband was also a lucrative source of income. Many fishermen joined summer whaling expeditions provided them with an income and freed them from the fear of the Navy press gang. Twenty four fishermen from Ferryden and Usan served in the Navy during the Napoleonic era, which constitutes a grave drain on the village’s manpower.
The Ferryden fishing fleet continued to grow throughout the 18th and much of the 19th centuries. The growth of herring continued alongside that of line fishing for white fish such as haddock and ling. The establishment of Joseph Johnston and Sons as salmon fishers boosted the trade as the company had wider interests such as exporting pickled cod, smoked haddocks and herrings to London and other places. Johnston’s also managed the source of bait, the mussel beds at Dun, while a Ferryden and Usans Fishermen’s Association managed the beds at Rossie.
However, with such a dependence on one trade, Ferryden’s fortunes ebbed and flowed with that of fishing in general. Between the census of 1881 and that of 1901, the population increase showed a marked slowdown. The 1880’s were an important turning point in the history of herring fishing. By the early 1920’s the Ferryden fleet was in serious decline. Like many other small fishing ports, it had been unable to re-establish its market after the end of World War One. Fishing from Ferryden had all but ceased by 193, with the exception of a handful of boats.
After World War Two Angus County Council planned to enlarge the village from 908 people to 1,500. They saw its future as a dormitory for Montrose and for agricultural workers. The County Council built homes along the Inch Burn and shifted the focal point of the village towards the new playing fields. This trend continued into the 1970’s and beyond.
Ferryden, and Montrose shipping, were in the doldrums until the late 1960’s. In an effort to attract some of the new oil business to Montrose, the Inch Burn was filled in and the South Quay constructed. It has successfully attracted large shipping including the massive Star line and oil support vessels.
© Angus Council 1998 - 2008