The Town and Parish in 1791
THE demolition of the old church and the erection of a new one must have engaged the attention of all Montrosians in 1791. The Parish Church had dominated the town physically, spiritually and socially for generations and it must have seemed to many people that this domination would be enhanced with the completion of a much larger replacement.
The Reverend Alexander Mollison, who had ministered in Montrose since 1776, has left us a charming and detailed account of the town as it was in 1791. It is contained in Volume V of the great Statistical Account of Scotland which was produced in that year :-
"Montrose is justly accounted one of the first provincial towns for its size in Scotland, or perhaps in Great Britain. It receives, on account of its neat and cleanly appearance, many encomiums from strangers. The houses, if not elegant, are, on the whole, well built and regular; but, like those of Flanders, their gabel ends are often turned towards the street. With one or two exceptions, they are now all of stone, and many of them covered with blue slates. In the principal part of the town, each family possesses a separate house. But beyond the port, and at the shore, the case is otherwise. Hence it is more populous than a stranger would be apt to imagine. As it is a town more distinguished by the residence of persons of opulence and fashion, than of commerce and industry, and often, but especially in time of war, full of soldiers and sailors, the vices, which predominate in these dissipated times, are not uncommon. But, on the whole, the character of the people is respectable, possessing a degree of public spirit, of hospitality to strangers, and of charity to the poor, rarely to be equalled. " Mollison tells us much about the life, work and institutions of the town. The population, which had doubled during the eighteenth century, stood at over 6,000 souls, if one includes the landward parish. As in earlier times, shipping and trade supplied much of the employment, and the fifty-three ships registered at the port now included three whaling vessels which made an annual voyage to the Davis Straits on their "very precarious trade". Fishing was carried on from Montrose and Ferryden
and, in 1791,
The Reverend Alexander Mollison, who had ministered in Montrose since 1776, has left us a charming and detailed account of the town as it was in 1791. It is contained in Volume V of the great Statistical Account of Scotland which was produced in that year :-
"Montrose is justly accounted one of the first provincial towns for its size in Scotland, or perhaps in Great Britain. It receives, on account of its neat and cleanly appearance, many encomiums from strangers. The houses, if not elegant, are, on the whole, well built and regular; but, like those of Flanders, their gabel ends are often turned towards the street. With one or two exceptions, they are now all of stone, and many of them covered with blue slates. In the principal part of the town, each family possesses a separate house. But beyond the port, and at the shore, the case is otherwise. Hence it is more populous than a stranger would be apt to imagine. As it is a town more distinguished by the residence of persons of opulence and fashion, than of commerce and industry, and often, but especially in time of war, full of soldiers and sailors, the vices, which predominate in these dissipated times, are not uncommon. But, on the whole, the character of the people is respectable, possessing a degree of public spirit, of hospitality to strangers, and of charity to the poor, rarely to be equalled. " Mollison tells us much about the life, work and institutions of the town. The population, which had doubled during the eighteenth century, stood at over 6,000 souls, if one includes the landward parish. As in earlier times, shipping and trade supplied much of the employment, and the fifty-three ships registered at the port now included three whaling vessels which made an annual voyage to the Davis Straits on their "very precarious trade". Fishing was carried on from Montrose and Ferryden
and, in 1791,
"haddock were scarce and extremely dear". Increasingly, however, men and women were finding employment in the textile industry which had grown dramatically in the second half of the century as the industrial revolution spread north. Most of the linen yarn produced in Angus and the Mearns was marketed in Montrose and sent south. Some of the small factories set up to manufacture canvas had closed with the ending of the war against the American colonists, but the demand for sail-cloth was soon to be revived with the opening of war against France, and a cotton manufactory had just been built. Other industrial activities included a tannery and several ropeworks. The town was noted "for making good malt liquor of all kinds: the strong ale made here is esteemed, by good judges, equal to the Burton ale".
Most of the inhabitants attended a place of worship "at least occasionally". The majority were Presbyterian, and belonged to the Parish Church whose congregation numbered 4774, but the two Secession Churches and the Episcopalians had sizeable congregations. Earlier in the century, "religious zeal, carried to an extreme, produced very bad effects ... but, in this respect, times are happily changed. The various congregations live, in general, in great harmony. The clergy belonging to different sects are on a friendly footing; the people attend public worship very regularly, and behave with becoming decency in the house of God".
The secular side of the community's life was presided over by the magistrates and council of the Royal Burgh. This was a body ripe for reform since its constitution had remained virtually unchanged since 1352. It was self-perpetuating: "the old council elect the new, and they may continue themselves in office, as long as they please to hold together". Since of the nineteen members, ten were always merchants, the mercantile interest enjoyed a monopoly of power. The Council's power was considerable and ranged over administration of justice, maintenance of law and order, poor relief, education and town development. Councillors were usually to be found among the membership of the Kirk
Most of the inhabitants attended a place of worship "at least occasionally". The majority were Presbyterian, and belonged to the Parish Church whose congregation numbered 4774, but the two Secession Churches and the Episcopalians had sizeable congregations. Earlier in the century, "religious zeal, carried to an extreme, produced very bad effects ... but, in this respect, times are happily changed. The various congregations live, in general, in great harmony. The clergy belonging to different sects are on a friendly footing; the people attend public worship very regularly, and behave with becoming decency in the house of God".
The secular side of the community's life was presided over by the magistrates and council of the Royal Burgh. This was a body ripe for reform since its constitution had remained virtually unchanged since 1352. It was self-perpetuating: "the old council elect the new, and they may continue themselves in office, as long as they please to hold together". Since of the nineteen members, ten were always merchants, the mercantile interest enjoyed a monopoly of power. The Council's power was considerable and ranged over administration of justice, maintenance of law and order, poor relief, education and town development. Councillors were usually to be found among the membership of the Kirk