The Ferries – Early Crossings

 
From its source in Loch Ard in the Trossachs, to its broad Firth and the North Sea, the River Forth drives a broad wedge deep into the heart of Scotland, creating a barrier to travellers. At Queensferry, the river narrows, and the island of Inchgarvie provides a mid-stream stepping stone, making this the first point for a reliable crossing place.

Today it is the site of three gigantic bridges – all taking advantage of the local geography.

The Firth of Forth was created by the action of glaciers in the last ice age, some 10,000 years ago. The ice scoured out the river basin, but its path was impeded by the tough volcanic outcrops at Queensferry, so here the basin narrows before sweeping out to sea.
When the ice finally retreated, people followed and set up home along the banks of the river.

In 2012, the site of one of these homes was uncovered as workmen dug out the foundations of the new road bridge. They found the post holes for the timbers that probably supported walls and a turf roof. Inside it was apparently cosy, with several hearths, while the discovery of flint arrowheads and charred shells suggests a diet which included meat and roasted hazelnuts.

Stone-age dug-out canoes were found buried in a beach North Queensferry. So there is compelling evidence that boatmen have been crossing here for thousands of years.

When Christianity came to Scotland, the crossing was a vital link in the important pilgrimage route between Edinburgh and the holy sites of Dunfermline and St Andrews. Around 1070, Queen Margaret of Scotland bequeathed the income from a tract of land to provide free passage to pilgrims, and thus she gave the name of Queensferry to the passage and the towns on either shore.

In the following centuries, there were many attempts to regulate and control the crossing, with the local boatmen jealously guarding the rights that they were granted. The era of private boatmen ended in 1809, when the government declared “the irregularity of the service and the want of any control over the conduct of the boatmen at the Queensferry Passage (the great line of communication to the north of Scotland) made it necessary to take measures for its regulation and improvement.”

An Act of Parliament brought the ferry into a public-private partnership. The government matched the capital raised by private investors who the benefited from a share of the revenues generated by ferry fees. These private investors were the Trustees of the Queensferry Passage.