Trade and economic development in eighteenth century Campbeltown

Abstract

The intention of this local history study is to provide another piece to the picture of Scotlandis development in the eighteenth century. Although culturally Highland, Campbeltown had advantages which involved it in the economic development of the west of Scotland: its status as a Royal Durgh from 1700 with related trading privileges; the encouragement from the more forward-looking of the chamberlains of Kintyre; and its appointment as a rendezvous for the herring buss fishing.

Minutes of the Town Council show the country tenants becoming increasingly dependent upon the capital of the merchants and maltmen of Campbeltown in the first half of the century. A group of maltmen were dominating the trade and economy which was based on obtaining malt and grain from the country tenants. By the middle decades of the century, merchants'were looking increasingly to the harbour for their livelihoods. Trade to continental ports, particularly Norway, Sweden, Spain and Portugal, was well within the range of Campbeltown men by the 1740's according to the Customs Quarterly Accounts and Letter Books. The proximity of Ireland made it attractive to Campbeltown sailors before records began, but the diversity of trade to Irish ports in the eighteenth century was dominating the economy with herring, salt, oatmeal, and timber only the most important of the articles exchanged. The drawback trade, in some ways an artificial exchange, stimulated Campbeltown's economy in the 1760's particularly.

Coal-mining and salt-manufacturing were initially the efforts of local men. Neither industry was marked by great success, but both provided evidence of the local merchants' economic enthusiasm by mid-century. Other efforts, such as the linen manufacturing, had-but a short life-span. The importance of the herring fishing cannot be over-emphasised in Campbeltown. After the issue of the government bounties in 1750, most Campbeltown merchants had at least one-share in a buss, whatever other interests they might have had.

The days. of Campbeltown's economic importance in the west were numbered, largely dependent upon the legislation that created it a rendezvous Point for the herring buss'fishing and the legislation that created the drawback traffic which gave Campbeltown an importance with the Irish trading companies. The American liar of Independence also signalled an end to the days of easy prosperity for Campbeltown.

Town merchants had no cause to regret their participation in any of these economic efforts, however limited or short-lived they might have been. Each in its own way created capital and economic interests helped to swell the town's population, and provided the tenants with a growing market for their produce. The prosperity of Campbeltown in the nineteenth century with its numerous distilleries grew out of the spirit of activity of the eighteenth century merchants.