The Birth of Creetown in the 18th Century

The first time that the name ‘Creetown’ is seen in print is within Church Session records/minutes
May 20th 1759. In 1766 it was announced in a newspaper report that; ‘the superior and inhabitants
of the Ferrytown of Cree have agreed and resolved, that the said town, in time coming, shall be
known as Creetown, and they have directed that this should be published in the Edinburgh
newspapers, and that advertisements to that purpose shall be fixed up at the neighbouring towns
and Post Offices’.
The 1761 statistical accounts show that there were just 104 residents in Ferrytown of Cree
comprising 34 families, (Kirkmabreck Parish = 680). Looking at Baptism records ranging from
1702 until 1765, the following family names are identified as residents of ‘Ferry’; In date order,
Hanna, Davidson, Richardson, McMin, McQuie, Merron, Dempster, Kingan, McGuire, McKain,
Ramsey, Bell, Cowan, Mure, Conning, McCaa, Norris, McKeand, McGill, Halliday, Hannay,
Stevenson, McMorrin, Erline, Eaton, McMuldroch, McHarg, Cameron, McDowall, Cumming,
Eglon, Fullerton and Charters. (The Baptism records for this time were recorded by the Parish
Minister or sessions clerk, and hand written, so mistakes in spelling and translation should be
taken into account).
Most of those named above have gravestones in the burial grounds of old Kirkmabreck Kirk beside
Fell Hill. The earliest dated stone still visible is from 1723.
The population of the Creetown rose quite dramatically from 1770 onwards and names started to
appear that current residents might recognise, including, Carson, Michael, McMichael, Walker,
Houston, Kerr, Hughan, Herries, McWilliam, Conning, Adamson, Milligan, McLellan and more.
Until 1750, the population of Ferry-Town would have been mostly sea-men/sailors, but after the
McCulloch family inherited the lands, things changed quite rapidly.
Inline with other towns and villages following the agriculture revolution, and into the industrial age,
John McCulloch saw an opportunity to ‘re-invent’ the town, and in 1761 placed an advertisement in
the Edinburgh newspapers inviting tradesmen and artisans to Fue and settle. The advertisement was
typically glowing in its appraisal of the location. However, the McCullochs were in serious
financial difficulty during this period and by 1775 were forced by an act of Parliament to sell a large
amount of their estate, in order to clear their debts. It seemed that the Laird was willing to try any
amount of legal trickery to dodge responsibility, issuing numerous writs and entails, sadly, a
common theme with the McCullochs of Barholm. Whatever, the result was a greatly diminished
estate, though they held on to the lands of ‘Ferry’.
John McCulloch was relatively successful in bringing industry to Creetown, though the influx of
new industry brought significant changes; A Lead shot mill (later Farina) near Adamson Square, Tan
pits, of which there were at least two operations; John Thomson’s at the Hollow (Blacklands) and
James Primrose’s at St Crispins, an animal slaughtering operation near Cloughlouden Burn (close
to the site of the current service station) and Alexander Hughan’s Bleach fields at Burns Park. There
must have been some challenging aroma’s for the town folk to ingest. Happily, there were a good
number of craftsmen came; Masons, Joiners, Cabinet Makers, Blacksmiths, Tailors, Shoemakers,
etc. Schools began to emerge, and a Doctor etc. A new Cotton Mill was erected on the Balloch
Burn, close to the town, which later became a carpet factory.
Butchers, Bakers, Grocers and Innkeepers were now in a position to ply their trades to a greater
populace, and their numbers grew exponentially.
McCulloch fued the plots in a fairly haphazard manner, allowing fuears to build as they saw fit, and
most business’s were located within or attached to the home of the proprietor. The streets and
houses followed no strict pattern, which can still be seen today, and no doubt adds to the character
of the village; quite different to Gatehouse-of-Fleet, which followed a drawn plan.
Most of the industries introduced in the late 18th century ultimately failed, but Creetown was to get
a new lease of life with the coming of the Liverpool Dock Company circa 1831; who invested in
extensive quarrying of granite close by and employed a workforce of up to 450 over the following
decades.