BORROWSTOUNNESS, West Lothian

"Borrowstounness or Bo'ness, a town and a parish of NW Linlithgowshire. A seaport, a burgh of barony since 1748, and a police burgh since 1880, the town stands at the NE angle of the parish on a low ness or promontory washed by the Firth of Forth; by road it is 3 miles N of Linlithgow and 8 ENE of Falkirk, by water 2¾ SSE of Culross, and by rail, as teminus of a section of the North British, 4¼ miles NNE of Manuel Junction, 24 WNW of Edinburgh, and 29¼ ENE of Glasgow. Defoe described it, early in last century, as consisting only of one straggling street, extended close to the water along the shore, but 'a town that has been, and still is, of the greatest trade to Holland and France of any in Scotland, after Leith."

Extract from Groomes Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland c.1895

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