Mr. Patrick Scott – owner of Boathouse in the 19th Century. During 1859, he owned Boathouse Cottage, near Blantyreferme. He was renting it out to Mrs. Ellen Martin.
His grandson, Mr. A.McCallum wrote in his diary about Patrick Scott. “He kept a barrel of salted fish in his kitchen and was reputed to dish out a daily portion to his employees, himself. Lest the fish became done too quickly. John Munro, the ferryman (Boat Jock), speaking to John Scott about Patrick said, “Patrick, the Laird gave him a salted herring for breakfast every morning on a broken (cracked) plate, and when he complained, the Laird said, Ye should be glad tis a hale herring ah gie ye on thon broken plate, an no the ither way aroon! Thers many a wan who wid be glad tae tak yer place, herrin or nae herrin, plate or nae plate”.
Nevertheless the ferryman seemed to make a good living ferrying people across the river. According to an extract from A. McCallums diary, John Munro’s brother Hugh Munro was a ploughman at Priestfield Farm, High Blantyre, and often boasted about his brother’s prosperity. In his strong Hi’land accent saying, “Yes, John has sousands and sousands, aye an hunners o sousands, forbye the coppers he has in his drawer.” Ownership of the cottage was by 1866, then by Mr. John Scott.