The Secret Navy of Scotland's Port Towns

In the 17th century, the small but busy port of Borrowstounness, or Bo’ness, on the Firth of Forth, found itself entangled in the grand geopolitical struggles of Europe. While today Bo’ness is a quiet town rich in heritage, during the early modern period, it played a surprising role in Scotland's coastal defense—through a practice both daring and officially sanctioned: privateering under letters of marque.

This lesser-known facet of Scottish maritime history saw local ships turned into instruments of war, backed by royal authority, to fend off threats like Spanish aggression and protect valuable trade routes. Let's explore how this worked—and why Bo’ness was uniquely placed to be part of it.