Salt Making: The Pans of the Forth
Contents
Names like Prestonpans, Saltcoats and Salt Pans are clues to one of Scotland's oldest industries. For centuries, seawater was boiled in great iron pans along the coasts of the Firth of Forth, Ayrshire and elsewhere, fired by local coal, to make salt for preserving fish and meat. Salt was valuable enough to be taxed heavily, and the men who worked the pans, like coal miners, were bound to their work by law, little better than serfs, until the late eighteenth century. This card tells the story of Scotland's salt.
TL;DR
- established Salt was made in Scotland by boiling seawater in large iron pans, fired by coal, at sites along the Firth of Forth, in Ayrshire and elsewhere.
- established Place names such as Prestonpans and Saltcoats recall the industry. Salt was used for preserving fish and meat and was an important export.
- established An Act of 1606 bound colliers and salters to their employers, in a form of serfdom that lasted until Acts of 1775 and 1799 freed them.
- established The industry declined in the nineteenth century, after tax changes in the 1820s made English rock salt much cheaper. The last Prestonpans salt works closed in 1959.
- established Small-scale sea salt production has revived in recent years, for example at St Monans in Fife, about 200 years after the village's saltworks closed.
Key Facts
- Method
- Boiling seawater in coal-fired iron pans
- Main areas
- Firth of Forth, Ayrshire
- Place names
- Prestonpans, Saltcoats, Salt Pans
- Uses
- Preserving fish and meat; export
- Serfdom
- Act of 1606; ended by Acts of 1775 and 1799
- Decline
- Tax changes of the 1820s; English rock salt; Spanish sea salt
- Last Prestonpans works
- Closed 1959
- Coal per ton of salt
- About 8 tons, by most accounts
- St Monans saltworks
- 1771 to before 1825; nine pans
- Modern revival
- East Neuk Salt Co, St Monans, and elsewhere
A Note on Claims and Evidence
Each major claim carries one of three labels. established means supported by primary records, official bodies or several independent reliable sources. shared means the core fact is sound but sources disagree on details, dates or interpretation. traditional means widely repeated but not traceable to a primary or independent source.
The legal status of salters is documented in Acts of the Scottish and British Parliaments. Production figures for early periods are uncertain.
Timeline
Monasteries operate salt pans on the Forth.
Salt making expands with coal mining.
Act binds colliers and salters to their work.
The Treaty of Union includes provisions on Scottish salt duties.
Act begins the emancipation of colliers and salters.
Act completes their emancipation.
Tax changes make English rock salt much cheaper.
Last salt works at Prestonpans closes.
Salt is regularly one of Scotland's top three exports, with wool and fish.
The bonds on colliers are extended to other mine workers.
Sir John Anstruther and Robert Fall found the Newark Coal and Salt Company at St Monans.
The St Monans saltworks closes.
Details
Boiling the sea
established Salt was made by pumping or carrying seawater into large, shallow iron pans and boiling it over coal fires until the salt crystallised. Most accounts say it took about eight tons of coal to make a ton of salt, which is why salt was called "white gold". Salt works were built close to coal mines along the shores of the Forth, so the two industries grew together.
Monks and lairds
established Monasteries such as Newbattle and Holyrood operated salt pans on the Forth in the twelfth century. Later, landowners such as Sir George Bruce of Culross developed coal mines and salt works together. Salt was exported to England, the Low Countries and the Baltic.
Bound salters
established An Act of the Scottish Parliament in 1606 bound colliers and salters to their employers for life, so that they could not leave their work without permission. Their children were often bound too. The Colliers and Salters Act of 1775 began their emancipation, and an Act of 1799 completed it.
Taxes and Union
established Salt was heavily taxed. The Treaty of Union in 1707 included special provisions on Scottish salt duties, reflecting the industry's importance and the lower quality of Scottish salt.
Decline and revival
shared In the 1820s, tax changes made English rock salt much cheaper; sources date the change to 1823 or 1825. Together with Spanish sun-evaporated salt, this made Scottish sea salt uncompetitive.
established Most works closed, and the last at Prestonpans shut in 1959. In recent years small producers have begun making sea salt again with modern methods. At St Monans the East Neuk Salt Co draws seawater from the Forth and boils it under vacuum at about 40°C, saving energy.
Did You Know?
- Prestonpans takes its name from salt pans.
- Salt makers were bound to their work like serfs until 1799.
- Monks made salt on the Forth in the twelfth century.
- The Treaty of Union mentions Scottish salt duties.
- The last Prestonpans salt works closed in 1959.
- The St Monans windmill was a pump that lifted seawater into nine salt pans.
- The penalty for hiring another master's salter under the 1606 Act was £100 Scots.
- Lord Cockburn wrote in 1830 that colliers and salters had been "literal slaves".
FAQ
1How was salt made in Scotland?
By boiling seawater in coal-fired iron pans.
2Where were the salt pans?
Mainly along the Firth of Forth and in Ayrshire.
3Were salters serfs?
They were legally bound to their employers from 1606 until 1799.
4Why did the industry decline?
Cheaper Cheshire rock salt and the end of salt duties.
5Is salt still made in Scotland?
Yes, by small sea salt producers.
6How much coal did it take to make salt?
About eight tons of coal for a ton of salt, by most accounts.
7What was the St Monans windmill for?
It pumped seawater from rock-cut reservoirs into nine salt pans.
8Is salt still made in Scotland?
Yes, on a small scale, for example by the East Neuk Salt Co at St Monans.
Sources and Further Reading
Reference
- Undiscovered Scotland, "Prestonpans" and "St Monans Windmill" (undiscoveredscotland.co.uk)
General
- Historic UK, "Colliers and Salters: Scottish slaves" (historic-uk.com)
- Welcome to Fife, "Bringing salt back to the East Neuk" (welcometofife.com)
Caveats: Myths and Disputed Claims
- Do not give precise early production figures.
A Industry story