Sailors, Spies, and Sovereignty: Greenock’s Revolutionary Turmoil, 1688–1691

Abstract

Despite many pamphlets and news sources declaring the Jacobites defeat in 1690, the Williamite War in Ireland carried on until June 1691. Among the more cautious observers of the situation was the Scottish Privy Council. Records indicate that coastal towns – in this case Greenock – were potential avenues for Jacobite invasion from the Irish Sea. This article situates the Privy Council’s and local action in both their environmental contexts and within the history of borders and borderlands. It traces Greenock’s place in the revolutionary narrative as a place of great strategic importance because of the bustling port and proximity to the city of Glasgow. Coastal and port security played a crucial role in shaping attitudes and action towards the western port towns connected to the Irish Sea. Ultimately, the Clyde River did not succumb to the enemy navy, but the coast and its inland waterways were an unpredictable space.