Greenock
The coast of Greenock formed a broad bay with three smaller indentations: the Bay of Quick was known as a safe anchorage as far back as 1164. To its east, a sandy bay ran eastwards from the Old Kirk and the West Burn as far as Wester Greenock castle. The fishing village of Greenock developed along this bay, and around 1635 Sir John Schaw had a jetty built into the bay which became known as Sir John's Bay. In that year he obtained a Charter raising Greenock to a Burgh of Barony with rights to a weekly market. Further east, Saint Laurence Bay curved round past the Crawfurd Barony of Easter Greenock to Garvel (or Gravel) Point. When a pier (or dyke) was built making the bay an important harbour, the fishing village of Cartsburn gained the alternative name of Crawfurdsdyke. In 1642 it was made into the Burgh of Barony of Crawfurdsdyke, and part of the ill-fated Darien Scheme set out from this pier in 1697. This town was later renamed Cartsdyke.
Greenock stowaways
The populace of Greenock was angry, and stayed angry until the return of the Arran on Thursday, 30 July 1868 when news spread of its arrival in the Clyde: A hostile reception awaited the ship and after she moored, some local men managed to board her. The officers may only have escaped a lynching by locking themselves in the captain's cabin and defending themselves with their pistols. The harbourmaster, one Captain Millar, reported the riot to the police, who arrived under the command of a Lieutenant Burrell. The police were unable to disperse the crowd until nearly midnight. The next day, Watt and Kerr were transported to the courthouse in a taxi, which was followed by a still-angry crowd, who were "hooting, yelling and pelting the vehicle with stones." They were charged before the Sheriff with "cruelly and maliciously compelling one or more of her Majesty's lieges to leave a ship"; bail was refused. At this point. says Roughead, it was not yet known in Scotland that two further children had died since being put ashore.