Showing posts with label Forth Bridges. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Forth Bridges. Show all posts

Tuesday 14 February 2023

Skulferatu #91 - Ferry Hills, North Queensferry, Fife


If you have ever driven across the old Forth Road Bridge to or from Fife, you will have passed right by the Ferry Hills in North Queensferry.  If you have ever taken a train over the Forth Bridge, leaving from or arriving at any of the stations in Fife along from North Queensferry, then you will have passed through the Ferry Hills.  And it was off to the Ferry Hills that I headed today.

 

The hills are split by the train tracks, and I don’t think there is a path that joins the two parts together.  If there is, well I’ve never found it. So, to start with I walked from the railway station at North Queensferry up to the part of the hills that overlooks the two road bridges.  They both looked very bleak and industrial in the cloudy grey, yet luminously bright winter sky.

 

A photo of the Queensferry Crossing - a bridge over the Forth from South Queensferry to North Queensferry.  Photo taken by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
The Queensferry Crossing

 

A photo of the Forth Bridge spanning across the Forth in a gray, winter light.  Photo taken by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
The Forth Road Bridge

 

After taking a look at the bridges from a viewing point on the hill, I made my way up to the top and had a wander around the marshy land there, where the Ferry Loch sits.  Other than a few tumbling down stone walls and an old hut, there was nothing much there, just mud, long grass, and gorse bushes. It could have all been quite different though, as it is rumoured that in the 13th Century a group of Jewish elders travelled to Scotland to speak to King Alexander III.  They offered to buy the land at Ferry Hills and the coast below so that they could build a town of refuge there.  However, Alexander had already promised the land to the town of Inverkeithing, so turned down their request.  To think if he had agreed to sell the land, I may have been up there to visit some historic synagogue and have a wander around that.  Maybe then stop off at a deli for a smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel and a piece of cheesecake, or a slice of challah with a dollop of jam on it.  And I wonder why I’m overweight!

 

A view of one of the towers of the Queensferry Crossing as seen from Ferry Hills in North Queensferry.  Photo taken by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
View of the Queensferry Crossing from Ferry Hills

 

A view of the red, metal humps of the Forth Bridge as seen from Ferry Hills in North Queensferry.  Photo taken by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
View of the Forth Bridge from Ferry Hills

 

A view over to Inverkeithing from Ferry Hills showing the grassy are on the hills with sheep grazing their and, in the distance, the white dots of the houses in Inverkeithing.  Photo taken by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
View over to Inverkeithing from Ferry Hills

 

A View from Ferry Hills over to Burntisland and the Craigkelly TV Transmitter.  Photo taken by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
View from Ferry Hills over to Burntisland and the Craigkelly TV Transmitter

 

My feet muddy and my trouser legs wet, I made my way back down to the railway station and then up and around to the other side of the hill where, after a quick walk along a path covered in sheep shit, I found a memorial stone commemorating the last fatal duel fought in Fife. 

 

A view over a grassy hill to a white house and on to the coast of Fife.  A memorial stone can been seen sitting in the grass of the hill.  Photo taken by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
The piece of ground at Ferry Hills where the duel was fought

 

A photo of a memorial stone and plaque standing in the grass of Ferry Hills, North Queensferry.  Photo taken by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
The memorial stone and plaque commemorating the duel

 

A photo of a metal plaque in the grass.  The plaque reads - It is on record that Capt., Wm. Gurley of Petershope, St. Vincent, died at this spot on 30th October 1824, having been fatally wounded in a pistol duel with a Mr. Westall - the last to be fought in Fife.  Photo taken by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
The plaque commemorating the duel

 

The story of this deadly encounter begins, and ends, in 1824.  That year William Gurley, a Captain with the Aberdeenshire Militia, had moved to Edinburgh with his wife and children.  Being a typical gentleman of his time, Gurley liked to bet on the horses, and in September of that year had gone to the races at Doncaster.  There he met up with an acquaintance, John Waistell (or Westall).  At one of the races Waistell had lost a bet of seventy Guineas to Gurley, and not having the money on him to pay, promised that he would do so on their return to Edinburgh.  However, back in Edinburgh he did his best to avoid Gurley, leading Gurley to believe that he was trying to get out of paying him.  Gurley, who was described by his friends as being a bit of a hot head at the best of times and having quite a violent temper, did not take kindly to what he saw as an affront to him by Waistell.  One day while out dining with his friend James Barr, Gurley decided they should go to the Black Bull Inn, where Waistell was lodging, so that he could confront him about his dishonourable behaviour and ask him to pay the money he owed.  So, they toddled off there.  As you can probably imagine, it did not go well.  Words were exchanged with Gurley calling Waistell a scoundrel and Waistell calling Gurley a liar, an insult which made Gurley so mad he picked up a poker from the hearth and struck Waistell across the neck and shoulders with it.  Waistell collapsed to the ground and Barr rushed to his aid, fearing that Gurley might have killed him.  Waistell soon recovered though and the insults between the two men flew once more, before Barr persuaded Gurley to leave.  After this there was much toing and froing between intermediaries from Gurley trying to persuade Waistell to pay his debt.  Waistell promised he would, but then either found excuses not to, or on a couple of occasions wrote out promissory notes that could not be cashed.  Eventually Gurley exploded with rage and a duel was agreed between the two men. 

 

On Saturday 30th October 1824, Gurley, and his seconds went to Salisbury Crags in Edinburgh to meet Waistell to duel with pistols.  He didn’t turn up.  Gurley was not a happy man.  But then a note arrived from Waistell giving his apologies and stating that one of his seconds had been unable to make it and this had caused his delay.  It was then agreed that given the time of day, the two men couldn’t duel in Edinburgh as there would be too many people around, so it was decided they would make their way to North Queensferry and duel there.

 

That afternoon the two men and their seconds took the ferry over to North Queensferry and found a secluded bit of ground on the Ferry Hills.  There the seconds handed them their pistols and it was agreed that ‘once, twice, thrice’ would be called and on ‘thrice’ they were to fire.

 

The signal was given and Waistell fired.  He shot Gurley straight through the heart, and Gurley dropped to the ground dead before he could even return fire.  On seeing that Gurley was dead, Waistell was so distraught that he put a pistol to his own head and threatened to kill himself.  His friends managed to disarm him and quickly rushed him away from the scene.

 

Gurley’s body was taken to a nearby inn, and he was buried a few days later at St Peter’s Churchyard in Inverkeithing.  As for Waistell, a warrant was issued for his arrest, but he disappeared and either assumed a new identity or left the country, as he was never seen or heard from again.  So, there ends the sad tale of the duel fought on Ferry Hills.  If there is any moral to this story then I suppose it is that betting is not good for your health, and neither are hot tempers and guns.

 

I left the Skulferatu that had accompanied me on my walk by a rabbit burrow near to the memorial stone.

 

A photo of a small, ceramic skull (Skulferatu 91) being held up with a view of the memorial stone in the background.  Photo taken by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Skulferatu #91

 

A photo of a small, ceramic skull (Skulferatu 91) sitting in the grass beside a rabbit burrow.  Photo taken by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Skulferatu #91 sitting in the grass by a rabbit burrow

 

A photo of a small, ceramic skull (Skulferatu 91) sitting in the grass beside a rabbit burrow.  Photo taken by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Skulferatu #91 sitting in the grass by a rabbit burrow

 

TomTom Map showing location of Skulferatu #91
Map showing location of Skulferatu #91

 

The coordinates for the location of the Skulferatu are –

 

Latitude 56.016023

Longitude -3.395713

 

what3words: array.flows.national

 

I used the following sources for information on Ferry Hills and the duel fought by Gurley and Westall -

 

The Fringes of Fife

By John Geddie

1894

 

Inverkeithing, North Queensferry, Limekilns, Charlestown, The Ferry Hills

Their Antiquities and Recreative Resources

Edited by Andrew Cunningham

1899

 

Scotland’s Penultimate Duel

J. M. Leggett

1998

 

The Scots Magazine - Wednesday 1 December 1824

 

Canmore – Ferry Hills

Canmore - Ferry Hills