First Pottery. Around 1766 brown earthenware pottery from local clay began to be produced in a Pottery on the south side of Main Street.

Although he was declared bankrupt in 1773 Dr Roebuck, by using his sons name, developed Bo'ness Pottery in Main Street, Bo'ness by leasing premises from the Duke of Hamilton. By 1789 it was producing cream coloured and white stoneware by importing clay from Dorset and Devon. In 1791 Dr Roebuck and 40 men, boys and girls operated 3 kilns. On his death in 1794 Roebucks son sold the property to Thomas Cowan. In 1801 it was purchased by Alex Cuming, a customs officer, for £300. He in turn gifted it to his Nephew James Cumings. It was sold to Bo'ness Potters Shaw and James Jamieson in 1827 and operated as James Jamieson, or J.J., from 1827-1854. At this time about a third of the workforce weren't local many coming from Staffordshire. It was Jamieson's brother in law John Marshal, a wealthy corn merchant and J.P., who purchased the Pottery in 1854. The company operated from 1854-1898 as John Marshall and Company. Now also occupying ground on the north side of Main Street he built a reading room for his workers in 1858, encouraged outings and helped found the Potters Guild in 1860. On John Marshals death in 1879 his co-partner William McNay took charge until his death the following in 1880, when his brother Charles McNay and two sons John and James Managed the Pottery. In 1886 Charles McNay founded Bridgeness Pottery and left Bo'ness pottery in his sons care. They were however unsuccessful and the Pottery went into liquidation in 1898.

Bridgeness Pottery. This was established by Charles McNay, a previous employee of Bo'ness Pottery, in 1886. McNay purchased machinery, moulds and transfer pattern printing plates from Bo'ness Pottery when it went into liquidation in 1898, thus securing much of its predecessors markets.

Industrial Co-operative Pottery Company Limited. The formation of this company marked the Co-operative Societies short lived venture into pottery manufacture. Although the pottery was of good quality and the company was situated in a new factory, designed by William Simpson, commissioned and built at Grangepans, it ceased trading in 1894.

West Lothian Pottery Company Limited. A group of business men headed by James Hutton, of Culross Coal Co., purchased the works formerly belonging to the Industrial Co-operative Pottery Company Limited in 1894. Much of the original workforce was maintained, the Works Manager being John McNay, son of Charles W. McNay of Bridgeness Pottery. Producing reasonably priced tableware, mugs, jugs, bowls and basins this company also ceased to exist in 1930, mainly due to the depression between the wars.

On Saturday 15^th June 1963 the 75-year-old Bridgeness Pottery was gutted by fire. Opened in 1886 the Pottery C. W. McNay and Sons closed for production in April 1958 due to staffing problems, not lack of orders. Consequently Bo'nesses last Pottery, which had been situated on the North Side of Bridgeness Road just west of Bridgeness Shipbreaking Yard, was destroyed ending yet another era of traditional industry.