Letham Fife Scotland

Monimail Parish Church, Fife, Scotland. Monimail lies on the northern edge of the Howe of Fife on a minor road between the villages of Collessie and Letham. Monimail Parish Church has a four-stage Gothic tower. Tour Letham, Fife, Scotland, on an Ancestry Tour of Scotland. Best Scottish Tours, Best Scottish Food, Best Scottish Hotels, Small Group Tours of Scotland, Rent a Cottage in Scotland. Letham in 1846. Letham, a village, in the parish of Monimail, district of Cupar, county of Fife, 4 miles (W. by N.) from Cupar; containing 383 inhabitants. It is situated in the western part of the parish, about a mile north of the high road from Cupar to Collessie; and is a considerable village, of which the population is chiefly engaged in the weaving of linen. The Independents have a place of worship. A large subscription school was established here in 1821; and there is a miscellaneous circulating library, besides a religious library in the vestry of the parish church, which is about half a mile distant.

Leslie Fife Scotland

Leslie, Fife, Scotland. was originally known as Fettykill, before its name was changed to Leslie in 1283 when Norman de Leslie obtained a grant of land here. Tour Leslie, Fife, Scotland, on an Ancestry Tour of Scotland. Best Scottish Tours, Best Scottish Food, Best Scottish Hotels, Small Group Tours of Scotland, Rent a Cottage in Scotland. Leslie in 1846. Leslie, a parish and manufacturing town, in the district of Kirkcaldy, county of Fife; containing 3625 inhabitants, of whom 2000 are in the town, 9 miles (N. by W.) from Kirkcaldy, and 20 (N.) from Edinburgh. This place is by some writers supposed to have derived its name from the Gaelic Lis, a garden, or richly-cultivated spot, and from its situation on the river Leven; others, however, deduce it from the earls of Rothes, who became possessed of certain lands here, to which they gave their family name, and from which that appellation was in process of time extended to the whole parish. At the period of the Roman invasion of Britain, the Caledonians, who are said to have defeated the ninth legion on the Orr, disputed the passage of the Leven at this place, and on being repulsed, retired to the heights of Lomond, while the Romans encamped on the heights of Balsillie, in the western confines of the parish, where both Roman and Caledonian battle-axes and other warlike instruments have been discovered. The parish appears to have been distinguished at an early period as a favourite resort of the Scottish kings, for hunting and the celebration of various sports; and many of the lands are still called by appellations referring, in their Gaelic origin, to these games, which seem to have been continued till within a very recent period. The earls of Rothes, of whom one was created a duke by Charles II., granted the inhabitants numerous privileges by a charter which erected the place into a burgh of barony; and their descendants still retain possession of their ancient lands, the property of the present earl.

The parish is about five miles in length and from three to four miles in breadth, and is bounded on the south by the river Leven, which separates it from the parish of Kinglassie; it comprises nearly 6000 acres, of which 4300 are arable, 1000 meadow and pasture, and thirty undivided common. The surface is pleasingly undulating from the bank of the Leven to the heights of Lomond, and is intersected by two streams that flow into that river from the north and west respectively, enlivening the scenery, which is otherwise agreeably varied, and richly embellished with the plantations in the grounds of Leslie House, Strathendry, and other handsome seats. The Leven issues from the lake of that name, and, after a course of about twelve miles through a fertile and highly-cultivated district, falls into the sea at the thriving town of Leven. The banks of this river abound with beautiful scenery; and its stream gives motion to numerous mills, and affords an abundant supply of excellent water for the bleachfields in the parish, and for other works that have been erected on its sides. Previously to the establishment of the bleachfields, the river abounded with trout and eels of remarkably fine size and flavour; and so abundant were the latter that the lands of Strathendry, before the dissolution of monasteries, paid a tribute of many thousand eels annually to the abbey of Inchcolm, on which they were dependent. The soil is every where rich and fertile, and the lands are in the highest state of cultivation under an improved system of husbandry; the crops are, barley, oats, wheat, potatoes and turnips, with the usual green crops. The farm-buildings are substantial and well arranged; great improvements have been made in draining and inclosing the lands; the fences on some farms are hedges of thorn, and on others stone dykes, and both are kept in good order. The plantations are ash, elm, beech, oak, and silver fir, with some larch and sycamore; the trees on the Leslie estate are remarkably fine, and leading to the house is a noble avenue of beech, of more than two hundred years' growth, several of the trees measuring nearly seventeen feet in girth at a height of four feet from the ground. The substratum is generally whinstone, interspersed in places with gravel and sand, which rest upon it to a considerable depth; lime-stone, is also prevalent, and quarried for manure; and in the eastern part of the parish, coal is found, but the mines have been nearly exhausted, and are not wrought to any great extent. The rateable annual value of the parish is £5488. Leslie House, the seat of the Earl of Rothes, a noble quadrangular mansion erected by the Duke of Rothes in the reign of Charles II., was mostly destroyed by an accidental fire in 1763; but a remaining side of the quadrangle, forming the present residence, was repaired by John, Earl of Rothes, in 1767. It is beautifully situated in a tastefully-disposed and richly-embellished demesne, comprehending much interesting and picturesque scenery, and through part of which the Leven winds its course between banks crowned with flourishing plantations. The house contains many stately apartments, with a valuable collection of paintings and family portraits, and some beautiful tapestry: among the subjects of the last are, the Story of Leander, the Journey of the Children of Israel through the Wilderness, and the Anointing of Saul by Samuel. Strathendry is a handsome spacious mansion in the Elizabethan style, erected within the last few years; it is pleasantly situated in a wide domain, and has thriving plantations, chiefly of modern growth.

The town is neatly built, and mostly inhabited by persons employed in manufactures and in agriculture. The weaving of linen is one of the chief branches of trade, in which nearly 300 persons are engaged, for the manufacturers of Glasgow: there are six mills for spinning flax, affording occupation to more than 800 persons; and three bleachfields, in which almost 150 are occupied. Prinlaws, a very considerable village, has arisen since the recent establishment of an extensive flax-mill and bleaching-ground by John Fergus, Esq.; it contains 760 inhabitants, chiefly employed in the works. The houses, to each of which is attached a garden, are neatly built, and ornamented with shrubs and evergreens. Fairs are held on the first Thursday in April, O. S., for milchcows and horses, and the 10th of October for lean stock; the former of these is numerously attended, but the latter has been for some years declining. The town, as a burgh of barony, is under the government of two bailies and a council of sixteen; but they exercise no jurisdiction of any consequence, except in matters of police. A circulating library is supported by subscription, under the management of a committee. A daily penny-post has been established between this place and Markinch; and facility of intercourse with the adjacent towns is maintained by good roads, kept in repair by statute labour. The parish is in the presbytery of Kirkcaldy and synod of Fife, and in the patronage of the Earl of Rothes: the stipend of the incumbent is £257. 8. 6., with a manse, and a glebe valued at £18 per annum. The church situated in the centre of the parish, is a neat and substantial edifice, with aspire, erected in 1820, and adapted for a congregation of nearly 1000 persons, including 300 free seats. There are places of worship for members of the Free Church and United Secession, the former very lately erected. The parochial school affords a liberal education; the master has a salary of £34, with £38 fees, and an allowance in lieu of a house and garden. The poor have the interest of funds belonging to the Kirk Session for their use, and producing annually about £30. Leslie Green, in the parish, is said to have been the scene of King James' poem of Christ's Kirk on the Green. Upon several of the eminences are large erect stones, on the removal of one of which, some time since, a coffin containing human bones was discovered. On these eminences, which are generally called Knowes, and, in allusion to some warlike exploits, also distinguished by proper names, other relics of antiquity have at various times been found: on the Gallant Knowe, near Strathendry, an urn of Roman pottery was discovered in 1760. Near Pitcairn House, a tumulus was opened in 1770, in which was a kistvaen containing a great number of human bones; and at the eastern extremity were two urns of blueish clay, filled with bones which had evidently been burnt. A fragment of a deer's horn, nine inches and a half in circumference at the widest end, has been found in a bed of gravel, at seven feet below the surface. Arrow-heads of flint, and the head of a spear apparently belonging to a standard, have been also found here.

Visit East Port Dunfermline Scotland

Tour Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, on an Ancestry Tour of Scotland. Best Scottish Tours, Best Scottish Food, Best Scottish Hotels, Small Group Tours of Scotland, Rent a Cottage in Scotland.

Kirkton of Largo

Largo and Newburn Parish Church, Upper Largo, Fife, Scotland. The church of Newburn, which was anciently known as Drumeldrie, was dedicated to St Serf and belonged prior to the Reformation to the Abbey of Dunfermline. Between the years 1522-1539 the old church was rebuilt by the Archbishop of St Andrews and this building was later replaced in 1815 by the present day church. Tour Kirkton of Largo, Fife, Scotland, on an Ancestry Tour of Scotland. Best Scottish Tours, Best Scottish Food, Best Scottish Hotels, Small Group Tours of Scotland, Rent a Cottage in Scotland. Kirkton of Largo in 1846. Kirkton of Largo, a village, in the parish of Largo, district of St. Andrew's, county of Fife, 1 mile (N. E. by E.) from Largo; containing 395 inhabitants. It lies in the south-eastern part of the parish, on the road from Kilconquhar to Largo; and derives its name from the situation of the parish church within its limits. The population is chiefly agricultural.

Kirkton of Balmerino

Balmerino Cemetery, Kirkton of Balmerino, Fife, Scotland. Many interesting gravestones here, including many from the Wedderburn family. Tour Kirkton of Balmerino, Fife, Scotland, on an Ancestry Tour of Scotland. Best Scottish Tours, Best Scottish Food, Best Scottish Hotels, Small Group Tours of Scotland, Rent a Cottage in Scotland. Kirkton of Balmerino in 1846. Kirkton of Balmerino, a village, in the parish of Balmerino, district of Cupar, county of fife; containing III inhabitants. This is a small village, or hamlet, lying north of the ruins of the celebrated abbey of Balmerino, which occupy a beautiful situation in the neighbourhood of the Tay, and form the chief object of attraction as respects the antiquities of the parish.

Kirkcaldy Fife Scotland

Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland. Tour Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland, on an Ancestry Tour of Scotland. Best Scottish Tours, Best Scottish Food, Best Scottish Hotels, Small Group Tours of Scotland, Rent a Cottage in Scotland. Kirkcaldy in 1846. Kirkcaldy, a royal burgh, a sea-port, and parish, in the district of Kirkcaldy, county of Fife, 14 miles (E. by N.) from Dunfermline, and 10 (N. by E.) from Edinburgh; containing 5275 inhabitants, of whom 4785 are in the burgh. This place derives its name from an ancient church founded here by the Culdees, and annexed, in the reign of David I., to the monastery of Dunfermline, into which that monarch had introduced an establishment of Benedictine monks from Canterbury. The origin of the town is very obscure, neither is there any authentic history of its early progress, though it is supposed that its proximity to the sea, and the abundance of fuel in the vicinity, induced numbers to settle here at a remote period, for the cultivation of commerce and manufactures. The first notice of the town occurs in a charter of David II., erecting it into a burgh of regality in favour of the abbot of Dunfermline and his successors, in whose possession it remained for more than a century. In 1450, it was granted by the commendator and convent to the bailies and community of the burgh, together with the harbour, the burgage acres, and common pastures, with all the tolls, customs, and other privileges pertaining to it, to be held by them for ever. This tenure, however, was subsequently altered; and instead of being one of the burghs of Dunfermline, the town was constituted a royal burgh, and invested with all the immunities enjoyed by royal burghs in their fullest extent; but, the original charter being lost, the date of this change cannot be precisely ascertained. Under these rights the town continued to flourish, and in 1622 contributed 1030 merks towards the relief of the French Protestants. It had, about this time, not less than 100 vessels belonging to the port, and had attained a degree of importance which placed it next in rank after St. Andrew's. In 1644, the privileges of the burgh were confirmed and extended by charter of Charles I., who created it de novo a royal burgh and free port; and the government, which had been previously exercised by two bailies and a treasurer, was vested in a provost, who was also admiral of the port, two bailies, a dean of guild, treasurer, and council.

During the war in this reign the inhabitants embraced the cause of the parliament, and zealously subscribed the solemn league and covenant. They sent large numbers to join the army of the Covenanters; and at the battle of Kilsyth, in which they were defeated with great slaughter by the Marquess of Montrose, not less than 480 of the men of Kirkcaldy were killed. In the progress of the war the town suffered repeated injuries; and under the usurpation of Cromwell it continued to languish and decline. According to the burgh records, from the commencement of the civil war to the restoration of Charles II., as many as ninety-four vessels belonging to the port were captured by the royalists, or lost at sea; and in 1682 the town was reduced to such distress, that an application was made to the convention of royal burghs to take its poverty into consideration, and administer to its relief. At the time of the Revolution, the inhabitants, in the zeal of their attachment to the cause of William III., apprehended the chancellor of Scotland, the Earl of Perth, and, after detaining him for some time in custody under a guard of 300 men, delivered him to the Earl of Mar at Alloa. William, in return for their loyalty, granted the inhabitants an abatement of their annual assessment; and the town, with the trade of the port, now began to revive, and continued to prosper till the Union, when, in common with all the other sea-ports on the coast of Fife, it fell into decay. It then and afterwards suffered so much, indeed, that its shipping, in 1760, was reduced to one coasting sloop of sixty tons' burthen, and two ferry-boats of thirty tons each. From this time, however, the trade began to increase; and though it was much impeded by the disputes with America, it continued to advance, and at the conclusion of the war there were twelve vessels belonging to the place, which is now one of the most flourishing sea-ports in Fife.

The town is situated on the north of the Frith of Forth, upon a narrow strip of level land at the base of a ridge of rising ground, and extends for a mile and a half along the shore, consisting principally of one street of, to a large extent, old ill-built houses. Towards the centre of this line, the street expands for some distance into greater width, containing numerous modern well-built houses of handsome appearance, and a few good inns. Considerable improvements have been for some time in progress; and the town has recently been enlarged by the formation of several streets diverging from the main line towards the sands on the south, and others built on the acclivities of the hills towards the north. The streets are well paved, and lighted with gas by a company who have erected works for that purpose; the inhabitants are amply supplied with water. Numbers of the ancient houses have been taken down, and rebuilt in a better style; and the town generally is in a state of progressive improvement. A subscription library is well supported, and contains a collection of more than 4000 volumes; a mechanics' library has also been established, in which are 1500 volumes; and there are two circulating libraries, comprising together nearly 3000. An institution has been formed within the last few years, in which lectures on literary and scientific subjects are regularly delivered during the winter months. Two public reading and news rooms are supported by subscription, and are well supplied with newspapers and periodical publications; and a weekly journal is published in the town. An agricultural association has also been founded, which holds meetings twice in the year, and awards premiums for samples of seed, the finest specimens of live-stock, and the best crops of every description raised in the district.

The chief manufactures carried on are those of the various kinds of coarse linen, consisting of checks, striped holland, dowlas, ticking, sail cloths, and other articles, in which great improvements were some time since made by Mr. James Fergus, who adapted the manufacture of ticking, which had previously been made here for the manufacturers of Glasgow only, to the use of the English markets, and introduced the making of checks of cotton and linen mixed, drills, and ducks. The gross value of the linens manufactured is now estimated at £80,000 per annum, and, including the different descriptions of linen goods, £200,000 per annum, affording occupation to more than 1100 weavers, exclusively of hand-looms in private dwellings. Connected with the factories are extensive bleaching-grounds and dye-houses. There are several mills for the spinning of flax, in which about 6000 spindles of yarn are produced daily, and of which quantities are exported to France and other parts of the continent to the value of £60,000 annually; these mills are driven by steam-engines of twenty-horse power, and give employment to considerable numbers of females. The manufacture of steam-engines and the various kinds of machinery for the use of the mills, for which there are three establishments in the town, engages about 200 men. The manufacture of salt, formerly very extensive, is still carried on, but upon a limited scale; there are also two tanneries, two breweries, a distillery, and several collieries in the parish.

The trade of the port consists chiefly in the exportation of yarn and various manufactured goods, coal, and agricultural produce; and in the importation of flax, timber, and other merchandize. The foreign trade is with North and South America, the Mediterraneant France, the Baltic, Norway, Denmark, Prussia, the Hanse Towns, and Germany: about ninety vessels from foreign parts annually visit the port. The coasting-trade is also considerable. The number of vessels registered in 1842 as belonging to the port was ninety-one, of the aggregate burthen of 8911 tons, and employing about 800 seamen. A couple of vessels are engaged in the whale-fishery, which was formerly much more extensive. Two smacks sail regularly from Kirkcaldy to London, and trading vessels to Leith and Glasgow; steam ferry-boats ply four times a day between this place and Newhaven, and contribute greatly to facilitate the trade of the town. The jurisdiction of the port extends over fifty-two miles of coast, from Aberdour, in the Frith of Forth, to the upper part of the bay of St. Andrew's, including the sub-port of Anstruther and various creeks. The harbour, which is under the direction of a number of trustees appointed under an act of parliament in 1829, is situated at the eastern extremity of the town, and is inclosed by two stone piers at the east and west ends. Though capacious, however, it is very inadequate for the trade of the port, being accessible to vessels of any considerable burthen only at spring tides. Attempts are consequently now in progress for its improvement, by the extension of the eastern pier under the superintendence of Mr. Leslie, civil engineer, of Dundee; the cost is estimated at £10,000, and further improvements are in contemplation, which, when carried into effect, will render it safe and convenient, at an expense of £40,000. The shore dues, from which the corporation derive their chief revenue, amounted in 1842 to £1715. The custom-house establishment consists of a collector, comptroller, land-surveyor, three land-waiters, and fourteen tides-men; and the amount of duties paid in 1842, according to official returns, was £4766.

There are branches of the Bank of Scotland, the Commercial Bank, the National Bank of Scotland, and the Union Bank of Scotland, the buildings for which add much to the appearance of the town. The post-office has two deliveries daily; and in addition to the facilities of communication by steam-boats, the roads to Dundee, Perth, St. Andrew's, and Glasgow pass through Kirkcaldy. The chief market, which is amply supplied with corn, is on Saturday, and is attended by dealers from all parts; the average quantity of grain sold is about 35,000 quarters, of which 10,000 only are disposed of by sample, and the remainder in the stock market. Fairs for horses and cattle are held on the third Friday in February, the third Friday in July, and the first Friday in October. The government of the burgh, since the passing of the Municipal Reform act in the reign of William, has been vested in a provost, two bailies, a dean of guild, a treasurer, and a council of twenty-one members, including the provost, bailies, dean of guild, and treasurer. The provost, who is ex officio a justice of the peace for the county, and the other officers of the corporation, are elected by the council, and the council are elected by the constituency at large. There are seven incorporated trades, the smiths, wrights and masons, weavers, shoemakers, tailors, bakers, and fleshers, all of which, except the weavers, possess exclusive privileges of trading. The magistrates hold courts for the adjudication of civil causes to any amount; in criminal cases their jurisdiction is limited to misdemeanors. The town-hall and gaol form one building in the High-street, surmounted with a spire: the hall, in which the courts are held and the public business transacted, is spacious and handsomely fitted up, and contains a portrait of Walter Fergus, Esq., of Strathore. The gaol is under excellent regulations; proper attention is paid to the health and comfort of the prisoners, who are profitably employed, and its management is well adapted for their reformation. The whole buildings, which are in the Norman style of architecture, were erected at a cost of £5000. The burgh is associated with those of Dysart, Kinghorn, and Burntisland, in returning a member to the imperial parliament.

The parish formerly included the chief part of that of Abbotshall, which was separated from it in the year 1650; but it is now of very inconsiderable extent. It is only two miles and a half in length, and scarcely one mile in breadth; and comprises little more, besides the town site, than the burgh acres, and the common lands once belonging to the town, not exceeding in the whole 1050 acres, of which 160 are woodland and plantations, and the remainder arable. The soil near the town is rich and fertile, from the abundance of manure; in other parts less productive. The surface rises from the shore of the Frith, a level sandy beach, towards the north into a bold ridge, which has an elevation of 300 feet above the sea: the only stream is the Eastburn, which, after receiving some tributaries in a course of less than three miles, flows into the frith at the extremity of the parish bordering upon that of Dysart. The substrata are principally sandstone, slate, and coal, which last occurs in several seams varying from nine inches to three and a half feet in thickness; one mine only is at present in operation, and the coal is raised from a depth of forty-six fathoms. Iron-ore is found in the coal district, in globular masses; but the price obtained does not remunerate the trouble of working it. The rateable annual value of the parish is £18,239. Dunnikier House, the seat of James Townsend Oswald, Esq., a handsome mansion erected about 1790, is beautifully situated in a richly-wooded demesne; and in the town and immediate vicinity are some pleasing villas.

The ecclesiastical affairs are under the superintendence of the presbytery of Kirkcaldy, of which this is the seat, and the synod of Fife. The minister's stipend is £200, with a manse and glebe valued at about £50 per annum; patron, the Crown. The parish church, situated upon rising ground in the High-street, is a handsome structure in the later English style, erected in 1807, on the site of the ancient building, which had fallen into a state of dilapidation. A portion of the old tower, however, is attached to the west end, and detracts greatly from the appearance of the church; but its removal, and the erection of a tower or spire of corresponding style, are in contemplation. The interior is well arranged, and contains 1480 sittings. A church to which a quoad sacra district was till lately annexed, containing a population of 1977 persons, has been erected near the east end of the town, at an expense of £2000; it is called East Port Church, and has 840 sittings. There are also places of worship for members of the Free Church, the United Secession, Episcopalians, Independents, Bereans, Original Burghers, and Scottish Baptists. The Burgh school is supported by the corporation and by the fees, and is under the superintendence of a rector, to whom they pay £50, and an assistant, who has a salary of £40; it is attended by 170 children, who are instructed in the classics and in the various branches of a commercial education. The fees produce £50 per annum to each master; but neither has a dwelling-house. Schools have been erected in the town and in Pathhead, Kinghorn, and Abbotshall, and teachers appointed, under an endowment by Robert Philp, Esq., who, in 1828, bequeathed £74,000 for the education and clothing of 400 of the most needy children of the district. To each of these, on leaving school, are allowed from £7 to £10, according to merit, to enable them to acquire a trade, or to introduce them into creditable employment. The master of the Kirkcaldy school, under this trust, has £100 per annum; and a mistress to teach the girls to sew has a salary of £15. There are numerous other schools, partly endowed, and partly supported by the fees; and the number of children attending them is about 700. Mr. John Thomson, in 1810, bequeathed £780, of which he appropriated one-half of the proceeds to the payment of school fees for poor children, and the remainder to the relief of the aged. An institution for the benefit of old and disabled mariners belonging to the port, and for their widows and orphans, was established about the year 1590, to the support of which the masters and crews of the various vessels long contributed a per-centage of their pay. This institution is called the "Prime Gilt-Box of Kirkcaldy," and has funds amounting to nearly £3000. There are also a ladies' benevolent society, a clothing society, and a fund for supplying the poor with coal. In 1828, the gallery on the north side of the church, which was densely crowded to hear the Rev. Edward Irving, of London, fell down; and many lives were lost. Dr. Adam Smith, author of The Wealth of Nations, and one of the most illustrious men, as a writer, to whom Scotland has given birth, was born at Kirkcaldy in 1723. After an absence of many years, which were occupied in literary pursuits, and, for some time, in discharging his professional duties in the chair of moral philosophy in the university of Glasgow, he returned to Kirkcaldy, where he composed his most celebrated work. He died in 1789; and it is not a little remarkable that, to this day, no monument to his memory has been erected in his native town.

Kingsbarns Fife Scotland

Kingsbarns, Fife, Scotland, is a beautiful village close to the east coast of Fife some six miles south of St Andrews and three miles north of Crail. The nearby Kingsbarns Golf Links is regarded by many as a classic and has rapidly established itself on the must play lists of golf tourists coming to Scotland to experience the best of Scottish links courses. Tour Kingsbarns, Fife, Scotland, on an Ancestry Tour of Scotland. Best Scottish Tours, Best Scottish Food, Best Scottish Hotels, Small Group Tours of Scotland, Rent a Cottage in Scotland. Kingsbarns in 1846. Kingsbarns, a parish, in the district of St. Andrew's, county of Fife; containing 968 inhabitants, of whom 529 are in the village, 3 miles (N. N. W.) from Crail, and 6 (S. E. by E.) from St. Andrew's. This place derived its name from its having been appropriated as a granary by the kings of Scotland, to whom it belonged, as part of their private estate, during their residence at Falkland; and near the village are vestiges of an ancient building, said to have been, a castle, though in all probability its strength and fortifications were intended only for the protection and security of the grain deposited there for the use of the royal household. The remains of this building, situated on the beach, and consisting only of the foundations, were removed by the tenant a few years since, and from their small extent, showed no indications of the edifice having ever been occupied either as a royal or baronial residence. The parish is situated on the coast, between the friths of Forth and Tay, and is bounded on the east by the German Ocean; it is nearly equal in length and breadth, and comprises about 3860 acres, of which 3650 are arable, 199 woodland and plantations, and the remainder rocky land along the shore. The surface, though sloping gradually from the sea, is tolerably even, attaining no considerable degree of elevation; the shore is low, and interspersed with rocks, which form somewhat of a barrier against the encroachment of the waves, which make considerable inroads. The soil in the lower portion of the parish, towards the sea, is rather light and sandy, and farther inland a deep black loam, in some parts inclining to clay; both, under proper management, are rendered fertile and productive. The rotation system of husbandry is prevalent; the crops are, barley, oats, wheat, and potatoes, with beans and the usual green crops. The prevailing breed of cattle is the Fifeshire; the Teeswater breed was introduced by the late Earl of Kellie, but it has not been found so well adapted to the land, or so profitable to the farmer. About 150 head of cattle are on the average annually fattened for the market; sheep are kept only for home use. The woods are chiefly forest trees; but the plantations, mostly around the houses of the resident gentry, consist only of shrubberies and evergreens. The farm houses and offices are substantially built, and conveniently arranged; and considerable improvements have been made in draining and fencing the lands. The rateable annual value of the parish is £7849.

The substratum is generally limestone and freestone, interspersed in parts with boulders of granite. Coal appears to have been worked formerly in some places; and at present, where it occasionally crops up, it is quarried by some of the poor; but from the quantity of water to be drained off, it would require a considerable effort and an extensive capital to render the coal-beds available to the supply of the parish. Lime is burnt on the lands of Cambo, for the use of the tenants; but no regular quarries have been opened, though both the quantity and quality of the limestone would amply remunerate the expense of working it on a more extensive scale. Ironstone is found near the shore, and a few persons are employed in procuring it by digging; what is thus obtained is usually shipped to Newcastle, and exchanged for coal. The gentlemen's seats are Cambo and Pitmilly, both ancient mansions of handsome appearance. The village has been greatly improved within the last few years; the streets have been levelled, and many of the old houses have been taken down, and replaced by others of larger dimensions, with neat flower-gardens in the front. The appearance is lively and cheerful; and the village has become a pleasant place of residence. Many of the inhabitants are engaged in weaving with hand-looms at their own dwellings; the general articles manufactured are, linens for domestic use, dowlas, and Osnaburgs. About twenty looms are constantly employed, and on an average 50,000 yards of these fabrics are produced annually. A subscription library has been for some time established in the village; a savings' bank has also been opened. There are fairs in July and October, but little business is transacted except the sale of pedlery. The parish is in the presbytery of St. Andrew's and synod of Fife, and patronage of the Earl of Glasgow; the minister's stipend is £251. 18., with a manse, and a glebe valued at £30 per annum. The church is a neat structure in the later English style, thoroughly repaired in 1811. The parochial school affords a liberal course of instruction; the master has a salary of £34, with £30 fees, and a dwelling-house and garden. There is also a Sabbath evening school. In levelling the coast, several stone coffins containing human bones were found; and in one instance, some of the bones had the appearance of having been burnt.

Kincardine Fife Scotland

Tulliallan Old Churchyard, Kincardine, Fife, Scotland. Tour Kincardine, Fife, Scotland, on an Ancestry Tour of Scotland. Best Scottish Tours, Best Scottish Food, Best Scottish Hotels, Small Group Tours of Scotland, Rent a Cottage in Scotland. Kincardine in 1846. Kincardine, a sea-port town and a burgh of barony, in the parish of Tulliallan, 5 miles (S. E.) from Alloa, and 12 (E. S. E.) from Stirling; containing 2875 inhabitants. The name of this now considerable place was formerly West Pans, from the number of its salt pans, of which, in 1780, there were fifteen, though none exist at present. It is pleasantly seated on the north-east bank of the river Forth; and though irregularly built, and having some narrow streets, it contains several of good breadth, with a number of substantial houses and neat villas, surrounded by gardens. The harbour, which is one of the best for trade on the Forth, and very commodious, is capable of admitting vessels of between three and four hundred tons' burthen; and as many as a hundred of this size may have safe anchorage within it. Shipbuilding, principally of the class of vessels adapted to coasting traffic, is carried on here; and this avocation, together with rope-making, and the manufacture of sailcloth, employs a great part of the population. There are about forty ship-owners in the town, who form a local marine insurance association, and have a considerable capital; and ships belonging to the port, whose aggregate burthen exceeds 9000 tons, visit America, the West Indies, the shores of the Baltic, and St. Petersburgh. In the neighbourhood was once a distillery; and in the town are two good inns, a post-office, a library consisting of more than 1000 volumes, and branches of the Glasgow and Commercial Banks, these last affording great encouragement to enterprise, and accommodation to the surrounding district. The coast-road from Stirling passes through it; a coach runs daily to Glasgow; the river is crossed by a steam-boat ferry; and steamers ply regularly between Stirling and Edinburgh, taking in passengers at the pier, at any state of the tide. The trustees of Lord Keith are the superiors of the town, and they appoint baron-bailies, who act as magistrates. There is an elegant new church; also a place of worship for the United Secession, and schools in which the ordinary branches of education are taught. It was from this barony that the ancient and illustrious family of Bruce took the title of Earl, now conjoined with the earldom of Elgin, the present, and sixth, Earl of Elgin being also eleventh Earl of Kincardine.

Kinglassie Fife Scotland

Kinglassie and District Pipe Band, Fife, Scotland. Tour Kinglassie, Fife, Scotland, on an Ancestry Tour of Scotland. Best Scottish Tours, Best Scottish Food, Best Scottish Hotels, Small Group Tours of Scotland, Rent a Cottage in Scotland. Kinglassie in 1846. Kinglassie, a parish, in the district of Kirkcaldy, county of Fife; containing 1155 inhabitants, of whom 421 are in the village of Kinglassie, 7 miles (N. W.) from Kirkcaldy. The name of this place is supposed to have been derived from a Gaelic term signifying marshy or grey land, from the ancient appearance of the surface; and near the village there is still some portion of land which retains that character. The parish is about five miles in length, and varies from one to three miles and a half in breadth, comprising a very irregular area of 7260 acres, of which 6250 are arable and in good cultivation, 450 woodland and plantations, and 300 pasture and waste. The surface is uneven, rising into several steep ridges, and in some places forming gentle acclivities interspersed with hills. The river Leven, which issues from the loch of that name, washes the northern part of the parish; and the river Lochty flows through the village, and receives the streamlet called the Sauchie in its immediate vicinity. The Orr, which rises in the parish of Ballingry, intersects the southern portion of this parish, and, together with the Lochty, falls into the Leven at a short distance from its eastern extremity. The soil is various, consisting of loam, clay, and gravel, which in parts are found in combination; the greater portion is a stiff clay, and in some places are tracts of moss and sand. The principal crops are, oats, barley, and wheat, with potatoes, turnips, and the usual green crops: flax, the cultivation of which was for some years discontinued, is also raised in considerable quantities. The system of husbandry is very much advanced; iron ploughs are in general use, and the most recent improvements in agricultural implements have been adopted. Draining has been extensively practised; and much waste land has been reclaimed, and brought into cultivation, under the auspices of an agricultural association consisting of practical farmers and the principal landed proprietors, who hold an annual meeting in the village in August. Attached to most of the farms are threshing-mills; three are put in motion by water, and one by a steam-engine of seven-horse power. Great attention is paid to the rearing of cattle, which are of the pure Fifeshire breed; the number of calves annually reared is about 300. The plantations consist chiefly of larch, ash, spruce, and Scotch fir; and in one, are some fine specimens of oak and beech: they are generally well managed. The substratum is mostly whinstone; and limestone, coal, and ironstone are found in several places. Coal was formerly wrought, but for some years the working of it has been discontinued; limestone has also been worked, and some quarries of freestone have been opened, and are at present in operation. The rateable annual value of the parish is £7457. Inchdairnie is an ancient mansion to which a handsome addition has been made within the last thirty years.
The village is inhabited chiefly by weavers, and persons employed in the different trades requisite for the supply of the parish; the number of looms is twentyfour. There is a public ale and porter brewery, which is carried on extensively; and fairs, chiefly for cattle, horses, and shoes, are held on the third Wednesday in May, O. S., and the Thursday before Michaelmas-day, O. S. Facility of communication with Kirkcaldy and the neighbouring towns is afforded by good roads, of which one, from Kirkcaldy to Cupar, traverses the eastern portion of the parish, giving also means of intercourse between Edinburgh and Dundee. The parish is in the presbytery of Kirkcaldy and synod of Fife, and patronage of Lord Rothes; the minister's stipend is £223. 4. 4., with a manse, and a glebe valued at £18 per annum. The church, an ancient edifice, was, with the exception of the eastern gable and part of the side walls, rebuilt in 1773, and within the last twenty years has been repaired, and adapted for a congregation of 346 persons. The parochial school affords education to about 100 pupils: the master has a salary of £34, with £30 fees, and a good house and garden; also six bolls of oats annually, the gift of an old proprietor. There is in the village a female school, in which knitting and sewing are taught on very moderate terms; and on the southern boundary of the parish is a school erected by Mr. Ferguson, of Raith, who gives the master a salary, with a house and garden rent-free. A Sabbath school is maintained in the village; and a parochial subscription library has been established. The poor possess land situated in the parish of Abernethy, in the county of Perth, and producing a rental of £100 per annum, but subject to a considerable drawback for the payment of improvements previously made on the estate. On the farm of Dogtown is a pillar of hewn stone, sculptured with some allegorical devices, which are much mutilated. It is by some supposed to have been erected by the Danes, to commemorate the fall of some of their chieftains in their hostile irruption into the county in the reign of Constantine II., and by others to have been raised by the Scots as a memorial of their having defeated and repulsed the Danes, who had encamped on the shores of the river Leven. The height in this parish called Goats Milk Hill is thought to have been one of the chain of Danish forts which were thrown up between Fifeness and Stirling, and during the occupation of which, a mill was built on the bank of the river Leven, which is still called Mill-Danes. Some workmen recently employed in deepening the bed of that river discovered a Roman sword and battle-axe, and several heads of iron spears; and on reopening a well on a farm in the parish, which had been closed for several centuries, an antique dagger, with a handle of wood inlaid with brass, was found.

Kinghorn Fife Scotland

Kinghorn, Fife, Scotland. A seaside resort with two beaches, Kinghorn Beach and Pettycur Bay, plus a fishing port, it stands on the north shore of the Firth of Forth opposite Edinburgh. Tour Kinghorn, Fife, Scotland, on an Ancestry Tour of Scotland. Best Scottish Tours, Best Scottish Food, Best Scottish Hotels, Small Group Tours of Scotland, Rent a Cottage in Scotland. Kinghorn in 1846. Kinghorn, a royal burgh and a parish, in the district of Kirkcaldy, county of Fife; containing, with the village of West Bridge, and the island of Inch-Keith, 2935 inhabitants, of whom 1389 are in the burgh, 3 miles (S. by W.) from Kirkcaldy, and 9 (N.) from Edinburgh. This place, at a very early period, was one of the residences of the Scottish kings; and till within the last few years, there were to be traced the remains of an ancient castle, situated on rising ground near the town, and commanding a view of the whole of the Firth of Forth. This castle, of which the portion lately existing was called Glammis Tower, was probably selected as a temporary residence for the diversion of hunting in the extensive forest which lay immediately behind it; and the town is fancifully said to have derived its name from the frequent soundings of the horn during the royal sports of the chase; the true derivation being from the Gaelic terms Kean or Kin, a "chief or headland," and Gorn, "green." The date of the foundation of the town cannot be precisely ascertained, though, if not at an earlier period the abode of fishermen, whom its advantageous situation might have attracted to settle on the coast, it would naturally have arisen from the proximity of the castle. Whatever its origin, it appears to have attained such a degree of importance in the reign of David I. as induced that monarch to confer upon it the privileges of a royal burgh. This grant was confirmed by Alexander III., who, some time afterwards, returning to Kinghorn Castle from a hunting excursion late in the evening, by a road winding along some precipitous cliffs, was thrown, with his horse, about half a mile to the west of the town, and killed on the spot, on the 16th of March, 1285. A cross was erected at the place where the king fell, and remained till the reign of James II.; but no vestiges of it can now be traced. The castle of Glammis, with the lordship of Kinghorn, was granted by Robert II., as a marriage portion with his daughter, Janet, to Sir John Lyon, whose successors were invested by James VI. with the title of earls of Kinghorn, which in the reign of Charles II. was merged in that of the earls of Strathmore.

The town is situated on the shore of the Firth of Forth, directly opposite to the port of Leith, and on the great road from Edinburgh to Dundee; it is built on the slope of some gently rising ground which, towards the north-west, attains a considerable elevation. The principal street has lately been much improved, and many of the houses have been rebuilt in better style; but the inferior streets have a very indifferent appearance. There are two public libraries, supported by subscription; but the reading-rooms, supplied with the leading journals, have just been discontinued. The chief trade carried on here is the spinning of flax, for which there are three extensive mills; the machinery is partly impelled by steam, and partly by water-power, the latter derived from the loch of Kinghorn, about half a mile from the town. In these mills 470 persons are employed, of whom more than 300 are females. There is also a bleachfield, in which about seventy persons are generally engaged; and a considerable number of the inhabitants are occupied in hand-loom weaving. A harbour which, from its situation near the church, was called the Kirk harbour, is now in a ruinous condition; but it is in contemplation to restore it, for which an estimate of the expense has been made, amounting to from £20,000 to £30,000. At present, it gives accommodation only to a few fishing-boats; but a considerable traffic is maintained by another harbour, Pettycur, half a mile west of the town, and which is one of the principal ferries between Fife and Mid Lothian. The quay at Pettycur affords convenient opportunities of landing passengers, goods, and cattle, when the state of the tide will permit vessels to approach. The harbour and anchorage dues produce to the town a revenue of about £180 per annum.

The burgh was formerly governed by a provost, two bailies, a treasurer, and a council comprising thirteen merchants, sailors, and brewers, and the deacons of the five trades. The magistrates held their various courts, and exercised, both in civil and criminal cases, all the jurisdiction of a royal burgh. The incorporated trades consisted of the hammermen, weavers, shoemakers, tailors, and bakers, all possessing exclusive privileges. This state of things continued, with little alteration, till the year 1841, when, on the day fixed for the election of the corporation officers, a quorum of the council could not be mustered, and the burgh was consequently disfranchised. Application, under these circumstances, was made to the court of session; but nothing could be done beyond the appointment of three resident managers to preside over the affairs, without being invested with any judicial authority; and the peace of the town is now under the superintendence of the county police. The town-hall, to which a gaol is attached, is a handsome building in the Elizabethan style, standing in the centre of the town, and erected in 1826, at an expense of about £2400, under the direction of Mr. Hamilton, of Edinburgh, who designed the new High School, and other edifices in that city. The postoffice has a good delivery; and facility of communication with Edinburgh is maintained by the ferry, and with the neighbouring towns by roads, kept in excellent order. Four public coaches pass daily, as well as the mail, between Edinburgh and Dundee. The burgh is associated with those of Kirkcaldy, Dysart, and Burntisland, in returning a member to the imperial parliament.

The parish is about four miles in length and three and a half in extreme breadth, comprising an area of 5440 acres, of which 4800 are arable, 250 woodland and plantations, and the remainder meadow, pasture, and waste. The surface is beautifully varied, rising in some places gradually, and in others more abruptly, from the frith; and is intersected with narrow straths, watered by small rivulets, and stretching from the shore to the hill of Glassmount, which has an elevation of 601 feet above the level of the sea. To the north-west of this hill, the surface undulates gently, and with occasional tracts of table-land. The coast is bold, and in some parts precipitous. Near Burntisland, to the west, is the projecting cliff memorable for the death of Alexander III., whence, towards the harbour of Pettycur, the shore is a level sand, terminating in a rock of columnar basalt, forming the headland of Kinghorn ness. From this the bay of Kinghorn curves towards the north, terminating in the Kirkcraig, a mass of rock near the church, projecting for a considerable way into the sea, and constituting a natural breakwater to the Kirk harbour. The low lands are watered by numerous copious springs, issuing from the declivities of the higher grounds, and to the west is the loch of Kinghorn, covering about twenty acres, and affording an abundant supply of water for the town, to which it is conveyed by pipes.

The soil along the shore, for a considerable distance, is a deep black loam of great fertility; towards the hills, of lighter quality; and still further in the direction of the north-west, more variable, and inclining to clay. The crops are, oats, barley, wheat, turnips, and potatoes. The system of agriculture is in an advanced state; the lands have been well drained and inclosed; the farm-buildings are generally substantial and well arranged, and the various recent improvements in agricultural implements have been adopted. The cattle, of which few are reared in the parish, are of the Fifeshire and short-horned breeds; great numbers are annually bought, and fattened for the markets, in which they sell at from £20 to £30 per head. A considerable number of sheep are also pastured, chiefly of the half Cheviot breed. The rateable annual value of the parish is £7410.

The whole parish lies within the coal basin of the Forth; but the coalfields are so disturbed by the trap rocks bursting through them, and overlaying them, that, with the exception of a few acres on which the town stands, and about a hundred acres near Auchtertool village, the substratum appears to be formed of trap. Indeed, the soil, which is remarkable for fertility, seems as if entirely composed of the decayed portions of this species of rock. The bearing of the stratified rocks, where they are least disarranged, is northward; and the coal-bed is the lowermost one of the coalfield which stretches from this parish eastward to Largo. Carboniferous or mountain limestone is obtained at Invertiel; it lies immediately under the coal strata, and has been extensively quarried for many years, both for building and agricultural porposes. Coal was formerly wrought; but the works have been discontinued. There are two annual fairs, and a weekly market is held on Thursdays, under a charter; the former are for cattle, horses, &c., and the latter for butter, cheese, and other country produce; but both are very ill attended, and for the last thirty years have been falling into disuse. Abden, the property of R. Stocks, Esq., is an ancient mansion originally belonging to the Bishops of St. Andrew's; and in the charters granting the lands to the predecessors of the present proprietor, is a distinct reservation that the king, in crossing the ferry to Kinghorn, should have lodging and hospitality in the house of Abden. The building is a plain structure on the north of the town, commanding a fine view over the Frith. Balmuto, the seat of John Boswell, Esq., in whose family it has been for more than four centuries, is an ancient mansion consisting of a square tower to which repeated modern additions have been made; it is finely situated in a demesne richly planted, and the gardens and pleasure-grounds are laid out with exquisite taste. Grangehill is also one of the chief mansions in the parish.

The ecclesiastical affairs are under the superintendence of the presbytery of Kirkcaldy and synod of Fife. The minister's stipend is £245. 19. 7., with a manse, and a glebe valued at £19 per annum; patron, the Earl of Strathmore. The parish church, which is near the old harbour, was rebuilt in 1774; it is a very plain structure, and contains 700 sittings. A church has recently been built on the eastern boundary of the parish, bordering upon Abbotshall, to which a quoad sacra district was until lately annexed, including portions of each of the two parishes. There are places of worship for members of the Free Church and the United Secession. Until 1830 there was no parochial school. In that year, Mr. Barclay, the town-clerk, applied to the burgh and the heritors to found a school; and he built premises for it, on an acre of waste ground, at his own risk. They have since repaid him, by subscriptions and donations, above £500 of his expenditure, £800; and they give the minimum salary to the master, who also receives £50 a year from the fund of the late Mr. Philp, for teaching fifty children, and £10 annually for teaching a Sunday school. A wide range of instruction is provided, in the usual branches, together with French, Latin, and Greek; and an infant school and a drawing school are maintained, by subscription, within the building. There is also an apartment appropriated to an extensive geological collection, and a small collection of other objects in natural history, and to a library consisting of about 800 volumes on historical and scientific subjects. In the grounds around the school-house is a shrubbery, where are arranged in regular order more than 250 plants; and the portion allotted to play-ground contains gymnastic apparatus. In the village of Invertiel is a good school, where the elementary branches are taught, and of which the master has a house, and the fees. The late Robert Philp, Esq., of Edenshead, left his property for the endowment of schools. One-eighth of the fund it produces is apportioned for the instruction and clothing of fifty children, now educated at the parochial school; and the residue is given to the children, on leaving school, in such portions as the managers of the fund deem proper. The Rev. Henry James, late minister of the parish, left £300 to aid in supporting a scholar for four years in his philosophical studies at the united college of St. Salvador and St. Leonard, in the university of St. Andrew's; it yields £15 per annum, and the appointment is vested in the Kirk Session of Kinghorn, the presbytery of Kirkcaldy, and the town-council of the burgh. An old chapel called St. Leonard's, of exquisite Saxon architecture, in which the courts were once held, having been struck by lightning, and being likely to fall, was removed by order of the Supreme Court, to make way for the present town-hall. William Kirkaldy, of Grange, who flourished in the reign of Mary; and Patie Birnie, a famous comic character, musician, and song-writer, immortalized by Allan Ramsay in his poems, were natives of this place.