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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


WILLIAM  GEORGE'S  SONS  LTD. 

BOOKSELLERS 
89  PARK  STREET,  BRISTOL 


HISTORY  OF  .BURNTISLSND 


HISTORY   OF 
BURNTISLAND 


SCOTTISH  BURGH  LIFE 
MORE  PARTICULARLY  IN 
THE  TIME  OF  THE 
::  ::  STUARTS  ::  :: 


WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


BY  ANDREW  YOUNG 


KIRKCALDY : 
fZIXTED    15V    THE    FIFESHIKK    ADVKRTlh  KK    LIMITED. 

11)13 


PREFACE 


I  AM  indebted  for  materials  for  the  following 
sketch  of  events  in  Burnt  island  and  burgh 
life  in  early  days  principally  to  the  Buriit- 
island  Council  Records  (for  free  access  to  which  I 
have  to  thank  the  Provost  and  Town  Council),  the 
hooks  of  the  Guildry  and  Hammermen,  the  report 
of  the  Commissioners  to  the  Muncipal  Corporations 
of  Scotland  in  1832,  Provost  Speed's  notes,  the 
Exchequer  Rolls,  and  the  Privy  Council  Kecords. 
But  many  other  sources  have  been  drawn  upon, 
which  when  important  will  be  acknowledged  as 
occasion  arises. 

These  researches  have  resulted  in  the  discovery 
of  some  very  interesting-  facts  about  Burntislaud 
and  the  old  burgh  system  which,  though  in  some 
instances  forcing  us  to  part  with  what  had  been 
considered  well  grounded  belief,  give  a  new  and 
unexpected  value  to  what  was  previously  known 
and  accepted  but  not  fully  understood. 

Much  lias  been  written  of  late  on  the  early  life 
of  important  Scottish  towns,  mainly  in  relation  to 
their  guilds  or  trade  unions,  and  partly  because  of 
their  military  history.  From  1548  to  1.7  lo  Burnt- 
islaud  was  on  five  occasions  subjected  to  attacks  by 
sea.  One  of  these  —  that  by  Cromwell  —  was  con- 
tinued for  several  days,  and  at  his  time  the  town 
was  completely  enclosed  and  armed  with  about  40 


547917 

ENGLISH  LOCAIi 


vi  PREFACE 

•Tuns.  Its  possession  was  absolutely  esseuiial  to 
Cromwell,  and  after  its  surrender  to  him  it  en- 
dured the  "Tip  of  military  rule  for  nine  years. 
Burotisland  also  affords  a  more  than  usually  good 
p;>ttern  for  the  study  of  Scottish  burgh  life  from 
tli?  early  struggles  of  the  Reformation  onwards, 
and  especially  in  the  seventeenth  century.  It  was 
pre-eminently  a  Royal  burgh,  the  particular  dar- 
ling of  James  V.,  who  built  its  first  piers,  and 
had  great  hopes  of  it  as  a  base  for  naval  opera- 
tions. Many  of  the  most  striking  characters  in 
Scottish  history  were  associated  with  it,  some- 
times in  a  highly  romantic  manner,  lint  above 
all,  through  a  fortunate  combination  of  circum- 
stances, the  interior  of  the  queer,  but  stately,  old 
Parish  Church  retains  almost  all  the  lofts  and  seats 
used  by  the  guilds  in  those  far  away  times.  Three 
of  the  fronts  of  their  galleries,  with  curiously 
carved  oak  pilasters  and  heraldic  devices — origi- 
nally giided,  but  at  present  buried  in  layers  of 
oak  graining — still  exist.  On  the  panels  of  these, 
under  many  coats  of  paint  and  varnish,  have  up 
to  now  been  discovered  eighteen  paintings  of  the 
insignia  and  symbols  of  the  guilds.  Having  been 
employed  in  the  restoration  of  these,  one  is  forced 
to  give  an  account  of  the  work,  if  for  no  other 
pin-pose  than  to  certify  its  authenticity.  And  the 
significance  of  the  panels  would  be  lost  without 
an  acquaintance  with  the  customs  of  the  times  in 
which  they  were  produced.  With  a  taste  For  ori- 
gins, and  the  interest  everyone  lias  in  his  native 
place,  I  have  listened  to  strange  stories  of  these 
parts  by  the  old  women  and  men  natives,  some  of 
whom,  over  90  years  of  age,  died  twenty  or  thirty 


PREFACE  vii 

years  ago.  Much  of  what  they  told  was  well 
worth  preserving ;  and  so  apart  from  a  debt 
due  to  the  general  public,  or  those  interested 
in  "  Auld  Scotland,"  ecclesiastical  antiquities, 
or  ancient  trade  societies,  I  have  come  to 
imagine  that  there  is  something-  I  can  say 
which  the  Burntisland  people,  more  particu- 
larly, are  entitled  to  hear.  Under  this-  im- 
pression I  have  spent  much  time  (when  it 
may  be  my  worldly  and  eternal  concerns  should 
have  seen  me  otherwise  engaged)  in  trying  to 
order  and  arrange  the  case  of  this  old  burgh,  so 
that  it  could  be  more  fully  appreciated.  Xo  road, 
however  toilsome,  can  be  thought  of  with  regret 
if,  in  the  opinion  of  those  qualified  to  judge,  its 
pursuit  has  led  to  the  desired  end. 

AXDREW  YOUNG. 


CONTEXTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

EARLY    OUTLINES. 

Fossil  Sigillaria  —  Cinerary  Urns  —  Agricola — 
Dunearn — Roman  Pen — Diamonds — Spa  Well — 
Horn  on  Lady's  Toe — Caledonians — Xanie  of 
13  unit  island. 

CHAPTER  II. 

THE  "KING'S  NEW  HAVEN"  AND  BURGH. 
Introduction  of  Burghs — Kirk  and  Tower  of 
Kingorn  Wester — James  V.'s  New  Haven  at 
Brint  Eland — Date  of  First  Royal  Charter — 
other  Charters — Dispute  about  the  Castle  and 
Sea  Mills. 

CHAPTER  III. 

BURNTISLANI)    CASTLE. 

Early  History — Abbotshall — George  Durie,  last 
of  the  Abbots — Lines  to  Rossend — Preservation 
of  St  Margaret's  Remains — Barony  of  Burnt- 
island  for  Sir  Robert  Melville — His  Remarkable 
Career — His  Son  ''  Lord  Bruntyland,"  First 
Provost,  entertains  the  King — Sir  James 
AVemyss  obtains  life  peerage  with  title  Lord 
Burntisland — Other  Proprietors. 


CONTENTS  ix 

CHAPTER   IV. 

GOVERNMENT    OF    THE    BURGH. 

Elections  of  Magistrates  and  Officials — List  of 
Early  Provosts  and  M.P.'s — Lous  XIV. 's  Invas- 
ion— The  Bailies  go  to  Church — Police — Bailies 
and  Clerk  in  Tolbooth  of  Edinburgh — Town 
Bankrupt — Laws  and  Prices — Sources  of  Income 
— Council  Meeting's. 

CHAPTER  V. 

EDUCATION,    AMUSEMENT,    AND    WORRY. 

Perambulating1  the  Marches — School  Keys  and 
Doctor  —  Famous  Schoolmasters  —  Poem  —  Old 
Taverns — Horse  Race — -Trips  to  Parliament, 
&c. — Burgess,  "  Banquet,"  Bonds,  Beggars, 
Plague,  Conventicles — Lines  on  Burntisland. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

GOVERNMENT  AGAIN,  PLUS  TRADE. 

Provisions  and  their  Prices  in  1600 — Tweedale's 
Bottlenose  —  Ale-tasters  —  Petition  —  D inner  to 
Cockairney  —  Numerous  "Statutes"  -Banish- 
ment— Mulders — Heads  on  Poles — Early  For- 
tifications— Cocquett  Seal — Burntisland  Ships-- 
Imports — Exports — Coal  by  Horseback— Small 
and  Harbour  Customs — Town's  Lands — Liabili- 
ties of  Inhabitants. 

CHAPTER   VII. 

TOLBOOTII     AM)    CROSS. 

Streets  in  1  GOO— Tolbooth  as  Barracks— Bottle  of 
Whiskey — -Town  Clock—  '  Lord  Provost  "  Re- 
gilds  the  Dial — Bell — Market  Cross  and  :  House 
of  Cun/ie." 


x  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

WAS.. 

Karly  Attacks — Forts  of  1G27 — Privateers — Ran- 
-mns — Civil  AVar — Money  to  Fig-lit  the  "  Irisli 
Rebels" — Every  Fourth  Man  Armed — Forty- 
nine  Cavalry — Cowper's  Regiment  Arrives — 
(THUS  Unshipped  —  Extended  Fortifications  — 
Dunbar  Rout — Regiment  of  Artillery  Arrives 
—Women  Help — Xinety  Sentries-  -Number  of 
Forts  and  Guns. 

CHAPTER   IX. 

AND    AGAIN    AVAR. 

Cromwell's  Attack  by  Sea — Women  at  Forts — 
Pitreavie  —  Bailie  Rent  to  King-  —  Ironsides 
Arrive — Council  Confers  with  Lord  "  Burnley" 
— Oliver  Appears — Terms  of  Surrender —  'His" 
Pier  and  Paving — His  Stay — English  Garrison — 
-Military  Rule  — 205  Militia  —  Town  Bom- 
barded by  Dutch — Castle  Cannonaded — Cost  of 
Evading  Service. 

CHAPTER   X. 

KINUORN  MAGNA  AND  KINGORN  PARVA. 

Grant  of  Kingorn  AVester  to  Dunfermline  Abbey 
—Bishop  de  Bernam's  Pontifical — Bishop  of 
Brechin,  Rev.  Mr  Forbes,  and  Dr  Gammock — 
Coins  at  the  Kirkton — King  Alexander  III. — 
Early  Roads. 

CHAPTER  XI. 

PARISH    CHURCH . 

Its    Design — Furnishing-    It — General    Assembly- 
Guild    Seats    and    Insignia— Galleries— Plan    of 


COV TENTS  .\) 

Sitting's — Magistrates'  Seat — Visit  of  Charles  I. 
—His  Cook  Drowned — Guild,  Heritor  and  Fam- 
ily Seats — Women's  Rights — Last  Supper  Table 
— Repentance  Stool. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

TIIK    GUILDS    AND    TTIK    CHURCH. 

Antiquity  ot  Trade  Unions— i  Jurat  island  Guilds — 
Markets— East  Port— Halkston  of  Rathillet— 
Crown  of  the  Causeway — Monopoly  versus  Com- 
petition— Seals  of  Cause — Munificence  of  Thos. 
A.  Wallace,  Esq. — Sir  R.  Rowand  Anderson 
Restores  the  Pillars  and  Brings  the  First  Panel 
to  Light — Restoration  of  the  Others. 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

TIIK    GUILD    SKATS,    PANKLS,    AND    INSIGNIA. 

The  Guildry  and  Prime  Gilt  Panels,  and  names  of 

those  for  whom  Restored- -Smiths  and   Wrights 

M;iM>ii! — Shoemaker's   Seal   of  Cause — Tailors 

-Weavers  and  their  Box — Bakers  and  Fl esters 

—Malt men  and  Hirers — Sabbath-breakers. 

CHAPTKR    XIV. 

ECCLESIASTICAL. 

Reformation — Gift  from  King  during'  General 
Assembly — First  Minister  Banished — Covenant 
—Minister  Deposed — Minister  Imprisoned — 
Conventicles — Stipend  Spent  on  Mililia  Banner 
Episcopalians — Riot  in  Church — Crovvn  Pat- 
ronage—  Religion  Riot — Minister  Secedes— The 
Disruption— Playing  Bools  in  Church — Tieml 
of  Fiat— Law-breakers  and  Punishment — 
Church  Life— Witches. 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Cinerary   Urn  13 

"Old    Ship"    Tavern  68 

Tolbooth,  1843  80 

Plan   of   East   Head   Forts  102 

Paiins  of  Lonsdale,  Cromwell's  House  1.10 

Portion  of  Canopies  or   Pulpit     -  131 

Ground  Plan  of  Parish  Church  -  132 

Magistrates'    Seat  134 

Ladle  for  Tokens  145 

Plan   of  Galleries  148 

PJast  Port,   1840  154 

Portion  of  Guild   Council   Book   -  101 

Guildry    Panels      -  168 

Six  Panels  East  Sailors'   Gallery  170 

Two   Panels   East   Sailors'    Gallery  177 

Six  Panels  in  South  Sailors'   Gallery       -  178 
Insignia    of    the    Smiths,    Wrights,    and 

Masons    -  184 

Shoemakers9   Arms  18!) 

Shoemakers'   Seal  of  Cause  190 

Weavers'  Box         -             -             -             -  192 


CHAPTER    I. 

EARLY    OUTLIXKS 


Cinerary  urn   found  in  preparing  the   foundations  for  t!:cr 
late  Dr  Landale's  house  of  "  The  Binn." 

''•  When  I  am  dead  and  in  my  grave, 
And  al)  my  bom--  are  rotten, 
Take  up  this  book  and  think  of  me, 
When    I    am  (juite  forgotten." 

So  runs  the  old  request,  couched  in  rather  an 
Irish  way.  Unnumbered  ages  ago — an  eternity 
before  the  Binn  was  born,  and  that's  some  time 
since — a  strange  tree  fell  in  the  sand  near  which 
it  grew,  and  was  covered  with  blown  sand  from 
ancient  seashore,  as  the  robins  buried  the 
in  the  Wood.  So  undisturbed  was  it>  last 
resting-place,  and  so  gradual  its  decay,  its  particles 
filtering-  away  with  the  percolation  of  surface 
\\iiter,  and  replaced  with  grains  of  sand — that  in 
course  of  time  when  the  sand  solidified  nothing 


j4  .  HISTORY  Ol'~  BURiNTlSLAND 

but  the  carbonised  sculpture  of  the  bark  remained. 
A  portion  of  the  trunk,  4  feet  6  inches  in  height 
and  5  feet  5  inches  in  girth,  one  of  the  sigillaria 
beautifully  marked  with  pits  for  the  leaves  ar- 
ranged spirally,  and  with  vertical  moisture  chan- 
nels, is  now  standing  near  the  entrance  to  Mr 
Landale's  house  of  "  The  Binn.".  It  was  not 
found  in  the  adjoining  bed  of  calciferous  sand- 
stone, but  in  the  same  stratum  in  a  fault  at  Muir- 
edge.  In  the  latest  volcanic  period  in  Scotland 
the  forces  beneath  burst  through  at  Burntisland 
and  left  this  layer  of  sandstone  at  an  angle  of  35 
degrees  until  it  reaches  the  foot  of  the  east  volcanic 
vent  of  the  Binn.  Here,  on  the  very  lip  of  this 
old  volcano  the  late  Dr  Landale  felt  constrained 
to  build  him  an  house,  and  preparing  the  founda- 
tions for  it  in  1866  the  workmen  disinterred  the 
cinerary  urn  depicted  at  the  head  of  this  chapter. 
It  contained  fragments  of  charred  bones  which  are 
still  preserved.  The  height  is  15  inches  and 
diameter  12i  inches.  In  a  collection  of  these  urns, 
in  the  Antiquarian  Museum,  Edinburgh,  there  is 
one  found  at  Ceres  very  like  this,  the  design  round 
the  shoulders  being  the  same.  Authorities  assign 
thes?  urns  to  over  7000  years  ago.  Xo  doubt  there 
was  a  dwelling  of  some  kind  beside  this  place  of 
burial,  so  that  even  in  those  days  there  were  people 
with  an  eye  for  a  good  site.  Previous  to  the  find- 
ing of  this  urn,  in  building  Gr?enuiount — another 
good  site — a  number  of  these  urns  were  found 
together.  They  were  much  broken  in  excavating. 


EARLY  OUTLINES  15 

but  were  given  to  Mr  Paton  of  Glasgow  Museum. 
Slabs  of  stone  had  covered  the  tops,  and  Miss 
K.  J.  Kirke,  Hilton,  thinks  there  were  also  some 
flint  arrow  heads.  1  have  seen  an  old  estate  map 
on  which  the  place  where  these  were  found  is 
shown  as  a  conical  tumulus,  described  as  such. 
On  the  same  map  at  the  base  of  the  .south  side  of 
Craigkennochie  there  is  marked  "  an  artificial 
cairn  probably  a  place  of  sepulture."  About  50 
years  ago  any  illness  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Craig-holm  was  ascribed  to  the  influence  of  this 
burial  place,  a  spring1  near  here  being-  much  used. 
The  tumulus  and  cairn  may  be  nearly  of  the  same 
period,  but  of  races  with  different  burial  customs 
— the  cairn  usually  having  the  stone  cist  with 
un burned  bones.  And  this  is  all  we  know  of 
the  inhabitants  of  this  corner  of  Fife  in  prehistoric 
times.  In  the  beginning  of  the  19th  century, 
when  a  good  deal  of  re-building-  seems  to  have 
been  going  on,  in  West  Leven  Street  and  the 
High  Street  near  the  Harbour,  frequent  discovery 
of  human  l:om>s  took  place,  grim  relics,  the  gossips 
darkly  whispered  in  the  ear,  of  the  tragic  end  of 
some  over-rich  traveller  boastful  of  his  spoils,  or 
fierce  seanuui  in  some  forgotten  brawl.  Many 
skeletons  were  also  found  at  the  Lammerlaws, 
supposed  by  some  to  be  the  remains  of  witches 
burned  there,  or  of  soldiers  who  perished  in  the 
siege.  More  likely  most  of  these  bones,  had  their 
discovery  li.-en  postponed  till  now,  would  be  nmked 
as  prehistoric,  from  the  method  of  their  burial,  or 
^he  presence  of  fragment  <  of  <lab,  cist,  or  urn, 


16  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

which  may  not  have  been  observed  or  not  under- 
stood . 

Ages  afterwards,  yet  1830  years  ago,  in  the 
summer  of  83,  A.D.,  the  Roman  Governor  of  Brit- 
ain, Agricola,-  "  sounded  the  havens  and  explored 
with  his  fleet  the  north  side  of  Bodotria"  (the  Firth 
of  Forth),  and,  according-  to  Sir  Robert  Sibbald's 
reading  of  Tacitus,  "  found  none  so  commodious 
for  g'reat  vessels  as  that  at  the  town  now  called 
Bruntelin.''  Sir  Robert  in  a  letter  to  his  "  Hon- 
oured nephew,  Alexander  Orrock,  laird  of  Orrock," 
published  in  his  "  Roman  Ports,  Colonies,  and 
Forts  in  the  Firth  of  Forth"  (1711),  says,  speaking 
of  Tacitus1  account  of  Agricola,  his  father-in- 
law's  sixtli  year  of  administration  of  Britain,  "  the 
circumstances  of  the  mountains  and  woods  do 
clearly  mark  out  that  it  was  at  Bruntelin  and  the 
bays  near  it  .  .  that  Agricola  landed  .  . 
from  the  Binn-encl  to  King'horne  the  country  ad- 
jacent to  the  coast  has  to  this  day  the  name  of 
the  Woods."  Sibbald  thought  it  liKely  that 

Agricola  placed  a  s-pccu.1<t  or  Tower  where  the 
Castle  of  Bruntelin  now  stands;  this  being  the 
largest  and  most  convenient  port  for  ships  and 
easiest  fortified  because  of  the  rocks  on  each  side 
of  the  entry  of  it :  and  the  rising1  ground  on  which 
the  Castle  now  stands  was  of  singular  advantage, 
both  as  a  specula  for  discoverie  of  enemies  and 
invaders,  and  as  a  Phorus  or  height  to  place  night- 
lig-hts  on  (nitidae  sjiecn-hic  ea&tillague)  for  the  sea- 
men's better  and  safer  guidance  into  the  harbour." 


EARLY  OUTLINES  17 

Tacitus  says  that  Agricola's  fleets  were  not  in- 
tended primarily  to  land  troops,  but  were  used 
mainly  to  follow,  feed,  and  encourage  liis  army, 
which  recent  writers  believe  would  march  along 
the  coast  from  Stirling1. 

Sir  Robert  was  an  eminent  physician,  naturalist, 
antiquary,  and  writer,  with  great  powers  of  ob- 
servation, and  visited  personally  the  places  he 
describes  in  his  books.  His  active  and  enthusi- 
astic nature  imbibed  eagerly  all  information  bear- 
ing on  Roman  remains — a  fascinating  fever  in  his 
day — and  it  is  this  penchant  for  old-time  wonders 
that  we  have  to  keep  our  weather  eye  on,  and  that 
firmly.  He  proceeds: — "This  hill  here  on  which 
the  Roman  Specula  stood  had  an  oblong  camp 
upon  it,  with  the  Praetorium,  that  is,  the  Gover- 
nor's Pavilion  in  the  middle  square  of  it,  where 
the  court  of  the  Castle  is  now."  He  describes  at 
length  the  Ca&tilla,  -and  thinks  an  assault  on  it 
by  the  Caledonians  in  the  preceding  winter  was 
th?  cause  of  the  sixth  expedition.  Till  then  there 
had  b?en  a  division  of  opinion  among  the  Romans 
as  to  th?  advisability  of  proceeding  further  north. 

He  finds  "a  vestige"  of  ;i  British  Camp  on 
Dun-am  hill,  and  "  Upon  the  ascent  from  the 
Kast  .  .  .  there  are  outer  and  inn;-r  square 
camps  with  dykes  of  rough  stone  about  them 
Bavbieri,  secretary  to  Lord  Mlgin,  in 
his  Ilitttn-'n-nl  (j<t:cfft'<'r  of  l'"ifc,  also  says  Dunearn 
"  ha-  a  tort  of  the  I'icts  of  "Teat  strength."  [ 
1.1  fill  |y  visited  Dunearn  (T'^7  feet),  but  could  not, 


i8  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

trace  the  mounds  seen  by  Sir  Kobert  about  1680. 
It  is,  however,  a  weird  and  awesome  scene.  The 
greater  part  of  the  top  is  covered  deep  with  thou- 
sands of  whin  and  other  hard  stones,  about  the  size 
suitable  for  building1  dykes.  One  I  observed  was 
undoubtedly  cut.  Were  these  stones  collected  In- 
human agency '?  It  is  too  high  for  a  terminal 
morain? — an  accumulation  of  debris  torn  from 
the  sides  of  a  valley  traversed  by  a  glacier  and 
dropped  at  its  foot  where  it  ceases  to  be  ice.  A 
volcanic  vent,  in  its  dying  throes  these  stones  may 
be  the  last  material  ejected  so  imperfectly  that 
they  "fell  back  and  choked  the  vent.  The  lake 
is  used  by  the  Grange  Distillery  in  the  manu- 
facture of  the  cratur.  At  the  foot  of  the  hill  is 
the  summer  house  of  James  Stewart,  the  survivor 
in  the  famous  pistol  duel  between  him  and  Sir 
Alexander  Boswell. 

A  friend,  Mr  George  Blyth,  tells  me  that  when 
a  young  man  he  was  shooting  rabbits  at  the  edgr* 
of  the  loch,  and  having  wounded  one,  lie  enlarged 
a  hole  in  which  it  had  taken  refuge,  and  dis- 
covered, at  a  depth  of  several  feet,  a  curious 
bottle,  wrapped  in  what  he  describes  as  burned 
straw,  probably  straw  black  with  age.  It  was  of 
dark  opaque  glass,  one  end  cigar-shaped  like  the 
old  style  lemonade  bottle — the  "bothimless"  sort 
that  bothered  Handy  Andy  so  much — but  the  neck 
turned  at  a  right  angle.  The  mouth  was  closed 
with  what  appeared  to  be  wax  or  rotten  cork.  It 
was  filled  with  a  dark  coloured  very  sweet  wine : — 


EARLY  OUTLINES  19 

"  On  Tmtock  tap  there  is  a  cup. 
And  hi  the  cup  there  is  a  drap." 

The  wine  was  pronounced  by  a  supervisor  at  the 
Grange  to  be  very  fine,  and  evidently  hundreds 
of  years  old,  as  there  was  a  deposit  of  an  eighth 
of.  an  inch  oil  the  inside  of  the  glass.  My  friend 
has  always  regretted  that  the  wine  was  consumed 
and  the  bottle  broken.  Dr  Anderson  of  the 
Antiquarian  Museum  informs  me  bottles  of  this 
description  were  in  use  in  Holland  in  the  16th 
and  17th  centuries. 

Sibbald  goes  on  to  give  "an  account  of  Orrea" 
(a  Roman  town  in  Fife,  held  by  Small  in  his 
Roman  Antiquities  to  have  been  at  Cupar),  "which 
I  conjecture  stood  where  the  house  of  Or  rock  now 
stands :  there  have  been  medals  found  near  to  it 
.  .  .  a  military  way  passeth  close  by  it  called 
the  Cross-gate  .  .  .  many  antique  instruments 
and  armaments  have  been  found  near  the  Boroughs 
or  Tumuli,  near  to  where  the  Practorum  stood 
.  .  .  many  rings  were  found  .  .  .  some  of 
an  inch  diameter  .  .  .  some  the  ordinary  size 
of  a  (finger)  ring,  all  these  are  covered  with  a 
green  crust,  so  it  does  not  appear  what  metal  they 
are  of,  some  have  an  aperture  in  the  side  .  .  •  . 
and  .seem  to  have  been  used  as  Fibulae"  (brooches). 
On  page  KS  lie  gives  a  drawing  of  a  stylus  or 
Roman  pen  found  at  Orrock. 

Sir  Robert  had  "a  crap  for  a'  corns."  He  writes 
"The  lands  of  Orrock  afford  British  diamonds  of 
various  colours,  some  four,  some  six-sided,  equal 


20  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

to  the  Bristol  stones."  These  "diamonds"  were 
rock  crystals,  and  their  presence  in  the  vicinity 
no  doubt  gave  rise  to  the  old  tale  of  sailors  seeing 
in  the  night  a  diamond  glittering  in  the  Binn  : — 

"  At  lowest  ebb  yer  chafts  ye'l  lay. 
As  laicih's  ye  icon,  to  Mary  pray, 
Atween  the  Knaps  and  Cot-burn-dell, 
Aboon  the  Green  about  an  ell, 

Ye'l  see  a  ferlie ; 
Whyles  blaziii'  out  a  fiery  peat, 
Noo  glowerin'  low  as  blue's  a  slate, 
Or  flickerin'  marlin  o'  the  t\va, 
Syne  spluteriu'  like  a  burst-in'  ba', 

O'  red  hot  iron  ; 

But  when  the  mune  her  chin  has  laid, 
Across  tihe  Bass,  she'l  quickly  fade, 
Wi'  swords  o'  blue,  an'  spears  o'  gowd, 
The  Binn  she'l  leave  as  cau'ld's  a  shroud, 

And  black's  a  whale." 

Sibbald  presses  on  to  mention  a  "vitriolic  spring'' 
at  Orrock  ;  chronicles  a  hailstorm  he  experienced, 
in  the  summer  of  1687,  at  Burnt  island,  when  the 
hailstones  were  "  i  an  inch  in  diameter,  the 
thickness  of  a  rix  dollar,  and  hexagonal";  and 
expatiates  on  the  wonder  of  a  horn  growing  out 
of  a  lady's  toe.  A  dangerous  weapon!  This  vit- 
riolic spring  reminds  us  that  there  used  to  be  a 
medicinal  spring  near  Alexander's  monument, 
called  tne  Waliacepaw  (Well  o'  the  Spa — Spa 
well),  frequented  by  the  patients  of  the  once  fam- 
ous Dr  Anderson,  physician  to  Charles  I. 

According  to   Bohn's   Tacitus,    after   Agricola's 
great  victory  of  Mom  (r r«tn pnx  he  retired  south- 


EARLY  OUTLINES  21 

wards  "to  the  confines  of  the  Horesti"  (natives 
of  Fife).  At  the  same  time  liis  fleet  starting1  from 
the  Forth  or  Tay  circumnavigated  Britain,  "and 
returned  entire  to  its  former  station."  To  Tacitus 
he  described  Caledonia  as  covered  with  forest,  and 
the  Caledonians  as  being  large  limbed,  and  having 
ruddy  hair  indicating-  a  German  origin.  In 
fig'hting-  at  Mons  Grampus  they  used  chariots  and 
horses,  the  foot  being1  armed  with  long-  swords 
and  short  targets. 

The  derivation  of  the  name  Burntisland  has 
occasioned  some  debate.  To  many  it  presents  no 
difficulty. — There's  a  little  island  in  the  liar  be  ur 
and  the  rocks  look  "  burnt."  This  tendency  to 
swallow  plain  English  in  these  latitudes  is  com- 
mon. Silverbarton,  for  instance.  Sibbald  quotes  : 
4  Richard,  Abbot  of  Dunfermline,  011  3rd  June, 
1458,  gave  a  charter  to  David,  eldest  son  and  heir 
of  *  William  de  Orrock,  of  Silliebabe  et  Dunhern." 
And  Silliebabe  it  remained  till  comparatively 
recent  times.  Then  there's  Kinghorn — King  and 
horn.  So  evident!  Yet  the  word  is  Kin-gorne, 
pronounced  so  by  the  aged  natives  to  this  day, 
spelt  Kingorn  in  the  12th  century,  and  undoubt- 


*Members  of  this  ancient  family  were  bailies,  tacksnien, 
and  litigants  in  Burnti<sland  for  hundreds  of  years.  The 
family  owned  Orrock  previous  to  1458,  over  450  years  since. 
I  believe  the  late  Captain  Orrock,  collector  of  harbour  dues, 
was  the  last  of  his  rnce.  I  recently  saw  a  title-deed  to  a 
property  of  a  son  of  the  Robert  Orrock  hereafter  mentioned 
as  manager  of  the  harbour  works  to  James  V.,  and  whose 
liou-c  is  given  in  tine  Royal  Charter  as  a  landmark.  It  is 
:iii-i-ribed  : — "  carta  Alexander  Orrock  ib  oclana  parte  Welton, 


2.2  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

etlly  a  Gaelic  word.  I  have  heard  a  learned 
gentleman  lecture  publicly  that  end  added  to 
Kingswood — Kingswoodend,  a  colloquial  phrase 
descriptive  of  the  position  of  Kingswood  in  rela- 
tion to  Bnrntisland — referred  to  the  icud  (mad) 
end  of  Alexander  III.  Liddall,  in  liis  place- 
names,  gives  Kinnesswood  : — Ccann — cax — dad — 
head  of  the  \vaterfall  of  the  wood,  an  exact  de- 
scription of  the  hill  or  promontory  at  Kingswood. 
Before  Kingswood  house  was  constructed  there  was 
a  fine  waterfall,  now  intercepted  to  feed  a  minia- 
ture lake  about  40  feet  up.  Pettycur  has  been 
Frenchified  as  well  as  Englified.  The  Petit  corps 
is  said  to  have  given  the  name  in  the  time  of 
Mary  of  Guise.  Bleau  spells  it  in  his  map  of 
1662  Pretticur.  Sibbald  writes  it  Prettie  Knr. 
Petioker  appears  in  a  charter  of  David  I.,  and  I 
came  across  it  frequently  in  the  chartulaiy  of 
Dunfermline  associated  with  King-horn.  The 
neighbourhood  is  studded  with  old  Gaelic  names 
beginning  with  pit.  A  few  miles  away  are  the 
two  farms  of  Piteuchar,  written  in  Gordon's  map 
of  1645  Pittvochar. 


alias  overgrange  il  Kinghorne  Wester  1594."  Visiting 
Orrock  lately  to  see  about  the  "diamonds,"  and  Caledonian 
and  Roman  antiquities  reported  by  Sibbald,  I  found  the  farm- 
house modern,  but  the  lintel  of  the  door  of  the  old  house  has 
been  preserved  and  inserted  in  the  north  wall.  It  bears  the 
inscription  "  1678,  A.O.,  E.W. — A.O.,  S.M.,  with  a  Latin 
motto,  part  of  which  is  Christ  us  men.  Alexander  Orrock 
had  been  twice  married.  The  family  vault  is  here,  but  its 
exiiet  position  is  unknown.  There  were  no  diamond's  to  be 
seen,  but  I  passed  a  very  attractive  young  lady  with  a  Roman 
nose. 


EARLY  OUTLINES  23 

Sibbald  refers  to  the  legendary  burning-  of 
fishermen's  huts  on  the  island,  and  a  supposed 
attempt  of  the  Romans  to  destroy  the  town  by 
fire,  and  quotes  the  lines  of  a  "native  poet"  :— 

"  Brave  ancient  isle,  thy  praise  if  I  should  sing, 
The  habitation  of  a  Pictish  King, 
Dreftus,  who  made  against  the  Roman  strokes, 
Forth's  snakie  arms  thee  to  enclose  with  rocks, 
They  often  pressed  to  vanquish  thee  with  fire, 
As  Macedon  did  the  sea  embordering  Tyre, 
But  thou  did'st  .'-corn  Rome's  captive  for  to  be, 
And  kept  thyself  from  Roman  legions  free." 

Sibbald  says  "  Brintlandt"  is  a  place-name  in 
Denmark,  but  his  pet  theory  is  that  "clot  in  the 
old  language  signifies  a  bay  bowed  like  the  flexure 
of  the  elbow,  and  brunt,  in  the  Gothic  tongue,  a 
fire  burning — that  is  the  Roman  night  light  on 
the  tower  at  the  harbour."  The  name  often  occurs 
without  the  d  in  early  Council  records — Brintihm 
and  Brint  Ilun — and  in  this  form  is  very  like  the 
sound  given  to  it  by  old  resident ers  now.  It  is 
written  variously  in  the  early  Council  Records  and 
Exchequer  Rolls:—"  Ye  *lirint  Eland"  and  "  Ye 
said  Hand"  (1040),  "Ye  Brynt  Yland"  (154G), 
"  lirint  Hand"  (1592)  "  Brintiland"  (1592).  At 
first  sight  these  seem  proof  positive  that  the  name 

*The  //  in  ye  is  waid  by  students  to  be  the  Anglo-Saxon 
letter  tliarn,  the  .sound  of  which  was  that  given  by  us  to  f/i. 
Ye  thin  was  pronounced  the.  In  the  records  in  Kill  them  i.s 
spelled  i/a  inf.  I  prefer  an  explanation  less  "  learned."  For 
a  long  period  in  the  Council  Records  f/ie  looks  like  ti/f.  At 
this  time  the  loop  of  the  h  was  inverted  and  below  the  lino. 
Examples  of  this  appear  in  my  facsimile  of  the  cordiner's 
-i  ill  of  (Miis-  in  another  chapter.  In  course  of  time  the  t 
wa«  definitely  dropped,  leaving  ye. 


24  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLANl) 

was  derived  from  "  Burned"  and  "  Island."  But 
the  name  existed  previous  to  1540  in  the  form 
Bertiland,  probably  pronounced  Bert  ilund.  The 
names  given  above,  written  by  Edinburgh  clerks 
under  the  growing  influence  of  English,  were 
headings  to  accounts  of  the  harbour  works,  which 
involved  what  we  call  the  green  island  at  both 
ends,  and  with  this  in  their  mind  it  was  easy  to 
change  Bert  ilund  into  Brint  Hand.  Spee:l  shows 
that,  in  1506  when  the  town  was  a  Burgh  of 
Regality  under  the  monks  of  Dunfermline,  the 
name  was  Byrtiland,  and  it  is  Byrtiland  in  the 
second  Burgh  Charter  of  1585.  Fernie,  who  had 
powers,  quoting  an  old  document,  spells  it  Berti- 
land.  Miss  Blackie  in  her  Etymological  Geo- 
graphy gives  Bertiland  as  the  earliest  form,  and 
considers  it  of  Scandinavian  origin.  The  harbour 
would  be  useful  for  those  robber  Danes.  '  Ye 
said  Hand  "  is  very  misleading.  It  is  common 
in  Fife  to  prefix  the  definite  article  to  the  name  of 
a  place: — The  Raith,  the  Kettle,  the  Methil,  the 
Elie,  and  even  to  leave  out  a  portion  of  the  name, 
as  "the  Dour"  for  Aberdour,  "the  Horn"  for 
Kinghorn ' 

In  1538,  in  the  Chartulary  of  Dunfermline,  there 
is  a  grant  of  the  fort  of  Wester  Kingorn  and  the 
lands  of  '  Erefland  and  Cunyingayrland  "  ad- 
jacent to  it.  Eref  may  be  the  Gaelic;  <»•<(/ — gentle 
or  quiet  water,  and  elin  a  bay  or  haven.  Cunning- 
ayrland  has  been  thought  to  mean  rabbit  warren 
(cony,  a  rabbit).  It  may  be  a  form  of  Erenand 


THE  KINGS  NEW  HAVEN  AND  BURGH       25 

adapted  to  an  adjoining-  portion  of  land  at  the 
harbour — Cyning  (a  King) — arland  (Erefland  con- 
tracted — a  haven) — Kings  Haven. 


CHAPTER  II. 


TIIK          KING  S     XKW    HAVEN          AND     BURGH. 

James  Speed,  one  time  Provost  of  Burnt  island, 
who  died  1867,  states  in  his  unpublished  notes 
relating  to  the  Royal  Burgh  of  Burntisland,  chiefly 
compiled  from  the  Burgh  Records,  that  "during 
the  12th  century  the  inhabitants  of  certain  towns 
were  endowed  by  the  Kings  of  Scotland  with  im- 
portant municipal  privileges,  constituting  these 
places  Free  Royal  Burghs.  The  number  of  such 
towns  at  tlie  end  of  that  century  was  about 
eighteen;  at  the  Union  sixty-six  .  .  .  On  the 
introduction  of  the  feudal  system  into  Scotland, 
each  Royal  Burgh  came  to  be  considered  a  vassal 
of  the  Crown.  The  community  was  authorised  to 
administer  justice,  and  to  manage  the  common 
property.  The  permanent  inhabitants  were  all 
freemen.  These  Burghs  were  the  only  places  in 
Scotland  where  the  lower  classes  of  the  people  had 
anything  approaching  civil  liberty,  or  where  trade 
or  the  industrial  arts  could  be  prosecuted  withou1 
being  subject  to  the  capricious  interference  of  the 
higher  nobles.  Deriving  their  immunities  from 
the  Sovereign,  the  Burgesses  were  generally  dis- 
po>ed  to  protect  him  from  the  aggressions  of  the 


26  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

nobles  or  the  Church.  The  Magistrates  were 
judges  in  all  civil  causes,  and  in  criminal  causes 
except  the  four  pleas  of  the  Crown."  These  were 
murder,  robbery,  rape,  and  wilful  fire-raising;  all 
punishable  by  death.  I  would  like  to  know  how 
local  authorities  came  to  try  for  witchcraft,  and 
on  conviction  to  carry  out  the  death  sentence. 

There  were  other  classes  of  burghs.  Baron 
Burghs  and  Burghs  of  Regality.  The  latter  were 
instituted  with  permission  of  the  Crown  by  mon- 
asteries on  lands  belonging  to  them,  and  the  Abbot 
had  the  power  of  life  and  death  in  his  Court  of 
Regality,  a  power,  as  we  have  seen,  not  given  to 
Burgh  Courts.  Burntisland  existed  as  a  Burgh  of 
Regality  in  the  name,  as  we  have  seen,  of  Ber- 
tiland  or  Byrtiland  as  early  as  1506  under  Dun- 
fermline  Abbey  and  probably  long  before,  and 
after  it  had  been  proclaimed  a  Royal  Burgh  it 
reverted  to  a  Burgh  of  Regality  in  1574. 

Though  the  name  of  the  parish  in  which  Burnt- 
island  lay  was  in  the  12th  century  Kingorn,  and 
gave  to  the  Kirkton  church  the  name  of  the  "  Kirk 
of  Kinghorne  Wester,"  and  to  the  Castle  the 
'  Tower  of  Kinghorne  Wester" — names  which 
stuck  to  them  for  centuries — it  is  clear  from  the 
defensive  tower  being  at  the  harbour,  the  town 
there  being  a  Burgh  of  Regality  with  the  dis- 
tinctive name  of  Bertiland ;  and  that  James  V. 
gave  his  charter  as  a  reward  to  the  inhabitants 
for  "gratuitous  services  rendered  to  him  and  his 


THE  KING'S  NEW  HAVEN  AND  BURGH       27 

predecessors,  Kings  of  Scotland"  ;  that  the  town 
was  important  compared  with  the  Kirkton.  The 
most  of  the  early  history  we  have  we  owe  to  church 
documents,  and  naturally  these  are  strongly  ftav- 
voured  with  purely  ecclesiastical  nomenclature. 
Mr  D.  J.  Balfour  Kirke,  Greenmount,  in  a  recent 
lecture — "  Burnt  island  in  1511" — rich  in  histori- 
cal details  and  imagery,  showed  that  on  the  testing- 
of  the  Great  Michael,  King-  -James  IV.  came  from 
Falkland  to  meet  his  Admiral,  "  Schir  Andrew 
Wood,"  who  had  a  house  at  Burntisland,  believed 
to  be  34  Hig'h  Street,  and  boarded  the  "  Create 
schip"  in  the  loadstead  of  Burntisland  (Portus. 
Gratiae). 

Tlie  first  mention  of  the  name  Burntisland  in 
ancient  documents,  which  I  have  seen  with  my 
own  eyes,  appears  in  the  Exchequer  Rolls,  when 
under  date  1540  and  the  significant  heading1  "  The 
Xew  Haven,"  there  is  a  long1  list  of  monies  paid 
to  "  Kobert  Orrock,  maister  of  the  work  of  the 
Brint  Eland  .  .  .  for  ty miner,  irn,  and  making- 
the  stane  boit"  (boat  or  butt) — Dry  Dock — "of  the 
said  Hand."  In  this  year  King1  James  V.  made 
a  tour  of  the  Isles  with  12  ships  from  the  Firth  of 
Forth.  It  is  evident  from  this  extract  that  the 
work  must  have  been  going1  on  for  some  time,  and 
that  it  was  of  a  national  character,  of  which  addi- 
tional proof  is  found  in  a  petition  from  the  Town 
Council  in  1664  in  which  they  specify  the  "peirs 
and  bulwarks  of  the  harbour  which  were  erected 
be  King1  James  the  Fyft  of  blessed  memory."  In 


28  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

1541  occurs  the  item  "the  xxx  day  of  April  gevin 
for  aiie  bote's  franc-lit  frae  the  Brintelind  to  Leitht 
with  twa  gunnis  Xs."  In  1542  the  accounts  of 
the  Lord  High  Treasurer  show  the  expenses  of  the 
"  wark  at  the  Brintiluiid  and  the  King's  grace 
schippis"  ;  the  materials  and  prices  for  building 
these;  and  on  one  occasion,  as  an  example  ot  many, 
ihe  money  "gevin  to  Robert  Orrock  for  paying  of 
the  workmen's  wag'eis  wirkaiid  at  the  Brint  Hand, 
and  for  irne  hoc  lit  be  him  thairto  frae  the  first  day 
of  September  last  bipast  to  the  xxix  day  of  Julie 
instant  as  his  buke  of  conipt  beris  ijt  xlv  11.  xix*" 
— £245  19s.  From  other  entries  the  ships  appear 
to  have  had  the  finishing1  touches  put  on  them  at 
Leith. 

Thus  in  1540  there  were  being  built  at  Burnt- 
island  for  King  James  V.  piers,  bulwarks,  a  grav- 
ing dock,  and  ships.  Many  other  entries  show 
that  from  this  time  for  many  years  Burntisland 
was  used  as  a  naval  base:  the  enemy  would  call  it 
a  pirate  stronghold.  Shipowners  were  encouraged 
to  arm  their  vessels,  and  on  returning  with  booty 
received  a  goodly  share  of  the  spoils.  One  or  two 
extracts  from  the  Exchequer  Rolls  to  show  this : — 
In  1545,  "  item.  To  James  Lindsay,  masor,  quha 
at  commands  of  the  Lords  of  Counsal  past  to  Brint 
Eland  and  thair  arreistit  (for  valuation  purposes) 
the  Inglische  schip  tane  in  Flanders  x.s\"  In  the 
same  year  "  item,  to  ane  boy  that  cam  frae  the 
Capitane  of  the  Lyon  advertising  that  the  marin- 
aris  and  tymmar  wry  c- lit  is  wuld  be  gotten  in  the 


THE  KING'S  NEW  HAVEN  AND  BURGH       29 

Brunt  Eland."   In  1549  send  to  the  Brynt  Yland  to 
arrest  the  prysis  broucht  in  be  Hannis  Fairlankis 
schip  laidint  witht  leid  and  tyn."     Some  time  pre- 
vious other  two  prizes  (French)  had  been  brought 
in.     In  educating  its  citizens  in  this  privateering-, 
Burnt  island  could  expect  nothing-  but  a  "  looking- 
for  of  judgement."     Habit  becomes  second  nature. 
In  1573  "  Capitane  Halkerstone     .     .     .     Mat  hew 
Sinclair  and  thair  complices  tuke  ane  schip  furth 
of  the  havin  of  Brint  Hand     .     .     .     and  spullyeit 
the  greittast  part  of  our  Sdveraine  Lordis  Isles." 
Although    the    originator    of    this    activity    was 
dead     within  g    two    short    years    after    granting 
his    charter,     it    continued,     though     in    fits    and 
starts,     and     frequent     opposition.       Speed     gives 
the    date    of    the    first    Royal    Charter    as    1541, 
following     perhaps     the     note     on     a     flyleaf     of 
one    of    the    old     minute-books,     which    runs    as 
follows: — "Charter  granted  be  K.  James  the  5th 
beares    no    yther    dait    hot    that    it    is    given    at 
Linlithgow  the  28  year  of  K.  J.  his  regne."     That 
is  1541.      I  fin-1,  however,  that  the  year  was  1540, 
as  the  following  entry  in  the1  Exchequer  Kolls  fcr 
that  year  shows: — "  item,  the  viij  day  of  Februar 
deliverit    to    the    Laird    of    Sillebawbe"    (Robert 
Orrnck.)   "to  give   to  the  convent  of  Dunferniling 
for  seling  of  th?  charter  of  Brint  Kland  xxxiij  £/." 

The  town  was  proclaimed  as  a  Royal  Burgh  with 
the  customary  solemnities  in  1508,  but  the  charier 
had  never  been  submitted  to  Parliament,  and  this 
gave  the  convent  at  !)un lennline  grounds  for  in- 


3o  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

terference.  James  V.  had  given  them  lands  else- 
where in  exchange  for  the  port  and  six  acres  of 
land,  the  boundaries  of  which  began  at  the  half- 
moon  eastwards  across  the  ridges  of  East  and 
West  Broomhill  and  Craig-kennochie  to  the  Baths. 
This  was  more  than  six  acres,  and  it  is  thought 
that  "  it  was  on  account  of  this  excess  that  the 
Earls  of  Tweedale,  as  succeeding  to  the  rights  of 
the  Abbey  claimed  the  right  to  exact  a  tax  called 
Burgh  Mail."  In  1688  the  Earl  tried  to  obtain 
from  the  town  £550.  The  commendator  of  Ihm- 
fermline  when  the  town  was  proclaimed  a  Royal 
Burgh  was  Lord  Robert  Pitcairn,  an  able  man 
and  full  of  wiles.  In  1570  he  was  Secretary  of 
State  to  James  VI.,  yet  was  one  of  those  who 
arrested  him  at  Ruthven  Castle  in  1582,  and  was 
banished  for  this.  In  1574  with  an  admirable 
audacity  he  re-erected  the  town  into  a  Burgh  of 
Regality  at  the  instigation  of  Sir  Robert  Melville, 
who  is  supposed  to  have  been  trying  to  improve  his 
position  at  the  Castle,  or  make  clear  his  existing 
rights  there.  However,  a  new  Royal  Charter  was 
obtained,  and  confirmed  by  Act  of  Parliament  in 
1585,  which  set  forth  that  "  King  James  the  VI. 
having  found  that  his  ancestor  King  James  the 
fifth  as  a  reward  for  the  gratuitous  services  ren- 
dered to  him  and  his  predecessors  Kings  of  Scot- 
land by  the  inhabitants  of  Byrtiland  "  since  its 
erection  into  a  g-reat  civil  community,  and  to  en- 
€oura#e  them  to  go  forward  in  prosecuting  trade 
and  navig-ation,  had  at  great  expense  constructed 


THE  KING'S  NEW  HAVEN  AND  BURGH   31 

the  port  culled  the  Port  of  Grace,*  and  disposed 
it  and  the  lands  adjoining1  thereto,  acquired  from 
the  monks  and  abbots  of  Dunfermline,  to  the 
Provost,  Baillies,  Council  and  community  thereof 
.  .  .  renews  and  confirms  the  said  charter.  The 
dispute,  nevertheless,  continued  between  the  Burgh 
and  the  Abbey,  or  Sir  Robert  Melville,  whose  aim 
was  to  obtain  possession  of  the  ground  between  his 
Castle  wall  and  the  harbour,  so  as  to  block  up  the 
Burgh's  access  to  the  Island  and  West  Head,  and 
to  force  the  inhabitants  to  have  their  meal  ground 
and  their  wood  sawn  at  the  Sea  Mills.  fThe  meal 
mill  is  still  standing.  The  saw  mill  appears  011  a 
map  in  my  possession  dated  1843.  These  mills 
were  driven  by  water  wheels  moved  by  the  exit 
of  the  tide  which  was  collected  in  a  dam  at  one 
time  extending  to  the  road  crossing  to  the  Ivirk- 
ton.  "What  the  exact  legal  merits  of  the  Mills 
dispute  were  cannot  now  be  determined. 

In  1599  Sir  George  Home,  afterwards  Earl  of 
Berwick,  "  was  asked  to  accept  the  office  of  Provost 

*/'«/•/ MX  Grti1iu*~ti  haven  for  which  one  .should  be  thank- 
ful. The  port  was  also  called  Portu*  tfalutu* — a  safe  haven. 
The  late  Marquis  of  Bute  writes  as  if  he  thought  these  names 
ha<l  been  given  by  the  Romans. 

tWilliaun  Wilson,  a  native  of  Burntisland,  a  blacksmith 
with  a  laudable  ambition,  author  of  a  volume  of  poetry,  en- 
titled "  Echoes  of  the  Anvil,"  has  some  pieces  which  apply 
locally.  One  of  these,  "  To  One  in  the  Silent  Land  "  (lii- 
mother),  i.s  very  good.  Here  is  one  verse  from  his  "  Castle 
Mills":— 

"  Awa'  frap  the  mills  frae  the  world  and  its  folly. 
Awa'  frae  our  friends  and  cronies  sae  fain, 
Awa'  to  t'.ie  land  that  is  sinless  and  holy, 
To  meet  the  long  lost  and  be  happy  again." 


32  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

so  that  his  influence  at  Court  might  protect  the 
town  from  the  pretensions  of  the  Melvilles."  He 
was  elected  and  remained  Provost  till  1610,  with 
the  exception  of  one  year,  1604-5,  when  Sir  Robert 
Melville,  younger,  who  had  been  Provost  before 
1599,  managed  to  get  re-elected.  But  the  battle 
of  the  Castle  or  that  of  the  Mills  had  "  none  end 
at  all."  After  every  desperate  bout,  nothing-  near 
fatal,  the  opponents,  like  the  wife  "  of  the  same 
opinion  still,"  took  a  rest  and  went  at  it  again. 
In  1632  the  Town  made  a  new  move.  The  Council 
applied  to  the  "  Viscount  Stirling"  to  procure  a 
new  "  Royal  Charter,  all  swearing  by  the  exten- 
sion of  the  right  hand"  to  keep  the  matter  secret. 
In  1633  the  new  charter  was  sent  down  from 
London  to  be  sealed,  but  it  was  then  discovered 
that  Sir  Robert  was  entitled  to  see  it  before  the 
sealing.  He  of  course  raised  objections  to  its 
terms,  but  it  was  confirmed  by  Act  of  Parliament 
2nd  July,  1633.  Acts  of  Parliament  are  only 
made  to  be  broken  :  the  dispute  went  on  as  before. 
•A  solution  hove  in  sight  for  a  moment  in  16-V) 
when  the  "  Sea  Milnes"  were  to  be  sold.  Th? 
Council  met  hurriedly  and  decided  to  buy  them, 
but  no  bargain  was  struck.  In  1670  Peter  AValker 
proposes  to  build  the  town  "  a  milne  driven  by 
horses."  The  Countess  of  Wemyss  hears  of  this, 
and  reasserts  the  Castle's  rights  to  saw  the  wood 
and  grind  the  town's  meal.  In  1683,  after  a  naj> 
of  13  years — unlucky  number — the  Council  gives 
much  favour  to  what  seems  a  brilliant  idea — a 


THE  KING'S  NEW  HAVEN  AND  BURGH     33 

corn  miliie  driven  by  wind  on  the  Lammerlaws. 
After  an  unprecedented  spate  of  law,  this  too  blows 
over,  when  it  is  once  again  decided  (1692)  that 
"the  inhabitants  are  adstricted  to  the  Sea  Milnes" 
of  the  Countess  of  AYemyss.  But  the  Burntislaml- 
ers  would  not  take  it  lying  down.  The  blood  of 
the  inveterate  and  obdurate  Celt  flowed  in  their 
veins  (though  curiously  enough  you  will  read  the 
Council  Records  of  the  first  270  years  and  find 
barely  a  single  clan  name).  To  us  it  seems  a  mere 
hopeless  habit,  like  the  fluttering  of  a  bird  on  the 
wires  of  its  cage.  In  1712  an  act  of  Parliament 
was  procured  thirling  the  inaltmen  and  brewers, 
2-3  in  number,  to  the  town's  "new  steel  milnes" 
built  in  1711,  situated  in  the  gardens  behind  72 
or  74  High  Street.  Up  pops  again  that  hated 
Jack  in  the  Box,  the  proprietor  of  the  Sea  Mills, 
then  the  Earl  of  "Wemyss,  who  restates  his  right 
of  thirlage.  After  more  torrents  of  law  it  was 
determined  to  try  arbitration,  with  the  result  that 
the  inhabitants  are  ordained  to  return  to  the  Sea 
Mills.  Even  in  1849,  in  spite  of  the  passing  of 
th?  Burgh  Reform  Act,  the  claims  of  the  Castle 
appeared  to  be  still  maintained,  as  I  have  seen  a 
letter  from  a  James  Morrison  strongly  advising  the 
Council  to  drop  some  mill  scheme  they  had  in 
hand  on  account  of  its  history  and  their  having  no 
legal  justification. 

Along  with  this  dispute  went  that  of  the  boun- 
dary of  the  Castle.  The  friction  was  constant  with 
Sir  Robert  Melville,  but  unlike  the  case  of  the 


34  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

Mills,  the  town  was  always  successful  in  prevent- 
ing the  persistent  efforts  to  encroach  on  their 
inarch.  It  is  pleasing'  to  record  that  after  one  of 
these  attempts  of  Sir  Robert's,  the  Council  sent 
asking  him  to  allow  them  to  meet  him  at  the 
Castle  gate  to  accompany  him  to  the  kirk.  This 
he  agreed  to ;  and  after  many  another  tussle  when 
Lord  Melville — for  he  succeeded  his  father  in 
this  title — died,  the  Council  attended  his  funeral 
to  Monimail  in  a  body,  and  expressed  in  a  minute 
their  feeling  that  they  had  lost  a  true  friend.  But 
the  hatchet  was  unburied.  One  case  in  1705  was 
serious.  The  tenant  of  the  Castle,  Colin  Mac- 
kenzie (we  were  having  an  anterin  Highlander  by 
then)  clandestinely  managed  to  have  a  wall  partly 
built  before  the  Council  observed  him.  Even  till 
1873,  when  the  Council  purchased  the  Castle,  and 
re-sold  it  with  new  titles  to  the  late  James 
Shepherd,  Esq.,  did  this  controversy  of  300  years 
continue. 


BURNTISLANI)  CASTLE  35 


CHAPTER  III. 

BURNTISLAXI)    CASTLE. 

The  late  Mr  W.  A.  Laurie,  W.S.,  Keeper  of 
H.M.  Gazette  for  Scotland,  proprietor  of  Burnt- 
island  Castle  for  many  years  previous  to  1872,  had 
ample  opportunity  and  an  ardent  desire  to  clear 
up  its  early  history.  Mrs  Laurie  has  told  me  that 
the  entrance  gate  was  built  by  him,  and  is  a  replica 
of  one  in  York  which  he  pointed  out  to  her.  In 
inscribing;  1119  (similar  to  that  in  the  Castle)  oil 
one  of  the  shields  above  the  gate  'he  had  satisfied 
himself  that  a  tower  (I  have  no  doubt  the  present 
square  tower  portion  of  the  Castle)  existed  at  that 
date.  The  tower  portion  is  stated  by  various 
writers  as  being  mentioned  in  the  time  of  Robert, 
the  first  of  the  Stuarts  (Blear  Eye),  1382,  when  it 
was  called  the  tower  of  Kingorne  Wester,  and  was 
occupied  by  the  Buries  of  Durie.  Mackie,  author 
of  "  Castles,  Prisons,  and  Palaces  of  Mary  of  Scot- 
land," visited  the  Castle  about  1840,  and  origi- 
nated the  statement  that  the  Duries  built  the  north 
and  west  wings.  He  says,  "  Over  the  principal 
entrance  the  arms  of  the  Duries  are  inserted  under 
a  Gothic  canopy  supported  by  two  savages  girded 
with  laurels."  The  arms  of  the  Duries  consisted 
of  a  shield  bearing  a  chevron  between  three 
crescents,  ami  may  be  seen  on  the  Abbot's  seal  of 
George  Durie  in  Chalmers'  "  History  of  Dun- 


36  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

fermline."  Neither  this  design  nor  the  savages 
can  be  found  at  the  Castle.  In  tlie  vestibule, 
which  might  be  described  as  Gothic,  are  three 
Coats  of  Anns — one  bearing'  the  date  1119,  another 
1382,  while  the  third  has  the  initials  M.R.,  and 
the  date  1563,  the  year  of  Queen  Mary's  visit. 
The  execution  of  these  might  be  early  17th 
century. 

Mackie  also  states  that  the  Castle  had  been 
anciently  known  as  "The  Abbot's  Hall."  Con- 
sidering' the  history  of  the  Castle  one  would  think 
this  an  appropriate  name  and  one  very  likely  to 
be  used.  But  a  recent  writer  questions  this,  and 
has  tried  to  show  that  this  name  was  a  monopoly 
of  Abbotshall,  Kirkcaldy,  where  the  monks  had 
another  residence.  In  Volume  III.  of  the  Memoirs 
of  the  Mehilles,  by  Sir  William  Eraser,  K.C.B., 
LL.D.,  I  find  a  grant  (1586)  to  Sir  Robert  Melville 
from  Patrick,  Master  of  Gray,  oommendator  of 
Dnnfermiine,  of  which  the  following  is  an  extract : 
'The  porte  and  hevin  callit  the  hevin  of 
Brintiland  lyand  contigue  with  the  landis  of 
Wester  Kingorne  .  t  .  .  all  and  haill  the  stane 
lions,  toure,  and  fortalice,  sum  tyine  callit  the 
Abbotis  Hall."  So  that  settles  that. 

The  tirst  proprietor  of  the  Castle  of  whom  much 
is  known  was  George  Durye,  Abbot  and  Com- 
mendator  of  Dunfemaline.  He  was  Abbot  from 
1539  to  1564,  though  he  had  acted  as  Abbot 
1530 — 1538  in  room  of  the  Abbot  of  these  years, 
Tames  Beton.  He  was  the  last  of  the  Abbots,  the 


BURNTISLAND  CASTLE  37 

so-called  Abbots  succeeding;  him — Robert  Pitcairn ; 
Patrick,  Master  of  Gray ;  and  George  Gordon, 
Earl  of  Huntly — being1  Coinmeudators  only.  The 
last-mentioned  was  the  instigator  of  the  murder 
of  the  Earl  of  Moray  at  Donibristle.  It  was  this 
George  Durie  who  in  1538  gave  to  Peter  Durie 
"our  lands  of  Xether  Grange  called  le  mains," 
probably  foreseeing  the  dangerous  character  of  the 
reform  movement.  From  this  time  till  the  Refor- 
mation the  lands  of  the  monasteries  all  over  Scot- 
land were  in  this  way  being  handed  over  to  friends. 
We  may  conclude,  however,  from  the  history  of 
Queen  Margaret's  relics  that  the  Abbot  retained 
some  right  of  access  to  the  Castle.  This  Abbot 
was  very  xealous  against  the  reformers,  having 
voted  for  the  death  of  Patrick  Hamilton  and 
Walter  Mill.  He  Is  credited  by  Knox  with  the 
death  of  Sir  John  Melville  of  Raith,  who,  in  the 
minority  of  Mary  (1549),  is  said  to  have  obtained  a 
grant  of  the  Castle.  This  alone  would  account 
for  Durie's  enmity.  Knox  writes  in  his  "  Historic 
of  the  Reformation"  : — "  But  however  it  was,  the 
cruel  beast,  the  Bishop  of  St  Andrews,  and  the 
Abbot  of  Dunfermline  (Durie)  ceased  not  until  the 
head  of  that  noble  man  (Sir  John  Melville)  was 
stricken  from  him."  For  such  services  it  may  be, 
but  more  probably  for  his  preservation  of  St 
Margaret's  remains,  this  Abbot's  name  two  years 
after  his  death  was  added  to  the  roll  of  saints  of 
the  Roman  Church.  The  Rev.  Peter  Chalmers, 
in  his  "History  of  Dunfermline."  writes: — "It 


38  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

does  not  appear  that  purity  of  morals  was  one  of 
bis  claims  to  saintship,  as  lie  had  two  natural 
children  legitimated  on  30th  September,  1543." 
This  account  has  been  accepted  as  correct  by  the 
Rev.  Mr  Campbell  of  Kirkcaldy  and  others. 
However,  Chalmers  himself  shows,  in  his  second 
vohirue,  page  399,  that  Durie's  house  of  Craig- 
luscar  was  built  by  him  in  1520,  and  that  he  may 
have  been  married  before  he  became  a  priest, 
which  was  not  till  1530,  as  a  memorial  stone  has 
ben  found  in  the  ruins  with  the  date  1520,  the 
arms  of  the  Duries,  and  the  conjoined  initials 
G.D. — M.B.  The  latter  may  have  been  his  wife, 
and  the  children  mentioned  above  hers.  This 
legitimating  may  have  been  a  matter  of  church 
law  rather  than  morality.  "  But  however  it  was," 
as  John  Knox  would  say,  we  are  indebted  to 
George  Dury  that  the  story  of  the  Castle  affording 
sanctuary  to  the  remains  of  the  sainted  Margaret 
cannot  be  dismissed  as  a  mere  tradition. 

"  There's  Ro&send's  venerable  keep, 
Sheltered  awhile  Saint  Margaret's  bier, 
Five  hundred  spiyngs  have  bitten  deep, 
Her  grisly  fort  and  dungeons  drear. 

In  ancient  feuds  a  sentinel, 

In  later  years  a  snug  retreat, 

For  Abbot  fat,  whose  bead  and  bell 

Made  penance  glum  for  wine  and  meat." 

The  following'  account  of  the  part  played  by 
Durie  in  the  preservation  of  Rt  Margaret's  relics 
is  condensed  from  Chalmers'  version  of  "  J.R.'s" 


BURNTISLAND  CASTLE  39 

translation  of  the  "  Life  of  St  Margaret, "  printed 
at  Douay,  1660: — "It  is  told  that  Alexander 
III.,  after  the  death  of  his  own  Queen  Margaret, 
took  pains  to  collect  and  preserve  the  remains  of 
St  Margaret,  wife  of  Malcolm  Canmore,  by  en- 
closing the  bones  in  a  silver  chest  enriched  with 
precious  stones,  which  during  the  tumults  of  the 
Reformation  was  taken  for  safety  from  the  noblest 
part  of  the  Abbey  of  Dunfermline,  where  it  rested, 
to  Edinburgh  Castle.  When  the  heretics  had 
trampled  under  foot  all  humane  and  divine  laws 
and  seized  the  sacred  inoveables  of  the  church 
some  things  of  greater  veneration  were 
saved  from  their  sacriligious  hands  and  transported 
into  the  Castle  of  Edinburgh."  But  "  some  more 
provident  fearing  these  mad  men  might  assault 
the  Castle  transported  the  coffre,  wherein  was  the 
head  and  hair  of  St  Margaret,  and  some  other 
moveables  of  great  value,  into  the  Castle  of  the 
Baron  of  Dury.  This  lord  of  Durie  was  a  reverend 
father,  priest,  and  monk  of  Dunfermline,  who, 
after  his  monastery  was  pillaged  and  the  religkms 
forced  to  fly,  dwelt  in  the  Castle."  Dunfermline 
Abbey  was  almost  destroyed  by  the  mob,  instigated 
by  the  landless  nobles,  on  28th  March,  1  ">(>(). 
Father  Durie  had  a  house  on  Craigluscar  Hill, 
Dunfermline,  as  well  as  Burntisland  Castle,  but 
it  is  unlikely  the  relics  would  be  taken  back  again 
to  Dunfermline,  at  least  at  that  troublous  time. 
A  seaport  was  safer  both  for  the  relics  and  the 
Abbot.  Chalmers,  Vol.  II.,  page  177,  agrees  with 


40  HISTORY  OF  BUKNFISLAND 

this  view.  How  long  the  silver  chest  remained 
hidden  in  the  Abbot's  Castle  cannot  be  known,  but 
in  1597  (33  years  after  Durie's  death)  "the  relics 
were  delivered  into  the  hands  of  the  Society  of 
Jesus,  missioners  in  Scotland,"  who  took  them  to 
Antwerp.  Lastly,  onr  holy  Father  Pope  Innocent 
the  Tenth,  in  the  first  year  of  his  Pontificate 
gave  plenary  indulgence  to  the  faithful  who 
prayed  before  the  relics  in  the  Chapel  of  the 
Scotch  Collegs  of  Douay,  on  the  10th  of  June, 
festival  of  this  holy  Princess."  The  relics  were 
removed  from  the  College  at  the  French  Revo- 
lution to  Venice,  whence  they  were  brought  to  the 
Escurial,  where  they  still  were  in  1854,  according 
to  reports  submitted  to  the  Rev.  C.  Holahan,  at 
that  time  sub-Prior  of  Douay. 

The  Rev.  Father  Durie  was  still  Abbot  of  Duii- 
fermline  on  the  visit  of  Queen  Mary  to  the  Castle, 
and  though  grants  of  the  Castle  are  said  to  have 
ben  made  by  the  reformers  to  their  friends,  I 
question  if  Durie  had  been  ejected.  In  the 
absence  of  proof  to  the  contrary,  I  believe  it  was 
he  who  entertained  the  Queen  when  she  passed 
the  night  of  the  14th  or  15th  February,  1563,  at 
the  Castle.  If  so,  we  may  be  sure  the  vigilantly 
guarded  relics  of  Saint  Margaret  would  be  shown 
to  Queen  Mary.  It  was  on  this  night  that  the 
romantic  and  love-sick  Chastellard,  according  to 
Sheriff  MacKay,  "committed  the  fault  or  crime 
for  which  he  paid  the  forfeit  of  his  life."  Chas- 
tellard was  one  of  the  brilliant  suite  of  Marv  on 


BURNTISLAND  CASTLE  41 

her  return  from  France,  and  came  of  a  good 
French  family,  being-  "a  grandnephew  of  Bayard 
the  Chevalier,  sans  peur  ct  xanx  reprochc.  '  He 
spoke  and  wrote  both  prose  and  verse  and  was 
skilled  in  arms  and  dancing.  He  returned  to 
France,  but  could  not  rest,  and  came  back  to 
Edinburgh  in  1562.  Mary  was,  according  to 
Knox,  "  over-gracious  to  the  young  Cavalier — 
danced  with  him  in  preference  to  the  nobles  and 
exchanged  sonnets  with  him.  On  the  12th  of 
February,  1563,  Chastellard  hid  himself  in  the 
Queen's  lioom  at  Holy  rood.  He  was  pardoned, 
but  followed  the  Queen  on  her  journey  to  St 
Andrews.  She  slept  one  night  at  Dunfermline 
and  the  next  at  Burntisland,  when  Chastellard 
was  again  found  in  her  room."  This  second 
offence  could  not  be  overlooked,  and  he  was  tried 
and  executed  at  St  Andrews,  22nd  February. 
'*  His  last  words  were  the  passionate  cry,  Adieu! 
most  beautiful  and  cruel  princess  of  the  world. "' 

As  we  have  seen,  Sir  John  Melville,  of  Raith, 
is  said  to  have  received  a  grant  of  the  Castle  in 

'Chastellard  is  si.id  to  have  gained  access  by  a  .secret  stair 
leading  to  the  beach.  An  issue  on  this  frequented  beacli 
could  not  be  secret.  Mr  Forbes,  of  the  Oil  Cake  Co.'.s  works, 
teJl.s  me  that  in  strengthening  the  foundations  of  the  works, 
about  12  years  ago,  at  a  depth  of  6  feet  an  arched  passage  of 
brick  about  4  feet  high  was  broken  into.  It  was  examined 
for  a  few  yards  in  the  direction  of  the  Castle  gate,  but  the 
difficulty  of  keeping  the  candle  lit  in  the  impure  air  obliged 
the  explorer  to  return.  He  found  a  hamper  which  could  not 
be  removed,  as  it  fell  to  dust  in  his  hands.  The  walls  (part 
the  old  Sugar  House)  had,  apparently  before  the  sugar  in- 
dustry, been  an  important  residence.  The  walls  are  at  one 
place  f>  feet  thick,  and  there  are  two  large  wells.  In  the 


42  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

1549.  As  that  is  the  year  of  his  execution  lie 
could  barely  have  entered  into  possession.  I  came 
across  an  interesting-  fact  in  reading  Eraser's,, 
memoirs  of  the  Melvilles.  Sir  John,  when 
arrested,  was  riding1  on  "  Clayness  sands,  near 
Burntisland."  This  was  the  ancient  name  of  these 
sands,  the  Lanirnerlaws  being-  known  then  as  the 
Clayness.  As  is  to  be  shown  in  another  chapter, 
there  are  grounds  for  the  statement  that  Sir 
"William  Kirkcaldy,  of  Grang-e,  was  g-iven  a  grant 
of  the  Castle,  for  some  short  period,  possibly 
between  1564  and  1571.  After  his  execution  it 
appears  to  revert  to  the  Melvilles.  These  grants 
from  Sir  .John's  time  were  promised  or  made,  but 
in  those  days  possession  was  nine  points  of  the 
law.  The  influence  of  Mary  of  Guise,  and  the 
continued  efforts  to  resuscitate  Roman  Catholicism 
in  Mary's  reig-n,  makes  one  doubt  if  any  of  the 
Melvilles  until  about  1580  were  ever  in  occupancy. 
A.  H.  Millar,  in  his  book  on  Fife,  says,  "  After 
the  forfeiture  of  Sir  Robert  Melville  in  1571  the 

back  wall,  facing  north,  at  a  lieigiht  of  13  feet  is  the  lintel 
of  a  large  door,  with  the  inscription 

THE      BLISSIXG      OF      GOD 

SG...SATR         JCHIS         ANO 

1616 

This  might  easily  have  been  its  original  height,  as  the  ground 
formerly  rose  behind  this  wall.  The  wall  is  arched  over  one 
of  the  wells,  which  would  point  to  the  existence  of  the  well 
outside  the  wall  of  an  earlier  and  smaller  house  previous  to 
1616,  from  which  the  secret  passage  may  date.  If  this  house 
was  in  the  control  of  the  Castle  and  the  passage  begins  in 
its  grounds  and  endts  inside  this  house,  it  would  be  an  ideal 
secret  passage.  The  stair  leading  from  a  trap  clcor  in  Queen 
Mary's  room  ends  in  what  is  now  the  scullery. 


BURNFISLAND  CASTLE  43 

Kiu<>-  granted  the  property  to  David  Durie."  If 
this  is  correct — and  it  is  likely,  as  Melville's  be- 
haviour at  this  time  did  not  please  the  reformers — 
then  he  must  have  claimed  the  castle  previous  to 
1571.  The  Kind's  object  in  granting  the  Castle  to 
David  Durie  may  be  conjectured.  It  would  be 
easier  to  deal  with  the  unpopular  monk  or  his  rela- 
tives than  with  a  noble  taking  the  popular  side. 
James  had  an  eye  on  the  lands  belonging  to  the 
Abbey  for  himself,  and  on  the  annexation  to  the 
crown  in  1587  of  properties  which  had  belonged  to 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  those  belonging  to 
the  Dunfermline  Abbey  were  exempted.  These 
extensive  lands  were  given  as  a  marriage  dowry  to 
his  Queen,  Anne  of  Denmark,  except  the  Baronies 
of  Newburn  and  Burntisland.  That  the  commen- 
dator  of  Dunfermline,  Lord  Pitcairn,  re-erected 
the  burgh  into  one  of  Regality  in  1574,  and  that 
his  successor,  Patrick,  Master  of  Gray,  granted  the 
castle  to  Sir  Robert  Melville  in  1586,  showed  the 
church  had  still  to  be  reckoned  with.  "  Sir 
Robert  Melville  of  Murdocarnie,"  however,  ap- 
pears as  proprietor  the  previous  year  (1585)  when 
he  objects  to  the  new  Royal  Charter  of  that  year 
as  interfering  witli  the  bounds  of  the  Castle.  It 
was  this  gentleman,  then  plain  Robert  Melville, 
who,  according  to  Tytler,  "went  to  the  Capital  to 
get  for  the  reformers  8000  men  and  some  war 
vessels  for  the  Firth,"  and  who,  though  thus 
recognised  as  a  leading  reformer,  on  one  of  his 
visits  to  Queen  Mary  imprisoned  at  Loch  Leven, 


44  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

dropped  from  his  scabbard  a  letter  for  Mary  from 
Lethington.  He  is  said  to  liave  advised  Mary  to 
.sign  her  resignation  in  favour  of  her  son,  arguing' 
that  being  forced  from  her  it  would  not  hold  good 
if  she  were  free.  He  was  with  the  Queen,  at  the 
battle  of  Langside,-  and  in  Edinburgh  Castle  with 
Kirkcaldy  of  Grange  during  its  siege  on  her 
behalf.  He  had  been  ambassador  to  England  in 
1562,  and  in  1586  (now  as  Sir  Robert  Melville)  he 
is  again  ambassador,  along  with  Patrick,  Master 
of  Gray,  to  intercede  with  Queen  Elizabeth  for  the 
life  of  Mary.  On  King  James  refusing  to  receive 
Elizabeth's  apologetic  letter  on  the  execution  of 
his  mother,  Sir  Robert  was  sent  to  stop  her 
ambassador  at  Berwick.  When  in  England,  he 
had  been  sounded  by  Elizabeth  as  to  the  possibility 
of  obtaining  the  person  of  King  James,  and  had, 
on  his  return,  communicated  this  design  to  the 
King.  In  the  absence  of  the  King  in  Denmark, 
when  he  went  to  bring  home  his  Queen,  Sir  Robert 
acted  as  Chancellor  of  Scotland.  It  was  on 
account  of  his  many  services  that  the  King  erected 
part  of  the  church  land  retained  for  himself  into 
the  "  Barony  of  Burntisland  for  Sir  Robert 
Melville"  (Privy  Council  Records.)  Eraser 
describes  the  Barony  as  consisting  of  Balbie,  Over 
Kiiigborn,  Welton,  Orrock,  and  Burntisland 
Castle,  the  superiority  of  the  same,  and  advowson 
(patronage)  of  the  Kirk  of  King-horn  Wester." 
The  King  could  not  give  Sir  Robert  the  Royal 
Burgh,  but  he  gave  him  the  office  of  Customs 


BURNTISLAND  CASTLE  45 

Receiver  at  the  port.  Sir  Robert  was  elevated  to 
the  peerage  in  1616  as  Baron  Melville  of  Monimai] 
(ancestor  of  the  Earls  of  Leveii  and  Melville),  and 
died  in  1621  at  the  age  of  94. 

Though  thrice  married.  Lord  Melville  had  only 
one  son,  "  Sir  Robert  Melville,  Youngare." 
Fraser  cannot  say  when,  or  on  what  account  he 
was  knighted,  but  when  in  1587  the  Barony  wan 
erected  for  his  father,  the  father  resigned  it,  and 
with  the  consent  of  the  King-  it  was  ratified  in  the 
son's  name.  He  got  into  trouble  in  1500  for 
refusing  to  apprehend  a  prominent  Jesuit,  James 
Gordon,  who  had  taken  refuge  in  Burntisland. 
In  the  earliest  existing  Council  Records  of  Burnt- 
island  lie  appears  as  Provost.  He  was  one  of  those 
who  cunningly  devised  the  (Marian  tumult  of 
December  1596,  and  he  gave  refuge  in  the  Castle 
to  Francis  Moubray,  of  Barnbougle,  until  he  left 
the  country.  In  1601  he  was  constituted  an 
Extraordinary  Lord  of  Session,  using  the  law  title, 
Lord  Burntisland.  (He  is  styled  "  flruntyland" 
in  the  Privy  Council  Records.) 

The  King  had  been  in  Bnrntisland  Castle  after 
the  Falkland  raid;  lie  visited  Sir  Robert  at  the 
Ca.stle  in  1593,  remaining  several  days,  and  doubt- 
less slept  at  the  Ca.stle  on  the  occasion  of  the  Gene- 
ral Assembly  in  1601.  On  the  death  of  Elizabeth, 
Sir  Robert  followed  the"  King  to  London,  and 
remained  with  him  for  some  years.  (Eraser's 
Memoirs.)  It  is  natural,  therefore,  that  when, 


46  HISTORY  OF  BURNT  ISLAND 

in  161 T,  King'  James  made  his  first  visit  to  Scot- 
land as  King1  of  Great  Britain,  a  "missive"  should 
be  dispatched  to  "  Sir  Robert  Melville  to  mak  his 
house  of  Bruntyland  patent  for  His  Majestie's 
resset."  (Privy  Council  Records.)  The  route  >is 
given  as  "  Leith  and  Bruntyland,"  and  a  list  of 
the  farmers  is  given,  with  the  number  of  their 
horses,  and  directions  for  the  renovations  of  roads. 

One  would  have  thought  the  frequent  visits  of 
James  would  have  had  an  influence  on  the  char- 
acter of  his  liegemen  in  Burntisland.  They  dis- 
sembled their  love.  The  special  bete  noir  of  James 
was  tobacco.  He  hated  it  so  that  he  must  needs 
publish  his  "  Counterblaste  to  Tobacco,"  in  which 
he  describes  it  as  "a  custom  loathsome  to  the  eye, 
hateful  to  the  nose,  harmful  to  the  brain,  dauger- 
ous  to  the  lung-s,  etc.",  yet,  in  1637,  for  selling 
tobacco  without  a  license,  14  inhabitants  of  Burnt- 
island  were  summoned  to  appear  at  the  Court  at 
Edinburgh,  and  in  their  absence  (most  wicked 
persons  all)  were  fined  100  merks  each.  Xo 
wonder  Providence,  as  well  as  King-  James, 
occasionally  visited  Burnt-island.  Speed  says  Sir 
Robert  (Lord  Melville  after  1621)  remained  Provost 
till  his  death  in  1635.  (The  minutes  applicable  to 
Speed— 1613  to  1636— are  now  absent.) 

The  following  year  (1636)  Sir  James  Melville, 
of  Halhill,  "was  retoured  heir  of  line  to  his  cousin 
Robert,  second  Lord  Melville,  in  the  lands  of 
Xether-Grange,  or  Mains  of  Wester  Kinghorne, 
the  Castle  of  Burntisland,  and  the  Mills  called  the 


BURNTISLAND  CASTLE  47 

Seamills,"  etc.  In  1638  lie  received  a  Crown 
confirmation  of  these  ratified  by  Parliament. 
There  was  opposition  from  the  bailies  of  Burnt- 
island,  but  he  denied  that  he  wanted  any  of  the 
Port  privileges.  Speed  refers  to  this  gentleman 
as  Sir  William  Melville,  of  Halhill  and  Burnt- 
island  Castle,  and  says  he  succeeded  his  father  in 
Provostship.  Must  be  a  slip  of  the  pen.  Eraser 
does  not  say  when  Sir  James  died,  but  he  was 
succeeded  by  his  son,  also  Sir  James  Melville,  of 
Halhill,  who  may  not,  however,  have  had  all  the 
lands  of  the  Barony.  This  Sir  James  would 
probably  be  proprietor  of  the  Castle  during-  its 
occupation  as  the  headquarters  of  Cromwell's 
troops.  At  this  time,  in  1604,  a  curious  thing- 
happened  in  one  of  their  raids.  The  young-  Lord 
Melville,  of  Monimail,  cousin  of  Sir  James,  was 
seixed  while  riding1  near  St  Andrews  and  broug-ht 
prisoner  to  the  Castle.  On  Sir  James'  death  in 
1664,  Eraser  says  the  Barony  was  sold  to  "  General 
James  Wemyss."  The  Countess  of  Wemyss  ap- 
pears, from  the  Council  Records,  to  have  had  some 
interest  in  the  Castle  as  early  as  1655,  previous  to 
the  death  of  Sir  James  Melville.  M.  F.  Conally 
states  that  Sir  James  Wemyss,  of  Caskieberry, 
became  proprietor  of  the  Castle  in  1666.  He 
married  Lady  Margaret,  Countess  of  Wemyss  in 
her  own  right,  and  was  in  1672  created  a  peer  for 
life,  with  the  title,  Lord  Burntisland.  His  patent 
appears  in  the  Privy  Council  Records.  He  is 
referred  to  in  the  Council  Records,  in  1673,  as  the 


48  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

Earl  of  AVemyss,  I  suppose  on  account  of  liis  being 
married  to  the  Countess,  and  speaks  then  of  an 
agreement  with  Sir  James  Melville — apparently  a 
third  Sir  James.  The  Countess's  name  occurs  for 
a  good  many  years.  In  1712  it  is  the  Earl  of 
AVemyss,  but  he  appears  to  have  made  over  the 
Castle  without  the  Mills,  perhaps  only  on  lease,  to 
Colin  Macken/ie  from  1705. 

The  writer  of  an  article  in  the  Fifeshire 
Advertiser  of  1873  gives  the  Earl  of  Elgin  as  a 
former  proprietor,  and  Mr  Laurie  believes  it  was 
in  his  time  the  Castle  seat  in  the  Church  was 
exchanged  to  the  town  for  the  present  Castle  seat. 
About  1765  the  Castle  came  into  the  hands  of 
Murdoch  Campbell,  Esq.,  who,  hailing  from  Skye, 
changed  the  name  to  Rossend.  In  1790,  Robert 
Beatson,  of  Kilrie,  married  Mr  Campbell's  only 
daughter,  and  the  Castle  remained  in  the 
hands  of  the  Beatsons  for  some  time.  Colonel 
Broughton,  who  was  Governor  of  St  Helena  before 
Napoleon's  time,  married  a  Miss  Beatson,  and  was 
proprietor  of  the  Castle.  A  later  proprietor  of  the 
Castle,  Mr  W.  A.  Laurie,  as  already  mentioned, 
took  a  great  interest  in  preserving  the  antique 
character  of  the  Castle,  and  added  many  "curious 
and  appropriate  specimens  of  armour,  heraldry, 
paintings,  and  furniture."  AVlien  in  1873  the 
late  Mr  James  Shepherd,  purchased  the  Castle, 
he  omitted  nothing  possible  to  maintain  this  ven- 
erable pile.  It  is  a  grand  old  building,  with  its 
curious  stairs,  passages,  and  windows;  its  oak 


BURNTISLAND  CASTLE  49 

lined  drawing-room  and  Queen  Anne's  room,  but 
it  now  belongs  to  the  Town  Council,  and  one 
never  can  be  sure  what  such  a  body  may  do. 

In  reading  Mrs  Somerville's  memoirs  it  surprised 
me  that  she  never  once  mentions  the  Castle, 
although  she  was  related  to  the  Beatsons,  and  for 
some  time,  visited  the  Castle.  Mary  Somerville 
(Miss  Fairfax)  had  a  brother  who  paid  court  to 
Miss  Beatson,  but  another  carne  on  the  scene  and 
"put  out  young  Fairfax's  eye."  Hence  the  dry- 
ness.  Mary  and  her  brother  were  fond  of  skipping 
the  afternoon  sermon,  though  their  uncle,  the  Rev. 
Mr  Wemy.ss,  on  these  occasions  sent  anxious 
enquiries  after  their  health.  Mary,  as  the  old 
Fife  saying  has  it,  "didna  aye  gang  to  the  Kirk 
when  she  gaed  up  the  Kirkgate,"  but  adjourned 
to  the  beach  below  the  Kirk  with  her  brother,  to 
recover  the  headache  induced  by  her  esteemed 
relative's  forenoon  sermon,  and  to  "see  the  whales 
spouting  in  the  Firth."  Happy  whales!  We 
have  read  of  schools,  but  never  of  congregations 
of  whales.  Was  this  sad  ending  of  "love's  young 
dream"  not  a  condign  punishment  for  Sabbath- 
breaking  '?  This  Rev.  Mr  Wemyss  was  the  heir 
to  the  baronetcy  given  to  Sir  James  Wemyss 
(1704),  but  did  not  assume  the  title.  The  arms  of 
the  Wemyss  family  (the  Swan),  may  be  seen  on 
his  tombstone  in  the  Kirkyard.  His  son,  Sir 
James  Wemyss,  was  served  heir  to  tho  baronetcy 
on  his  father's  death.  The  house  of  the 
marvellous  Marv  Sonierville,  'JO-'JN  Smnerville 


5o  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 


though  now  tenanted  by  a  number 
of  families,  has  been  little  changed  since 
she,  then  little  Mary  Fairfax,  made  nightly 
acquaintance  with  the  distant  constellations  or 
studied  Euclid  secretly  long-  after  the  household 
wandered  in  the  land  of  nod.  The  house  adjoin- 
ing:, at  the  corner  of  Kirkgate,  was  also  her 
father's,  and  was  used  as  a  dairy.  The  garden, 
now  belonging-  to  Leven  Villa,  has  still  the  grassy 
bank  and  stair,  with  the  old  wall  and  two  hoary 
survivors  of  the  row  of  elms.  On  her  beloved 
Sunday  adjournments  to  the  rocky  beach,  to 
ponder  on  the  microscopic  or  giant  denizens  of  the 
deep,  she  passed  through  the  door  near  the  centre 
of  the  wall  to  another  on  the  opposite  side  of  Leven 
Street,  which  opened  into  a  second  garden,  also 
owned  by  the  Fairfaxes,  and  then  intersected  by  a 
little  street  on  which  stood  the  Burgh  School  and 
the  School  house.  The  arched  entrance  to  this 
street  may  yet  be  seen  at  the  Xorth  Station  steps. 


GOVERNMENT  OF  THE  BURGH  51 


CHAPTER  IV. 

GOVERNMENT   OF    THE    BURGH. 

The  Town  Council,  as  originally  authorised  by 
James  V,  "  be  ye  grace  of  God,  King-  of  Scotia," 
consisted  of  21  members,  including-  a  Provost  and 
three  bailies.  The  Councillors  were  all  men  of 
substance,  though  from  the  first  an  attempt  was 
made  to  have  representatives  from  the  leading 
trades.  Annually,  in  October,  the  old  Council 
chose  the  new,  and  the  new  and  old  Councils  to- 
gether then  (hose  the  Provost  and  bailies,  two 
officers —  '  jandis  or  serjandie" — two  constabillie, 
a  "  thesaurare,"  "  procuror  fischal,"  and  a 
"dempster."  By  rights,  these  were  submitted 
to  what  was  called  a  "  Head  Court  of  the  haill 
inhabitants,"  but  this  ceremony  appears  only  once 
previous  to  1012.  There  was  another  public- 
meeting,  held  some  time  after  1592,  which  may 
have  been  made  to  do  in  place  of  it — "Calling  ye 
comon  Roll  is."  "  Quarto  die  Me  use  Octobris 
100"),  the  quhilk  day  the  burgesses  inhabitants  of 
ye  burh  beam!  thrie  several  tymes  callit  upone  at 
ye  Tolbuith  Dore  .  .  yc  ab^entis  was  nottit  and 
everie  ane  of  yame  condanmiit  in  ye  unlaw  of 


52  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

folirtie  shilling's."  The  chief  magistrate  was 
usually  a  nobleman  or  lauded  gentleman.  On  one 
occasion  a  bailie  was  advanced  to  the  Provost  ship, 
but  often  there  was  no  Provost,  a  bailie  being1 
chosen  "  moderator  "  or  "  convener."  Whether 
Provost  or  moderator,  the  first  magistrate  was  also 
the  representative  of  the  Burg'h  in  the  Scottish 
Parliament,  and  usually  in  the  General  Assembly 
of  the  Church,  and  the  Convention  of  Burghs, 
which  at  one  time  was  almost  as  important  as 
Parliament.  These  conventions  were  held  in  a 
different  burgh  each  year.  In  1607  the  conven- 
tion was  held  at  Burntisland.  Each  year  the 
Connnisioner  on  his  return  from  the  convention 
presented  a  report  of  the  subjects  discussed, 
usually  20  or  30  in  number.  In  1647  there  were 
over  60  subjects  filling-  many  pages. 

The  blanks  in  the  Council  Records,  and  the 
difficulty  of  reading  some  portions,  make  it 
impossible  to  give  a  complete  list  of  the  Provosts 
or  moderators.  The  following  are  all  I  have 
discovered  : — 

1592-8.—"  Sir  Robert  Melville,  youngare,  of 
Murdocarnie,  Knicht,  Provost." 

1599-1602.— "  Sir  George  Home,  of  Spot, 
Knicht,  Great  thesaurer,  was  elecit  and 
chosin  Provost." 

1603.— Xo  Provost. 

1604-5.— "  Sir   Robert   Melville,    Provost." 


GOVERNMENT  OF  THE  BURGH  53 

1606-10. — "  Ane  Potent  and  nobille  Lord, 
George  Erie  of  Dumbare,  Lord  Home  of 
Berwick,  Heidi  Thesaurer  of  Scotland,  and 
cancellare  of  the  csthebare  of  England, 
Provost," 

1611. — (Bailie)  "Patrick  Greiff,  burgess  of  ye 
said  Burgh,  Provost." 

Town  Records  absent  from  1613  to  1645,  but 
in  the  Privy  Council  Records  of 

1617. — "  Patrick  Greif,  .  .  .  Provost  of 
Brunt  iland." 

The  following  two  are  found  in  Speed's  notes, 
except  that  he  gives  the  second  as  William, 
which  was  wrong  : — 

1618-163o  (or  part  of).— Sir  Robert  Melville, 
after  1621  Lord  Melville,  Provost. 

1640-1649  (or  part  of).— Sir  James  Melville,  of 
Halhill  and  Burntisland  Castle,  Provost." 

From  1649  to  1660— first  Commonwealth, 
Cromwell's  protectorate,  Richard  Cromwell, 
and  second  Commonwealth,  there  was  no 
Scottish  Parliament,  but  a  very  frequent 
mention  is  made  of  the  Council  of  State  to 
which  the  representative  bailies  were  always 
being  sent.  This  body  took  something  like 
the  position  of  the  Privy  Council,  and  was 
composed  of  eight  Englishmen  sitting  at 
Dalkeith,  and  afterwards  at  Edinburgh, 
when  some  Scots  were  introduced.  At  the 


54  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

same  time  the  Commonwealth  gave  Fife  one 
representative  in  the  Parliament  at  West- 
minster. James  Sword  was  elected  in  1652 
to  represent  the  Fife  burghs  there,  and  in 
1656  Col.  Werthaimer  (?)  who  on  one 
occasion  was  paid  £100  for  his  main- 
tainance." 

1650. — "  Captain  Andro  Watson  (Bailie)  was 
electit  moderator  and  convener  of  tliair 
meetings." 

1655. — "  George  Davidson  (Bailie)  .  .  Mod- 
erator of  ye  meetings  of  Connsall." 

1663.—"  Gilbert  Halyburton  (Bailie)  .  .  . 
apoynted  commissioner  to  the  currant 
Parliament." 

1670. — William   Ged   (Bailie)    "  commissioner." 
1673. — James   Dewar  (Bailie)    "  commissioner." 

1685. — Michael  Seton  (Bailie)  "  commissioner  to 
the  Scottish  Parliament.".  (Seton  was  paid 
40s  a  day  for  expenses. 

Records  absent  1688-1701. 

1702. — Alexander  Ged  (Bailie)  "commissioner  to 
Parliament"  (and  for  several  years  before. 
On  June  5th  "  Bailie  Alexander  Ged  signi- 
fied to  the  Counsell  that  the  reason  why  he 
convened  them  to-day  is  that  he  intends,  God 
willing,  to  goe  over  to  Edgh.  upon  Mnnday 
nixt  to  attend  the  Parliat.  sitting  doune  the 
nixt  day.  And  yrfor  desires  to  know  what 


GOVERNMENT  OF  THE  BURGH  55 

commands  they  have  to  lay  on  hiui  and 
what  instructions  they  have  to  give  him 
aiient  his  voting  in  the  ensuing  sessjone  of 
Parliament.  The  Counsall's  answer  is  that 
they  were  very  well  pleased  with  his  behav- 
iour in  the  last  sessione  of  Parliat.,  and 
that  he  went  along  with  ye  Duke  of 
Hamilton  and  his  pairty  who  were  for 
the  good  and  interest  of  their  country. 
And  they  hoped  and  expected  that  he  would 
still  adhere  and  .  .  .  (vote)  with  that 
pairty."  The  Earl  of  Leven  had  com- 
plained to  the  Council  of  Ged's  not  being  of 
the  Court  Party.  But  Ged  held  that  he  had 
fulfilled  his  promises  to  the  town,  and  re- 
minded the  Earl  that  the  Government  owed 
Burntisland  three  years'  stipend ;  nothing 
had  been  paid  for  the  transport  of  troops 
by  the  town's  boats,  and  the  old  promise  to 
grant  the  town  power  to  impose  2<1  on  the 
pint  of  ale  was  still  unredeemed.  The 
Earl's  real  opposition  to  Ged  lay  in 
Ged's  favouring  the  ill-starred  Darien 
scheme,  the  colonisation  of  the  Atlantic 
border  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  This, 
the  English  feared,  would  be  detrimental  to 
their  plans  in  India. 

In  1702  the  Provostship  and  the  represen- 
tation of  the  burgh  in  Parliament  were 
separated  for  the  first  time.  While  Ged 


56  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

went  to  Parliament,  a  Provost  remained  in 
Burntisland. 

1702-1722.—"  The  Right  Hon.  John  Lord  Leslie, 
lawful  son  of  the  Earl  of  Rothes,  Provost." 
In  1722  this  Lord  Leslie  became  8th  Earl 
of  Rothes,  and  Commaiider-iii-Chief  of  the 
forces  in  Ireland.  Daniel  Defoe  had  just 
visited  Burntisland  and  Leslie  House  in  the 
time  of  his  father.  Xormaii  Leslie,  master 
of  Rothes,  who,  with  his  brother  John  as- 
sisted at  the  murder  of  Cardinal  Beaton, 
was  a  son  of  the  3rd  Earl.  There  are  a 
f^reat  many  communications  in  the  Council 
Records  from  the  notorious  6th  Earl  of 
Rothes,  who  was  Sheriff  of  Fife  as  well  as 
Chancellor  of  Scotland.  He  had  bonds  on 
the  town  for  money  lent,  1667-1 G81. 

1723-24.—"  The  Hon.  Thomas  Leslie,  brother 
german  to  the  Earl  of  Rothes,  Provost." 

1725-27.—"  The  Hon.  Charles  Leslie,  brother 
#erman  to  the  Earl  of  Rothes,  Provost." 

1780-83.—"  James  Townshend  Oswald,  of 
Dunnikier,  supernumerary  counsellor  and 
Provost." 

1788-91.— "William  Ferguson,  Esq.,  of  Raith, 
supernumerary  counsellor  and  Provost," 

1792.—"  Sir  James  St  Clair  Erskine,  of  Dysart, 
supernumerary  counsellor  and  Provost," 


GOVERNMENT  OF  THE  BURGH  57 

Returning1  to  1702  when,  for  the  first  time,  the 
offices  of  Provost  and  Commissioner  to  Parliament 
were  separated,  we  find  Bailie  Ged  was  the  Com- 
missioner in  June.  In  September,  the  Council 
elected  the  Right  Hon.  Sir  Jon  Arskine,  of  Alva, 
Knig-ht  and  Baronet,  to  be  their  Commissioner  to 
Parliament.  He  continued  to  represent  Burnt- 
island  until  the  union  of  the  Scottish  and  English 
Parliaments  in  170T.  In  1706,  in  reply  to  a  com- 
munication from  him  regarding  the  union  of  the 
Parliaments,  the  Council  at  a  special  meeting- 
wrote  that  in  these  critical  times  they  prefer  not 
to  be  represented  (on  the  question  of  union  then  to 
be  decided)  at  the  special  Convention  of  Burghs. 
"  Sir  Jon"  afterwards  represented  them  in  London 
until  after  the  Union  was  consummated,  and  the 
first  election  for  the  new  constituencies  over.  On 
May  14th,  1708,  "  Sir  Jon  Arskine  of  Alva,  their 
Commissioner  to  the  Parliament  of  Great  Britain," 
writes  saying  their  address  was  presented  to  "  Hex- 
Majesty,  being  introduced  by  the  Duke  of  Mont- 
rose  .  .  The  House  of  Commons  was  in  a  great 
concern  to  have  a  good  harbour  and  dockyard  in 
the  Firth,  and  seemed  generally  to  think  Burnt- 
island  the  best.  But  the  invasion  broke  them  up 
in  a  kind  of  confusion.  .  .  ."  This  invasion,  which 
apparently  delayed  the  progress  of  Burntisland, 
was  that  of  the  fleet  of  Louis  XIV.,  who  sent  26 
vessels  with  4000  troops  in  an  unsuccessful  attempt 
to  land  the  "  Pretender"  at  Leith.  On  24th  May 
the  Council  appointed  a  commissioner  to  go  to 


58  HISTORY  OF  BUKNTISLANL) 

Dysart  "to  vote  for  a  member  (for  tin'  group  of 
burghs)  for  the  session  to  be  held  on  the  8th  day 
of  July,  at  the  Citie  of  Westminster."  I  believe 
the  first  representative  for  these  burghs  was  Lord 
St  Clair,  but  on  10th  January,  1710,  "  Colonel 
James  Abercombie  was  chosen  to  go  to  Parliament 
in  place  of  Mr  St  Clair,"  who  had  been  unseated 
on  account  of  being-  a  peer.  In  June,  1711,  Capt. 
James  Oswald,  of  Dunnikier,  is  voted  for  as  "their 
burg-ess  for  to  represent  the  said  district  in  the 
ensuing-  Parliament  of  Great  Britain."  In  1727, 
"  Colonel  James  Stellar  was  elected  comr.  lor  the 
Burghs  to  Paii." 

The  appointment  of  the  two  town's  officers 
(serjandie),  whose  dress  was  a  four-tailed  red  coat 
with  white  lining1,  and  a  cocked  hat,  was  complete 
on  receiving  "  thair  waiidis  cojuntillie  and 
severallie."  These  wands  were  carried  with  them 
when  delivering1  missives,  and  often  appear  before 
the  Council  to  deliver  "broken  wandis"  (we  hope 
figuratively)  ag-ainst  those  who  had  refused  to 
recog-nise  their  authority.  One  of  their  duties  was 
to  attend  the  Council  to  the  Kirk.  In  1681, 
"  ordanis  ye  haill  Counsell  ilk  Saboth  day  to  com 
peir  at  ye  ring-ing  of  ye  Tolbuith  bell,  in  ye 
chamber  under  ye  Tolbuith,  and  attend  ye  Magis 
trates  to  ye  Kirk,  ye  officer  David  Couper  to  goe 
befoir  them  with  ye  halbert." 

The  first  time  "constabills"  appear  is  in  1611, 
when  3  burgesses  are  elected  "constabills  of  ye 
pace"  for  six  months,  and  in  May  following 


GOVERNMENT  OF  THE  BURGH  59 

a  baxter,  a  talyeor,  and  a  Coupar  were  elected  in 
their  room.  These  men  gave  their  services  gratis, 
and  Speed  says,  on  the  abolition  of  the  system  in 
1833,  that  the  paid  men  would  never  be  so  efficient 
as  the  old. 

The  Dempster  was  a  person  who  delivered  the 
finding-  and  sentence  of  the  Court. 

According1  to  the  report  on  the  Municipal  Cor- 
porations in  1833,  the  Council  could  appoint  two 
Town  Clerks. 

That  the  Head  Court,  by  which  the  self-elected 
Councils  were  supposed  to  be  confirmed,  was  a 
mere  legal  formality,  and  did  not  allow  the  end 
intended — the  goodwill  of  the  community — is  very 
often  in  evidence.  A  serious  instance,  showing1 
the  popular  disatisf'action  with  this  method  of 
election,  occurred  in  1617  when  (Privy  Council 
Records)  "John  Boswell,  skipper,  James  Ramsay, 
Coupar,  Eustatius  Robertson,  mariner,"  and  7 
others  were  tried  at  Edinburgh  for  disturbing  the 
peace  of  '  Bruntiland."  .  .  Thay  brocht  the 
said  Burgh,  quhilk  of  late  wes  composit  of  a 
nomber  of  peciable,  modest,  and  obedient  inhabit- 
ants, in  that  estate  and  condiion  that  now  the 
obedience  of  the  magistrate  is  cossiu  aft'  ..  ..  . 
The  said  persons  .  .  .  most  unlauchfullie 
factiouslie  and  seditiouslie  convocat  and  assemblitt 
togidder  a  grite  nomber  of  the  inhabitants  without 
the  presence  of  the  magistrat,  first  in  the  Kirk 
about  fyve  in  the  clock  in  ye  morning,  and  in  ye 


60  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

efter  noone  .  .  and  in  Juny  last  in  ye  Tolbuith 
of  ye  said  Enroll,  and  proudlie  and  arrogantlie 
unsurpit  npone  thain  the  autliorite  of  ye  magistral. 
And  not  content  with  this  form  of  conrocatioune 
thay  began  to  presoome  so  far  of  thair  pouer  and 
force  within  ye  sd  burgh  that  very  proudlie  and 
iimlapairtlie  thay  took  upone  thaiin  the  office  of 
the  magistral,  and  appointit  thair  meetings  with 
sound  of  drum.  Thay  sent  twa  drimiis  throu  the 
said  Burgh  commanding  the  inhabitants  to  meet 
with  thame.  Thay  haif  imposit  and  layd 
taxatioune  upone  ye  poor  inhabitants  the  better 
to  mak  thame  follow  oute  and  prosequute  thair 
factious  courses  .  .  ."  Only  three  appeared 
at  the  trial.  These  were  committed  to  the  Tol- 
tooth  of  Edinburgh  indifinitely,  and  the  others 
declared  rebels. 

In  1611  "Ye  Bailyies  and  Clerk  of  ye  Brint- 
iland  wes  committit  to  the  Tolbuith  of  Edin- 
burgh," it  appears  for  some  evasion  of  the  xett  of 
the  Burgh.  It  was  in  this  year  Patrick  Grief,  a 
bailie,  was  chosen  Provost  by  a  pluralitie  of  votes. 

Xor  were  the  Bailies  and  Councillors  always 
satisfied  with  the  way  they  were  elected.  They 
(io  not  appear  to  have  been  consulted  as  to  their 
<villingness  to  take  office.  There  are  innumerable 
instances  of  their  refusal  to  accept  office.  Especi- 
ally after  Cromwell's  triumph  in  1651  and  well 
into  the  18th  century  the  difficulty  of  obtaining 
Councillors  was  extreme.  Due  to  the  heavy  as- 
sessments for  the  military  many  burgesses  emi- 


GOVERNMENT  OF   THE   WEEK  61 

"•rated.  Even  the  Town  Clerk  fled  to  Aberdour, 
and  refused  to  return  "  except  lie  be  exempted 
from  quartering,  watching'  and  warding."  Which 
was  agreed  to.  Then,  after  the  "  bonfyres"  and 
rejoicings,  came  (1661)  Charles  II. 's  declaration 
of  ecclesiastical  supremacy.  At  first  none  would 
sig'n  it ;  by  1662  only  a  few,  and  that  with  quali- 
fications. Even  in  16T6  four  Councillors  were 
fined  £100  each  for  refusing  to  sign.  Then  from 
gradual  loss  of  trade  from  the  Union  came  the 
town's  bankruptcy,  when  the  Bailies  were  im- 
prisoned. A  g-ood  g-eneral  example  was  as  late  as 
1704;,  when  "Ye  Council"  decided  to  "  fyne 
Archibald  Ang-tis  in  the  soume  of  ane  hundred 
pounds  Scots  money  for  his  not  accepting-  to  be 
baillie,  and  ordaines  him  to  be  apprehended  and 
put  in  ye  Tolbuith  keep  until  he  pays  his  fyne  or 
accepts  office."  At  the  same  time  three  coun- 
cillors were  fined  £50  Scots  each,  and  imprisoned 
until  they  "  paid  or  obeyed." 

The  Council  constituted,  a  move  is  made  to  ap- 
portion the  various  duties.  The  principal  com- 
mittee was  what  Speed  calls  the  jury  of  15,  of 
which  1  find  the  foreman  termed  the  "concelare." 
1'h is  body  made  "ye  statutes  and  common  actis." 
That  is,  fixed  the  prices  at  and  the  conditions 
under  which  the  various  commodities  were  to  be 
sold,  and  framed  laws  anent  beggars,  riots,  house 
letting-,  middens,  etc.  In  early  times,  Ihe  Bailies, 
while  hearing-  cases,  delivered  judgment  only  when 
the  facts  were  admitted.  When  disputed,  the 


62  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

jury  of  lo,  or  one  of  similar  numbers  specially 
appointed,  heard  flie  case.  The  names  of  the 
jurors  are  -written  in  Latin,  and  occasionally  their 
calling1  is  added.  Mr  Allan  Rodger,  F.E.I.S., 
Ban-head,  has  been  good  enough  to  translate  a 
few  of  these,  which  are  here  given  : — 

Bestiarius — Cattle  dealer.  Polciitariuis — Dealer  in   pearl 
Caltiarius — Shoemaker.  barley. 

Camus — Dog  keeper.  Pi.stor — Miller. 

Fabermarariu-; — Smith.  Sartor — Tailor. 

Farmarius — A  meal  seller.  Viator— An  officer!  to   summon 
Festor — Controller  of  games.  be  fere  a  magistrate. 

Navila — Boat  hirer.  Vestiarius — Clothes  dealer. 
Nanta — Sailor. 

Then  were  appointed  the  "  visitors  to  ye  Har- 
borie,"  and  to  the  meal  and  flesh  markets,  the  ale- 
tasters,  the  quartermasters — who  kept  men  watch- 
ing* and  warding,  to  keep  order,  prevent  smug- 
gling, etc. — the  "common  Mettaris" — apparently 
to  examine  the  measures  and  "wechts"  ;  two  stent- 
masters,  and  a  Postmaster. 

The  various  sources  of  revenue  were  rouped,  in 
each  case  to  the  highest  bidder — Anchorage  or 
Docksilver,  Postshipe,  Beaconage,  Boatsilver,  Coal 
dues,  Small  customs,  "  Hyred  hors"  dues  or  Post- 
silver  (a  duty  of  o  per  cent,  on  the  earnings  of 
each  horse).  I  came  on  a  curious  correspondence 
between  the  Excise  and  the  Town  Council  which 
looked  like  an  offer  of  a  slump  sum  for  the  right 
to  collect.  Strange!  The  booths  under  the  Tol- 
booth,  eight  in  number,  and  the  "  Comon  Lands," 
north  and  south — the  Brume  Hills  and  Craig-ken- 


GOVERNMENT   OF   THE    BURGH  63 

nochie,  and  the  Links,  Lammerlaws,  and  Ivirk- 
yard — were  also  rouped.  A  stent  roll  was  then 
framed  by  the  Stentmasters  to  meet  the  require- 
ments of  the  year.  It  sometimes  happened  that 
the  tacksmen  found  their  tack  a  loss  at  the  end 
of  the  year,  in  which  case,  on  proper  representa- 
tion, the  Council  granted  an  abatement. 

The  Council  meeting's  were  held  with  strict  de- 
corum and  regularly  weekly.  The  hours  of  meet- 
ing were  unearthly,  modelled  on  the  daylight 
saving  lines.  In  1655  "  Ye  Counsel!  enactis  and 
ordain  is  that  no  Counsellor  be  absent  from  Coun- 
sell  during  ordiner  Counsel!  day  promptlie  at  ye 
ringing  of  ye  bell  qlk  sal  be  at  seven  houris  of 
ye  morning  in  summer  tyme  fra  ye  eleventh  of 
March  until!  ye  eleventh  of  Sepr.  and  at  audit 
houris  in  ye  morning  fra  ye  eleventh  of  Sepr. 
until!  ye  eleventh  of  March  .  .  .  under  ye 
pain  of  6/-,"  and  if  half  an  hour  late  "3/-"  ;  those 
departing  before  the  "  last  prayer  12/-."  In  the 
last  case  money  could  be  saved  by  not  going  at 
all.  Those  appearing  without  "  honest  hats,  or 
Wanting  cloaks"  were  relieved  of  "  6/-  for  ye  first 
fault,  doubling  for  ye  nixt."  For  refusing  to 
vote  or  express  an  opinion  "  20/-  for  ye  first  fault, 
doubling  yrof  fr  ye  nyxt,"  and  for  those  refusing 
to  pay  up  confining  them  "as  ye  counsell  sail 
determine."  These  fines  were  put  in  the  poor's 
box — the  fortunes  of  the  poor  rising  or  falling 
with  the  improper  or  proper  behaviour  of  their 
law  givers. 


64  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 


CHAPTER  V. 

EDUCATION,     AMUSEMENT,     AND     WOKKY. 

To  fill  the  office  of  a  Councillor  in  those  days 
required  backbone.  An  honour  it  wax,  and  one 
that  was  dearly  earned.  But  there  turned  up 
now  and  then  an  unexpected  but  welcome  supply 
of  "beer  and  skittles."  One  of  these  pauses  came 
round  on  the  annual  perambulation  of  the  inarches. 
The  marches  are  wider  now,  but  the  horse  is  not 
yet  extinct,  and  I  am  sure  owners  of  these,  for 
the  mere  pride  and  pleasure  of  seeing-  our  Town 
Council  "on  horseback  richly  caparisoned,''  would 
be  delig-hted  to  provide  their  quietest  and  safest 
mounts.  In  1")94  it  was  enacted  that  "en  Monan- 
day  ye  Baillies,  burg-esses,  and  friemen  of  ye  sd 
burgh  attend  ye  perambulation  of  ye  marches,"' 
under  pain  of  6/-  a  head;  and  in  16")5  "All  bur- 
g-esses to  accompany  ye  Baillies  and  Counsell  yeirly 
at  Witsonmonday  to  perambulate  ye  marches  of 
vis  burg-h."  Another  annual  ceremony,  which 
saemed  to  provide  some  consolation,  was  the  visi- 
tation of  the  school,  after  which  the  schoolmaster 
and  doctor  appeared  at  the  Tolbuith  and  delivered 
up  the  keys  of  the  school  and  'schoolhous?,  acknow- 
ledging- their  dependence  on  the  Council,  who 
graciously  returned  the  keys  with  the  invariable 


EDUCATION,  AMUSEMENT,  AND  WORRY  65 

advice  to  be  "more  diligent  than  heretofore,"  and 
often  reminding-  them  to  take  special  care  of  the 
scholars  in  the  kirk  on  the  Lord's  day,  and  prevent 
them  from  making-  a  noise  and  distraction,  and 
to  keep  them  from  playing-  011  the  "  shoar."  This 
"shoar"  seemed  to  have  an  irresistible  and  melan- 
choly attraction  for  that  perverse  generation  of 
youngsters.  In  1678  Bailie  Hackston  promised  to 
send  one  of  his  officers  to  the  "shoar  at  the  Tol- 
buith"  and  one  to  the  "  Port  to  prevent  children 
after  sermone  making  a  tumult  and  clamour,  and 
to  stop  men  from  meeting-  and  frequenting-  taverns 
and  tippling." 

The  "  Doctor"  was  the  taker  up  of  the  psalm, 
keeper  of  the  kirk  records,  and  reader  of  prayers, 
for  which  he  had  a  small  salary  and  house.  He 
also  assisted  the  schoolmaster  during-  the  week, 
and  received  l-'Jrd  of  the  scholars  fees.  There  was 
a  schoolmaster  in  1">96,  and  the  Council  nominated 
certain  of  the  "  honestest  men  of  the  burgh"  for 
him  to  lodge  with.  At  this  time  the  schoolmaster, 
who  had  a  monopoly  of  the  teaching-  in  the  burg1]), 
received  100  merks,  a  free,  house,  and  2->Jrds  of 
the  fees.  A  school  and  schoolhouse  were  built  in 
1620  to  the  south  of  the  present  church  hall. 
The  salary  must  have  increased  before  17;M,  as 
on  the  death  of  the  schoolmaster  in  Ihal  year  his 
widow  sued  the  Council  for  t'PJO  for  salary  due. 
Tlits  after  many  legal  ins  and  outs  was  "payed." 
Some  time  after  the  town's  bankruptcy,  there  being- 


66  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

no  schoolmaster,  one  came  forward  and  offered  his 
services  for  6  months  free. 

The  present  Episcopal  School  was  originally  the 
Buroh  School,  built  in  1803.  This  school,  through 
a  succession  of  able  masters,  was  famous  for  the 
teaching'  of  navigation.  One  of  these,  John 
Davidson,  was  the  author  of  a  standard  book  on 
"  Practical  Mathematics."  Mr  Allan  Rodger, 
F.E.I.S.,  Ban-head,  possesses  a  copy  of  the  fifth 
edition,  dated  1852,  extending-  to  509  pages  of 
letterpress,  and  137  pages  of  Logarithms.  He  says 
it  is  a  far  more  comprehensive  book  than  any  one 
now  issued.  John  Davidson  was  followed  by  his 
able  son,  Walter,  whose  pupils  have  described  to 
me  the  walls  and  ceiling-  of  the  school  as  painted 
blue,  and  marked  by  himself  with  the  positions  of 
the  constellations.  He  had  a  fine  reflecting  tele- 
scope, used  a  magic  lantern  in  his  lectures  (over 
TO  years  ago),  and  had  a  printing  press.  Another 
master,  the  late  Mr  David  Low,  well  maintained 
the  character  of  the  school,  and  was  a  man  of 
feeling  as  well  as  originality.  He  was  deeply  con- 
versant with  such  subjects  as  the  Scotch  fisheries, 
poor  laws,  and  bi-metalism.  "  I  knew  him  well," 
though  never  a  truant.  The  following  beautiful 
lines,  of  which  he  made  me  a  copy,  are  worth 
quoting.  They  were  written  to  assist  the  agitation 
in  favour  of  the  site  for  the  present  cemetery, 
where  he  now  lies  : — 


EDUCATION,  AMUSEMENT,  AND  WORRY  67 

"  Bid  them  lay  me  away  in  yonder  nook, 
In  tlis  pure  and  kindly  soil, 
Where  heath  an:l  harebell  decked  c-f  yore, 
A  retreat  from  care  and  toil. 

Where  the  rock?  shall  sentinel  my  bed, 
And  the  woods  will  softly  sigh, 
And  the  living  lend  a  chastened  look, 
As  they  flit  or  linger  by ; 

Where  affection's  tear  may  fitly  fall, 
And  tender  memories  rise, 
To  relink  this  changeful  earth  to  heaven, 
As  hope   recounts  each  prize ; 

Ye  will  lay  me  away  in  that  sweet  ispot, 
And  awake  again  the  flowers, 
Where  heath  and  harebell  bloomed  of  yore, 
God's  acre  rl-ihii*  such  bowers." 

There  was  also  in  1656  a  school  for  "lassies  and 
small  boys,"  kept  with  the  permission  of  the 
magistrates,  by  a  Mary  Malpas,  and  afterwards 
by  other  women  teachers.  This  school  is  said  to 
have  been  kept  in  a  room  of  35  High  Street. 
This  fin?  old  building'  has  coats  of  arms  over  two 
of  the  windows  with  the  date  1626  and  the  initials 
K.R.  and  A.M.  This  date  may  only  mark  a 
renovation  of  the  structure,  as  there  is  a  tradition 
that  its  name  of  Cross  Keys  had  been  used  when 
it  was  an  inn  or  hospice  in  Roman  Catholic  times. 
It  was  an  inn  60  or  70  years  ago.  When  the 
Albert  Pier  was  built  there  existed  in  addition  to 
the  "Cross  Keys,"  "The  Waterloo,"  on  the  site 
of  the  new  Council  Chamber;  "  The  Perth  Hotel," 
where  "  The  George"  now  is;  "  The  Black  Bull," 
north  of  the  present  "  Steamboat  Tavern";  "The 


The   "Old  Ship"   Tavern. 


EDUCATION,  AMUSEMENT,  AND  WORRY  69 

Old  Ship,"  at  the  back  of  the  "  Steamboat  Tav- 
ern" ;  and  "  The  Green  Tree,"  in  old  Dock  Place 
— anciently  there  were  trees  there.  '  The  Gr?en 
Tree"  depicted  on  the  left  of  the  Tolbuith  in 
Chapter  7  was  its  successor.  An  older  tavern  was 
"  The  Castle  o'  Pox,"  or  pocks,  which  stood  where 
th?  first  house  on  the  High  Street  now  stands, 
and  which  has  inherited  this  peculiar  name,  sup- 
posed by  some  to  be  derived  from  its  having-  been 
a  store  for  sacks.  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  name 
is  a  corruption  of  Castor  and  Polliu.-,  a  favourite 
sig-n  in  old  days  for  seaport  taverns.  Sailors  be- 
lieved that  the  twin  balls  of  electric  fire  playing 
round  the  mast  heads  in  a  storm  and  named  Castor 
and  Pollux,  promised  g'ood  weather.  In  Brewer's 
Dictionary,  under  tavern,  a  long1  list  of  corrupted 
titles  may  be  seen.  Here  are  several : —  '  The  cat 
and  fiddle,"  the  popular  rendering1  of  the  Latin 
Caton  FiJclc;  "The  Bag1  o'  Nails" — Bacchanals ; 
'  The  Iron  Devil" — Hirondclle  (a  swallow);  "  The 
Bully  Ruffian" — HcUcrnjiliun  (a  ship). 

Althoug-h  James  VI.,  Charles  I.,  and  James 
VII.  were  g-olfers,  the  Bailies  do  not  seem  to 
have  amused  themselves  with  the  game  which 
became  so  popular  on  Burntisland  links  in  later 
days.  They  indeed  frowned  on  such  frivolity. 
In  1008  some  impertinent  innovators  had  been 
measuring  the  suitableness  of  the  links  for  such 
purposes,  and  a  complaint  was  made  to  the 
Council  of  "persons  playing'  at  bulletis  on  ye 
lynks."  This  was  not  golf,  but  a  kindred  g-ame 


7o  HISTORY  OF  BURNTFSLAND 

at  which  a  ball  was  used.  After  grave  delibera- 
tion the  Council  concluded  that  "  ye  grass  was 
likely  to  be  destroyed,"  and  a  warning  was  given, 
that  anyone  "  doing'  ye  lyke  again  "  would  be. 
mulcted  in  ''  Fyve  Pounds."  However,  the  de-- 
sire for  relaxation  found  vent  in  an  annual  horse 
race  as  early  as  16o2.  This  was  run  on  the  sands 
from  Bnrntisland  to  Pettycur,  and  though  pat- 
ronised by  the  Magistrates  may  have  originated 
with  Cromwell's  horsemen,  billeted  in  the  town 
at  that  time.  A  cup  won  at  these  races  is  said 
to  be  in  the  possession  of  an  old  lUirntislaud 
family  now  in  Australia. 

Occasionally  a  coronation,  a  royal  birthday,  or 
other  notable  event,  was  the  excuse  for  a  day  oft'. 
On  Charles  II.  being1  crowned,  25th  March,  1G61, 
L'  bonfyres  for  ye  coronation  in  England  "  wore 
ordered.  In  1G79,  on  the  arrival  of  the  Duke  of 
Monmouth,  half  a  barrel  of  gunpowder  was  burned 
"to  compliment  the  Duke  on  his  return  from  the 
Wemyss."  On  28th  May,  1683,  "  ordaiues  each 
person  to  put  bonfyres  in  front  of  thair  houses 
to-morrow  in  honour  of  his  Majesty's  birthday," 
and  the  Treasurer  is  to  "  advance  poudre  for 
fyrring-  of  g-unes  at  oight  of  ye  cloik."  The  Tol- 
booth  bell  was  to  be  rung-  from  6  to  10.  On  2Gth 
June,  1G88,  there  was  a  similar  ongoing  on  the 
birth  of  a  son  (the  "  Old  Chevalier")  to  James  VII. 
He  is  called  in  the  records  "ane  heich  and  mighty 
Prince  and  Stewart  of  Scotland." 


EDUCATION,  AMUSEMENT,  AND  WORRY  71 

There  were  outing's,  too,  for  the  "  Commis- 
sioner" to  Parliament,  conventions,  and  assem- 
blies ;  hut  these  could  hardly  be  classed  as  pleasure 
excursions,  when  we  remember  the  comparatively 
slow  and  uncomfortable  travel,  and  the  distances 
covered — from  Ayr  on  the  one  hand  to  Aberdeen 
on  the  other.  But  there  was  one  treat  in  the 
exercise  of  which  they  were  "  past  masters  " 
the  "  banquet,"  the  contemplation  of  which  should 
make  the  teeth  of  a  modern  Councillor  water.  A 
liurgess  on  his  admission,  which  cost  as  much  as 
£'•50  Scottis,  according1  to  agreement,  and  on  his 
swearing  to  be  true  to  the  King-,  the  Magistrates 
etc.,  the  barg-ain  was  cemented  by  the  new  burgess 
"  standing-  his  hand." 

This  indispensable  rite  was  sometimes  innocently 
called  "the  spice  and  wine,"  but  was,  as  Speed 
implies,  something1  more  than  a  mere  "tastin'." 
It  is  followed  in  the  records  by  spaces  of  eloquent 
silence  and  poorly  attended  meetings.  In  this 
way  producing  a  sobering-  effect.  The  sons  of 
Burgesses  were  admitted  {/rutix,  saving-  the  ban- 
quet, which  was  never  omitted. 

The  saying  "  Man  is  born  to  trouble  as  the 
sparks  fly  upward"  was  eminently  applicable  to 
the  Bailies  of  Burntisland.  Their  privileges  were 
enjoyed  at  a  high  figure.  Greed  and  envy  from 
the  rich  proprietor,  the  blackleg-  trader  or  crafts- 
man, the  out-of-work  or  professional  beg-g'ar,  tor- 
tured them  ceaselessly.  Inventing  taxes  to  pay  off 


72  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

bonds ;  appealing'  to  the  seductive  labyrinth  of  the 
law  on  matters  sometimes  serious,  sometimes  triv- 
ial, or  in  despair  taking  refuge  in  arbitration; 
fighting  the  plague  or  terrified  by  witches;  wor- 
ried for  want  of  a  minister,  or  the  possession  of 
one  to  be  kept  for  better  or  worse ;  threatened  from 
high  quarters  against  the  holding  of  conventicles; 
commandeered  by  the  military  authorities,  and 
ultimately  ruined  by  them  and  disfranchised. 
Deep  is  the  debt  we  owe  them.  They  had  per- 
force to  wear  the  wrinkled  brow  of  care  that  we 
might  smile  in  blyther  days.  I  often  ponder  on 
the  battles  they  fought  for  us  as  I  read  the  fast 
disappearing  names  on  their  tombstones. 

There  was  one  pleasure  pure,  without  money  and 
Avithout  price,  valued  and  shared  by  the  meanest 
inhabitant — Burntisland  if  poor  was  beautiful.  I 
have  spoken  to  those  who  could  tell  me  how  it 
looked  over  100  years  ago.  Poor  and  rich  were 
enthusiastic  in  its  praise.  Xo  battering  Round 
House,  roaring  express,  thundering  coal  hoist,  or 
cursed  sj'ren  outraged  the  ear,  '  The  echoes  of 
the  mountain  repeated  the  murmur  of  the  winds 
or  the  dashing  of  the  waves  on  the  vermillion 
clifts.  Framed  in  the  hills,  the  Links  rolled  in 
green  waves  from  Xellfield  to  the  Delves,  broken 
only  by  the  crags  of  Craigkennochie  and  the  dubs 
at  the  Lochies.  The  sands,  a  white  and  glittering 
bracelet,  clasped  the  blue  bay  from  Lammerlaws 
to  Kingswood  neb.  At  low  tide  the  broad  sands 


EDUCATION,  AMUSEMENT,  AND  WORRY  73 

were  crowded  with  cockles  and  spouts,  now,  alas ! 
extinct :  poisoned  by  the  refuse  from  oil  and  coal. 
From  the  harbour  to  the  Lauimerlaws  point 
stretched  a  range  of  embattled  rocks  crowned  with 
a  rampart  of  green.  In  front  of  the  Kirk  the  top 
had  many  green  knolls  to  which  on  Sundays  the 
country  hearers  adjourned  between  sermons  to  eat 
their  lunch,  the  banks  here  inviting-  visits  to  the 
beach  by  many  winding-  paths  among-  the  whins. 
Xear  was  a  rock-hewn  stair  called  the  "  Mare's 
(mer  =  sea)  Delves,"  by  which  fishers  usually  de- 
scended to  the  rocks.  The  point  of  the  Lammer- 
laws  alone  is  left,  and  soon  its  last  divot  will  be 
kicked  into  the  sea  by  the  united  efforts  of  this 
pierrot,  football,  and  School  Board  fed  generation . 
The  long-  imprisoned  sand  will  then  be  blown  away, 
if  not  secured  by  some  contractor.  There  are  a  good 
many  cartloads.  The  rock  may  then  be  turned 
into  a  few  hundred  tons  of  road  metal,  and  a 
natural  shelter  to  the  shipping  and  beach  and  an 
ornament  to  the  town,  finally  got  rid  of.  Pre- 
vious to  the  blasting  of  a  rock  projecting  in  front 
of  the  Steamboat  Tavern  and  the  building  of  "  The 
Provost's  Pier,"  the  banks  sloped  to  the  water  and 
were  covered  with  trees. 

Sweet  Burntisland'*  .snugly  fenced, 

Wi'  friendly  hills  aroond  the  north  ; 
There's  no  a  toon  «ae  circonnistanced 

For  health  or  beauty  on  the  Forth. 


74  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

The  Delves,  Dodlhead,  and  Kingswoodeud, 
Temper  the  bitter  Russian  gale, 

Duuearn  and  the  Binn  defend 
When  Boreas'  icy  blasts  assail. 

Yet  iu  the  hottest  days  of  June, 

Half-circled  in   the   summer  waves, 

Cool  breezes  fan  the  burning  noon, 
Released   from    Neptune's  crystal   cave<. 

By  Alexander's  Monument 

We  skirt  the  silver  sand-girt  bay, 

To  rest  a-while  among  the  bent, 
Or  in  the  Delves  recesses  stray. 

L,3t's  gain  Dunearn's  lake-tipped  crown, 
And  view  the  prospect  far  and  wide, 

The  Pentlands,  Ba«<,  the  Law,  and  down 
The  Firth  cf  Forth'-s  resplendent  tide ; 

Inchkeith,  Inchcolm,  old  Aberdour's 

Romantic  avenues  and  dens, 
To  distant  Stirling's  cloxid-tapped  towers, 

And  far  away,  the  Grampians. 


GOVERNMENT  AGAIN,  PLUS  TRADE       75 


CHAPTER  VI. 

(.OVKRXMKNT     AGAIN,     PLV.S     THADK. 

From  1592  to  1611  the  Councillors  were  very 
busy  framing  a  complete  set  of  ordinances  for  the 
management  of  the  burgh.  In  fixing-  the  prices 
and  manner  of  sale  of  goods  the  following1  articles 
appear: —  '  Kaikes,  aitmeall,  bred,  buttare,  cheise, 
fleshes,  beif,  muttony,  swyne,  fyshe,  candill,  aill, 
and  Inglis  beir."  Aboiit  this  time  there  is  no 
notice  of  milk,  egg's,  or  whisky;  nor  until  later  do 
I  observe  coal.  What  passed  down  "  Thrapple- 
ton's  Wynd  "  was  a  prime  consideration.  The 
weight,  quality,  and  price  of  "  bred,  maill,  and 
fleshes"  received  searching  attention  from  the 
visitors  to  the  "maill  and  fieshe  mercats."  "  Fre- 
men  baxters"  must  sell  "thair  bred  and  maill" 
only  "at  ye  Mercat  Cross  Munday,  Wedinsday, 
and  Saturday,"  thoug-h  they  might  sell  these  in 
their  booths  on  other  days.  "  TInfriemen"  bakers 
— from  outside  or  who  were  not  members  of  the 
Bakers'  Guild  -had  always  to  sell  at  "ye  croce," 
and  were  not  allowed  to  go  from  door  to  door  with 
their  "  advantage  bred."  "  That  no  persone  nor 
persones  pretend  nor  tak  upone  hand  to  sell  any 
advantage  bred,  bot  onlie  sixpennie  bred,  twelft' 
pennie  bred,  twa  shilling  bred,  tlirie  shilling  bred, 


76  HISTORY  OF  BUKNTISLAND 

f.mr  shilling  bred."  Fleshers  had  to  break  "thair 
fleshes  after  nyne  hours  in  ye  day,  on  Mercat 
days,"  and  in  presence  of  "  ye  comoii  breker  of 
fi?sche,"  and  not  in  ''  thair  buiths  or  houses  on 
Mercate  days  biit  in  ye  Mercate." 

As  showing1  the  attention  paid  to  the  rearing  of 
<uiimals  intended  for  consumption  in  1(509, 
"  Swyne  neither  young'  nor  olde"  were  allowed 
to  walk  about  "ye  streets,"  and  at  one  time  on 
;a  visit  of  the  plagaie  all  were  destroyed  and  their 
keeping  tabooed.  Butter  was  a  luxury  in  1609  : 
"  Ordainis  vat  no  buttare  sal  be  sauld  any  derar 
within  yis  burg'h  heirefter  nor  four  shillings  ye 
pund,  and  g'uid  and  sufficient  saltand,  under  ye 
paine  of  fortie  shillings  of  unlaw,  Toties  quoties." 

The  authorities  not  only  prevented  unauthorised 
persons  coming  into  the  town  to  sell,  but  the 
lieges  were  forbidden  to  take  wares  of  their  own 
manufacture,  or  imported,  out  of  the  town  to  sell 
until  the  inhabitants  or  the  Council  were  sup- 
plied at  a  reasonable  rate.  A  good  example  is 
given  at  a  late  date,  1728,  when  James  Welsh 
was  hauled  up  for  carrying  his  "  fyshe  "  out  of 
the  town  without  offering  them  for  sale  there. 
He  defended  himself  by  saying  he  could  not  get  a 
sufficient  price  in  the  town.  The  Council  held 
this  was  not  true,  and  "ordained  that  the  town's 
fyshers  in  tyme  coming-  bring  thair  haill  fyshes 
to  the  full  sea  opposite  the  town's  dial,  and  there 
expose  them  to  publick  sale  till  the  town  be  served 


GOVERNMENT  AGAIN,  PLUS  TRADE         77 

at  reasonable  prices,"  and  afterwards  the  fishers 
"  may  carry  thair  fyshe  wherever  they  please." 
But  it  was  sometimes  the  other  way  about.  In 
17^8  a  whale  had  been  driven  ashore  on  the  rands. 
The  Marquis  of  Tweeddale,  possessing  the  rights, 
of  the  Abbey,  sent  demanding  it.  The  Council, 
delighted  with  the  providential  flotsam,  had  al- 
ready sold  it  for  "twentie  nyne  punds,"  and  in 
reply  took  to  boiling  down  the  importance  of  the 
Cetacean,  sarcastically  terming'  it  "a  small  fyshe 
called  a  bottlenose" — a  mere  sprat,  which  ought 
to  have  been  beneath  the  notice  of  a  Marquis  I 
His  Lordship,  however,  had  the  whale  arrested  in 
the  hands  of  the  purchaser.  The  law's  delays 
were  impossible  in  such  a  case;  the  "small  fyshe" 
g-etting-  more  offensive  every  hour,  the  Council  had 
to  hand  over  the  shekels,  after  ag'ain  commenting' 
very  freely  on  the  meagreness  of  the  "  fyshe's  " 
proportions. 

Speed  says  that  at  one  time  there  were  over  60 
brewers,  and  that  much  of  their  produce  was  ex- 
ported. I  find  that  in  1652,  31  brewers  were  fined 
for  selling-'  "dear  aile."  Their  malt  and  brew 
houses  were  in  the  gardens  along'  the  north  side 
of  the  Hig-li  Street.  In  1010  a  committee  of  four 
was  appointed  to  visit  the  markets,  including-  the 
"cunsterie  of  ye  uill."  This  committee  tasted  the 
ale — we  have  never  been  hard  up  for  men  who  at 
the  call  of  duty  would  fa<v  any  risk — and  exam- 
ined the  materials  and  method  of  its  manufacture. 
In  1655  it  was  "ordained  that  ;ill  aill  must  not  be 


78  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

sold  dearer  than  two  shillings  ye  pynt."  In  1GG5 
the  Kin»-  was  petitioned  to  gift  the  town  a  nierk 
on  the  boll  of  malt,  and  an  agitation  began  to  try 
to  obtain  for  the  town's  benefit  "two  pennies  on 
ye  pynt  of  aill."  These  efforts  were  revived  with 
great  energy  after  the  town's  bankruptcy  in  1700 
and  the  union  of  1708 — after  which  all  the  burghs 
on  the  Fife  coast  were  in  a  languishing'  condition 
— and  came  to  a  head  in  1720.  In  that  year,  in 
language  fitted  to  melt  the  heart  of  a  stone,  the 
Council  sends  a  long  petition  to  Parliament,  setting 
forth  the  national  services  rendered  by  the  town's 
sheltering  roads,  the  depth  of  water  in  "ye  har- 
borie,"  its  suitableness  for  victualling',  cleaning, 
and  "  carooning  his  Majestie's  ships,"  it  being 
environed  on  the  East,  West,  and  Xorth  pairts 
with  the  finest  and  larg-est  parks  and  enclosures 
(fences  or  walls  were  unknown  in  Scotland  before 
1681).  "  This  Burg'h  is  also  endued  And  adorned 
with  a  church  of  the  finest  and  handsomest  fabrick 
of  any  of  its  bounds  and  extent  for  North  Britain. 
Which  fabrick  and  the  said  useful  And  valuable 
harbour  with  the  tonne  lions?  or  Prison  house 
That  have  always  been  in  use  to  be  supported 
Upholden  and  Repaired  out  of  the  comou  Reve- 
nue is  now  fallen  under  a  g-reat  decay  and  amounts 
to  so  small  a  matter  As  it  altogether  with  the 
monthly  voluntar  contributions  of  the  Burgors" 
does  not  prevent  it  from  being  "  sunk  in  debt 
And  upon  the  very  brink  of  Ruin"  .  .  .  ob- 
loig-ed  to  apply  to  its  creditors  for  a  supercedere 


GOVERNMENT  AGAIN,  PLUS  TRADE    79 

for  several  years  before  any  Magistrate  or  Council 
would  accept  office.  The  petitioners  finish  up  by 
asking  leave  to  impose  "  two  pennies  Scots  per 
pyut  on  all  bear  and  aill  brewed  or  sold  in  the 
Burgh."  This  petition  was  granted.  From  1723 
annually  the  tax  was  sold  to  the  highest  bidder,  in 
the  presence  of  one  or  more  of  the  Commissioners 
for  West  Fife.  One  of  these  seemed  to  be  very 
popular — John  Moubray  of  Cockairney — as  in  172T 
the  Council  "ordaines  a  dinner  to  be  provided  for 
Cockairnie,"  the  treasurer  to  pay  the  same,  and 
Bailie  Angus  and  the  Clerk's  charges  for  waiting 
upon  him  (at  Cockairney  to  invite  him).  This 
twopence  on  the  pint  did  not  suit  the  brewers,  who 
in  1726  petitioned  the  Council  to  abate  4s  on  each 
barrel  of  "aill  or  b?ar  brewed,"  or  they  would  be, 
ruined. 

The  chief  of  the  remaining  "  Statutes"  of  lo9G 
were  "  ye  harbourie,"  middings,  setting  of  houses, 
injurious  words,  baughe  straikes,  streking  with 
bathons,  drawing  of  wapons,  galloping  horses. 
Two  years  earlier  it  was  enacted  that  the  "  red 
be  part  it  to  ye  lynks  at  ye  eist  end."  Later  there 
was  a  walled  enclosure  near  the  centre  used  for 
this  purpose.  Each  householder  removed  his  own 
rubbish.  In  spite  of  severe  penalties  the  midden 
system  continued  till  1833.  In  1781  there  was  a 
petition  from  the  inhabitants,  who  complained 
that  "  when  trying  to  get  home  at  night  in  ye 
dark  they  either  tumble  into  ye  muck  middings 
and  dung  hills,  or  break  their  heads  on  ve  carts 


8o  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLANI) 

in  ye  High  Street."  The  Council  thereupon  gave 
notice  by  "tuck  of  drum"  to  have  tlie  same  re- 
moved within  8  days  "so  as  to  allow  the  water  to 
run  alongside  the  street."  In  1611  no  one  was  to 
"set  a  house  to  incomers"  without  acquainting  the 
"  Provost,  Baillies,  and  Counsall  in  wreit,"  and 
110  one  was  to  give  house  room  to  any  "  strong1  and 
ydle  heggaris."  This  supervision  of  incomers 
arose  from  the  fear  of  plague  mainly,  of  which 
there  were  many  visits  during1  the  17th  century 
and  later.  In  171.1  a  night  guard  of  12  men  were 
on  duty  at  the  harbour  from  8  p.m.  to  4  a.m.  to 
prevent  ships  or  boats  from  landing,  and  there 
was  a  barricade  at  the  head  of  the  West  Bulwark. 
In  1659: — "This  Burgh  being-  a  place  of  comon 
passage  for  strangers,  among-  them  many  idle 
vagabonds  and  other  wicked  persons,  ordains  that 
the  inhabitants  of  Burnt  island  allow  none  such 
to  lodg-e  in  yr  houses  without  intimating  their 
names  to  the  magistrate  under  "ye  paine  of  fyve 
pounds  for  ye  first,  doiibling  for  ye  seconde,  and 
sumarlie  banished  for  ye  third."  This  threat  of 
banishment  was  no  idle  one.  It  was  often  put  in 
force,  whole  families  being  put  outside  the  town. 
In  1657  Janet  -  -  having1  raised  a  scandal 

about  "  Captain  Georg-e  —  -  his  wyff,"  which 

was  enquired  into  by  the  Kirk  Session,  "ordained 
the  sd  Janet  to  be  whipped  throu  ye  town  and 
banished  .  .  •  .  ;  and  if  ever  she  be  fund  in 
that  toun  againe  She  shall  be  burnt  in  ye  theik." 
Every  burgess  had  the  right  to  carry  a  sword, 


GOVERNMENT  AGAIN,  PLUS  TRADE      Si 

and  "the  drawing  of  wapons"  was  a  frequent 
cause  of  injury  and  even  death.  In  1611  William 
Balnerage,  wright,  and  John  Black,  skynnar,  were 
tried  by  "ane  assysis  of  15  for  drawing1  of  qiihn- 
yarie  upone  ye  comoii  streitis  ...  in  hie  con- 
tempt of  our  statutes."  They  were  fined  "  ilk 
ane  of  yame  fortie  shillings  and  ordains  ilk  ane 
of  yame  to  crave  forgiffiness  to  ye  toun  upone 
yair  kneis  and  not  to  do  ye  lyk  hierefter  under 
ye  paine  of  ane  hundredth  Ibs,  and  to  remain  in 
warde  for  twentie  four  houres."  As  early  as  1598 
a  certain  Councillor  at  the  Council  meeting-  became 
very  abusive,  "drew  his  whanger,  threw  down  his 
glove  and  challenged  any  of  them  to  single  com- 
bat." Xobody  took  up  the  glove,  so  he  departed 
triumphant,  "  betook  himself  to  his  hous,  and 
harangued  them  from  his  windock."  He  was 
fined  only  ten  merks.  In  another  case,  given  by 
Speed,  John  Brown  (1602)  and  his  son  were  hanged 
at  Leith  for  causing  the  death  of  three  Spanish 
merchantmen.  The  heads  were  brought  over  and 
stuck  on  poles  on  the  Island.  In  1666  William 
Moncrief,  Talyeor  in  the  Burgh,  was  murthered 
by  William  Groome  of  Dunbar,  having  "  stricken 
him  in  ye  bodie  with  a  whinyer."  He  wtis  tried 
at  Edinburgh,  the  Council  hoping  "  he  would 
suffer  here."  In  1660  Alexander  Boswell,  skip- 
per, was  murdered  by  a  trooper  of  Captain 
Fermer's  Company.  He  was  surrendered  to 
Captain  Feriner. 


8;  HISTORY  OF  BURNT1SLAND 

There  is  110  means  of  knowing-  what  were  the 
piers  built  by  Tames  V.  just  previous  to  its  erec- 
tion into  a  Royal  Burgh  in  1540.  But  I  find  the 
Graysumlay,  West  Bulwark,  and  Earne  Craig 
existed  in  1600.  The  Graysunday  was  a  half  tide 
pier  used  by  the  ferry  boats,  and  in  1804  the 
back  wall  of  it,  as  it  were,  was  the  North  face 
of  the  East  Head.  Its  peculiar  name,  sometimes 
in  the  more  misleading  form  of  Grey  Sunday,  has 
often  attracted  attention  without  its  derivation 
being  guessed.  Farnie  got  in  a  temper  over  it, 
and  thought  it  insoluble.  Here  is  my  translation 
—Grace  n  J)icu — God  be  thanked — so  appropriate 
and  like  the  spirit  previous  to  the  Reformation. 
The  East  Head  was  necessary  to  the  existence  of 
the  Grey  Sunday.  Both  it  and  the  West  Head  are 
mentioned  in  the  report  of  the  Military  Commis- 
sion in  1627  who  advised  forts  to  be  built  at  each 
side  of  the  entrance  to  the  harbour.  The  exact 
position  of  one  of  these  on  the  East  Head  is  known. 
The  West  Bulwark  was  what  is  now  called  Crom- 
well's Pier.  The  Earne  Craig  ran  soiith  into  the 
harbour  from  east  of  the  Castle.  Burntisland  and 
Kinghorn  had  one  Customs  officer  between  them 
till  1598,  when  (Privy  Council  Records)  "  Scliir. 
George  Home  Wedderburn,  comptroller  to  our 
sovereign  Lord,  constitute  Maister  William  Syme 
coquett  clerk  of  Brintiland,  and  delivered  him  the- 
half  of  the  coquette  sele  to  be  used  by  him  as  clerk. 
Yigesimo  Julie  1598."  There  was  a  Bailie 
William  Svme  at  that  time.  Laing  in  his 


GOVERNMENT  AGAIN,  PLUS  TRADE       83 

"Ancient  Scottish  Seals"  gives  a  list  of  7 
"  cokete  "  seals  only.  Was  Syme's  "  cocquett 
sele"  that  mentioned  by  Speed  as  showing-  an 
image  of  James  V.  in  armour?  In  "  Cardonnel's 
Scottish  Coinage"  8  coins  of  James  V.  are  men- 
tioned as  showing-  him  in  mail. 

According-  to  Speed,  nine  vessels  belonged  to 
Burntisland  in  1640 — two  of  115  tons  each,  two 
of  160  tons  each,  and  the  remainder  120,  105,  85, 
80,  and  50  tons  respectively,  as  well  as  coasting 
vessels,  crears,  and  ferry  boats  decked  and  open. 
He  gives  the  principal  imports  about  1G80  as  wood 
from  Xorway,  flax  from  Flanders,  French  wine, 
malt  and  grain  from  England,  beef,  hides,  and 
grain  from  the  Highlands.  Most  of  the  goods 
from  the  Highlands  was  for  Dnnfermline,  Cupar, 
and  Dundee.  I  have  heard  that  live  stock  were 
landed  at  Burntisland  and  driven  overland  as  far 
as  Dundee,  or  transhipped  to  Leith  by  means  of 
the  fleet  of  luggage  boats,  termed  "  big  boats." 
No  doubt  there  would  b?  cases  like  this,  as  there 
was  an  important  luggage  service  from  the  first. 
The  carriage  of  cattle  by  this  service  entered  on  a 
new  phase  on  the  advent  of  the  Messrs  Young's 
cattle  rearing  industry  in  1840,  when  from  700 
to  800  cattle,  besides  sheep,  were  disposed  of  annu- 
ally, value  about  £10,000.  The  boats  at  this  time 
were  from  50  to  GO  feet  long,  about  18  feet  wide, 
and  very  fast.  One  may  lie  .-><•»•  n  in  "  Swan's 
Views  of  Fife,"  Vol.  2,  page  ^S].  The  boats 


S4  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

were  decked,   and   the   cattle   walked   down    an    in- 
clined plane  into  th?  hold. 

Ln  1555  "  Bruntheland  "  exported  hides,  her- 
ring', and  cod.  About  1680,  coal,  ale,  and  table 
linen  were  the  chief  exports.  Defoe  on  his  visit 
about  1710  writes  thus: — "Linen  was  made  in 
Burntislaiid  and  all  the  coast  towns  of  Fife,  and 
was  much  liked  in  England."  Speed  says  the 
coal  as  late  as  1680  was  brought  from  Fordell  in 
paniers,  on  horseback,  by  the  beach,  and  was 
shipped  chiefly  to  Holland.  It  was  not  till  well 
through  the  18th  century  that  there  were  any 
further  attempts  to  add  to  local  industries.  In 
1776  Thomas  Parker  made  additions  to  "his 
Sugar  House,"  and  later  the  Vitriol  Works  were 
founded.  In  the  first  half  of  last  century  the 
herring  fishing  and  curing  assumed  vast  propor- 
tions, at  one  time  some  30,000  barrels  being  ex- 
ported annually.  I  think  the  harbour  approach 
to  the  curing  houses  may  have  received  its  curio\is 
name  of  "  Spice  rue"  during  this  period.  Somei" 
ville  Street  had  a  manifest  odour,  and  a  great 
many  French  craft  were  engaged  in  the  export, 
l.'riuging  fruit  in  exchange.  The  French  epice 
was  humorously  correct. 

Small  customs  were  levied  on  the  following- 
articles  in  1670: — Lint,  wool,  cloth,  merchant 
goods,  iron,  cuil  (coal),  salt,  timber,  malt,  draft', 
beef,  sheep,  cow,  hors,  swyne,  fishe,  meal,  butter, 
clieise,  bred.  In  1685  the  anchorage  was  rouped 


GOVERNMENT  AGAIN,  PLUS  TRADE   85 

for  £175;  Boatsilver,  £146;  Small  Customs,  £174; 
Coals,  £50;  the  Coinon  lands,  3.14  merks  Scots; 
booths  under  the  Tolbooth,  eight  in  number,  from 
£3  10s  to  £10  each  =£34  10s.  At  the  same  period 
the  "cess"  on  proprietors  and  traders  amounted 
annually  to  from  £800  scots  to  £1200  scots.  For 
strictly  local  purposes  "  the  haill  inhabitants " 
were  always  being1  applied  to  in  addition  to  their 
liability  to  serve  in  defence  of  the  town,  for  special 
night  and  day  committees,  as  well  as  ordinary 
watching1  and  warding1,  and  to  assist  in  cleansing' 
the  harbour  or  paving-  the  streets,  at  both  of  which 
women  helped. 

Anchorage  rang-ed  from  2s  for  the  smallest  boat 
to  £6  5s  for  ships  of  "300  tunes"  as  long1  as  these 
were  Scottish.  "  Foraigne"  ships,  in  which  were 
included  English  as  late  as  1685,  were  charged 
<louble.  (Free  trade  had  been  introduced  by 
Cromwell,  but  it  disappeared  with  him.  An  at- 
tempt was  made  to  reintroduce  it  about  16S8, 
which  was  strongly  resisted  by  Burntisland.)  For 
shipping-  coal  3s  per  load  was  charged,  and  about 
the  same  time  (1680)  for  the  purpose  of  relaying- 
the  "cahsie  from  the  foot  of  the  North  Wynd  to 
the  Sea  Milne  dams,  the  duty  was  raised  to  tin 
townsfolk  to  £2  scots  per  load. 


TOLBOOTH  AND  CROSS  87 


CHAPTEB  VII. 

TOLBOOTH    AND    CROSS. 

"  Before  1600  houses  were  along-  the  shore  and 
continuous  on  Loth  sides  of  '  King-  Hig-h  Street' 
(I  find  the  expression  in  1607  '  Ye  principal!  King- 
hie  Streit');  not  so  continuous  in  Back  Street,  and 
detached  houses  at  South  Hill."  In  the  records 
in  1592  is  the  phrase  "  To  mak  patent  ye  Tolbuith 
of  oure  sd  Burg-h,"  and  in  1604  a  proclamation 
was  made  "at  ye  Tolbuith  dore."  Whether  this 
was  a  building-  merely  adapted  to  the  purpose  does 
not  appear,  but  in  1605  it  is  proposed  to  "  big- 
ane  new  Tolbuith,"  and  in  May  1606  contracts 
are  entered  into  for  "  bigg-ing  ye  Tolbuith,-" 
Council  house,  ward  houses,  "  iron  for  windocks 
(six  to  be  g-lazed),  stane,  water,  lime,  and  wark- 
men."  The  stone  work  was  to  cost  1600  merks, 
but  it  cost  more.  In  1609  "  Ye  buiths  and  ye 
clappe  under  ye  Tolbuith"  were  let  for  the  first 
time  to  various  individuals.  In  1612  James 
Thompson,  wright,  contracted  to  line  the  interior 
of  the  Council  chamber  with  "  aik,  and  rang-e 
pillaris,"  and  to  build  a  stair  to  "  ye  loftis." 
This  interesting-  structure  was  removed  in  184H 
on  the  building-  of  the  Albert  steamboat  pier  and 
the  road  to  Kinghorn.  Farnie  stigmatises  it  as 
"  that  abominable  old  court  house  with  its  out- 


88  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

side  stair."  It  would  see  many  a  stirring  scene 
in  the  230  odd  years  of  its  existence,  especially 
in  the  three  years  before  and  nine  years  after 
Cromwell's  arrival,  during1  which  period  it  was 
fitted  up  for  soldiers.  When  the  Council  patri- 
otically vacated  it  in  1648  they  little  thought  it 
would  be  12  years  a  barracks.  My  illustration  of 
it  has  been  constructed  from  a  small  woodcut,  a 
water-colour  of  my  own  of  the  old  "  Green  Tree," 
and  the  descriptions  of  the  people  who  have  seen 
it.  It  has  been  shown  to  several  of  these  who  are 
still  alive,  who  recognise  it  as  being  correct.  The 
doors  of  the  cells  were  of  strong  iron  grating 
throughout,  so  that  the  prisoners  could  always  be 
kept  in  view.  It  was  no  uncommon  thing  to  see 
a  string  let  down  from  the  window  of  a  cell  to 
which  friends  would  attach  some  luxury  denied  by 
the  authorities.  The  kind-hearted  Town's  Officer 
winked  at  this  and  other ,  liberties,  but  he  went 
too  far  when  he  took  "  half  a  crown"  from  "  a 
gentleman"  incarcerated  for  debt  who  wanted  a 
bottle  of  whisky.  While  absent  on  this  errand  of 
mercy,  the  prisoner  got  out  of  his  cell  and  escaped, 
and  the  Town's  Officer  lost  his  berth.  "  There's 
many  a  slip  'tween  the  cup  and  the  lip."  There 
was  a  large  hall  used  for  trials,  public  meetings, 
entertainments,  and  dancer.  Off  this  hall  at  the, 
west  end  was  the  Council  chamber.  The  booths 
on  the  ground  floor  were  at  first  used  by  their 
tacksmen  for  storing  and  exhibiting  goods  on 
market  davs. 


TOLBOOTH  AND  CROSS  89 

Due  to  the  blank  in  the  records,  the  first  men- 
tion I  found  of  a  clock  is  in  1658,  when  Henrie 
Crawford  was  appointed  in  room  of  James 
Anderson  "  for  attending'  to  ye  toiin  clock."  In 
168')  a  clockmaker  was  appointed  at  £8  yearly. 
In  1727  "  The  toun  cloak  is  altogether  irregular 
and  out  of  order,  and  the  "  Tolbuith  steiple"  so 
shaken  and  ruinous  that  the  bell  cannot  be  rung 
"  without  the  ha/ard  of  dinging'  doun  the  sclats 
and  endang-ering-  peoples  lives."  So  after  repair- 
ing the  steeple  they  tried  a  clockmaker  from  Dun- 
fermline  as  a  change.  (It  was  not  till  1789  that 
the  town  could  boast  a  resident  "  watchmaker." 
In  October,  when  the  "  Hon.  Charles  Leslie,  Lord 
Provost,"  took  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  His 
Majesty  George  II.,  a  motion  was  made,  either 
by  chance  or  g-ood  guiding,  "  that  for  the  credit 
and  honour  of  the  toun  it  was  necessary  to  have 
the  toun's  horologe  on  the  Tolbuith  repaired,  and 
the  deal  (dial)  plates  gilded  and  made  bright." 
The  "  Lord  Provost"  took  the  hint  and  "  under- 
took to  doe  the  same  upon  his  own  chairges." 
This  word  horologe  seemed  all  the  go  at  this  time. 
The  mocking  challenge  "  Yoak  yer  orlitch" — look 
at  your  watch,  implying  the  unlikelihood  of  your 
having  one,  was  peculiar  to  Fife. 

I  have  not  discovered  when  the  bell  was  first 
obtained,  but  fortunately  chanced  on  entries  in  the 
records  of  1677,  when  having  got  cracked  it  was 
sent  abroad  to  be  mended.  The  expense  was  met 
by  public  subscription.  This  date  corresponds 


9o  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

with  one  on  the  bell.  This  beautiful  a  nil  interest- 
ing- bell,  now  resting-  in  the  lobby  of  the  Town 
Hall,  is  said  to  have  been  purchased  from  Berwick, 
where  it  hung1  in  the  tower  of  the  Castle.  The 
following  inscription  makes  a  circuit  of  the  shoul- 
der, but  it  is  not  clear  whether  I-EX-LAX-  is  the 
beginning-  or  end.  It  may  be  "First,  in  the  year" 
1595.  I  am  told  there  is  an  estate  near  Berwick 
called  Claster :— "  I  -  EX  -  LAX  -  1595  -  SOYPLIF 
-  SYIS  -  XOXSIFE  -  TABLES  -  HABITAXS  - 
DE  -  CLASTRE  -  1677  -  BEX  -  YCK  -  AYER  - 
HER  -  GMJRTEX  -  DOR  -  G  -  H  -  S  .  .  ." 
The  aiithorities  at  the  Scottish  Museum  could 
make  nothing  of  this.  On  the  side  of  the  bell  is 
a  fine  relief  of  an  antique  ship. 

It  had  been  thought  till  1912  that  the  accepted 
position  of  the  Market  Cross,  marked  by  paving 
stones  in  the  shape  of  a  cross,  a  little  to  the  west 
of  the  Town  Hall,  might  only  approximately  mark 
its  position,  especially  as  it  is  not  central  but  con- 
siderably to  the  north  side*  However,  in  relaying 
it  then  Mr  \Yaddell,  Burgh  Surveyor,  took  the 
opportunity  of  examining'  the  foundations,  and 
found  that  these  had  been  substantial,  of  cut  free- 
stone, circular,  and  16  feet  in  diameter.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  this  is  the  original  position 
of  the  "  Croce  hous,"  "  House  of  Cunxie,"  or 
"  Tronhouse,"  so  frequently  mentioned  1604-1612 
and  1646-1663.  I  am  inclined  to  think  there 
would  never  be  a  sculptured  cross.  Speed  says 
some  erection  in  the  shape  of  a  pillory  stood  near 


TOLBOOTH  AND  CROSS  91 

the  centre  of  the  High  Street.  It  would  probably 
be  attached  to  this  Cross  House.  Some  of  these 
circular  cross  or  market  houses  still  survive  in 
England.  In  1609,  apparently  this  house  is 
spoken  of,  when  James  Baltraine  is  "  put  in  ye 
Tron house  for  24  hrs."  ;  and  when  in  1646,  on 
the  death  of  George  Mareton,  Town  Clerk,  the 
Council  directs  that  the  town's  seals,  books,  and 
writs  be  recovered  from  the  house  of  Cuiizie.  In 
1604  it  is  termed  "Ye  Mercat  Croce,"  in  1606 
'Ye  Croce  hous,"  in  1663  "Ye  V\  est  Croce 
house."  (Part  of  the  Customs  may  have  been  col- 
lected at  some  supplementary  house  at  the  East 
Port.)  This  Cross  house  was  demolished  in  1663, 
and  in  1666  "  Calsay  "  was  ordered  to  be  laid 
"  where  ye  old  croce  house  stood."  Where  the 
now  house  was  built  is  not  clear,  biit  it  was  nearer 
the  Tolhuith.  It  was  again  removed  in  1685  and 
a  new  one  built  "  opposite  the  end  of  Bailie  Ged's 
dyke."  For  several  reasons  I  think  this  would 
be  still  further  west,  one  of  which  is  that  in  1711 
the  Cunzie  is  sj:okeii  of  as  if  quite  close  to  the 
Tolbuilh. 


t)2  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 


CHAPTEB  VIII. 

WAR. 

As  foreshadowed  in  Chapter  II.,  "  Brintelin" 
from  1540  was  something-  more  than  Port  us 
Saint  us  or  Portu-s  Grot  ins ;  it  was  building,  fitting- 
out,  and  repairing  war  vessels;  and  so,  when  the 
English  Admiral  Seymour  appeared  in  the  Firth 
in  J548  he  "  fortified  Inchkeith,  and  destroyed 
the  shipping-  at  Burntisland."  But  he  did  not 
remain  for  ever,  as  in  1560  another  English  com- 
mander, Admiral  Winter,  reported  that  he  was 
attacked  by  the  French  forts  at  Inchkeith  and 
Burntisland,  and  silenced  those  of  the  latter  in 
self-defence. t  Burntisland  was  one  of  the  places 
spoiled  by  the  French  troops  of  Mary  of  Lorraine, 
as  the  Castle  was  believed  to  belong  to  Kirkaldy 
of  Grange,:!:  but  more  probably  because  he  was  a 
friend  of  the  Melvilles,  whose  Protestant  influ- 
ence may  for  the  time  being  have  ousted  the 
monkly  proprietor  Durie. 

The  Privy-Council  Records  show  that  in  1549 
every  town  on  the  Fife  coast  was  ordered  to 
"  furnisch"  its  proportion  of  "400  pioneris,"  for 

*t  John    Dickson,    F.S.S.  £  Sheriff    Mackay. 


WAR  95 

16  days  at  2s  per  diem,  to  build  a  fort  on  Incli- 
keith  for  resisting-  ''our  old  enemies  of  England." 
In  1614  the  secret  Council  commissioned  Eustatious 
Robertson  to  bring-  with  his  boats  from  the  Bailies, 
of  Burntisland  to  Leith  "suche  peecis  of  airtaillerie 
as  were  within  the  toun  of  BrantylancL'  In  lo2T 
an  improved  defence  of  the  East  Coast  and  the 
Forth  was  seriously  considered.  The  question  was 
committed  to  the  Earl  of  King-horn  (his  residence 
of  Glamis  CastleJi  was  still  standing'  in  1687r 
when  Sibbald  refers  to  it  as  "  the  tower  011  the 
hig-ht"),  Lord  Malvel  (of  Burntisland  and  Moni- 
mail),  Sir  Georg'e  Areskine  of  Invertiel,  Earl 
Morton,  and  the  laird  of  Balmowto."  They  were 
advised  that  it  was  necessary  to  fortify  Aberdeen, 
Montrose,  Burntisland,  Inchgarvie,  and  Leith. 
Experts  sent  to  Burntisland  g-ave  in  a  report  on 
Sept.  13th: — "We  having-  met  at  Burntisland 

haive  inclynit  to  the  opinion  of  James 
Traill,  who  thinks  thair  must  be  two  bastions, 
ane  on  ilk  side  of  the  entrie  of  the  harbourie 

and  ane  fort  upon  the  hill  above  the 
toun,  wliiik  we  have  viewed,  and  seen  to  command 
Harbourie,  bastions,  and  haill  toun  and  other 
pairts  about  it,  together  with  some  other  little 
defense  within  the  Harbourie  for  musketters. 
And  f order  he  thinkes  the  mouth  of  the  Harbourie 
suld  be  cloised  witli  ane  bomb  or  chain."  These 
fortifications  were  to  be  paid  for  by  the  county. 

++ I    a-Miiii  •    tliis   castle  to  have   been    tin-    K  >\;il    Castle 
renovated  or  rebuilt  in    lf>.'{8.         There   \\eiv   fn-'i   castles,    no 
doubt   of   that,    but    in    succession   on  -the   same    sit?    and    re- 
chrntened. 


94  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

More  and  more  as  time  went  on  the  riches  and 
wonders  of  the  Indies  and  Americas  engaged  the 
attention  of  navigators,  speculators,  and  adven- 
turers. Many  items  in  the  Privy  Records  show 
that  Burntisland  was  contributing1  to  the  success 
of  Britain  on  the  seas.  As  examples: — In  1620 
Andro  "Watson,  captain  of  the  Burntisland  ship 
called  "  The  Blessing1"  was  empowered  to  arm  and 
attack  Spanish  ships;  and  the  same  year  ''one  of 
the  3  war  ships  his  Majesty  has  bought  is  now  at 
Burntisland  under  charge  of  David  Murray  wait- 
ing for  its  compliment  of  mariners."  In  1628 
there  were  constant  complaints  about  the  behaviour 
of  the  soldiery  at  Burntisland  awaiting  transport. 
Many  entries  previous  to  this,  and  for  about  100 
years,  were  about  raiisomes  for  captive  mariners. 
In  1620  the  Privy-Council  directs  a  letter  to  the 
"  Archbishopp,  Bishoppes,  and  Presbiteryes  "  as 
well  as  all  public  bodies: — "  Quhairis  Robert 
Cowane,  maister  of  the  schip  callit  the  William 
of  Bruntylland  .  .  .  haveing  laidint  his  schip 
with  a  kynd  of  fische  callit  pilchertes  in  Yreland 
and  being  bowne  thairfrae  to  Alicante  in  Spayne 
ane  Turkish  carvall  of  sax  peece  of  ordinance 
boordit  him  about  the  break  of  day  or  ever  he  wes 
war  of  thame,  and  carved  him  his  schip  and  equi- 
page to  Tittiewane  upoun  the.  coist  of  Barbarie 
quhair  the  said  Robert  and  sax  of  his  company 
was  sauld  to  the  Moires  (Moors)  and  his  schip  and 
laidning  wes  transportit  thairfrae  to  Algeires  and 
desponit  upon  thair  and  the  moires  to  whom  the 


WAR  95 

said  Robert  and  his  sax  niiserabill  felknves  was 
ransomed  thaiine  to  tlirie  thousand  and  twa  hun- 
dredth merkes  .  .  .  and  in  the  uieane  tyme 
the  said  Robert  and  his  company  ar  used  as  niise- 
rabill slaves  and  are  putt  to  wark  in  a  mihie 
quhair  tliey  are  straitlie  halden  at  worke  daylie 
fra  the  liclit  of  day  till  night.  Xothing  but  a 
litell  dustie  breade  and  watter,  and  ar  schoite  in 
a  hoile  under  the  earthe  without  bedding,  yea, 
not  as  much  as  a  handfull  of  stray  to  ly  upoun." 
In  1674  the  Council  was  appealed  to  on  behalf 
of  three  sailors  held  by  the  "  Turks  at  Salee,"  one 
of  whom  belonged  to  Burntisland,  and  the  Council 
behaved  nobly,  contributing  600  dollars — £rd  of 
the  total  ransom.  This  Salee  was  a  notorious  nest 
of  pirates.  In  1675  Burntisland  received  an  order 
from  the  Privy-Council  to  collect  for  John  Kid 
and  other  prisoners  among  the  "  Turks."  A  large 
sum  was  collected,  but  the  landwart  would  give 
nothing.  Probably  thought  John  Kid  should  have 
stayed  at  home.  However,  it  was  arranged  to  try 
them  again  "at  ye  kirk  door  on  Sabot h."  This 
turned  out  a  capital  notion.  They  put  their 
names  down  for  £16  Us.  In  1703  £36  was  col- 
lected at  the  kirk  door  towards  the  ransom  of 
Dysart  sailors  captive  in  Algiers. 

• 

From  1038  the  clouds  of  the  great  civil  war 
gathered  darker  and  darker  over  the  land.  In  this 
year  two  ships  for  Aberdeen  entered  the  harbour, 
vii>pected  of  having  "ponder  and  bullat,"  and  were 


96  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

detained.  The  inhabitants  at  this  time  went  about 
their  ordinary  vocations  armed  with  sword  and 
dagger.  In  1641 — "  Forasmuckle  as  Sir  William 
Armyne  has  represented  to  the  Couiisell  that  one 
William  Hamon,  Englishman,  maister  of  the  ship 
called  the  William  and  Judith  of  Lundeii,  has 
geviii  out  that  when  at  sea  he  will  turn  pyret,  the 
Lords  of  the  Privi  Counsell  ordains  the  Baillies  of 
Bmntyland,  where  the  said  William  Hamon  and 
his  ship  lies,  to  arrest  the  said  ship  and  not  to 
suffer  her  to  go  away  till  first  the  said  William 
appears  that  order  may  be  taken  with  him,  and 
ordains  the  Baillies  to  tak  the  whole  sailes  of  that 
ship  from  the  roes  until  they  hear  further  ther- 
inent."  In  1643  General  Leslie  was  in  command 
of  the  Scottish  troops  engaged  against  the  Irish 
rebels,  and  various  individuals  in  Burntisland  were 
not  slow  to  back  up  the  expedition.  In  the  Privy 
Records  a  "George  Jardin  burgess  in  Bmntyland*' 
gives  an  account  of  what  he  had  collected  in  1643 
"to  relieve  the  army  in  Ireland"  : — -Robert  Rich- 
ardson V  (500)  merks,  Thomas  Gourlay  V  merks, 
Andro  Watson  j'"  (1000)  merks,  and  Patrick  Angus 
ij«  (200)  merks."  And  again  in  1649: — "George 
Garden  baillie  in  Bruntyland  £600;  Robert  Rich- 
ardson 500  merks -£333  6s  8d ;  John  Lord  Melvill 
5000  merks  =  £3333  6s  8d  ;  James  Melvill  of  Hal- 
hill  2000  merks  =  £1333  6s  8d ;  Andro  Watson  in 
Bruntyland  on  thousand  merks ;  Thomas  Gourlay 
200  merks,  Patrick  Angus  500  merks." 


WAR  97 

In  a  portion  of  the  Records  now  absent  Speed 
found  that  in  1639  the  fort  on  West  Broomhill 
was  provided  with  22  men  to  man  the  guns,  and 
25  men  volunteered  for  the  army  in  the  South. 
At  this  time  the  camp  of  the  Covenanters  of  Fife 
was  formed  at  Burntisland,  and  the  Duke  of 
Hamilton  with  19  ships  made  a  demonstration  in 
the  Firth  in  favour  of  the  King1.  In  1G40  am- 
munition arrived  from  Holland,  15  men  were  sent 
to  Colonel  Leslie  in  the  South  and  others  to  Colonel 
Munroe  in  the  North.  Every  fourth  man  waa 
ordered  out  to  defend  the  town,  and  every  person 
worth  200  merks  (49  in  number)  had  to  furnish 
himself  with  a  horse.  Some  men  who  ought  to 
have  joined  the  Earl  of  Dunfermline's  regiment, 
and  did  not  do  so,  were  made  to  stand  at  the 
Kirk  door  with  rock  and  spindle,  and  then  ban- 
ished. In  1641  further  additions  were  made  to 
the  fortifications  and  Kirkcaldy  ordered  by  the 
General  Axsemblie  to  assist.  All  these  guns,  am- 
munition, and  men  were  to  help  the  Covenanters. 
This  becomes  plainer  and  very  near  home  when  in 
1645  all  fit  to  serve  were  to  be  ready  to  help 
Dundee  u gainst  the  Atholmen,  and  shortly  after 
men  were  sent  to  Kinross  to  oppose  the  "  Irish 
rebels."  Montrose  waa  now  carrying  everything 
before  him  in  the  North  on  the  side  of  Charles, 
had  taken  Perth  and  Aberdeen,  and  wound  up  by 
defeating  the  covenanting  army  at  Kilsyth,  killing 
between  4000  and  5000.  From  now  onwards  till 
Cromwell's  arrival  the  Keconls  are  filled  with 


98  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

matter  more  or  less  connected  with  war,  and  it  is 
strange  that  these  preparations,  begun  and  carried 
on  for  years  on  behalf  of  the  Covenant,  should  at 
the  end  be  directed  against  Cromwell.  In  1646 
part  of  Lord  Cowper's  regiment,  encamped  in 
Falkland  wood,  was  moved  to  Burntisland,  and  in 
1647  a  Captain  Log'an  was  appointed  over  the 
military  in  Bnrntisland.  In  1648  all  are  "invited 
to  help  to  draw  ye  guuns  off  ye  earncraig." 
George  Brown  is  to  be  "  Captaine  of  ye  fencibles" 
(town's  militia),  who  are  ordered  to  meet  fully 
armed  at  8  a.m.  "  at  ye  kirk  yard."  A  very 
depressing1  place.  On  Sep.  9  "  All  fencible  men 
were  warned  to  wear  their  swords,  and  all  the  great 
g'uns  about  ye  toun  to  be  moimtit,  and  sergeants 
electit." 

As  the  headsman  of  the  black  mask  held  up  the 
head  of  Charlex  the  Martyr,  on  that  cheerless 
winter  morning  the  30th  of  January,  1649,  a  great 
tide  of  feeling-  set  in  against  the  roundheads. 
Schemes  for  the  return  of  Charles  II.  were  im- 
mediately vSet  on  foot.  There  is  frequent  mention 
in  the  minutes  of  negotiations  between  the  Scottish 
Estates  and  Charles  on  the  Continent,  and  after 
his  arrival  in  Scotland  in  1650.  One  of  these 
records  is  a  payment  on  account  of  "  the  King's 
ship."  Sheriff  Mackay  notes  that  at  this  time 
Charles  made  a  brief  toiir  round  Fife.  An  entry 
early  in  1652  refers  to  this  tour: — "Sixteen  pounds 
ordered  to  be  paid  to  John  Brown  for  wine  and 
other  furniture  expended  in  his  house  to  the  toun 


WAR  99 

when  the  King-  was  travelling-  with  his  servants." 
The  same  year  the  town  was  ordered  to  pay  a 
month's  assessment  along-  with  the  other  burghs 
for  the  expenses  then  incurred.  On  29th  Dec., 
1656,  occurs: — "  £100  pairt  payment  for  bringing 
home  ye  King."  Charles  had  again  taken  to  the 
Continent  after  the  battle  of  Worcester.  On  16th 
May,  1660,  a  letter  was  sent  to  the  Town  Council 
from  the  Provost  of  Edinburgh  saying  that  Par- 
liament had  resolved  "  to  bring  home  the  King," 
and  requesting  them  to  vote  for  a  Commissioner 
to  be  sent  from  the  Fife  Burghs  on  29th  May  at 
London  (Charles  II.  entered  London  that  day), 
and  to  bring1  with  him  the  town's  part  of  £1000 
for  promoting  the  King's  interest.  A  proclama- 
tion was  also  issued  beginning — "  Forasmickle  as 
several  persons  disaffected  do  wickedly  speak  op- 
probrious words,"  etc.,  they  are  to  be  summarily 
apprehended  for  treason. 

To  return  to  March  1650,  the  holder  of  the 
"  North  comon  lands  (East  and  West  Broomhills) 
petitioned  for  a  reduction  in  his  rent  on  account 
of  the  building  of  the  Forths."  There  had  always 
been  a  fort  on  west  "  brumehill,"  and  the  com- 
plaint about  it  would  be  either  because  it  was 
extended,  or  because  of  its  occupation  the  hill 
would  be  liable  to  more  traffic.  The  plural  in 
itself  shows  that  there  was  a  second  fort  on  the 
East  height  or  "Hillhead."  They  would  not  be 
both  on  the  West.  On  15th  July  men  are  ordained 
to  take  ordinance  out  of  ye  ships  within  ye  har- 


ioj  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

borie  and  to  mont  ym  on  ye  forths."  At  the 
same  time  2G  men  were  sent  to  "ye  ariiiie,"  and 
the  militia  Captains,  Brown  and  Ged,  ordered  to 
call  out  the  "  fencible  men  against  invasion."  On 
7th  August  "  Deals  and  stanes"  are  provided  "to 
hi"1  houses  and  courts  of  yards  at  the  forths  at 
ye  Clayness  (Lammerlaws  point)  and  ye  eist."  On 
27th  August  men  were  sent  "  to  take  ye  gunns 
out  of  ye  ships,  and  place  them  upon  ye  hill 
head,  and  to  man  ye  fortis."  (Cromwell  had  now 
invaded  Scotland  and,  after  being  repulsed  from 
Edinburgh,  retreated  to  Dunbar,  where  the  Scot- 
tish army  placed  itself  in  a  very  favourable  posi- 
tion across  his  road  to  England.  The  pressure  of 
civilian,  ministerial,  and  amateur  advice  obliged 
Leslie  to  leave  his  positions  on  3rd  September  and 
attack  the  wily  Oliver,  when  the  Scots  were  totally 
routed.)  Four  days  after  this  disaster  a  minute 
of  the  Council  shows  that  the  military  authorities 
reported  that  for  a  proper  defence  of  Burnt  island 
503  men  were  necessary,  and  in  October  "  Captain 
-  arrived  with  a"  regiment  of  artillerie." 
The  men  were  quartered  partly  in  the  Tolbuith — 
which  had  been  fitted  up  and  "whitewashed"  for 
the  purpose  by  order  of  the  "  Convention  of  Bur- 
rochs,"  who  were  to  pay  part  of  the  cost — partly 
witli  families  in  the  town,  and  partly  in  temporary 
structures.  The  Castle  was  used  as  headquarter^. 
Some  of  the  minor  officers  made  a  to  do  about 
the  quality  of  the  food  provided,  and  were  very 
troublesome.  Peace  was  restored  bv  the  Council 


WAR  ioi 

threatening  to  put  them  outside  the  town !  Dur- 
ing- the  time  the  quartermasters  were  being1  pressed 
to  "keep  ye  people  at  wark  on  ye  fortis,"  and  • 
at  length  the  Council  decided  to  employ  women 
as  well  as  men  to  expedite  the  work.  But  a  com- 
plaint was  now  made  that  the  Council  had  no 
money  to  pay  the  people  with,  and.  on  9th  Dec. 
Colonel  Major  Leslie  visited  Burntisland  and  per- 
suaded the  Council  to  advance  £500  Scots  for  this 
purpose.  For  some  time  "50  poor  seafaring1  men" 
had  been  watching1  "  the  haill  gunns  about  the 
toun,  etc.,"  and  were  allowed  daily  "  ilk  ane  twa 
pund  wig-lit  of  meal  out  of  ye  meal  magazine"; 
and  on  14th  April,  1651,  forty  seamen  were  keep- 
ing- "  sentrie  in  boatis  "  in  front  of  the  harbour. 
Two  or  three  days  afterwards  several  attacks  were 
made  on  Burntisland  by  g-unboats,  as  will  appear. 
In  the  foreg-oing-  we  have  the  forts  at  the  har- 
bour, the  forts  at  the  Clayness  and  the  East,  and 
the  forts  on  the  North  common  lands.  The  exact 
position  of  several  of  these  forts  is  known.  That 
at  the  Kast  Head  existed  as  late  as  1843,  as  it 
appears  on  a  map  of  that  date,  in  my  possession, 
drawn  by  the  late  Walter  Davidson.  1  have 
spoken  to  those  who  were  present  at  the  firing-  of 
guns  from  it  in  1822  on  the  occasion  of  the  arrival 
of  (jieorg-e  IV.  at  Leith.  I  believe  two  of  the  g-uns 
then  in  it  are  those  at  the  Town  Hall  and  Port. 
Some  have  thought  these  date  from  the  Crimea, 
but  that  at  the  Town  Hall  was  there  earlier,  and 
the  other  seems  similar  in  design. 


WAR  103 

I  reproduce  a  portion  of  a  map  made  for  the 
late  Provost  Ferine,  in  a  case  against  the  town  in 
1804,  which  shows  the  East  Head  fort  to  have 
had  three  embrasures.  On  the  same  map,  011  the 
further  side  of  the  words  "road  in  lieu  of  original," 
are  the  foundations  of  another  fort,  probably  that 
spoken  of  in  1627  as.  necessary  for  "musketters." 
The  lie  of  it  is  just  suitable  to  resist  landing' 
parties,  and  more  particularly  to  sweep  the  only 
level  portion,  on  the  left  flank  of  the  defenders, 
by  which  a  body  successful  in  landing-  could  gain 
access  to  the  town.  This  fort  appears  on  David- 
son's map  and  is  marked  fort  on  the  map  in  the 
Public  Library  presented  by  Mr  Stevenson.  The 
third  fort  was  on  the  high  part  of  Lammerlaws 
point — anciently  Clayness.*  Mrs  M'Omish,  now 
in  her  90th  year,  remembers  when  the  slight 
mound  round  the  edge  was  several  feet  higher 
with  apertures  for  guns,  and  was  variously  called 
Oliver's  Knoll  or  the  Devil's  Punch  Bowl.  Those 
were  the  days  of  punch  bowls.  The  Devil,  "that 
patron  saint  of  leisure  hours,"  followed  the  fashion 
magnificently,  and  we  no  longer  wonder  that  using' 
«a  bowl  of  this  capacity  lie  required  the  "  lang 
toon"  of  Kirkcaldy  for  a  lair;  we  rather  wonder 
he  got  so  far.  It  is  said  the  witches  were  burned 
on  Galhncx  Hill  near  by,  but  I  think  Gala  is  more 

*This  picturesque  promontory  was  recognised  a.s  important 
as  oarly  as  1595.  An  entry  then  in  the  Privy-Council  Records 
runs  : — "  .  .  .  appointed  keepers  of  the  haven  Brintiland 
and  Claynes-  David  Clark  and  Johnne  Clappen  indwellers  of 
Brintiland." 


io4  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

likely.  Anyhow  "it  was  meet"  that  this  head- 
land should  be  thought  suitable  for  a  vitriol  works. 
These  works,  occupying  with  their  workmen's 
houses  a  great  part  of  the  Lammerlaws,  were  of 
considerable  importance,  and  pains  were  taken  to 
keep  the  methods  of  manufacture  secret.  The 
Company  had  a  copper  coin  or  token,  now  known 
as  the  Burntisland  halfpenny,  with  the  date  1797 
on  the  reverse.  The  Gateway,  a  house,  and 
ruined  kiln  are  still  to  the  fore.  There  is  nothing 
to  show  where  the  other  fort  on  the  east  of  the 
town  was,  nor  of  that  on  East  Broomhill,  but  the 
glacis  of  that  on  West  Broomhill  is  plain  enough, 
a  natural  slope  near  the  summit  having  been  arti- 
ficially evened  so  as  to  allow  no  foothold,  and  the 
crest  in  front  of  the  guns  being  sloped  like  that 
of  a  ravelin,  to  command  the  foot  of  the  hill.  It 
is  not  clear  if  the  fort  on  the  West  Head  or  Island, 
advised  in  1627,  was  built,  but  tradition  has  it 
that  the  name  Half-Moon  given  to  the  house  at 
the  entrance  to  Cromwell's  Pier  was  derived  from 
a  defence  there  called  the  Half -Moon  Battery. 

As  regards  the  number  of  guns  in  the  forts, 
Cromwell's  statement  that  he  had  taken  three  or  * 
four  small  men  of  war  and  30  or  40  guns,  is  very 
indefinite.  Were  the  guns  in  the  men  of  war  or 
in  the  forts:'  As  already  seen,  the  Harbour  mouth 
and  West  Broomhill  were  permanent  fortifications 
dating  from  1627,  and  the  latter  was  manned  in 
1639,  and  must  Lave  had  its  complement  of  artil- 
lery, -so  that  the  guns  dragged  from  the  Earn 


WAR  105 

Craig-  in  1648  and  those  taken  out  of  the  ships  in 
July  and  August  1650,  to  be  mounted  on  the 
"  Forths"  and  "  Hill  Head,"  were  not  for  them. 
Then  the  forts  at  the  "  Clayness  and  ye  eist"  ap- 
pear to  have  their  guns  on  August  7th.  In  Sept., 
1650,  there  were  four  known  forts  for  great  guns, 
with  possibly  other  two,  the  West  Head  and  Half- 
Moon — say  six.  Six  forts  with  three  guns  apiece 
is  18  guns.  Hut  it  can  be  seen  in  the  Council 
Records  that  after  the  Dunbar  rout  great  efforts 
were  made  to  make  the  place  truly  formidable. 
As  Cromwell  caine  nearer  these  efforts  increased. 
I  find  from  the  Privy  Council  Records  that  in  1651 
fourteen  more  guns  were  added  to  the  fortifica- 
tions:— "  Anent  ane  supplicature  presented  be 
James  Hill,  skipper  in  Queensferrie,  desyring  a 
warand  to  Major  General  Morgan  for  causing  de- 
lyver  to  him  fourtein  gunns,  taken  out  of  the 
vessel  called  the  Hopeweill  of  Kirkcaldie,  in  anno 
jr  vj  and  fii'iie  aiie  (1651)  and  placed  upon  the 
forts  of  Bruntiland  .  .  .  which  being  seized 
upon  be  the  Inglishes  are  now  in  the  cittiedaill 
of  Leith  .  .  ."  The  estimate  of  18  added  to 
these  14  makes  32,  a  number  so  suggestive  of 
Cromwell's,  as  to  make  it  almost  certain  he  was 
speaking  of  the  guns  in  the  forts  when  he  gave 
"30  or  40." 


io6  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLANL) 


CHAPTER  IX. 

AND    AGAIN    W.AR. 

It  appears  from  Cromwell's  letter  cii  his  plan, 
to  reach  Perth  and  cut  off  the  supplies  of  Charles 
at  Stirling  that  the  possession  of  Burntislancl  was 
indispensable,  and  Mackay  says  Major-General  Sir 
John  Brown  had  also  this  view,  but  unfortunately 
seemed  to  think  that  it  would  be  taken  by  landing 
troops,  and  therefore  had  his  small  Scottish  army 
disposed  to  meet  this.  But  Oliver  would  know 
that  though  he  might  reduce  the  town  from  the 
sea  there  was  no  room  for  maneuvering  an  army 
behind  Burnt  island. 

According  to  Carlyle,  Blackness  being  surren- 
dered (Lament  says  in  the  end  of  March),  Inch- 
garvie  was  beset  with  gunboats  previous  to  the 
16th  April,  and  at  the  same  time  orders  were 
given  to  attack  Burntisland  by  sea.  As  we  have 
seen,  on  14th  April  40  seamen  were  keeping  sentry 
in  boats  outside  the  harbour.  On  19th  April  there 
is  a  report  from  the  correspondent  of  the  J)(tily 
Intellegencer : —  '  We  heard  the  great  guns  go  off 
apace  from  Burntisland.  Our  men  with  the  boats 
made  two  attempts  upon  it."  !Xext  day  he  writes: 
'  The  ships  with  Leith  forces  continually  alarm 
Burntisland,  making  shews  to  attempt  the  taking 
of  it.'  Barbieri  savs  Burntisland  was  first  at- 


AND  AGAIN    WAR  1.7 

tacked  by  a  flotilla  of  gunboat.:,  but  they  failed. 
No  doubt  Cromwell  fully  intended  from  the  first 
to  carry  his  troops  over  at  Queensferry,  fight  a 
battle  on  chosen  ground,  and  prcc?ed  to  the  heights 
in  Hie  rear  of  Burntisland  which  commanded  it. 
It  is  evident  from  Carlyle  that  though  Cromwell 
lay  ill  after  the  Capitulation  of  Edinburgh  that 
he  was  having  material  and  transports  collected 
at  Leith  ready  to  begin  operations  at  Queensferry 
after  the  fall  of  Blackness  Castle. 

On  the  17th  Colonel  Overtoil  crossed  the  Forth 
at  (Queensferry  with  1400  foot  and  some  horse,  and 
on  the  18th  and  10th  Lambert  followed  with  two 
regiments  of  horse  and  two  of  foot.  On  the  latter 
date  "  baith  men  and  women  "  are  still  working- 
hard  on  the  "  fort  is  "  at  Burntisland.  Xext  day 
(Sunday)  the  battle  of  Pitreavie  was  fought. 
Cromwell  wrote — ''^000  were  slain  .  .  .  an 
unspeakable  mercy  .  .  "  and  concluded  by 

hoping-  to  be  "  delivered  from  the  oppression  of 
man."  Immediately  aft?r  Pitreavie,  Cromwell 
marched  on  the  south  side  to  Bannockburn, 
"  hearing  that  the  enemy  were  marched  on  the 
other  side  towards  our  forces  in  Fife."  But  hear- 
ing of  Cromwell's  movement,  they  returned  hur- 
riedly and  rcoccupied  the  works  at  Bannockburn. 
Cromwell  then  finding  it  not  advisable  to  "attempt 
the  works"  returned  to  Queensferry,  and  shipped 
a  further  portion  of  his  army  into  Fife,  his  settled 
idea  now  being  to  interpose  his  army  between 


ic8  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

Stirling1   and    St    Johnstone    (Perth)    when    Burnt- 
islaml  had  fallen. 

The  morning'  after  that  awful  Sunday  at  Pit- 
reavie  Burntisland  Town  Council  had  an  attack 
of  the  nerves,  and  forthwith  dispatched  "  Andro 
Hutchison  to  the  King's  Majestie  (at  Stirling)  to 
represent  ye  great  dang'er  of  this  toim  being  taken 
be  ye  enemie"  and  wanted  to  know  "what  we  shall 
doe  if  we  be  assaulted."  On  the  24th  extra 
.soldiers  from  Dundee  arrived,  and  Barbieri  says 
100  celebrated  archers  were  sent  from  Perth, 
"  dead  shots  at  500  fathoms."  A  long  bow  to 
draw. 

On  the  27th  Oliver's  army  was  encamped  in 
front  of  Kilmundy  and  Place  House  in  the  rising- 
part  of  the  field  called  the  English  Kiiowe  to  this 
day.  Water  stood  permanently  in  the  hollows  now 
drained  into  the  troug'h  on  the  high  road.  Some 
communication  had  taken  place,  as  on  the  Council 
meeting,  two  of  their  number  are  "  ordained  to 
speak  with  my  Lord  Burgly"  (perhaps  Lord 
Berkeley),  after  which  they  coolly  appoint  "  a 
common  breaker  of  unfreemen's  flesh,"  and  a 
Commissioner  to  the  "  General  Assemblie"  at  St 
Andrews.  The  town  must  have  capitulated  this 
day,  the  27th,  as  Cromwell  dates  a  letter  on  the 
28th  at  Burntisland,  having'  crossed  from  Leith. 
On  that  day  two  Bailies  and  13  Councillors  met, 
but  no  business  is  recorded — merely  their  names. 
On  the  29th  Cromwell  writes  another  letter  from 
Burntisland  to  the  Speaker : — 


AND  AGAIN  WAR  109 

"  Sir, 

The  greatest  part  of  the  army  is  now  in  Fife  waiting 
what  way  God  will  further  lead  us.  It  hath  pleased  God 
to  give  us  Brunt  Island,  wihich  is  very  conducive  to  the 
carrying  out  of  our  affairs.  The  town  is  well  seated,  pretty 
strong,  but  marvellous  capable  of  further  improvement 
.  .  .  Harbour  at  high  tide  is  near  a  fathom  deeper  than 
at  Leith.  .  .  .  We  took  3  or  4  small  men  of  war  and 
I  believe  30  or  40  guns.  Commisary  Gen.  Whalley  marched 
along  the  sea  side  in  Fife  .  .  .  The  enemy's  affairs  are 
in  some  discomposure.  .  .  .  Surely  the  Lord  will  blow 
upon  them." 

One  would  like  to  know  the  terms  of  surrender 
"exacted"  from  Cromwell.  In  Lamout's  Diary 
occurs  the  following;  under  date  July  29th,  1651 : 
— "  Bruntillande  did  render  to  the  English  armie, 
the  garesone  ther  had  libertie  to  goe  foorth  with 
fleeing1  coullers  and  bag'e  and  bag-gage."  Farnie 
gives  a  local  joke  that  the  capitulation  was  pre- 
cipitated because  the  first  shot  fired  entered  a  china 
shop  owned  by  the  Provost.  Every  writer  has 
repeated  the  story  that  Cromwell  promised  to  build 
what  is  called  Cromwell's  Pier  and  to  pave  the 
High  Street.  He  certainly  originated  neither. 
The  pier  then  named  the  West  Bulwark  was  there 
in  1600,  and  in  1646  the  Council  Records  show 
that  it  was  undergoing  extensive  repairs  with  wood 
and  stone.  Speed  shows  that  after  the  surrender  a 
small  amount  of  national  taxation  usually  paid  by 
the  town  was  allowed  to  be  applied  to  the  repair  of 
the  harbour,  and — for  one  year  only — a  small  grant 
from  the  exchequer,  equal  to  six  months'  assess- 
ment, amounting  to  £33  sterling.  The  town's 
proportion  of  the  repairs  to  the  harbour  came  to 


no  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

£584  sterling.  Even  Sheriff  Mackay  writes  of  the 
paving  of  the  street  as  due  to  Cromwell,  but  I  have 
seen  entries  about  this  long-  before  the  siege.  The 
County  urged  it  for  long1,  and  were  to  share  the 
expense.  In  spite  of  the  Council's  hands  being' 
full  with  the  fortifications,  under  great  pressure 
from  the  County  authorities,  the  Council  on  9th 
December,  1650,  "resolved  to  big'  ane  Calsay  from 
ye  Tolbuith  to  ye  eist  port,  and  ordained  two 
loads  of  stones  a  day  to  be  brocht  in."  All  the 
same,  though  the  paving1  was  begun,  it  was  not 
until  the  end  of  1651  that  a  contract  was  accepted 
to  complete  the  work.  Lament  writes  in  1652  : — 


Ruins   of   Lonsdale.    Cromwell's   hou-e    (with    the   permission 
of  Miss  K.  J.  Kirke). 


AND  AGAIN  WAR  in 

"The  towne  of  Bruntileande  began  to  be  cassaed 
opon  the  towne's  charges;  a  great  part  of  it  was 
finished  this  year.  It  never  rains  but  it  pours! 
in  1659  'A  Calsay'  was  built  in  the  Back  Street 
with  a  'gutter  in  ye  midis.' 

Cromwell  could  barely  have  been  more  than  the 
two  days  mentioned — 28th  and  29th  July — in 
Burntisland,  as  on  4th  August  he  writes  from  Leith 
advertising  the  surrender  of  Perth,  on  August  2nd, 
at  which  he  was  present,  and  saying  he  was  "hast- 
ing up"  southwards  with  the  main  body  of  the 
troops  now  in  motion.  It  was  the  news  of  Charles' 
dash  for  the  South  which  obliged  him  to  leave 
Scotland.  Cromwell  is  said  to  have  lived  in  a 
house,  now  demolished,  at  the  Grange  Quarry. 
His  departure  was  a  relief  to  the  Council,  and  they 
would  have  been  still  better  pleased  if  his  works 
had  followed  him.  On  6th  August — first  meeting 
since  the  surrender — there  is  a -deep  grumble  at  the 
great  charges  "be  ye  English  garison  heir."  This 
grumble  continued  for  nine  years,  through  the 
Commonwealth,  Cromwell  and  Richard,  till  some 
time  after  the  Restoration. 

The  stereoscope  from  which  the  illustration 
of  Cromwell's  house  is  copied  was  taken  about 
18(50  by  the  late  Robert  Kirke  of  Greeninount,  and 
is  one  of  a  series  of  the  neighbourhood  made  by 
him,  some  of  which,  like  this,  are  now  of  great 
interest.  The  position  of  this  house,  at  the  Grange 
quarry,  was  in  the  immediate  rear  of  the  English 


ii2  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

Camp,  and  on  the  road  to  St  Johnstone,  as  Crom- 
well called  Perth,  and  for  which  he  set  out  pro- 
bably on  the  29th  July.  It  was,  therefore,  just 
where  a  general  in  the  field,  with  not  a  moment  to 
lose,  ought  to  have  been.  The  notion  that  Crom- 
well slept  at  the  Castle  has  arisen  solely  from  the 
fact  that  the  Castle  was  for  many  years  the  head- 
quarters of  his  garrison. 

The  garrison  of  the  Commonwealth  (1652)  con- 
sisted at  Burntisland  of  three  companies  of  100  men 
each,  partly  horse,  partly  foot.  The  Castle  was 
their  headquarters,  and  the  first  commandant 
Colonel  Lilburn.  He  was  second  in  command  in 
Scotland  under  Deane,  and  completed  the  subjuga- 
tion of  Scotland  by  his  invasion  of  Argyle.  He 
succeeded  Deane  as  Commander-in-Chief  in  1654. 
There  was  a  Captain  Rogers  in  the  Castle  in  1656. 

From  1638  to  1651  =  13  years,  Burntislancl  had 
been  having  more  than  the  usual  share  of  war's 
alarms,  and  one  would  have  thought  some  comfort 
and  peace  would  be  got,  but  it  had  still  nine  long 
years  of  military  rule.  It  was  a  fearful  tyranny. 
JS^o  one  could  cross  the  ferry  in  the  town's  boats 
without  a  permit  from  the  military.  These  boats 
were  used  for  military  transport  under  promise  of 
payment  which  was  never  made.  Forty-two  years 
after  the  Restoration  Bailie  Ged  reminded  the  Earl 
of  Leven  that  nothing  had  ever  been  paid  Burnt- 
island  for  these  transport  services.  The  Tolbuith 
and  everv  house  in  the  town  was  crammed  with 


AND  AGAIN  WAR  113 

"Inglishes."  The  "maintainance"  tax  on  the 
better  class  of  burgesses,  to  help  to  feed  these,  was 
very  serious.  The  minute  books  are  filled  with 
cases  against  the  soldiers  for  "cursing-  and  blas- 
pheming the  baillies,"  assaults  by  them,  even 
murders,  and  petitions  to  have  them  removed. 
Lamont  gives  numerous  instances  of  the  raiding' 
done  by  troopers  from  Burntisland  to  different 
parts  of  Fife  for  the  purpose  of  seizing-  men,  horses, 
and  arms.  In  1059  Captain  Marviell  was  at  the 
Castle,  and  a  complaint  was  addressed  to  him  about 
"ye  officers  and  their  wyffs  and  bairns" — the  latter 
'evidently  being-  looked  on  as  the  last  straw — and 
the  rents  of  the  "courts  of  yairds"  (probably  tem- 
porary stables)  not  being-  enoug-h.  As  late  as  1660 
liailie  Moncriei  is  sent  to  Major-General  Morg-an 
to  try  once  more  to  get  the  soldiers  removed.  It 
was  only  in  July  1657,  four  years  after  the  appoint- 
ment of  Cromwell  as  Lord  Protector,  that  he  was. 
proclaimed  as  such,  and  then  without  outward  signs 
°i  Joy- 

During-  the  war  with  the  Dutch,  1664-1674,  the 
Council  books  are  thick  with  demands  for  recruits 
for  the  army  and  navy.  In  1664  the  Privie  Council 
orders  the  names  of  12  men  to  be  submitted  for 
the  navy,  of  whom  10  are  selected;  and  in  1672 
another  12  men.  These  are  only  examples  of  many. 
Early  in  1668  arms  were  procured  and  paid  for  by 
the  town  for  45  men,  of  whom  two-thirds  were 
armed  with  "  muskitts  and  bandolliers"  and  one- 
third  witli  sword  and  pike.  These  men  were  part 


ii4  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

of  205  militia  provided  by  the  town,  1GU  being1 
armed  by  the  Government.  They  bad  a  uniform 
with  colours,  drums,  and  halberts.  The  name 
"  militia  "  was  now  officially  usetl  for  the  first 
time,  and  while  formerly  the  service  was  strictly 
local,  the  body  might  now  be  moved  elsewhere. 
Its  first  march  out  was  to  Aucktertool.  There 
wrere  two  captains — Bailies  Ged  and  Dewar.  The 
first  step  in  the  movement  was  taken  on  June 
10th,  1667,  when  "the  haill  Burgesses  and  inhabi- 
tants fencible  men"  were  "warned  to  compeir 
before  the  magistrates  wli  their  armes  in  the  Kirk- 
yard,  at  two  houres  in  ye  afternooiie,"  or  bring1 
£20  of  penalty.  The  town  seemed  to  enter  into 
these  measures  with  enthusiasm,  and  for  good 
reason  ;  Burntisland  itself,  two  months  earlier,  had 
been  the  special  objective  of  a  Dutch  Squadron. 
The  following1  is  from  the  town's  records: — "Mun- 
<lay  lo  April,  1667,  This  Burgh  being-  assaulted  be 
ye  comon  enemie  Sunday  to  AVitt  ane  squadron  of 
ye  Dutch  shipps  who  being1  by  God's  providence 
removed"  the  Council  appeals  to  the  Lord  Commis- 
sioner his  g-race  to  provide  ye  inhabitants  with 
arms  and  ordinance  and  r.mmunitioiie  for  ye 
fortis."  Pepys  in  his  diary  under  May  oth 
says: — "Sir  W.  Coventry  tells  me  the  Dutch 
fleet  shot  some  shot,  four  or  five  hundred 
into  Burnt  Island  in  the  Firth,  but  without 
any  hurt,  and  so  are  gone."  Even  fireside 
fire-eaters  were  startled  at  this  unlooked-for 
attack,  as  the  minute  sets  forth  that  "  some 


AND  AGAIN  WAR  115 

fencible  men  did  nie  furth  of  this  Burgh 
burgesses  of  this  Burgh,  some  with  arms  some 
without  arms."  There  was  one  man  not  caught 
napping;,  Captain  Kobert  Dewar,  who  was  able 
to  supply  the  authorities  with  sufficient  am- 
munition to  assure  the  Dutch  that  if  they  lauded 
there  would  be  opposition.  Shortly  afterwards 
the  inevitable  account  appears  from  Dewar  "for 
poudre  and  balls  for  the  defense  of  the  town  from 
the  Dutch."  Xew  great  guns  and  ammunition 
were  immediately  supplied  by  the  Government. 

The  people  yearned  after'  peace  to  keep  their 
shops,  and  in  spite  of  their  experience  in  unpre- 
pared ness  for  war,  the  first  rainbow's  lovely  form 
banished  dull  care.  In  1714,  probably  in  view  of 
the  expected  Jacobite  revival,  a  committee  was 
appointed  to  examine  the  town's  arms.  They  re- 
ported that  of  84  guns,  74  had  no  locks,  70  of  these 
were  otherwise  not  mendable,  and  of  12  guns  of  a 
different  pattern  with  "12  pykes"  most  were  bad: 
The  whole  rousted  spoylled  and  altogether  out 
of  order."  The  year  following- — that  of  the 
Jacobite  rising — a  Government  ship  was  in  the 
harbour  with  warlike  stores,  and  Lord  St  Clair  of 
Dysart,  who  commanded  some  troops  in  the  Stuart 
cause,  getting  wind  of  this,  brought  some  men 
from  Perth  and  managed  to  walk  off  with  ttOO  stand 
of  arms.  This  was  not  the  only  service  Burnt- 
island  rendered,  if  unwillingly,  to  the  "Old  Cheva- 
lier." In  171-')  the  Karl  of  Mar,  in  his  successful 
attempt  to  cress  the  Firth  at  (Vail  with  1  (>!)()  High- 


n6  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

landers,  occupied  Burnt  island,  and  made  a  great 
show  of  increasing1  the  defences  there,  which  had 
the  intended  effect  of  drawing1  the  fleet  of  Sir 
George  Byiig  to  Burntisland,  "where  he  cannon- 
aded a  battery  formed  on  a  height,  and  shelled  the 
old  Castle  of  the  Buries  of  that  ilk."  There  is  a 
picture  of  this  event  in  Cassell's  British  Jiattlcs  by 
La/itl  tiniJ  8ca.  Perhaps  Burntisland  may  claim 
to  be  the  last  town  in  the  British  Isles  to  have 
suffered  bombardment.  Paul  Jones  visited  the 
Firth  in  1779,  but,  I  understand,  he  never  fired  a 
shot.  A  providential  storm  drove  him  seawards 
and  answered  the  prayers  of  the  good  Mr  Shirra  on 
Path  head  sands.  The  prayers  of  the  righteous 
availeth  much.  If  there  were  any  righteous, 
Shirra  was  one.  Mr  Russell,  of  Edinburgh,  tells 
me  his  great-great-grandfather,  who  was  a  bailie 
of  Burntisland,  often  walked  with  his  wife  to  Kirk- 
caldy  to  hear  Shirra.  On  one  occasion  he  fell 
asleep,  when  Shirra  stopped  and  cried  out:  "Stand 
up,  Bailie  Scott,  and  that'll  pit  the  sleepin'  aft* 

ye." 

It  is  thus  plain  that  privilege  and  penalty  are 
complimentary,  and  side  by  side  like  the  nettle  and 
the  "docken  blade."  The  burdens  imposed  by  the 
necessities  of  war  were  very  serious  from  1638  to 
1715,  both  for  local  and  national  defence.  The 
damage  from  Cromwell's  occupation  was  immense. 
For  raising  the  two  companies  of  militia  in  1G68 
the  town  paid  £616  9s  lOd.  This  was  by  voluntary 
contribution  from  the  inhabitants,  and  it  did  not 


AND  WAR  AGAIN  117 

square  accounts.  Every  year  men  were  demanded 
for  the  army  and  navy.  In  one  year  (1670)  16  men 
were  sent  to  the  army.  In  place  of  a  man  the 
Government  accepted  £48.  So  that  16  men  worked 
out  at  £768.  The  price  of  a  man  was  sometimes 
paid  by  charging  those  liable  so  much  per  head. 
On  one  occasion  this  share  was  10s.  The  men  were 
balloted  for  with  dice.  As  an  example  of  what 
went  on  : — In  1 693  the  fencible  men  were  divided 
into  6  companies  of  30  men  each,  and  one  out  of 
each  balloted  for  the  army.  Sixteen  of  their 
fellow-townsmen,  fully  armed,  took  them  to 
Colonel  Mackay's  regiment  at  Cupar,  but  o  of 
them  were  pronounced  unfit.  Other  5  were  then 
"seized"  (probably  good  men — the  ballot  does  not 
distinguish).  These  were  sent  to  the  same  regi- 
ment, now  at  Stirling,  when  one  was  found  unfit. 
"On  which  the  bailie  who  accompanied  the  re- 
cruits" gave  Major  Arnot  2  guineas  "when  the 
man  was  found  to  do." 


^HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLANI) 


CHAPTER  X. 

KIXGOlf-N     MAGJsA     AND     KIiVGOHX     PAKVA. 

The  present  Parish  Church  was  built  on  account 
of  the  smallness  and  inconvenient  situation  of  the 
church  at  the  Kirkton,  and  by  agreement  with 
King'  James  V.  on  his  erecting  the  town  into  a 
Royal  Bur«'h  that  the  burgesses  should  build  a 
sufficient  church.  David  I.  in  1130  granted  to 
Dunferinline  Abbey  "the  Kingorn  whicli  is  the 
nearer  to  Dunfermlyng."  At  this  time  the  parish 
of  Burntisland  was  called  the  Parish  of  Wester 
K inborn,  and  Speed  says  that  in  1243  the  two 
churches  of  Easter  and  Wester  Kin^orn  and  the 
double  parish  were  dedicated  to  St  Adanman.  The 
Rev.  Mr  Chalmers,  in  his  list  of  churches  and 
chapels  belonging  to  Dunfermline  Abbey,  de- 
scribes the  church  of  Wester  Kin»orn  as  bein£>'  the 
Kirkton  Church,  Burntisland,  and  shows  it  to  have 
been  confirmed  to  the  Abbey  by  Pope  Lucius  III. 
in  1184.  He  describes  the  church  of  K inborn 
Parva  (little)  as  bein»'  that  of  Kinghorn  Easter, 
and  by  inference  the  Kirkton  Church  to  be  Kin- 
"•orn  Magna.  Chalmers  was  conscientious  and 
well  acquainted  with  the  old  documents  by  which 
he  came  to  this  conclusion.  Yet  speed  says  the 


KINGORN  MAGNA  AND  KINGORN  PARVA  119 

Kirkton  Church  was  the  church  of  little  King-- 
horn,  and  Sheriff  Mackay  calls  it  St  Serf,  parva, 
King-horn.  These  authorities  differing  as  to 
whether  Easter  or  Wester  King'orn  was  parr  a,  in 
the  hope  of  clearing'  the  matter  up,  I  consulted  the 
Pontifical  of  Bishop  de  Bernam,  edited  by  Charles 
Wordsworth,  M.A.,  the  original  of  which,  in  the 
Bibliotheque  Xationale,  Paris,  was  used  by  the 
Bishop  in  consecrating-  or  re-dedicating1  140  Parish 
Churches  in  Scotland.  On  the  fly-leaves  of  it  are 
written  the  names  of  these  churches  and  the  dates 
on  which  they  were  consecrated.  In  Wordsworth's 
translation,  under  the  year  1243,  appears  the  fol- 
lowing' : — 

"Keel,  de  mag'iui  King'orn.  eodem  anno  xvj.  Kal. 
Jim  ij  (17th  May) 

Keel,  de  parua  King'orn.  eodem  anno  xiiij.   Kal. 
•Tun.  ij  (10th  May)" 

The  Pontifical,  therefore,  does  not  show  that  parva 
was  Wester,  but  the  editor  explains  that  "King'orn 
parva  was  Burntisland"  without  indicating-  his 
source  of  information.  Xor  does  De  Bernam  say 
that  either  church  was  dedicated  to  St  Serf. 

Dr  James  Gammack,  of  Drumlithie,  was  an 
authority  on  early  Scottish  church  dedications,  but 
1  could  find  nothing-  about  St  Serf  in  his  "Lecture 
on  Hag-iolog-y  before  the  Diocesan  Club,  Aber- 
deen." However,  I  have  no  doubt  lie  had  some- 
thing to  do  with  fixing-  on  the  Kirkton  Church  as 
having-  been  dedicated  to  St  Serf.  He  addresses 


i2o  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

his  printed  lecture  to  Alexander  Penrose  Forbes, 
D.C.L.,  Bishop  of  Brechin.  Many  years  ago  I 
photographed  a  pag-e  of  an  illuminated  Irish  Gaelic 
prayer-book  which  Bishop  Forbes  said  was  about 
1000  years  old.  Bishop  Forbes  was  a  brother  of 
the  Kev.  George  Hay  Forbes,  incumbent  of  St 
Serf's,  Burntisland,  who  certainly  was  the  first  to 
apply  or  restore,  in  modern  days,  the  name  of  St 
Serf  to  the  original  church  at  Burntisland.  Words- 
worth gives  Forbes  the  credit  of  first  editing  the 
text  of  the  Pontifical;  and  Dr  Lockhart,  in  his 
"Church  of  Scotland  in  the  13th  Century,"  says 
Forbes  had  printed  the  Pontifical  in  his  own  press 
at  Burntisland,  called  the  Pitsligo  Press.  I  hare 
a  list  of  41  classes  of  type  used  in  this  press,  in- 
cluding Hebrew,  Arabic,  Syriac,  Armenian, 
Ethiopic,  and  Greek.  Mr  Forbes  once  told  me  of 
the  delight  lie  had  experienced  on  perusing  the 
original  Pontifical  in  Paris,  the  very  book  used  in 
124-3  by  L)e  Bernam  in  consecrating-  the  church  at 
the  Ivirkton,  little  dreaming-  that  one  day  I  would 
have  to  puzzle  over  it.  (I  may  here  point  out  that 
some  authorities  on  church  architecture  think  the 
present  ruinous  church  was  built  in  the  loth  cen- 
tury on  the  site  of  the  one  here  referred  to).  Xo 
doubt  Gammack  or  Forbes  decided  that  the  Ivirk- 
ton Church  was  St  Serf  on  the  ground  that  it  was 
2)<in-it  Kingorn  Church,  supposed  to  have  been 
dedicated  to  St  Serf.  We  must  return  then  to  the 
question,  which  of  the  two  churches  was  parva. 
The  extract  from  the  Pontifical  shows  that  Bishop 


KINGORN  MAGNA  AND  KINGORN  PARVA  121 

<le  1'ernam  was  at  Kingorn  Magna  on  the  IGtli  of 
the  calends  of  June  (May  ITth),  and  at  Kingorn 
parva  on  the  14th  of  the  calends  of  June  (May 
19th).  The  reason  for  the  first  appearing1  in  the 
Latin  to  be  at  a  later  date  than  the  second  is 
because  the  Romans,  instead  of  saying-  "the  17th 
of  the  month  of  May,"  said  that  day  was  the  16th 
day  counting-  backwards  from  the  1st  of  June.  If 
the  reader  takes  an  almanack  and  ticks  oft'  June  1st 
and  the  last  15  days  of  May  he  will  arrive  at  the 
]7th  of  May;  and  taking-  June  1st  and  13  days  of 
May,  he  gets  19th  May.  De  Bernam  visiting  Kin- 
gorn Magna  first,  it  may  have  some  bearing  on 
whether  magna  was  Kinghorn  or  Burntisland. 
David  Bernham,  Bishop  of  St  Andrews,  did  not 
begin  this  special  work  in  1243  at  St  Andrews. 
Lockhart  shows  that  he  commenced  at  the  Borders 
in  March,  and  worked  his  way  gradually  north, 
consecrating  many  church,  until  he  arrived  at 
Katho,  from  which  he  continued  along  the  south 
of  the  Forth  westwards  to  Carriden  (May  7th),  and 
was  at  Airtli,  near  Stirling,  On  May  10th.  Seven 
days  afterwards  (May  17th)  he  was  at  Magna  Kin- 
gorn,  and  at  Parva  Kingorn  on  the  19th.  Where 
was  he  on  the  six  days  between  May  10  and  17th? 
Did  he  go  round  by  Stirling  and  Dunfermline, 
where  he  had  not  yet  been,  to  reach  Burntisland 
and  Kinghorn  ;  or  did  he  retrace  his  steps  on  the 
south  side  of  the  Firth  to  cross  to  Burntisland,  or 
Kinghorn;'  Judging  from  his  methodical  charac- 
ter, lie  would  come  by  Dmit'cnnliiic,  and,  even  if  he 


122  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

came  by  Edinburgh,  the  direction  of  his  journey 
favours  the  idea  that  he  would  take  Burntisland 
on  route  to  Kinghorn.  In  which  case  Magna 
Kin  "horn  would  be  Burntisland. 

The  two  King-horns  occur  very  frequently  in  the 
Chartulary  of  Dunfermline,  but  only  at  one  place 
could  I  see  anything  to  favour  the  view  that  puma 
Kinghorn  was  Burntisland.  In  a  list  of  the 
Abbey's  possessions  made  for  taxing-  purposes, 
parva  is  given  before  mag-iia  in  an  apparent  passage 
Eastward.  But  this  may  be  accidental,  as  the 
method  does  not  seem  to  be  followed  throughout. 

There  is  a  tradition  that  St  Serf  met  his  superior 
St  Adamnan  on  Inchkeith,  and  was  directed  to 
convert  the  land  of  Fife.  He  would  land  at  King- 
horn  as  being-  so  much  nearer  than  Burntisland, 
and  if  either  of  these  places  received  his  name  it 
should  have  been  that  he  began  his  missionary 
labours  in. 

As  already  seen,  the  Kirkton  Church  was  con- 
firmed to  the  Abbey  by  the  Pope  in  1184.  AVhy, 
then,  should  I)e  Bernam,  on  21st  Dec.  1240  (only 
56  years  later)  grant  it  ag-ain  to  the  Abbey? 
Lockhart  says  Little  Kingorn  was  granted  on  that 
date.  Little  Kinghorn  must  be  Easter  King-horn. 

Sheriff  Mackay  thinks  there  would  be  a  church 
at  the  Kirkton  before  1130,  and  it  has  been  thought 
that  its  site  would  be  a  little  to  the  Avest  in  the 
adjoining  glebe,  as  there  are  foundations  there 
several  feet  under  the  surface.  These,  however, 


KINGORN   MAGNA  AND   KINGORN  PARVA   123 

nre  more  likely  to  be  the  foundations  of  the  manse. 
The  minister  lived  at  the  Ivirkton  till  1657.  Many 
coins  of  Charles  I.  an;l  Louis  XIV.  have  been 
found  in  and  around  these  foundations.  .Recently 
Mr  Ednie,  gardener,  came  on  a  pile  of  them  rusted 
into  a  mass  of  about  2  inches  high,  as  if  they  had 
been  made  up  so  in  paper.  i  have  seen  a  coin 
obtained  here  about  20  years  ago,  which  is  a  turner 
or  bodle  of  Charles  i.  This  coin  continued  in  use 
during  the  Commonwealth,  and  it  is  possible  that 
though  the  chief  part  of  Cromwell's  army,  previous 
to  the  fa]]  of  Burntisland,  was  encamped  higher  up 
near  Place  House,  a  portion  may  have  been  here 
(the  Roundheads  looked  on  occupying  and  pillag- 
ing manses  or  churches  as  merely  spoiling  the 
Egyptians),  and  have  left  unintentionally  these 
relics  of  their  conduct.  The  presence  of  coins  of 
the  Georges  must  be  accounted  for  otherwise. 

On  the  night  variously  given  as  the  12th,  10thr 
and  l!)th  March,  12SG,  King  Alexander  III.  passed 
through  Kirkton  on  his  way  from  Inverkeithing  to 
his  Castle  at  Km<>horn.  He  would  stop  and  per- 
form his  devotions  in  the  church,  an  invariable 
custom  with  travellers  in  those  days.  A  storm  was 
raging  and  darkness  had  fallen  when  the  King 
readied  the  Kirkton,  and  his  retinue  are  said  to 
have  tried  to  persuade  him  to  proceed  no  further, 
lint  Joleta,  daughter  of  the  Count  de  Dreux,  his 
new  Queen,  to  whom  lie  had  been  married  only  a 
few  months,  was  expecting  him.  No  one  now 
believes  the  Kiny  fell  over  the  cliff.  Had  the 


124  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

party  crossed  the  hills,  the  accident  and  the  King's 
position  would  have  been  guessed  when  the  Castle 
was  reached  and  the  King  then  discovered  absent. 
The  route  followed  on  such  a  night  of  storm  and 
darkness  would  be  the  usual  one,  direct  from  the 
Kirktou  to  "Xo  Thoroughfare,"  and  by  the  beach 
to  the  shoulder  of  the  Kinnesswood  hill,  where  the 
old  track  ascended  to  the  height  of  the  present 
road.  In  the  darkest  night  the  shoulder  of  the  hill 
would  be  seen  from  below  against  the  sky,  and  on 
seeing  it  the  impetuous  Alexander  must  have 
ascended  the  slope  about  50  yards  to  the  left  of  the 
usual  place.  His  horse  would  fall  and  in  some  way 
kill  the  King,  just  in  rear  of  the  rock  called  the 
''black  stane."  His  companions  would  not  know 
where  he  had  separated  from  them,  and  even  in 
daylight  his  body  would  be  invisible  from  the  track 
below.  The  tide  was  probably  searched  for  him. 
A  burgess  of  Kinghorn,  but  outlawed,  Murdock 
Schanks,  wandering  on  the  hills  above  in  the  early 
morning,  observed  some  unusual  object  behind  the 
"black  stane,"  and,  descending,  discovered  it  to  be 
the  body  of  the  King.  He  carried  the  news  to  the 
Castle,  and  for  this  service  Eobert  the  Bruce  be- 
stowed on  Schank's  descendants"  the  lands  of 
Castlerigg,  Kinghorn,  which  still  belong  to  the 
family.  This  "black  stane,"  before  the  road 
behind  it,  and  the  railway  embankment  in  front  of 
it,  were  constructed,  stood  10  or  15  feet  out  of  the 
slope. 


KINGORN  MAGNA  AND  KINGORN  PARVA  125 

Anciently  the  road  from  Aberdour,  after  ascend- 
ing- Mains  Hill  (Lc  Main*  was  an  early  name  of  the 
district  east  of  it),  passed  the  front  of  Dalachy 
Cottages,  Newbigging,  and  Place  House,  and 
turned  at  right  angles  down  to  the  Kirkton  Kirk. 
The  road  thence  to  Kinghorn  proceeded  first  to 
Meadowfield  and  skirted  the  foot  of  the  slope  in 
front  of  Binn  House  to  Cot-burn-dale.  Portions  of 
this  road  were  substantially  built  of  stone,  being 
round  the  edge  of  a  marsh.  The  road  appeared 
again  along  the  foot  of  the  Delves,  and  crossed  the 
shoulder  of  the  black  rock  east  of  Xo  Thorough- 
fare. Later,  when  the  road  came  from  Meadow- 
field  through  the  gap  between  Black  Jock's  Hill 
and  the  Knaps,  there  was  still  a  wide  stretch  of 
water  on  both  sides  of  the  road.  I  have  seen  this 
on  a  map  probably  drawn  prior  to  1800.  In  the 
18th  century  and  till  1843  the  road  from  Burnt- 
island  to  Kirkcaldy  passed  almost  exactly  over  the 
road  in  front  of  Craigholm,  by  Gladstone  Place, 
Kirkebank,  and  up  the  defile  to  the  (jolf  C'ourse, 
through  which  it  passed  over  the  present  road 
there.  A  road  to  Kirkcaldy  by  the 'School  Meadows 
or  Hurley  Shot  and  Binnend  is  indicated  in 
Watson's  will  of  1684. 


126  •  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 


CHAPTER  XI. 

PARISH    CHURCH. 

Architecturally,  Burntisland  Parish  Church  is 
unique — -in  Britain  anyhow.  Succeeding'  genera- 
tions have  ruminated  over  the  origin  of  its  design. 
Blunt, 'squat,  radical,  it  seems  to  flout  the  schools 
from  the  Egyptian  to  the  Gothic.  If  the  so-called 
pagoda  or  commemorative  tower  of  the  Chinese  had 
be?n  square  instead  of  octagonal,  and  hut  a  single 
gallery  in  its  tower,  it  would  have  served  as  a  good 
pattern.  This  blend  of  the  barbarous  and  the 
simple  may  have  crept  along-  the  north  of  Asia  to 
^Norway,  where  there  is  a  considerable  number  of 
ecclesiastical  edifices,  whose  ground  plan  is  square 
or  circular,  with  the  tower  rising1  out  of  the  centre, 
St  Paul's  fashion.  This  elemental  form,  compris- 
ing1 indubitably  leng'th,  breadth,  and  thickness, 
appealed  to  the  broad-beamed  denizens  of  Holland, 
and  evidently  met  with  the  approval  of  the  Burnt- 
islanders.  Tradition  long'  declared  the  church  to 
be  an  imitation  of  the  North  Church  of  Amster- 
dam, l:ut  it  appears  on  inquiry  there  is  no  resem- 
blance. Lt  lias  recently  been  told  me  by  t\vo  sea- 
g'oing'  persons  that  an  exact  replica  exists  in 
Rotterdam. 


PARISH  CHURCH  127 

I  have  attempted  to  verify  this  by  addressing 
the  minister  of  the  Church  of  Scotland  in  Rot- 
terdam, but  have  received  no  reply,  though  enclos- 
ing a  three-penny  stamp.  It  ought  to  be  easy  to 
find  if  there  is  such  a  church  there,  as  it  has 
recently  become  a  local  fashion  to  spend  the  annual 
holiday  in  one  or  other  of  the  coast  towns  of  Hol- 
land, taking  one  of  the  vessels  now  trading  between 
there  and  Burntisland.  I  have  seen  a  picture  of 
St  Catherine's  at  Montneur,  almost  identical  with 
our  Parish  Church. 

The  church,  which  was  erected  at  the  expense 
of  the  town  was  begun  in  1592,  and  the  walls 
and  arches  must  have  been  finished  in  1595,  as 
the  Council  then  decides  on  "ye  reparation  of  ye 
new  kirk,"  and  to  "complete  ye  stepill."  All 
the  same  ''ye  stepill"  was  not  completed  till  .1749, 
a  small  wooden  belfry  doing  duty  till  then.  Sir 
Kohert  Sibbald  saw  the  church  like  this  about 
1080,  when  he  described  it  as  "a  fine  square 
structure  with  a  pavilion  roof  after  the  modern 
fashion."  This  inability  to  proceed  with  the  tinvei- 
just  at  once  may  have  been  a  blessing  in  disguise, 
for  Sibbald  relates  elsewhere  that  "on  Thursday, 
8th  November,  1008,"  when  the  mortar  would 
have  been  barely  set,  "there  was  in  Fife  an  Earth- 
quake betwixt  nine  an  ten  hours  at  even,  which 
lasted  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  that  it  terrified 
all  the  persons  within  the  towns  of  Couper,  Xew- 
burgli,  Dunferniling,  Brunt  island,  and  others 
within  Fife."  "  Ye  reparation  decided  on  in  1595 


128  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLANI) 

cannot  have  been  carried  far,  as  in  1602  "Ye 
bailleis  counsall  and  coinmitee  of  ye  said  burgh 
being  publiclie  warnit  be  sound  of  drum  and  coii- 
venit  in  ye  kirk  ...  all  in  aiie  voice  . 
that  ye  kirk  salbe  dressit  and  apparrollit  within 
and  montit  witli  sufficient  staiie  (pavement  in  the 
next  minute)  and  \veill  furneicit  wt  sufficient  seatis 
round  about  for  men  and  \vemin"  ;  and  to  this 
end  they  agreed  to  put  a  stent  011  the  "  haill 
inhabitants."  But  few  fixed  seats  for  general 
purposes  could  have  been  supplied.  Few  existed 
in  the  centre  of  the  church  till  well  into  the  18th 
century,  this  part  being-  reserved  for  the  women 
folks  of  the  craftsmen,  who  carried  stools  with 
them  to  each  service.  Mrs  Balingall  told  me  that 
even  in  her  day  there  were  many  loose  forms  in 
spaces  such  as  that  at  the  entrance,  first  seated 
in  1862,  and  a  good  number  of  high-backed  chairs, 
said  to  date  from  Charles  First,  in  the  passages. 
( hie  minister,  accepting  a  call  to  a  better  place, 
took  as  a  memento  six  of  these  with  him.  He 
was  ordered  to  return  them,  but  if  he  did  there 
are  none  now. 

The  roof  was  still  unceiled  in  1G06,  five  years 
after  the  visit  of  the  King,  and  in  1609  the  Council 
contracted  with  two  men  "  for  sclaitting-  ye  kirk 
roof  for  auchtfoir  libs  money  scots."  The  pulpit 
said  to  have  been  similar  to  that  of  Holy  Trinity, 
Edinburgh,  and  the  seat  of  Sir  Robert  Melville  of 
Burntisland  Castle,  now  used  by  the  Magistrates, 
were  both  built  in  1606. 


PARISH  CHURCH  129 

Standing-  alone  architecturally,  Buriitislaml 
Church  has  claims  to  interest  not  to  be  shared  in 
the  fact  that  within  its  walls  King1  James  first 
indicated  his  intention  of  having-  a  new  translation 
of  the  Bible.  In  another  respect  it  stands  alone. 
It  is  the  only  Scottish  church  where  the  positions, 
of  all  the  guild  seats  remain  distinctly  marked, 
and  where  the  insignia  or  appropriate  pictures  used 
by  them  still  exist  in  their  original  positions, 
though  in  several  churches  the  situations  of  one 
or  two  of  the  guild  seats  are  roughly  known  and 
accounts  remain  of  what  the  insignia  or  mottoes 
were.  One  only  original  painting  of  this  nature 
of  all  these  has  been  discovered — that  preserved 
in  the  Session-house  of  Crail  Parish  Church.  It 
had  been  used  face  down  to  repair  the  floor  of 
the  church  in  1815,  and  was  discovered  there  in 
1878.  A  M-r  Scott  remembered  it  to  have  been 
in  the  sailors'  loft.  The  picture,  which  is  in  oil, 
oil  a  panel  17  inches  by  11  inches,  represents, 
according  to  "  Memorials  of  Crail  Churchyard," 
in  which  a  photograph  of  it  may  be  seen,  a  sailor 
"  with  an  astrolabe."  The  instrument  is,  how- 
ever, a  quadrant.  Though  the  loft  of  which  this 
picture  formed  a  part  existed  in  1656  the  painting- 
is  assigned  to  1756,  I  suppose  mainly  on  account 
of  the  nightcap  the  figure  wears.  In  the  first 
half  of  the  18th  century  the  wearing  of  nightcaps 
and  other  night-wear  during  the  day  became  a 
fad.  Even  the  fair  sex  got  infected  and  enthusi- 
astically decked  themselves  in  spiritualised  night 


130  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

"•ear  of  various  sorts.  But  seafaring  folks,  to 
circumvent  tlie  winds,  have  worn  semi-cowls,  re- 
sembling the  well-known  Kilmarnock  nightcap, 
from  time  immemorial,  and  fishermen  do  so  yet. 

Had  there  been  no  Secession  in  1736  and  no 
Disruption  in  1843,  Hurntisland  Church  would 
have  been  structurally  altered  out  of  recognition. 
At  these  dates  the  church  was  packed,  and  without 
this  timely  emigration  must  have  been  extended. 
And  had  the  Session  been  financially  fit  when  the 
alterations  of  1822  were  made,  involving  the  erec- 
tion of  a  new  north  gallery,  the  destruction  of  the 
carved  and  gilded  canopies  above  the  heritors' 
seats,  a  new  pulpit,  new  pavement,  painting,  etc., 
at  a  cost  of  £800,  they  might  have  renewed  the 
remaining  three  galleries  to  make  them  uniform. 
Most  fortunately  they  could  not  afford  even  to 
have  the  pictures  scraped  oft',  and  merely  painted 
them  over.  The  fact  that  plenty  paint  was  used, 
and  in  repeated  doses,  in  the  effort  to  obliterate 
the  pictures,  served  only  the  better  to  preserve 
them. 

Of  the  carved  canopies  and  pulpit  there  remains 
only  one  small  piece,  its  preservation  being  due 
io  the  antiquarian  instincts  of  Miss  Kirk,  Hilton, 
in  whose  possession  it  now  is.  Miss  Kirk  has 
kindly  given  me  permission  to  photograph  it,  and 
a  facsimile  is  here  shown. 


PARISH  CHURCH 


It     has 
summer 


been 
house 


the 
at 


general  belief  that  the 
Starleybank  is  of  a 
similar  design  to  the 
original  pulpit  and 
lined  with  part  of  it. 
The  proprietor,  D.  T. 
Moir,  Esq.,  was  kind 
enough  k>  show  me 
this  interesting 
house,  lined  with 
beautiful  old  oak 
panels  of  various  pat- 
terns, which  would 
have  b?en  turned 
into  firewood  but  for 
the  care  of  Mr 
Hutchison,  Session 
Clerk.  However, 

Mrs  Balingall,  his 
daughter,  assured  me 
that  the  house  was 
built  jiist  prci'iinix  to 
Portion  of  the  oKf  canopies  or  pulpit.  ]$Q2,  when  a  great 

many  of  the  pews  had  their  fronts  renewed, 
and  the  use  of  these  for  lining  was  an  after- 
thought. Still,  it  is  possible  Mr  Hutchison, 
deeply  attached  to  the  church  with  which  he  had 
been  so  long  connected,  may  have  possessed  some 
portions  of  the  pulpit  destroyed  in  1822  and  have 
used  these  as  well  as  those  of  1802,  which  might 
account  for  so  persistent  a  rumour. 


Ground  plan  of  Burntislund   Parish  Church,   1822. 


PARISH  CHURCH 


133 


KEY  TO  PLAN 


A.  Passage  to  stairs  F  and  8. 

B.  Minister's  seat. 

C.  Aytoun  of  Grange. 

D.  Alexander  Chaplin's  seat. 

E.  Duiiearu. 

F.  To  tailors  and  schoolmas- 

ter's loft. 

G.  Grange. 

H.  Grange — later  Dick's  Trust 

I.  Provo-tt  Speed. 

J.  Xewbigging. 

K.  Ged's  Mill. 

L.  Temporary  sacramental 
table. 

M.  Route  followed  by  com- 
municants. 

N.  Seats  used  at  the  Lord's 
Supper. 

C).  Burntisland  Castle. 

P.  Proprietor  of  National 
Bank. 

Q.  Lammerlaws  vitriol  works. 

R.  Grange. 

S.  Dick's  Trust. 


T.  Whinnyhall. 

U.  Sea  Farm  and  Mills. 

V.  Nether  Grange. 

W.  Weavers. 

X.  Fleshers. 

Y.  Binnencl. 

Z.  Dodhead. 

&.  Grindlay's. 

2.  Council  seat. 

3.  Shoemakers. 

4.  Stair    to    Guildry,    sailors, 

maltmen,     and     Baxters 
lofts. 

5.  Position     of     "  Old     r.'.nu's 

seat." 

6.  Baptism      administer!  :i     in 

the  passage  here. 

8.  Hammermen's  stair. 

9.  John  Watson's  seat  in  this 

.space. 
A2.  Strangers'  iseat. 

10.  Prime    Guild    stair    (page 

149). 


From  descriptions  of  people  still  alive  or  re- 
cently dead,  a  plan  of  the  church  seats  of  1862, 
and  books  of  the  Guildry,  Hammermen,  and  Town 
Council,  I  am  able  to  present  an  almost  complete 
plan  of  the  church  seats  previous  to  the  alterations 
of  1822.  The  present  pulpit  and  pulpit  stair 
were  built  then.  The  old  pulpit  was  not  so  high 
nor  did  the  stair  come  outside  the  pillars.  As 
the  alterations  or  renovations  did  not  change  the 
writings,  we  may  consider  that  this  plan  shows 
very  closely  the  state  of  the  church  sittings  in 


J34  HISTORY  OF  BURNTJSLAND 

1727.  Between  1700  and  1727  the  seats  D.,  H.r 
•I.,  those  from  Y.  to  the  south  wall,  those  behind 
B.  and  C.,  and  several  in  the  unknown  space  9, 
w?re  built.  Those  marked  "  X  "  were  probably 
built  after  1727.  Were  all  these  left  out  we 
would  have  a  picture  of  the  sittings  on  the  ground 
floor  as  far  back  as  1683,  when  the  weavers'  and 
fleshers'  seats  were  built.  As  shown  in  a  pre- 
ceding' chapter,  the  Burntisland  Castle  seat  (0) 


Magistrates'   t^eat — Formerly   that   of   Burnti^la:id 


PARISH  CHURCH  135 

(sometimes  termed  the  Royal  pew,  though  not  in 
existence  on  the  Kind's  visit)  was  built  in  1606. 
Through  the  generosity  of  Mr  Thomas  A.  Wallace 
this  quaint  and  interesting  piece  of  cabinet  work 
lias  been  carefully  renovated  and  redecorated, 
under  the  direction  of  Sir  R.  Rowand  Anderson, 
LL.I).  The  arms  under  the  canopy  are  those  of 
Sir  Robert  Melville,  who  as  an  extraordinary 
Lord  of  Session  in  1601  went  by  the  (law)  title 
of  Lord  Burnt  island,  and  Dame  Jean  Hamilton, 
daughter  of  Gavin  Hamilton  of  Raplock,  qnd 
widow  of  Robert,  4th  Lord  Ross.  This  lady 
was  always  spoken  of  in  Burntisland  as  Lady  Ross. 
Sir  Robert  Melville  had  been  previously  married, 
and  died  without  issue.  Yet  Speed  says  lie  was. 
succeeded  in  the  Provostship  of  Burntisland  by 
his  son,  Sir  William  Melville.  As  seen  in  another 
chapter  Speed  was  mistaken.  When  the  Castle 
passed  from  Sir  James  Melville  of  Halhill  in  1664 
to  Sir  James  Wemyss,  the  seat  must  have  been 
overlooked,  as  1  find  the  Council  addressed  in 
167-'{  by  "  The  Right  Potent  and  noble  Karl  of 
\Veinyss"  to  "ratify  the  old  agreement  regarding 
the  seat  in  his  favour." 

Exactly  how  this  seat  appeared  previous  to  its 
renovation  may  be  seen  in  my  picture  of  the 
"  Kirking  of  the  Magistrates,"  in  the  possession 
nt  ex-Bailie  Ferguson.  The  Burgh  Arms  on  the 
c-inopy  are  an  addition.  The  colours  used  in 
these  arms  are  those  of  Fife,  suggested  by  the 
lute  M;in|tiis  of  Bute  "  because  Ilie  arms  of  Fife 


136  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

are  the  arms  of  the  Earl  of  Wemyss  and  therefore 
those  of  Sir  James  Wemyss  of  Caskieberry,  hus- 
band of  Margaret  Countess  of  Wemyss  m  her 
own  right,  and  who  was  created  a  Peer  in  1672 
with  the  title  of  Lord  Burntisland." 

Among1  the  books  in  this  seat  is  a  fine  Bas- 
kerville  Bible  dated  1772,  presented  by  AVilliam 
Ferguson  of  Raith  in  1778,  when  he  was  Provost. 

This  is  the  only  seat  left  which  gives  an  idea 
of  what  the  canopied  seats  along  the  foot  of  the 
galleries  were  like.  It  has  often  been  stated  that 
the  woodwork  of  this  seat,  the  canopies  of  the 
heritors'  seats  now  lost,  and  the  carved  fronts  of 
the  galleries,  were  imported  from  Holland,  carved 
and  ready  to  fix  up ;  and  I  have  some  confirma- 
tion of  this  from  Mrs  M'Omish,  whose  progenitor, 
Alexander  Chaplin,  shipmaster,  brought  the  wood 
of  seat  D  from  Rotterdam  cut  to  size.  It  had  a 
canopy  of  which  one  stump  is  left. 

Where  the  Magistrates  sat  before  1646  is  not 
known,  but  in  that  year  it  is  agreed  to  build 
"  ane  seat  in  ye  kirk  upon  ye  south  eist  pillare 
for  ye  baillies."  Yet  on  (Jet.  12,  1657,  it  is 
11  ordained  that  ye  baillies  sit  at  a  table  befoir  ye 
pulpit."  Afterwards  another  motion  is  carried 
that  "  a  seat  be  built  in  ye  kirk  for  ye  magis- 
trates," etc.  This  was  the  seat  2  of  the  plan, 
and  here  they  sut  (with  the  whole  Council  on 
occasions)  till  a  comparatively  recent  date,  when 
the  seat  was  given  to  the  proprietor  of  the  Castle 


PARISH  CHURCH  137 

in  exchange  for  his  marked  (.),  and  in  1862  turned 
so  that  the  long1  side  should  be  against  the  wall, 
where  it  now  is. 

From  time  to  time  applications  were  made  to 
build  seats  in  the  centre  of  the  church,  but  with 
one  or  two  exceptions,  until  the  beginning  of 
the  18th  century,  these  were  always  refused,  the 
idea  being  to  retain  this  space  for  the  women 
relatives  of  tiie  guilds.  After  Cromwell's  disap- 
pearance the  families  of  the  gentry  ventured  back 
from  their  retreats  on  the  Continent,  and  this  is 
evident  from  the  offers  to  build  seats.  But  the 
Council  (1652)  would  allow  no  seats  outside  the 
"  breast  of  ye  loft,"  and  the  only  seat  in  the 
body  of  the  church  at  that  time  other  than  0, 
Pys  and  Q  was  "  ye  old  man's  seat,"  sometimes 
termed  "the  range  about  ye  pulpit."  There 
were  repeated  complaints  about  it  being  crammed. 
In  1673  it  was  ""ordained  "  that  five  persons 
named  "  and  no  others  shall  sit  there  without 
permission,"  and  "  the  officers  "  were  instructed 
to  keep  the  door  locked.  This  seat  dated  from 
1633,  when  King  Charles  I.  visited  the  town. 
Tremendous  preparations  were  made  in  anticipa- 
tion of  his  coming;.  "  Xew  suits  of  clothes  were 
ordered  for  the  two  burgh  officers,  wines,  comfits, 
and  eatables  provided  for  His  Majesty,  streets 
cleared  of  middings  and  red,  and  women  and 
children  ordered  to  keep  within  doors  from  morn- 
ing till  night. — (Speed's  notes).  So  very  remini- 
scent of  the  Sultan's  proclamation  when  the 


138  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

Princess  Badroulboudour  passed  to  the  bath,  that 
all  shops  should  be  shut  and  all  persons  retire  to 
their  houses  during  her  progress.  Let  us  hope 
that  as  Aladdin  stole  a  sight  of  the  Princess 
through  the  lattice,  so  the  women  and  children  of 
"  Bnmtylin"  would  take  a  peep  at  their  King, 
little  thinking  that  in  a  few  short  trouble-filled 
years  that  head  of  curls  would  be  laid  on  the 
block. 

Speed  continues: — "Two  boats  were  provided 
to  ferry  the  King  and  his  attendants  from  Xew- 
liaveiL,  and  all  were  to  receive  the  freedom  of  the 
Burgh!"  The  method  adopted  by  the  King  to 
avoid  swearing  fealty  to  himself  is  not  recorded. 
Unfortunately  it  was  stormy  on  the  10th  July, 
and  the  rolling  deep  must  have  made  a  mess  «»f 
the  programme.  Two  men  were  lost  on  the 
passage,  one  of  whom  was  John  Ferries,  the 
King's  cook.  The  bodies  were  recovered  on  the 
8rd  of  August.  On  that  of  "Ferries  was  found 
'  £45  iu  dollars  and  other  white  money,  5  twelve 
pund  pieces  in  gold,  ane  single  angel,"  etc.,  in 
all  £107  5s  4d ;  gold  ring,  rapier,  belt  and  hinger. 
Item  ane  cot  and  breeks  of  camblet."  "With  that 
in  came  the  inevitable  bills,  and  "  the  baillies 
think  meet  that  the  sums  bestowed  on  his  burial 
be  paid  to  the  following  persons : — 
To  Andro  Orrock  for  making  his  graif,  16 

shillings. 
Item    to    John    White    for    ringing    the    bell,    16 

shillings. 


PARISH  CHURCH  139 

Item  to  Janet  Mair  and  Klspat  Coasin  for  winding 
him,   13  shillings. 

Item  to  William  Mitchel  for  washing'  his  cot  and 
breeks,    16    shillings. 

Item  to  James  Brown  tayleonr  for  5  elms  of  linen 
to  be  his  winding  sheet,  five  pnnd  8  sbillings. 

Item  to  J)avid  Stirling  for  making  his  kist,  3  lib 
iO  shillings. 

Item   to   workmen    for   carrying   him   to   the   Tol- 
bnith.,  3^  shillings. 

Item  to  Alexander  Barnie  for  first  spying1  him  in 
ye  wold,  31  shillings. 

Item   ane  dollar  to  pay  for  the  winding  sheet  of 
the  other  man  found  with   him." 

Compare  this  "  ane  dollar  "  winding  sheet  for 
the  nameless  man  witli  that  of  Ferries  at  "  5  pnnd 
8  shillings"  and  "13  shillings"  for  putting  it  on. 

The  Bailies  would  be  somewhat  taken  aback  on 
Sept.  17  when  the  "Lord  Admiral"  came  to 
anchor  in  Bnrntisland  roads,  and  "  desired  the 
money  ami  other  effects  to  be  given  np  to  him." 
Negotiations  went  on  till  Dec.  14th,  when  the 
Council  obtained  the  property  found  on  Ferries 
"deducting  alway  40  libs  to  be  given  to  the  Lord 
Admiral  for  his  glide  will."  Verily!  the  want 
of  money  is  the  root  of  all  evil.  The  "  Lord 
Admiral  "  and  the  Council  appear  to  have  courted 
absolution  by  offering  the  balance — over  £')!, 
rapier,  ring-,  etc. — to  the  Kirk  Session — "and  the- 


1 4o  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLANL) 

Council  think  it  expedient  that  the  Session  build 
.ane  seat  round  the  pulpit  for  sick  (such)  aged  men 
us  cannot  well  hear  the  minister's  voice." 

On  March  28th,  1659,  'Jon  AA'atson,"  who  in- 
stituted "  Watson's  Mortification,"  was  permitted 
to  build  a  seat  on  the  "  west  side  of  the  range 
.about  the  pulpit."  On  17th  Dec.,  1723,  another 
was  permitted  near  here  which  was  to  come  to  a 
<loor  on  the  north  side  of  the  south-west  pillar 
by  which  the  minister  entered  the  pulpit.  An 
entry  in  the  Council  Records  of  Gth  April,  1702, 
#ives  a  great  deal  of  information  about  the  space 
under  the  south  gallery.  David  Bonnar  of  Binn- 
end  was  given  liberty  to  build  "a  seat  or  pew" 
Y  on  plan — in  front  of  a  round  seat  situated  to 
the  east  of  the  magistrates'  and  strangers' 
seats — 2  and  A2.  It  was  to  be  "  level  in  front" 
with  the  magistrates'  seat  and  straight  east  to  the 
AVabster's  seat — W ;  and  the  .entrance  was  to  be 
by  the  east  end  "breasting1"  the  Flesher's  seat — X. 
The  strangers'  seat  appears  to  have  had  the  pro- 
perty of  entertaining-  unawares  and  in  excess.  In 
1711—  '  Discharges  any  town's  person,  man  or 
woman,  hereafter  to  sitt  in  that  seat  commonly 
railed  the  strangers'  seat  unless  they  agree  wt  the 
town's  treasurer  for  to  pay  him  twenty  shillings 
Scots  yearly  each  of  ym  for  this  liberty  of  the  sd 
seat."  Another  seat  "at  the  back  of  Minuend's" 
belonging  to  the  town  was  let  for  "  4  lib  yearly." 

In  1(583  the  "  AVabsters"  were  granted  the  por- 
tion AAr  for  a  seat.     They  had  never  been  able  to 


PARISH  CHURCH  141 

find  enough  accommodation  in  the  spaces  in  the 
gallery  unfilled,  but  belonging  to  other  guilds. 
On  14th  May,  1683,  "  Ye  baillies  and  Counsel  all 
in  ane  voyce  approve  that  ye  weivers  pay  twentie 
marks  tor  their  seat  in  ye  Kirk  in  ye  south  eist 
end  of  ye  Kirk"  on  their  representing  that  they 
were  "  hardly  abell  to  pay  ye  warkmeii  for  build- 
ing of  ye  seat."  About  60  years  ago  William 
(jairus,  the  last  of  the  Weavers'  Corporation,  ami 
his  wife  occupied  the  centre  seat  of  this  block — W. 
On  23rd  April,  the  same  year,  the  "Counsel 
ordaines  ye  fleshers  to  give  in  twentie  inerks 
(yearly,  I  believe)  to  ye  treasurer  for  ye  libertie 
of  yer  seat  on  ye  south  syd  of  ye  weivers  seat." 
About  60  years  ago  "Sandy"  Hutchison,  the  last 
of  the  Fleshers'  Corporation,  occupied  one  of  these 
seats — block  X.  Something  of  a  character,  he 
brought  a  candle  with  him  to  see  the  small  print, 
and  complained  openly  of  the  low  temperatures  in 
winter,  preferring  then,  he  said,  to  read  Burns 
at  the  fireside.  Sand}'  had  a  disturbing  habit  of 
thinking  audibly.  On  one  occasion,  in  the  middle 
of  the  sermon,  he  made  some  stir  by  suddenly 
remarking —  'Man,  Kobin  (the  minister),  ye're  a 
ha i verm'  body." 

It  is  not  known  when  the  shoemakers  built  the 
seats  3,  3,  but  application  was  made  for  their 
enlargement  beyond  the  north  wall  of  the  vestry 
in  169;').  Mrs  Wiliamson,  Bentfield,  when  a  child 
was  several  times  in  them.  She  savs  thev  were 


i4*  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

notorious  for  being'  rather  narrow  to  get  into  or 
to  sit  comfortably  in.  If  shoemakers  err  it  is  on 
the  side  of  neatness. 

The  seat  &  was  attached  to  the  houses  14  and 
15  Croimvell  Road,  belonging1  oO  years  ag-o  to  a 
Mr  Grindlay.  Mary  Somerville  after  her  mar- 
riage to  her  cousin,  Lieutenant  Greig-,  is  said  to 
have  resided  in  one  of  these  houses,  and  may  then 
have  occupied  this  seat. 

In  1724  "  John  Durie  of  Grange"  wanted  his 
seat  made  square.  This  was  probably  that  marked 
V  and  named  Nether  Grang'e,  though  not  yet 
square.  Sibbaid  visiting'  Burntisland  in  1699 
writes — "  Xether  Grang'e  hath  a  neat  house  and 
enclosures  belonging-  to  a  gentleman  of  the  name 
of  Durie."  As  early  as  Ioo2  "  Georg'e  Durie 
gave  to  his  brother  Peter  the  lands  of  Nether 
Grang'e  called  le  mains." 

The  square  seat  T  was  made  by  John  Leslie  of 
Quartier  in- 1655,  with  permission  of  the  Countess 
of  Wemyss,  proprietress  of  the  Castle.  Quartier 
was  the  old  name  of  a  district  between  Dodhead 
aud  Whinnyhall  belonging-  to  the  Castle,  and 
appears  in  lilaeu's  map,  1662. 

The  two  seats  II. Y.  b?hind  were  used  by  the 
tenants  of  the  Castle  Flour  and  Saw  Mills. 

On  the  seat  R  (the  Grange)  may  be  seen  the 
stumps  of  the  pillars  on  which  the  canopy  was 
supported . 


PARISH  CHURCH  143 

On  23rd  Dec.,  1T23,  "  Robert  Ged  the  laird  of 
Baldrig"  i>ot  the  Council's  grant  to  extend  his 
seat  Iv  east  to  the  north-east  pillar  of  the  gallery. 
The  passage  between  his  seat  and  that  of  Xew- 
bigging  T  was  not  to  be  interfered  with.  This 
Ged  was  a  depute  bailie  of  the  Court  of  Regality 
of  Dunferniline.  He  had  been  fined  for  attend- 
ing a  conventicle  in  1674,  and  yet  in  his  niaturer 
age  appears  to  have  been  a  strong  supporter  of 
the  "  Old  Chevalier." 

It  was  in  the  seat  behind  Xewbigging  that 
Provost  Speed,  so  often  quoted  in  these  lines,  and 
his  sister  sat.  The  back  of  the  seat  was  removed, 
and  placed  on  the  wall  behind,  on  the  abolition  of 
the  hammermen's  passage  in  1862.  It  bears  the 
inscription  : — 17.TL.JH.42. 

Seat  D  is  interesting  as  having  the  inscription  : — 
17.A.C.-K.C.27 — Alexander  and  Kuphemia  Chap- 
lin. Alexander  Chaplin  was  a  shipmaster,  and  a 
Councillor  often  referred  to  as  absent  with  his  ship. 

The  fact  that  only  members  of  the  guilds  and 
their  apprentices  were  allowed  to  sit  in  the  guild 
seats  accounts  for  the  resistance  to  proposals  for 
pews  in  the  centre  of  the  church,  which  was  the 
only  place  available  to  the  women.  The  only 
family  pews,  even  under  the  galleries,  were  those 
of  the  heritors  and  minister  until  the  beginning  of 
the  18th  century,  when  several  bailies  were  granted 
the  right  to  make  pews  for  their  families.  One  of 
these  was  that  blocking  the  passage  on  the  south  of 
Q.A.L. 


i44  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

The  year  1725  was  a  record  for  these  family 
pews,  and  those  obtaining  permission  petitioned  to 
have  the  right  to  their  "  'air*'  and  successors  for 
ever."  The  Council  thought  this  somewhat  pro- 
tracted, but  ultimately  took  the  risk,  with  the  pro- 
viso, that  in  the  event  of  their  "remottest  airs  fail- 
ling-"  the  seat  shall  return  to  and  be  at  the  full 
disposal  of  the  Magistrates  and  Council  with  the 
concurrence  of  the  minister  and  Kirk  Session. 

At  this  period  the  seats  behind  B  and  C  were 
added,  leaving1  the  passage  A.  In  course  of  time 
the  centre  of  the  church  was  seated  as  exhibited  in 
the  plan,  but  in  such  a  way  as  to  allow  of  the  com- 
nmnion  being'  celebrated  after  the  manner  of  the 
Bereans.  L  is  a  table,  present  only  at  communion, 
to  support  the  elements,  the  ministers  sitting-  in 
front  of  Gr  and  J.  The  dotted  line  M  shows  the 
route  taken  by  the  communicants.  The  seven 
square  seats  N  were  entered  from  the  sides  ordi- 
narily, but  on  communion  their  detachable  ends 
and  partitions  were  removed,  leaving-  two  long- 
seats  with  a  centre  table.  This  continued  till 
about  1860. 


PARISH  CHURCH 


J45 


Ladle  for  tokens. 

Here  is  given  a  block  of  a  curious  ladle  used  in 
Burntisland  Church  to  collect  the  tokens  after  the 
communicants  had  taken  their  seats.  For  offerings 
I  believe  the  "brod"  at  the  door  was  always  used. 
The  church  possesses  a  number  of  these  bronze  col- 
lection plates,  of  which  three  are  bas  reliefs  of  the 
Annunciation,  Glorification  of  the  Virgin,  St 
Christopher  carrying  the  infant  Saviour,  respec- 
tively. There  is  an  inscription  on  each,  one  o£ 
which  the  Kev.  Mr  Kuggan  has  discovered  to  be, 
"I  bring  happiness  always."  Some  years  ago  I 
sent  casts  of  these  to  the  Scottish  Museum,  but  the 
authorities  there  could  not  say  what  the  inscription 
was,  thought  they  dated  from  William  of  Orange, 
and  did  not  seem  to  place  much  store  by  them. 
However,  in  the  Glasgow  Mxhihition  of  1!)11,  there 
was  a  collection  plate  identical  with  ours  of  the 
Annunciation,  said  to  date  from  the  loth  century. 


146  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

This  would  tally  with  the  tradition  that  these 
plates  were  in  use  at  the  Kirkton  Kirk,  and  are  of 
Roman  Catholic  origin.  It  indicates  an  improved 
outlook  that  the  Session  have  withdrawn  these 
plates  from  use  at  the  doors,  where  they  were  being' 
battered  flat  by  the  weekly  pecks  of  pennies  and 
halfpennies. 

It  is  said  that  not  so  A-ery  long-  ago  the  sand- 
glass, used  to  time  the  sermon  till  about  the  Dis- 
ruption, was  sold  at  a  bazaar.  It  was  about  12 
inches  high. 

There  is  no  inscription  on  the  church  bell,  but  it 
was  recast  by  Mrs  Isobel  Meikle,  of  Edinburgh,  in 
1708,  and  the  cost  defrayed  by  public  subscription. 

It  has  often  been  said  that  a  model  ship  was  sus- 
pended from  the  hook  above  the  east  gallery.  Mrs 
Baling  all  told  me  her  father,  for  50  years  Session- 
Clerk,  often  spoke  of  it.  It  was  not  the  model  now 
in  the  old  Council  Chamber. 

About  67  years  ago  three  large  chandeliers  were 
used  for  lighting  the  church — one  each  in  the  north 
and  south  galleries,  and  one  in  the  centre.  That  in 
the  centre  was  lowered  for  lighting  by  means  of  a 
rope  from  the  tower,  and  had  two  large  circles  o.f 
candles,  one  above  and  smaller  than  the  other. 
Mrs  McOmish  tells  she  was  present  one  night  when 
the  worshippers  got  a  great  fright.  The  chandelier 
made  a  trial  attempt  at  aerial  nagivation.  flying 
rapidly  up  and  down.  The  boys  who  rang  the  b?ll, 
having  skipped  the  sermon,  and  suspecting  their 


PARISH  CHURCH  147 

absence  would  not  pass  unrewarded,  concluded  they 
might  as  well  be  hanged,  for  a  sheep's  lamb,  and 
began  dancing  the  candles  up  and  down.  These 
chandeliers  were  introduced  in  1634.  There  have 
been  single  candles  on  the  pillars  and  hanging 
from  the  front  of  .the  galleries.  There  was  the  end 
of  a  steel  shaft  through  the  centre  of  panel  8  south 
loft,  from  which  a  lamp  might  hang. 

The  south-east  pillar  was  where  offenders  were 
placed.  Speed  writes  that  women  convicted  of 
having  illegitimate  children  were  condemned  to 
stand  there  on  a  stool,  in  a  white  sheet,  for  as  many 
as  26  Sabbaths !  More  hopeless  cases  were  sent  to 
the  Cross.  In  1601  Gill  Watson,  for  calling  the 
pastor  a  devil,  was  ordained  to  stand  at  the  Cross 
witli  a  paper  on  her  head  setting  forth  her  offence. 
In  dire  emergencies  the  authorities  could  still 
make  "the  punishment  fit  the  crime,"  as  in  1665 
two  women  were  imprisoned  till  they  would  tell 
who  were  the  fathers  of  their  children.  (Speed's 
Notes). 


Plan  of  the  galteries. 


PARISH  CHURCH  149 

The  plan  of  the  galleries  shows  where  the  dif- 
ferent guilds  were  located  from  1613  to  1833,  with 
the  exception  of  the  Hirers,  who  are  said  to  have 
rented  the  seats  in  the  West  Gallery  marked 
Guildry.  This  portion  belonged  to  the  Session 
and  Prime  Gild  from  1621  to  1822,  when  it  was 
resigned  to  the  Session.  It  was  only  at  a  late  date 
the  Guildry  used  these  seats,  due  probably  to  the 
hirers  becoming  less  numerous  or  using  the  seats  of 
the  Maltmen,  which  body  about  the  end  of  the 
18th  century  was  almost  non-existent,  and  becaiise 
of  a  great  increase  in  numbers  of  the  Guildry. 
Reading  Hirers,  then,  for  Guildry  in  the  West 
Guildry  in  the  South  Gallery  we  will  have  an 
almost  exact  view  of  the  frontayc  of  the  Gild 
seats  from  the  completion  of  the  galleries,  which 
Speed  gives  as  1613.  This  unseated  space  be- 
tween the  Guildry  and  Prime  Gild  belonged  to 
the  Session  and  Prime  Gild,  and  was  let  for 
loose  seats,  along  with  spaces  behind,  to 
several  of  the  crafts  not  fully  seated — the  Shoe- 
makers, Weavers,  and  Fleshers,  who  had  no 
frontage.  Due  to  the  increase  in  numbers  of  the 
other  gilds,  space  had  to  be  found  for  these  three 
gilds  in  16X3  on  the  ground  floor.  Since  1862  the 
division  between  the  Tailors  and  Hammermen  has 
slightly  altered  from  that  in  the  plan. 

The  passage  to  the  "Pryme  (jilt"  lofts  from  the 
south-west  stair  continued  until  about  00  years  ago, 
though  the  picturesque  outside  stair  was  made  in 
107!).  In  1673  the  Council  agreed  to  pay  part  of 


150  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

the  expense  of  making'  this  stair  to  the  ''masters' 
and  seamen's  lofts"  on  condition  that  a  landsman 
be  allowed  to  stand  at  the  collection  plate  there. 
Could  anything-  be  fairer?  The  proposal  to  build 
the  stair  was  opposed  011  a  number  of  grounds — 
that  "the  Kirk  was  over-well  built  to  be  de- 
formed;" that  "it  was  rather  a  decoxment,"  what- 
ever that  is;  "that  it  would  let  the  east  wind  and 
rain  into  the  church."  As  a  last  dangerous  resort, 
"workmen"  were  called  in  to  see  if  this  impossible 
thing-  could  be  done.  They  reported  that  it  could, 
and  would  be  a  great  improvement. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

TIIK    GUILDS    AND    T1IK    CIlUiJCH. 

Gilds  there  were  when  Greece  was  mistress  of 
the  world.  In  the  middle  ages  all  sorts  were  in 
great  vog-ue — religious,  social,  commercial.  The 
commercial  at  first  included  both  maker  and 
vendor.  In  Scotland  the  Merchant  gilds  have 
always  been  at  daggers  drawn  with  the  Craft  gilds, 
and  the  object  of  each,  whether  merchant  or  craft, 
was  ever  to  "keep  their  ain  fish  guts  for  their  ain 
sea  maws."  Universal  thanksgiving  was  offered 
up  in  1833  for  what  was  thought  to  be  the  final 


THE  GUILDS  AND  THE  CHURCH         151 

overthrow  of  the  privileged  merchant  and  trade 
societies  in  the  burghs,  yet  their  modern  represen- 
tatives, more  widely  diffused — syndicates  and 
trade  unions — seem  a  greater  menace  than  ever  to 
freedom  of  trade  and  freedom  of  service. 

It  is  interesting  to  know  that  James  V.,  who 
built  our  first  piers  and  gave  our  first  Royal  Char- 
ter, and  whose  portrait  in  armour,  Speed  informs 
us,  was  the  original  Burgh  Seal,  took  the  part  of 
the  crafts  as  against  the  merchants  in  1580,  and 
restored  their  power  to  fix  their  own  prices  by 
deacons  chosen  by  themselves;  and,  what  was  more 
fatal  to  the  merchants,  to  sell  their  own  manufac- 
tures if  necessary.  In  1555  Queen  Mary  advanced 
on  this  by  giving  the  deacons  the  right  to  vote  in 
the  election  of  the  burgh  officials.* 

In  Burnt  island,  early  in  the  17th  century,  the 
following  bodies  were  permitted  to  have  each  a 
fund  or  "box"  to  bear  the  expense  of  prosecuting 
before  the  Magistrates  those  of  their  own  class 
who  did  not  contribute  to  their  funds: — The  Mer- 
chants, or  (ruildry  (traders,  shopkeepers,  or 
shippers),  ihe  Pryme  Gilt  (shipmasters  and  sea- 
men), the  Hammermen  (smiths,  masons,  and 
coupers^,  the  Wrights,  Tailors,  Weavers,  Shoe- 
makers, Bakers,  Fleshers,  Hirers,  and  Maltmen. 

This  right  to  kill  competition — "the  life  of 
trade"- -M  ithin  the  Burgh  was  granted  on  condi- 
.tion  that  each  Society  supported  its  own  poor. 

'Thomson's   Weavers  of    DiiiifiTinline. 


152  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

Only  twice  a  yenr  were  outsiders  (unfreeinen) 
allowed  to  sell  manufactured  goods  to  the  towns-, 
folk,  and  then  only  on  payment  of  the  fixed  dues 
or  customs.  These  periods,  extending-  to  a  week 
each,  began  on  the  feasts  of  St  Peter,  July  10th, 
and  8t  John.  The  first  is  still  observed  in  the 
guise  of  the  annual  fair,  but  for  the  last  three 
years  on  the  wrong  date.  Speed  says  the  origin  of 
these  dues  can  be  traced  to  fines  imposed  by  the 
clergy  for  breaking  the  religious  character  of  the 
feasts  by  trading.  On  three  days  a  week,  however, 
perishable  commodities — beef,  bread,  and  country 
produce — were  allowed  into  the  town  on  payment 
of  dues,  and  sold  only  at  the  price  fixed  by  the 
burgh  officials,  and  only  at  the  market-place,  which 
was  the  Cross.  As  long  as  it  did  not  interfere  with 
their  own  trade,  there  were  many  eager  to  obtain 
the  bargains  of  the  unfreeman  or  blackleg,  who 
could  sell  cheaper  than  the  burgesses,  not  having 
their  burdens,  and  in  spite  of  the  dues,  if  he  could 
offer  his  goods  privately  at  his  customer's  door. 
This  was  illegal.  A  baker  fiercely  resented  bakers 
coming  into  the  town  and  selling  bread  from  door  to 
door,  where  the  prices  could  not  be  publicly 
acknowledged ;  but  if  some  mutton  was  brought  to 
him  in  this  way,  he  changed  his  tune.  Monopoly 
was  not  always  maintained,  however,  even  in  the 
Courts  In  1780  a  weaver  from  the  Kirkton,  dis- 
covered smuggling  in  a  web  of  cloth,  was  heavily 
fined,  and  the  cloth  confiscated;  but,  on  appeal  to 
a  higher  Court,  the  fine  and  cloth  had  to  be  re- 


THE  GUILDS  AND  THE  CHURCH         153 

•turned.  JJut  the  weavers  were  in  a  position 
legally  giving  them  more  chance  of  success  in 
appeals  than  other  outside  tradesmen. 

The  proper  entrance  to  the  town  for  trading 
purposes  in  1635  was  by  the  East  Port,  which  was 
erected  then.  Speed  refers  to  the  north  and  south 
ports.  1  have  not  seen  these  in  the  records,  but 
North  gate,  South  gate,  Mid  gate  often  occur — 
meaning,  apparently,  not  an  entrance  but  a  street 
or  thoroughfare.  The  East  Port  was  demolished 
in  1843,  and  its  extension  marked  by  two  inelegant 
pillars,  now  moved  to  the  entrance  to  the  Links. 
The  illustration  was  constructed  by  me  from 
descriptions  of  Mr  Gibson  Thomson,  Mr  James 
Morrison,  Miss  Dick,  Miss  Kelly,  Mr  Thomas 
Millar—  all  decaeased,  and  all  over  90  years  of  age 
—Mrs  M'Omish  and  Mrs  Williamson.  Miss  Kelly 
owned  the  houses  on  the  left,  and  made  a  drawing 
of  them  for  me.  Mr  Millar  made  me  a  rough 
drawing  of  the  gateway,  which  corresponded  with 
all  I  knew.  The  picture  \vas  shown  to  Mrs 
McOmish  and  Mrs  Williamson,  who  both  recog- 
nised it.  The  top  of  the  wall  was  covered  in  early 
summer  with  "Hobertiwylies" — wild  wallflower- 
just  as  the  Castle  wall  is  yet  at  that  season. 
have  myself  seen  the  house  on  the  right,  and  pait 
of  the  wall  with  the  dead  window,  said  to  have 
been  the  place  where  the  portion  of  Halkston's 
body  sent  to  Burntisland  was  displayed.  (lialkston 
of  Rathillel  was  one  of  the  nine  Covenanters  who 
murdered  Archbishop  Sharp.  He  was  executed 


THE  GUILDS  AND  THE  CHURCH         155 

July,  1080,  his  head  fixed  on  the  Xetherbow, 
one  of  his  "quarters"  sent  to  Rt  Andrews,  one  to 
Glasgow,  one  to  Leith,  and  the  fourth  to  Burnt- 
island).  The  gate,  of  two  leaves,  had  long-  dis- 
appeared. In  early  days  it  was  opened  at  4  a.m. 
and  shut  at  7  p.m.  by  th?  town's  officers,  who  beat 
a  drum  up  the  High  Street, or  were  accompanied 
by  the  town's  "pyper"  or  "violer."  The  town's 
violer  or  pyper  had  a  free  house  and  10  merks 
annually,  and  the  sole  right  to  teach  music  or  \,r.>- 
vide  it  at  marriages,  dances,  etc.  The  violer  m 
1670  complained  to  the  Council  that  "violers  bass 
and  triple"  came  into  the  town  and  reduced  IMS 
income.  They  were  warned  off.  The  foot-passen- 
gers moved  down  the  centre  of  the  street — 'Yro\\ii 
of  the  causeway" — which  Avas  made  of  fiagst  .m  , 
about  4  feet  wide.  The  grandfather  of  Mr-i 
Mdhnish  u.sed  U>  relate  that  as  a  boy  he  played 
''hop,  skip,  and  leap"  over  the  joins  in  this  pave- 
ment. The  remainder  between  the  gutters  was 
cobbled  (a  small  piece  of  this  cobbling',  with  llie 
gutter  near  the  middle,  remains  in  the  Castle 
Vennel),  while  in  front  of  the  houses  was  a  stretch 
of  ground  reserved  for  "middlings,"  carts,  cocks 
and  hens. 

The  Council  books  are  replete  with  complaints 
;il»  n. t  unfreemen  entering1  the  town  endeavouring  to 
work  at  the  trades,  and  enactments  u gainst  them. 
\o  person  could  enter  a  craft  without  being  a 
hurgess.  As  early  as  1611  to  become  a  "fiiman" 
or  burgess  cost  "30  pund  scotlis"  plus  a  banquet. 


156  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

and  to  gain  admission  to  one  of  the  crafts'  cost  as 
much  as  "24  pund  scots."  A  burgess  swore  to  be 
faithful  to  the  King,  to  defend  the  liberties  of  the 
Burgh,  and  assist  the  Magistrates  in  the  execution 
of  their  duty.  He  had  to  be  of  good  moral  char- 
acter, of  the  i rue  religion,"  to  bear  scot  and  lot, 
watch  and  ward,  and  be  owner  of  a  rood  of  bigget 
land.  Sons  and  daughters  of  burgesses  were  free 
by  birth ;  burgess  women  in  exceptional  circum- 
stances, such  as  Cromwell's  siege,  being  called  to 
watch  and  ward.  Sons  of  burgesses  on  entering  a 
craft  were  (barged  only  a  nominal  fee.  In  1711  a 
new  Act  was  passed  imposing  heavier  penalties  on 
nil  freemen,  trading  within  the  Burghs.  Yet 
members  of  the  trade  societies  were  not  free  from 
blame.  In  ]6G8  a  Captain  A  Veiny  ss  complained 
fhat  a  smith  employed  by  him  sent  an  unfreeman 
in  his  place,  thus  defrauding  his  fellow-craftsmen. 
Both  men  were  imprisoned  during  the  "Baillies' 
pleasure."  A  curious  apology  for  smuggling- 
appears  in  a  petition  to  the  Council  by  the  "  in- 
habitants" in  1726  "  against  the  Baxters  for  their 
bred,  the  Cordiners  for  their  shoes,  and  the 
Fleshers  for  the  insufhViencie  of  their  fleshes." 
The  privileges  of  the  freeman  stimulated  the  arts, 
"but  in  time  the  general  public  suffered  severely 
from  the  want  of  reasonable  competition.  Kven  as 
early  as  the  beginning  of  the  17th  century  James 
VI.  in  his  Jjfixilirtin  Dnrnn  writes: —  'The  crafts- 
men think  we  should  be  contented  with  their 
work,  how  bad  soever  it  be;  and  if  in  anything 


THE  GUILDS  AND  THE  CHURCH         157 

they  to  be  (-enroled  up  g-oes  the  blue  blanket." 

Though  the  eleven  societies  in  Bnrutisland  were 
recognised  by  the  Council  none  were  fully  incor- 
porated until  1083.  After  protracted  litigation 
i-  Yfe  Counsell,"  on  27th  August  of  that  year, 
'''  all  in  ane  voice  ordaine  Sealls  of  Cause  to  be 
granted  to  ye  seven  traids  in  ye  Burgh  . 
wrig-hts,  hanibermen,  talyeours,  baxters,  cordiners, 
and  wivers."  The  Guildry,  though  the  most  im- 
portant body — the  Council  being  almost  entirely 
drawn  fioiu  it — was  not  fully  incorporated  until 
1710,  when  it  was  g-iven  the  exclusive  right  of 
trading-.  (The  Dean  of  Guild  as  late  as  1833 
levied  annual  fines  on  merchants  who  were  not 
members  of  the  Guildry.)  lint  it  was  not  till 
1732  that  the  proportion  of  craftsmen  on  the  Town 
Council  was  finally  settled  by  arbitration.  The 
Council  was  to  consist  as  before  of  21  persons,  14 
belong-ing  to  the  Guildry,  including-  all  the 
Magistrates,  and  one  from  each  of  the  seven 
crafts..  The  Prime  Gilt,  Hirers,  and  Maltmen 
were  never  incorporated. 

An  authority  on  ancient  carved  woodwork  gives 
the  style  of  carving  on  the  galleries  as  Kli/.a- 
bethan.  The  west  gallery,  3!)  ft.  ~i\  in.,  contains 
1")  panels,  varying  in  width,  and  a  section  of  one. 
Th?  east  gallery,  3!)  ft.  4  in.,  contains  Hi  panels, 
very  various  in  width,  one  at  the  north  end  meas- 
uring- only  halt  the  average  width;  and  the  south 
gallery.  3S  ft.  10  in.,  has  14  panels  fairly  uniform 
in  width.  Th;'  difference  in  width  of  the  panels 


158  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

must  have  arisen  partly  from  the  galleries  having 
been  erected  at  the  expense  of  the  crafts  at  dif- 
ferent times,  and  partly  from  the  natural  desire 
of  each  craft  to  make  their  panels  end  with  the 
sitting-  space  allotted  them.  The  pilasters  divid- 
ing the  panels  have  been  gilded,  as  well  as  the 
heraldic  ornaments  above  them,  which  had  been 
on  a  green  ground  (of  which  most  -of  the  yellow 
had  faded)  as  restored  around  panel  10  south  side. 
At  the  time  the  pictures  were  painted  over  it  was 
very  generally  regretted,  and  could  not  be  for- 
gotten, as  many  of  them  still  projected,  in  certain 
lights,  from  the  surface.  Enquiries  were  made 
"by  me  many  years  ago  at  Messrs  Dott  &  Son  if 
the  pictures  could  be  uncovered,  and  they  said 
ihey  could;  but  it  was  only  in  1907,  when  the 
columns  and  arches  were  re-chisled  and  the  church 
re-decorated,  under  the  direction  of  the  eminent 
architect,  Sir  B.  Rowand  Anderson,  K.S.A.,  and 
through  the  munificence  mainly  of  Mr  Thomas 
A.  Wallace,  then  Town  Clerk  of  Burntisland,  that 
Messrs  Moxon  &  Corphrae  experimented  with  the 
sixth  panel  on  the  south  side  and  demonstrated 
that  the  many  coats  of  paint  and  varnish  could 
be  removed  without  endangering  the  picture  un- 
derneath. The  picture  brought  to  light  proved  to 
be  a  naval  battle,  the  principal  vessel  being  Scot- 
tish, with  the  St  Andrews  Cross  at  the  tore  and 
the  usual  streamers  waving  from  the  yards.  Over 
the  miz/en-mast  was  a  compass,  and  over  the  fore- 
mast a  moon  "decrescent.'  Portion.':  of  the 


THE  GUILDS  AND  THE  CHURCH         159 

picture  being  absent,  it  was  intended  to  hang-  it 
in  the  vestry,  when  I  ottered  to  fill  in  the  parts 
awanting,  so  that  it  might  be  returned  to  its 
place.  (The  dulness  of  this  panel  gives  an  idea 
of  the  appearance  of  a  number  of  the  panels  when 
found.  Some  were  much  less  distinct  and  some 
quite  fresh.)  Thereafter  Mr  Wallace  very  kindly 
commissioned  me  to  remove  the  paint  from  panel 
8,  east  gallery,  and  restore  it.  I  was  successful 
in  this,  and  since  then  other  commissions  have 
allowed  of  24  panels  being  examined.  Only  six 
of  these  were  blank — Xos.  11,  12,  and  13  east 
gallery,  1 1  and  12  south,  and  7  west  gallery. 
Some  of  the  pictures  were  so  well  preserved  that 
they  were  merely  re-touched.  Tliese  were  Xos. 
6  and  9  south  side,  and  (>,  7,  8,  and  10  east  side. 
The  vermilion  of  the  flags  and  streamers  and 
nearly  all  the  gold  in  No.  7,  east  side,  is  the 
actual  g-old  and  colour  found.  In  many  of  the 
remaining-  panels,  however,  so  much  of  the  gild- 
ing- and  colour  had  disappeared  that  it  had  to  be 
renewed.  In  doing  this  the  original  was  not 
<-leaned  oif,  but  is  still  there,  with  one  exception, 
Xo.  9,  east  side,  which  was  so  split  and  worm- 
eaten  that  a  fresh  surface  was  imperative.  But 
first  u  very  careful  transfer  was  taken  and  a 
study  of  th.>  colour  made. 

In  every  case  the  original  picture  brought  to 
light  was  se?n  by  those  interested  in  the  work. 
The  character  of  a  number  of  them  wa>  quite 
Miiuspected  until  the  removal  of  tjiM.psiint,  >o  that 


i6o  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

the  process  was  highly  exciting1.  There  are  still 
(December  1913)  22  panels  uncovered,  some  of 
which  ought  to  have  pictures,  as  Mary  Somerville 
describes  the  Baxters  and  the  Weavers,  neither  of 
which  was  on  the  north  gallery,  now  destroyed. 

These  pictures  have  no  pretensions  to  being- 
works  of  art.  They  are  typical  examples  of  the 
work  done  by  a  class  of  artist  now  extinct,  but 
who  were  numerous  in  the  days  when  it  was 
fashionable  for  every  shopkeeper  or  tradesman  to 
hang  a  pictorial  symbol  of  his  calling  over  his 
premises. 

Provost  Speed  in  his  notes  writes  that  on  the 
sides  of  the  pillars  were  suitable  texts  for  various, 
occupations,  with  the  Lord's  Prayer,  the  Ten 
Commandments,  and  the  Apostles'  Creed.  When 
Mr  Wallace  offered  to  have  the  pillars  restored  it 
was  hoped  that  on  the  removal  of  the  layers  of 
whiting  and  wallpapers,,  simulating  marble  or 
g-ranite,  in  which  they  were  buried,  the  texts, 
etc.,  would  be  ag'ain  broug'ht  to  light,  but  noth- 
ing was  found.  It  is  probable  that  these  texts 
were  painted  on  tablets  and  hung'  on  the  pillars. 


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i6z  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE    GUILD    SEATS,    PANELS,    AND    INSIGNIA. 

On  previous  page  is  a  facsimile  of  the  first  entry 
in  the  "Gild  Council  book  of  the  Burgh  of  Burnt- 
island,"  of  which  the  following  is  a  version: — 
"In  the  name  of  God,  upon  ye  twentie  fyft  day  of 
December  the  year  of  God  sixteen  hundred  and 
sevinteine  years.  Conveined  David  Seattoune 
Pickard  Ross,  Jon  Geddie,  Jon  Boway, 
Alexander  Forrester,  John  Sybbald,  Jon  Quhyt, 
and  Jon  Seattoune.  For  granting  ane  voluiitare 
contribution  weekly  amongst  ymselves  during  yis 
year  to  come.  To  such  goods  necessr  ...  as 
shall  be  thought  most  expedient  at  yr  nixt  meit- 
ting  They  ilk  ane  for  yr  own  pairts 
Grantit  and  willinglie  assent  to  give  ilk  weik 
during  yis  year  as  followis  to  witt  David  Seattoune 
two  shillings  money  Scotts  Pickard  Ross  ij"  (2s), 
Jon  Boway  ij-s  Jon  Geddie  twelve  pennies  Jon 
Sibbald  xijd  Alexander  Forrester  viij^  and  Jon 
Quhyt  viijrf  And  thought  fitt  and  ordanit  ye  sd 
Jon  Quhyt  suld  begin  upone  Sunday  nixt  ye  28 
of  December  instant  to  collect  at  ye  morneing 
prayers  and  ctiiiew  ilk  Sunday  yrafter  and  maik 
couipt  (who)  pay  is  and  quha  is  restand." 


GUILD  SEATS  AND  PANELS  163 

Succeeding-  entries  show  that  the  Society  existed 
in  1611,  and  the  Commissioners  in  their  report  in 
1833  say  the  merchants  had  a  box  in  1600.  There 
were  10  members  in  1611,  and  only  three  new  mem- 
bers were  added  up  to  1631.  Up  to  1668  there  had 
been  23  members.  When  the  book  ends,  in  1828, 
there  had  been  308  members.  In  1832  there  were 
82  members,  and  the  Society  was  dissolved  in 
1860.  The  cause  of  its  increased  numbers  in  the 
later  part  of  its  existence  was  due  to  membership 
being-  sought  after  more  a,s  an  honour  than  from 
any  expected  trade  benefit,  and  also  to  the  reduc- 
tion in  the  entry  fees.  In  1731  the  Hon.  Thomas 
Leslie  (Provost)  joined;  in  1768  Captain  William 
George  Fairfax,  commander  of  H.M.  cutter 
"Greyhound";  in  1770  the  Right  Hon.  David 
Rutherford;  and  thereafter  all  sorts  and  conditions 
— sailors,  fishermen,  fishcurers,  boatmen,  bakers, 
candlemakers,  farmers,  a  watchmaker,  etc. 

The  Society  began  with  traders  in  materials  in 
clothes,  or  what  was  called  "merchant  goods,"  and 
who  claimed  the  right  to  "  pack  and  j>eel  "  (export 
and  import)  within  the  Burgh.  This  claim  was 
only  fully  enjoyed  when  a  "  petition  for  a  Gildrie" 
was  granted  by  the  Town  Council,  23rd  January, 
1710.  The  Council  then  appointed  till  Michael- 
mas "  Hubert  Seton,  Lord  Dean  of  Gild,"  and 
six  others  as  Gild  Council.  The  following-  year 
the  Dean  and  another  were  chosen  by  the  Council ; 
ami,  by  and  by,  on  the  annual  election  of  the  Dean 
of  Gild,  he  is  directed  to  convene  the  retiring 


164  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

Gild  Council  "and  make  choice  of  a  new  Gild 
Council."  The  Gildrie  at  this  time  consisted 
eolely  of  persons  interested  in  the  trade — skippers, 
shipowners,  and  merchants  of  all  kinds — the  cap- 
italists of  those  days.  They  completely  controlled 
the  business  of  the  town,  and  formed  the  bulk  of 
the  Town  Council.  It  was  not  until  1732  that 
the  seven  incorporated  crafts  were  each  entitled  by 
law  to  a  representative  on  the  Town  Council. 

From  1711  the  Gild  Council  controlled  weights 
and  measures,  the  safety  of  building's  and  their 
extension,  public  wells,  streets,  "'utters,  paving', 
and  sanitation.  The  repeated  visits  of  the  pest  or 
plag-ue  in  the  past  century  had  given  the  authori- 
ties notions  of  cleanliness  not  to  be  despised.  As 
early  as  1602,  to  fig-lit  the  plague — rampant  in 
Leith  and  King-horn — fourteen  bailies  were  created 
and  twenty-eig-ht  assessors,  to  prevent  intercourse 
of  the  inhabitants,  or  ingress  of  strang-ers.  All 
cats,  dogs,  and  "swyne"  were  destroyed,  and  all 
refuse  burned.  "  Ludges  "  were  erected  at  the 
south  side  of  the  Links  to  which  the  infected  were 
removed,  and  the  result  was  that  Burntisland  had 
comparatively  few  cases. 

On  2nd  February,  1710,  John  Seton,  Town 
Clerk,  was  paid  ten  pounds  Scots  for  an  extract 
of  the  Gildrie  Act,  and  the  Town  Officer  Gs  Scots 
for  promulgating  it  at  "  Ye  Croce." 

After  the  freedom  of  the  box  the  two  great 
privileg-es  were  the  "loft  in  ye  Kirk  and  ye  morte- 


GUILD  SEATS  AND  PANELS  165 

cloat h."  The  box,  with  their  money  and  docu- 
ments, was  in  1668  of  iron,  with  two  locks  and 
two  keys.  At  each  meeting  it  was  decided  where 
the  box  was  to  rest  until  next  meeting-,  and  who 
were  to  have  the  keys — "1670  .  .  ye  box  lo 
be  in  John  Koss  his  house.  Item  David  Seton 
to  have  on  kay  and  AVilliam  Callander  ye  other." 
After  1666  there  were  usually  six  or  eig-ht  old  or 
sick  men  or  widows  receiving  various  sums  accord- 
ing to  the  scale  of  contribution — a  more  manly 
principle  than  "  something-  for  nothing-." 

As  the  Society  prospered  more  seats  were  built 
in  the  Church,  houses  and  ground  were  bought, 
and  considerable  sums  of  money  lent  on  bond, 
usually  to  the  town.  The  Society  possessed  at 
least  two  houses  in  1752,  one  of  which  was  for 
their  Gild  Officer.  In  1746,  this  official  having 
lost  his  life  by  an  old  wall  falling  on  him,  the 
Gildrie  were  in  a  quandary  what  to  do  with  his 
widow  and  family.  They  decided,  in  addition  to 
an  allowance,  to  let  her  occupy  the  house  on  the 
condition  that  "she  provide  a  proper  man  to  oftici 
ate  for  them."  The  widow,  the  bairns,  and  UK 
Gildrie  would  all  benefit  by  a  "proper  man 

In  17")2  the  Gildrie  bought  a  grass  park  on  the 
east  side  of  the  Kirkyard  for  £24  His.  It  was  let 
from  then  to  1761  to  Samuel  Charteris,  solicitor  of 
Customs  for  Scotland,  grandfather  of  Mrs  Somer- 
ville,  and  afterwards  to  her  father  Captain  "\V.  G. 
Fail-fax.  Frequent  mention  is  made  of  this  park 


166  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

in  the  Council  Hecords  and  Hammermen's  book, 
under  the  name  of  the  "  louping  diks."  Tliere 
was  no  road  past  tlie  north  wall  of  the  Clmrch, 
the  "-round  at  the  g-ate  end  being-  six  or  eight 
feet  higher  than  at  present.  The  "dyke"  itself, 
or  its  "yeat"  was  always  being'  repaired  or  rebuilt, 
due  to  illicit  traffic..  In  1782  James  Morrison 
made  a  new  "yeatt"  for  which  he  charged  1  Is  3d, 
including-  a  "coat  of  pent  and  oil." 

The  comforting1  assurance  of  being-  interred  with 
one  of  the  "mortecloaths"  was  in  time  improved, 
on  by  hiring-  them  out,  and  this  was  a  source  of 
considerable  income  In  17GG  there  were  four 
mortcloths — a  larg-e  one  for  men,  having-  twelve 
yards  of  velvet  with  a  fringe,  and  a  smaller  one 
for  women.  Either  was  let  out  for  5s.  Another 
called  "the  maiden's,"  of  black  velvet  and  white 
satin  lining,  was  3s  4d,  while  a  very  small  one 
for  children  was  Is  8d.  The  custodians  of  the 
mortcloaths  were  a  long;  succession  of  Geddies, 
beginning-  with  Marion  Geddie. 

At  first  the  Gildrie  had  only  one  seat.  In  1GG8 
"It  is  ag-reit  with  David  Stirling-  wrig-ht  to  ye 
Burg'h  that  he  shall  repair  ye  Merchant's  seat. 
in  ye  Kirk  with  lock  and  kay  of  ye  door  .  .  and 
for  which  work  he  is  to  have  ye  soume  of  sixtein 
punds  Scots.  He  said  he  was  a  loser  by  it,  and 
was  allowed  120  punds.'  This  seat  included  the 
panel  with  scales  to  the  corner.  Shortly  after  this 
a  second  seat  was  built  behind,  and  in  1705  a  third 


GUILD  SEATS  AND  PANELS  167 

seat — "boulding  a  bak  sot  in  the  Kirk  which  coins 
to  tlm  .-;i  mm  of  20  pond  19  shillong."  (The  broad 
"Kircawday"  speecli  is  no  doubt  a  survival  of 
the  pronunciation  of  Knox's  time.  James  Mel- 
ville writes  "there  was  twa  in  Faint  Androis  wha 
uer  his  (Knox's)  aydant  heirars  Mr  Andro  Yoang 
wha  wrot  his  sermonts  .  .  .  and  .  .  .  causit 
to  wrait  for  what  end  God  knawes.")  In  1737 
these  three  seats  were  lengthened  eastwards  about 
six  feet,  which  includes  two  panels  with  dates 
there.  Liberty  to  make  this  addition  was  obtained 
from  the  Kirk  Session  and  "prymgild"  on  paying' 
each  member  of  these  10s  6d,  and  probably 
depended  on  some  conditional  arrangement  be- 
tween these  bodies,  entered  into  in  16^1, 
when  the  amount  of  their  several  rights  was  fixed. 
The  front  seat,  lined  witli  green  cloth  and  a  fringe 
over  the  front,  was  reserved  for  the  "  Lord  Dean 
of  Gild"  and  his  Council,  whose  officer  unlocked 
the  door  for  them.  One  of  the  officer's  perquisites 
was  two  pair  of  shoes  per  annum.  There  were 
four  Gildrie  seats  in  1705.  The  late  Mrs  Halin- 
gall  told  me  that  she  had  sren  a  number  of  the 
Gildrie  silting  in  the  West  Gallery.  In  1784  the 
stair  (4  in  plan)  Mas  renewed  at  the  expense  of 
the  Gildrie,  Baxters,  and  Mailmen. 


10 


The  Guildry  Panels. 


GUILD  SEATS  AND  PANELS  169 

Of  the  lour  panels  belonging  to  the  Guildry  - 
Nos.  7,  8,  !),  10,  South  side — No.  7  denotes  the 
year  in  which  their  charter  of  incorporation  came 
into  practice.  No.  8  indicates  the  date  of  an 
undertaking  with  the  Kirk  Session  and  Prime 
Guild  regarding  the  frontage;  the  difference  in  the 
style  of  lettering  and  ornament  is  ample  proof  of 
their  having  been  executed  at  these  dates.  Both 
these  panels  were  restored  for  the  late  Mr  John 
Gilchrist  Cunningham,  2  Gladstone  Terrace. 
No.  9,  restored  for  Provost  D.  J.  Ba.lf.our  Kirke, 
is  part  of  the  Gildrie  arms;  and  No.  10,  restored 
for  the  family  of  the  late  Mr  William  Crow, 
represents  their  "mysterious  iiguv?  four,"  about 
which  there  has  been  a  good  deal  of  speculation. 
It  was  used  by  the  merchants  in  Stirling  and  else- 
where, and  may  be  seen  on  a  tombstone  at  Crail, 
and  on  one  in  Burntisland  Kirkyard.  In  the 
latter  case  it  appears  correctly,  as  in  the  Stirling 
seal,  that  is  a  Itoman  figure  four  reversed.  The 
figure  is  supposed  to  have  lu>en  used  in  early  times 
by  the  original  "four  burghs"  exclusively.  These 
were  Kdinburjjh,  Stirling,  Berwick,  and  Rox- 
burgh, the  "court"  of  which  disappeared  by  Act 
of  Parliament  in  14f>!).  The  date  17>'W  commem- 
orates the  year  in  which  the  Guildry  would  first 
enjoy  the  Act  passed  in  ]1>\2  by  which  fourteen 
of  their  members  were  to  have  seats  on  the  Town 
Council  and  to  monopolise  the  Magistracy. 


10 


GUILD  SEATS  AND  PANELS  171 

The  Prime  (jild  Society  still  exists,  and  is 
known  to  have  been  in  operation  in  1605,  but  it 
must  have  existed  at  a  much  earlier  date,  con- 
sidering the  trade  with  foreign  ports  known  to 
have  been  proceeding  with  g-reat  vigour  for  70 
years  before.  In  a  copy  of  rules  printed  in  1845, 
membership  was  confined  to  shipmasters,  sailors, 
shipowners,  and  carpenters  of  sober  habits,  and 
under  4'J  years.  There  was  a  pension  at  the  age 
of  sixty,  according  to  the  entry-money  and  annual 
payments.  A  widow  received  three-fourths  of  the 
pension  "as  long'  as  she  remained  a  widow,"  and 
there  was  nothing1  against  her  moral  character. 
There  was  a  boxmaster  and  two  keepers.  I  have 
endeavoured  to  obtain  some  idea  of  their  early 
proceeding's,  but  the  Society  is  averse  to  giving1 
information.  Fourteen  of  the  pictures  are  on 
panels  in  front  of  their  lofts,  and  their  papers 
might  have  shown  when  they  were  painted.  I 
think  it  probable  that  no  papers  exist  later  than 
1845.  About  that  time  a  fire  broke  out  in  the 
house  of  the  boxmaster,  Mr  James  Morrison,  when 
most,  if  not  all,  the  property  of  the  Prime  Gild 
was  destroyed,  including  a  mortclolh  of  black 
velvet  with  a  gold  border,  which  had  cost  £00. 

The  Society  appears  from  1005  very  frequently 
in  the  Council  Books  as  bond-holders;  on  one  occa- 
sion having-  a  bond  on  the  Lammerlaws  of  2,500 
merks.  The  name  Pryme  (jilt  is  not  peculiar  to 
the  Burntisland  Society,  the  name  being1  used  by 


•  72  HISTORY  OF  BURN  1  ISLAND 

sailors'  societies  elsewhere.  The  designation  is 
derived  from  prymgilt —  the  first  charge,  or 
anchorage,  on  a  ship  using-  a  port.  Early  in  the 
seventeenth  century  "  Saylaris  in  merchandyce 
must  be  men  of  burrowis,"  and  had  to  show  their 
burgess  ticket  on  entering  foreign,  ports.  Sir 
James  Marwick  says  the  Convention  of  Burghs  at 
Cupar  in  1578  went  further,  and  enacted  that 
every  sailor  in  merchandise  must  hr>  a  guild 
brother  of  the  town  from  which  he  traded. 
Foreign  merchants  could  trade  only  with  Free 
Burghs,  and  that  only  wholesale.  Colston  in  his 
''  Ghiildry"  book  shows  that  at  Leith  "nae  ships" 
could  be  "  fraughted  outward  nor  inwards  "  but 
with  tjie  knowledge  of  the  Dean  of  Guild  and  his 
Council. 

The  frontage  of  the  sailor's  loft  on  the  east  side 
bi-gaii  at  panel  5  and  ended  at  the  south-east 
Corner.  There  are  eleven  panels,  of  which  eight 
have  pictures.  Panel  o,  restored  for  Mrs  Harrow, 
1  Craigholm  Crescent,  in  memory  of  her  father, 
the  late  Bailie  M'Intosh,  is  a  graphic  representa- 
tion of  a  merchant  brig  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
similar  to  panel  10,  but  more  distinct  than  it  in 
the  details  of  the  hull.  The  large  iron  grate  on 
the  poop,  in  which  a  fire  was  lit  as  a  beacon,  is 
well  defined.  The  remarks  about  the  early  form 
of  Union  Jack  in  panel  10  apply  equally  to  this, 
which,  however,  appear  to  have  been  executed 
earlier,  if  we  consider  that  here  both  masts  show 
the  St  Andrews  Cross.  It  was  illegal  to  use  this 


GUILD  SEATS  AND  PANELS  175 

flag-  on  ships  (except  at  the  fore),  after  1606;  it 
would  be  more  difficult  to  do  so  after  1707  when 
more  stringent  laws  were  passed  regarding  the  use 
of  flag-s. 

Panel  6 —  restored  for  Miss  K.  J.  Kirke, 
Hilton,  is  believed  to  show  in  the  date  of  1602, 
the  erection  of  this  portion  of  the  galleries  in  that 
year.  As  has  been  seen,  though  some  sittings 
were  arranged  for  in  1590,  a  special  effort  was 
made  to  complete  the  seating1  in  1602,  when  this, 
panel  beg-an  the  sailor's  loft.  (Xo.  o  was  only 
acquired  later,  and  till  then  was  a  temporary  panel, 
having1  the  pilasters  but  no  spandril.)  The  date 
1773  commemorate  the  year  when  the  decision 
regarding-  the  proportion  of  members  of  the 
(iuildry  on  the  Town  Council  became  operative. 
The  dates  were  not  painted  at  the  same  time. 
1602  is  painted  on  the  bare  oak,  and  the  lettering- 
that  in  use  early  in  the  seventeenth  century, 
similar  to  panel  on  South  Gallery,  while  1733  is 
painted  on  a  thick  ground  of  spirit  varnish  with 
the  style  of  lettering-  in  vogue  then.  In  using- 
this  date  1733,  the  same  as  that  on  panel  9  South 
Gallery,  it  must  be  remembered  that  many  of  the 
Prime  (jilt  were  also  members  of  the  Gildrie,  and 
the  (xildrie  were  the  employers  of  the  shipmasters, 
and  sailors. 

Panel  7 — restored  for  Mr  Thos.  A.  Wallace — is 
an  example  of  the  larg-er  tyi>e  of  war  vessel  called 
the  carrack,  in  use  from  James  IV.  to  the  middle 


174  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

of  the  seventeenth  century.  It  is  intended  as  a 
King's  ship,  as  the  Royal  arms — not  the  Scottish 
arms — are  emblazoned  on  the  stern.  I  think  it 
a  strong1  proof  of  this  picture  having  been  painted 
•very  early  in  the  seventeenth  century  that  the 
flags  are  all  St  Andrew's  Cross.  It  may  be 
objected  that  the  grounds  of  the  flags  are  red 
instead  of  blue,  but  the  guns  are  gold,  not  black. 
The  artist  used  red  and  gold  for  decorative,  pur- 
poses only.  The  union  of  crowns  in  1603  produced 
the  first  form  of  Union  Jack,  but  there  are  none 
here.  Mason  says  the  war  vessels  of  those  days 
went  into  battle  "with  the  banner  at  the  main, 
the  standard  on  the  poop,  the  national  nag  on  the 
fore,  and  witli  pennons  and  streamers  of  vivid 
colour  waving  from  the  yard  arms."  The  wind, 
seemingly  absent  below,  blows  a  gale  at  the  mast 
head.  One  would  think  the  captain  was  getting 
married.  The  guns  in  the  stern  are  interesting. 
At  the  prow  ramps  the  Scottish  lion,  and  behind 
this  is  a  mask,  thought  to  represent  St  Michael, 
the  patron  of  war.  Provost  Kirke  in  a  recent 
lecture  thought  this  vessel  might  be  a  picture  of 
the  Great  Michael  built  by  James  IV.  The  guns 
do  not  correspond,  but 'the  Great  Michael  was  no 
doubt  the  protype  of  this. 

Panel  8 — also  restored  for  Mr  Thos.  A.  Wallace 
— is  a  compass  designed  to  show  approximately 
the  local  difference  between  the  geographic  and 
magnetic  north. 


GUILD  SEATS  AND  PANELS  175 

Panel  9 — restored  for  Mrs  Laurie,  Starleyhall, 
in  memory  of  the  late  Mr  James  Taylor  of  Star- 
leyhall— is  a  picture  of  a  master  mariner  of  the 
17th  century.  The  four-tailed  coat,  rosettes  on 
shoes,  and  moustache,  might  fit  into  1670-80. 
The  curious  combined  cravat  and  bow  at  the  neck 
may  be  seen  in  Blorne's  Encyclopaedia,  published 
about  1680.  The  nautical  instruments  are  the 
cross-staff  and  astrolabe  described  in  panel  3  south 
side. 

Panel  10 — restored  to  the  memory  of  the  late 
Mr  John  Wishart,  for  50  years  at  Grange,  for  his 
children — represents  a  brig  of  about  the  middle 
of  the  17th  century.  It  has-  the  usual  spritsail, 
and  the  artist  has  forgotten  the  helm,  but  it  is 
extremely  interesting  from  the  fact  that  the  flags, 
with  the  exception  of  the  St  Andrew's  Cross  at 
the  fore  peak,  illustrate  the  first  form  of  Union 
Jack,  and  make  it  certain  that  the  picture  was 
painted  after  1606  and  before  1707.  Three  years 
after  the  union  of  the  crowns  in  1603,  the  union 
nag  of  the  St.  Andrew's  Cross  and  the  Cross  of 
St  George  was  ordered  to  be  borne  by  merchant- 
men in  the  main  top,  with  the  St  Andrew's  Cross 
at  the  fore,  and  on  the  Union  of  Parliaments  in 
1707,  the  proclamation  was  repeated,  and  the 
Union  Jack  constituted  the  national  flag  of  Great 
Britain.  Though  illegal  to  use  the  St  Andrew's 
Cross  (except  on  the  fore)  on  ships  after  1606, 
the  date  of  proclamation,  we  may  infer  from  its 


176  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

repetition  one  hundred  years  afterwards,  that  the 
law  was  not  always  obeyed.  It  was  not  till  1801 
that  the  representatives  of  Ireland  sat  at  West- 
minster, and  St  Patrick's  Cross  added  to  the 
union  flag. 

The  flag  at  the  main  in  this  picture  has  been 
described  to  me  as  "a  swallo.w-tailed  bird's  eye 
(burgee)."  From  the  translation  of  Jas.  Eodger, 
M.A.,  headmaster  here,  and  the  suggestion  of  Mr 
Allan  Eodger,  F.E.I.S.,  Barrhead,  the  inscription 
appears  to  be  an  adaptation  from  the  ^Eneid  when 
^Eneas  addresses  his  shipwrecked  followers : — 

"  O  &ocii — neque  enim  ignavi  sumus  ante  malorum, 
O   pass!  graviora,   dabit  deus  his  quoque   finem." 

"  Oh,  ye!  who  have  suffered  worse  evils,  God  will 
end  even  these.''  The  idea  supposed  to  be  aimed 
at  by  "dabit-deus-his-quo-que-vela"  may  be  "  God 
guides  every  sail." 


Panel  14 — restored  for  the  daughters,  step-sons, 
and  step-daughters  of  the  late  Mr  Alexander  Kidd, 
for  many  years  banker  in  Burntisland  and  an  elder 
in  the  Parish  Church — is  of  a  species  unknown. 
From  the  peculiar  form  of  mainsail  it  might  be 
a  dispatch  vessel.  From  the  two  St  Andrew's 
Crosses  displayed,  and  the  early  form  of  union 
ensign  on  the  poop,  we  may  conclude  that  it  was 
painted  between  1650  and  1707. 


GUILD  SEATS  AND  PANELS 


'77 


I'anels  14  and  15 — East  Sailors'  Gallery. 

Panel  15— restored  for  M.  AY.  Bennet,  Craij?- 
liohn  Crescent,  in  memory  of  lier  father  and 
mother — in  the  inscription,  is  the  same  as  that 
over  the  door  of  the  sailors'  loft,  107!),  but  the. 
style  ol  letter  would  point  to  the  panel  beinj? 
earlier.  This  motto  was  a  favourite  in  the  seven- 
teenth century,  and  appears  on  a  house  in  Inver- 
keithing,  and  Taylor  says  "on  the  front  of  the 
plague-protected  house  at  Chester." 


5- 


South    Sailors'   Loft. 


GUILD  SEATS  AND  PANELS  179 

Panel  1,  south  sailor's  loft — restored  for  Miss 
K.  J.  Kirke,  Hilton,  in  memory  of  the  late  Kev. 
Joseph  Sage  Finlayson,  M.A.,  for  30  years  Parish 
Church  minister — is  very  quaint  and  picturesque, 
and  in  respect  of  its  theme,  beautiful.  Before 
being  painted  over  in  1822  it  must  have  been  in 
a  very  neglected  state,  as  only  a  few  particles  of 
gold  remained  on  the  parts  that  had  been  gilded. 
It  may  never  have  been  re-gilded  from  the  first, 
which  may,  from  the  lettering1,  have  been  in  the 
latter  half  of  the  seventeenth  century.  In  the 
following  century  churchyard  sculpture  passed 
through  a  Calvinistic  gloom  of  crossed  bones, 
skulls,  and  skeletons,  but  here  we  have  affirmed 
11  sure  and  beautiful  hope.  The  word  "  suft- 
hinent"  is.  of  course,  "sufficient." 

Panel  2  was  restored  for  Mr  J.  W.  Muir, 
Seyton  Avenue,  Glasgow,  in  memory  of  his  father 
and  mother.  This  odd  and  almost  elfish-looking 
personage  seems  to  breathe  of  the  forecastle,  and 
may  date  earlier  than  the  last  mentioned,  in  spite 
of  the  buckled  shoes.  The  curious  ornament  on 
the  front  of  the  waist,  round  which  there  is  no 
belt,  is  not  a  buckle,  but  the  survival  of  a  frill  in 
which  the  bodice  ended,  in  a  fa.shion  thirty  year> 
before  buckles  became  all  the  <jo.  One  of  its 
phases  \\as  a  hunch  of  ribbons  or  lace.  The  figure 
is,  as  sailors  say,  "fathoming"  a  rope.  Some  have 
thought  that  this  action  is  intended  to  draw  a 
parallel  between  the  allotted  span  of  three  score 
and  ten,  and  the  seventy-two  indies  in  a  fathom — 


i8o  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

the  amount  of  rope  we  may  be  allowed.  The 
arched  rope  is  ingeniously  descriptive  of  the  curve 
followed  by  the  hand  in  "fathoming.''  The  rope- 
has  been  cut,  we  may  suppose,  from  what  appears 
to  be  a  mooring  post.  A  Dutch  naval  gentleman 
has  expressed  the  opinion  that  the  rope  ought  to  be 
attached  to  what  he  says  is  a  lead,  and  not  a  moor- 
ing' paul;  his  reason  being1  that  the  chief  idea, 
strongly  inculcated  in  the  sailor,  was  that  "the 
lead  is  the  sailor's  paladium."  However,  a  photo- 
graph taken  when  the  picture  was  first  uncovered 
shows  no  rope  there,  and  the  knife  is  very  distinct. 
Panel  3  was  restored  in  memory  of  Mr  John 
Murrie,  at  one  time  Provost  of  Burntisland,  and 
Margaret  Murrie,  for  their  daughters  Elizabeth 
Burgoyne,  Jessie  8.  Wilson,  Margaret  S.  Murrie, 
and  Isabella  Murrie.  The  only  indication  that  a 
picture  was  on  this  panel  before  the  removal  of 
many  coats  of  white,  g-rainings,  and  varnish  was 
a  circle  low  down  on  the  left  which  was  expected 
to  prove  the  end  of  a  scroll.  A  high  pitch  of 
excitement  was  attained  when  this  gradually  re- 
solved itself  into  an  instrument  like  an  enormous 
watch  held  in  a  man's  hand.  The  interest  was  if 
possible  intensified  when  it  was  found  that  the 
man  held  in  his  other  hand  some  apparatus  equally 
strange  and  unheard  of.  Arguing  from  the  cos- 
tume the  picture  could  not  be  much  earlier  than 
1680.  But  as  the  instruments,  an  astrolabe  and 
cross-staff,  must  have  been  rarely  in  use  at  that 
time  merely  mentioned  in  "  Robertson's  Xavi<>a- 


GUILD  SEATS  AND  PANELS  iSi 

tion,"  though  well  described  in  Blome's  Encyclo- 
pedia— and  the  Davis  quadrant  having1  been 
known  from  the  beginning  of  the  17th  century,  I 
conclude  that  the  person  who  had  the  panel 
painted  would  be  some  old  sea  dog1,  in  his  "retreat 
from  care  and  toil,"  fondly  musing  on  the  good 
old  days  of  his  youth.  Our  Commander  with 
cross-staff  and  astrolabe — more  fortunate  than  Don 
Quixote,  who  in  his  perilous  voyage  in  the  en- 
chanted barque  prayed  for  an  "astrolabe  to  take 
the  elevation  of  the  pole" — appears  just  to  have 
purchased  them  and,  on  the  way  aboard,  is  seized 
with  an  irresistible  desire  to  test  them.  I  re- 
member seeing  an  aged  golf  enthusiast,  going  to 
chinch  one  Sunday,  suddenly  stop  in  the  middle 
of  the  road,  and  put  himself  and  his  umbrella  in 
a  driving  attitude. 

The  cross-staff,  or  fore-staff,  was  used  for  taking 
altitudes,  and  consisted  of  a  square  rod  about  three 
feet  long,  the  sides  of  which  were  graduated 
respectively  for  ten,  thirty,  sixty,  ami  ninety 
degrees.  Only  one  of  the  cross  pieces  was  used  at 
a  time.  The  staff  was  held  to  the  right  eye  by  the 
right  hand,  while  the  left  slid  the  cross  until  one 
end  encountered  the  hori/on  and  the  other  sun. 
The  figure,  therefore,  is  very  conventional,  but  it 
is  evident  that  if  the  figure  is  to  appear  moving 
from  left  to  right,  or  to  follow  the  sun,  the  artisl 
could  not  have  put  the  stuff  to  the  right  eye 
without  painting  the  back  of  the  figure  lowards 
us.  In  all  the  panels  in  which  the  designs  are 


182  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

profile,  the  motion  is  directed  with  the  sun,  except 
panel  5  of  this  loft. 

The  astrolabe  was  also  for  altitude,  and  was 
used  by  the  Greeks.  It  was  divided  in  360 
degrees,  though  only  one  part  of  these  were  re- 
quired. It  was  suspended  by  the  left  thumb  with 
the  edge  turned  towards  the  sun,  and  the  vertical 
line  strictly  plumb.  The  pointer  had  a  sight  at 
each  end,  and  was  turned  until  the  shadow  of 
the  upper  was  thrown  on  the  lower,  the  point  of 
which  then  marked  the  degree  of  altitude. 

Panel  4  was  restored  for  Miss  Landale,  Edin- 
burgh, in  memory  of  her  father  and  mother,  Dr 
and  Mrs  Landale  of  the  Binn.  The  compass  on 
this  panel  is  somewhat  similar  to  that  on  panel  8 
east  gallery,  and  there  is  the  same  attempt  to  show 
the  difference  necessary  to  allow  for  in  steering 
for  Burntisland. 

Panel  5  was  restored  for  Mrs  John  Kirke,  Lon- 
don, in  memory  of  her  father,  the  late  Mr  Tames 
Shepherd  of  Rossend  Castle.  It  represents  a  ship- 
master taking  the  altitude  of  the  sun  with  a  Davis 
quadrant.  AVith  the  exception  of  the  shoe 
buckles,  the  costume  is  previous  to  1680.  The 
ribbons  at  the  knee  are  much  earlier.  I  suggest 
that  shoe  buckles  may  have  been  used  at  sea 
before  the  fashion  came  in  on  land.  Observe  the 
brim  of  the  hat  turned  up  to  allow  of  using  the 
quadrant.  There  is  a  hat  in  the  navy  at  present 
very  like  this  in  the  front,  and  perhaps  originating 


GUILD  SEATS  AND  PANELS  183 

from  it.  As  already  pointed  out  the  ships  and 
men  in  profile  on  these  panels  are  all  g-oing-  with 
the  sun,  except  this  one,  and  it  is  interesting;  to 
find  that  this  figure  has  the  back  turned  to  the 
sun  intentionally.  In  using-  the  Davis  quadrant — 
employed  from  1594  to  1740,  when  it  was  sup- 
planted by  Hadley's — it  was  necessary  to  turn  the 
back  to  the  sun.  One  hand  slid  the  Vane  on  the 
arc  of  the  upper  sector  until  a  beam  of  sunlig-ht 
from  behind,  passing'  throng- h  a  hole  in  the  Vane, 
struck  a  slit  in  another  Vane  at  the  point.  This 
Vane  is  uprig-ht  in  the  picture,  But  should  be  hori- 
zontal. There  was  a  slit  in  it  so  that  the  horizon 
mig-ht  be  kept  in  view  throug-h  it,  and  the  perfor- 
vated  Vane  at  the  observer's  eye.  When  the 
horizon  was  visible  through,  and  the  beam  of  sun- 
light struck  the  Vane  at  the  point  simultaneously, 
the  altitude  of  the  sun  was  found  in  the  sum  of 
the  under  portions  of  the  two  arcs,  which  were 
graduated  respectively  00  and  25  degrees.  I  am 
indebted  to  Mr  J.  Bolam,  Leith  Nautical  Colleg-e, 
for  an  understanding-  of  this  instrument. 

Panel  6  has  already  been  described  at  pag-e  173, 
and   panels  7,  8,  9,   10,  at   pag*e    HiS. 


ned  insignia  of  the  Smiths,  Wrights,  and  Masons, 
painted  on  the  c!e:truc"£io:i  of  the  Aorth  Gallerv. 


GUILD  SEATS  AND  PANELS  185 

The  earliest  entry  in  the  "  Hammerman's  book" 
—  1648 — is  near  the  middle.  The  intention  may 
Lave  been  to  collect  their  earlier  proceeding's  from 
scattered  papers  and  place  them  in  the  front  pages. 
From  this  entry  it  may  he  gathered  that  the 
Society  had  heen  in  existence  long;  before.  It  is 
difficult  to  decipher,  biit  appears  to  be  a  fine  of 
40s  to  be  imposed  on  members  working-  under 
certain  circumstances;  the  fine  to  g-o  to  the  "box." 
•"  .  .  .  ordained  be  ye  ha  ill  members  of  ye 
hammermen  yt  nane  of,"  .  .  .  and  concludes 
"In  presents  of  (iod  to  stand  be  subscrvit  with 
our  hands  upon  ye  twentie  fyve  of  December 
1G48."  The  signatures,  initials  or  marks  of  44 
persons  follow.  Only  two  are  unable  to  write, 
six  use  initials,  the  remainder  written  in  full  are 
equal  to  the  average  writing  of  the  present  day, 
and  several  are  particularly  fine. 

The  Society  laid  the  usual  stress  on  the  defence 
of  its  members  from  the.  outlander,  who  persisted 
in  coming-  in  and  offering-  his  inferior  ( '?)  services 
at  a  lower  rate.  Hut  it  also  provided  for  the 
members'  widows,  sickness,  and  poverty.  Xew 
members  \\eie  always  "admited  fremen  to  all  ye 
libertie  and  privileges  of  our  seat  and  box"  (1GM.) 
The  cost  of  admission  varied  from  five  pounds  to 
twenty-founr  pounds  Scots  (in  18'W  it  was  i'10 
sterling;)  "according1  to  paction."  The  rearing-  of 
apprentices  was  a  chief  item.  These  were  nearly 
always  sons  of  members.  On  one  occasion  this 
rule  was  tested  bv  a  baker's  son,  but  lie  was 


i86  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

rejected.  At  another  time  a  stranger  wright  was 
admitted  "frieman"  at  the  fees  expected  from  a 
son,  on  account  of  having-  married  a  "frieman's" 
daughter.  Each  apprentice  paid  on  joining-  14s 
(increased  latterly  to  40s),  and  after  serving1  five 
years,  paid  what  was  termed  "  the  gurnie 
(journey)  money" — a  grand  excuse  for  a  blow  out. 

There  is  some  confusion  in  the  designation 
'  Hammermen."  The  arms  behind  their  seats 
are  those  of  the  hammermen,  or  smiths — hammer 
and  crown ;  the  wrights,  square  and  compass ;  and 
the  masons,  castle  and  compass.  In  the  whole 
book,  1648 — 1739,  there  are  only  three  "measons" 
or  "mesons"  mentioned,  one  cooper,  and  one 
"plnmer  and  glasir."  The  remainder  are  smiths 
and  wrights.  The  money  was  termed  the  "ham- 
mermen's box"  up  to  1683  when  the  Society  was 
incorporated.  On  October  18th,  1684,  "ye  deacons 
hev  given  this  day  to  ye  Town  Clerk  seventeen 
pounds  Scots  ye  hammermen  and  wrights  sealle 
of  cause  qlk  wes  this  day  put  in  the  box."  In 
the  CWncil  Records,  1683,  a  "sealle  of  cause"  is 
granted  to  the  wrights  and  one  to  the  hammer- 
men. Originally  choosing-  one  deacon  they  now 
cliose  one  from  the  smiths  and  one  from  the 
wrights,  and  their  box  was  now  called  the  smith 
and  wrights'  box.  So  that  while  incorporated 
separately  the  societies  elected  to  use  the  same 
rules,  box,  and  church  seat. 


GUILD  SEATS  AND  PANELS  187 

The  joint  Society  met  once  a  quarter  at  the  house 
of  the  boxmaster  to  make  the  subscription,  and 
in  September  books  were  balanced  "  to  presiding 
deat."  There  were  then  chosen  two  deacons,  a 
boxmaster,  men  to  hold  the  keys  of  the  box,  a 
keeper  for  the  "cists  for  the  mortcloaths,"  and  a 
person  to  whom  was  given  the  custody  of  the  book. 
There  wrere  a  "silver  box"  and  a  "paper  box," 
with  three  keys  for  the  one  and  two  for  the  other. 
In  1681  there  were  four  mortcloths,  "two  of  velvet 
and  two  of  cloth  seall."  Some  of  these  mortcloths 
were  not  to  be  sniffed  at.  In  1711  "  bought  9 
els  of  velvet  with  five  pounds  and  ane  unce  of 
black  silk  for  a  fring.  Seven  els  and  aiie  half 
fine  black  silk  serg  for  the  linin,  and  seven  unces 
and  four  drops  of  more  black  silk  to  compleat  the 
soeiug :  total  an  hundred  and  fifty  ane  pounds 
eightin  shillin  Scots  mouney."  These  mortcloths 
let  out  to  the  general  public  were  a  good  source 
of  revenue. 

Like  the  other  Societies,  the  Hammermen  lei 
such  sittings  as  they  did  not  require  to  outsiders. 
In  1731  "  .  .  .let  their  loft  (a  seat  in)  belong- 
ing to  their  treds  to  John  Dickson,  barber,  for 
thrie  shillings  strling  money."  The  last  member 
of  the  joint  Society  was  David  Arnot,  a  black- 
smith, who  disposed  of  the  seats  to  the  Kirk 
Session  about  the  year  I860  for  £50.  He  had 
received  one  instalment  of  £n  when  he  died.  In 
any  case,  he  could  not  have  conveyed  the  seats  to 


1 88  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

anyone.     His  daughter,  Mrs  Henderson,  possesses 
a  flag'  of  the  Hammermen  dated  1832. 

The  joint  Societies  were  prosperous  in  the  first 
half  of  the  18th  century.  In  1704  they  purchased 
a  house  and  "yaird"  from  John  Kirkland,  shoe- 
maker, for  £47.  In  1728  they  possessed  ''apis  of 
ground  est  sid  of  ye  Kirk  called  ye  louping  diks," 
which  they  let  out.  In  1737  "  David  Reiiton  paid 
ye  crofts  rent."  They  had  good  sums  lent  on 
bond,  and  at  the  same  time  borrowed  money,  let 
us  hope  at  a  lower  rate  than  they  lent  it.  On  one 
occasion  they  lent  a  "  Talyeor"  £9  to  get  him 
out  of  the  Tolbooth. 

That  masons  were  eligible,  and  yet  only  three 
were  members  in  about  one  hundred  years,  shows 
how  few  were  permanently  resident.  The  masons 
hailed  from  large  centres,  and  were  members  of 
the  masons'  Societies  there.  They  moved  in  a 
gipsy  fashion  from  place  to  place  as  work  was 
projected,  usually  building  huts  to  live  in,  round 
the  work  in  progress,  and  taking  the  road  again 
on  its  completion. 

Little  is  known  of  the  cordiners.  The  plan,  page 
132,  shows  their  seat  (3)  described  on  page  141. 
Their  arms — similar  to  that  of  the  craft  in  Edin- 
burgh— are  on  the  wall  at  the  end  of  their  seat. 

The  cordiners',  or  shoemakers',  seal  of  cause,  of 
which  a  part  is  here  shown  in  fac.finii.lt,  was 
granted  by  the  Town  Council  in  1G83.  The 


GUILD  SEATS  AND  PANELS 


189 


The  Cordiiiera'  Arms. 

following  is  a  rough  reading  of  it :— "Senile  of 
Cause  in  favour  of  ye  cordiners.  To  all  and 
sundrie  whom  it  ...  Michael  Setoiin.  baillie 
of  ye  Burgh  of  Brunt iland,  Alexander  Orrock, 

Walter  Adams,  William  Moyes,  James  Gardiner, 
William  Mitchelson,  John  Crawford,  Andrew 
Robinson,  John  Orrok,  William  Blankiter,  James 
Anderson,  John  Young,  George  Walkethusent, 
counselers  of  this  Burgh  Greeting1  in  God  ever- 
lasting. We  make  it  knowne  that  there  did 
compeir  hefoir  us,  we  being-  then  sitting-  in  judg- 
ment, John  Young  cordiner  Burges  of  this  Burgh, 


GUILD  SEATS  AND  PANELS  191 

ami  accompanied  w*  ye  best  and  worthiest  of  ye 
heall  cordiner  traid,  wha  presented  ane  bill  and 
supplication  together  w*  certaine  propositions  and 
articles,"  and  goes  on  to  lay  down  that  in  future 
all  shoemakers  and  tanners  in  the  burgh  must  be 
burgesses,  pay  into  the  box  for  their  own  poor, 
must  have  no  work  done  by  any  "outlandman  or 
unfreeman,"  and  bring  up  its  apprentices  under 
explicit  rules  regarding  their  "meat  and  drink," 
years  of  service,  etc. 

The    Talyeors. 

Mrs  M'Omish  remembers  a  picture  of  a  pair  of 
"shears"  on  a  panel  of  the  tailor's  loft.      At  Crail 
the  tailors  had  a  good  many  lines  of  ryhme  on  the 
front  of  their  loft.      One  of  the  lines  ran: — 
"Were  it  not  for  tailors  we  might  all  naked  go." 

It  was  due  to  the  neglect  of  the  Burntisland 
tailors  to  keep  their  gallery  in  a  state  of  repair 
that  the  carved  oak  front  there  was  removed,  and 
a.  white  wood  oak  grained  front  substituted.  They 
let  out  their  seats,  and  every  Michaelmas,  when 
ihey  drew  their  rents,  they  had  a  great  spree.  St 
Michael  was  their  patron  Saint,  some  say,  but  I)r 
James  (iammack  holds  it  was  was  St  Goodman.  1 
fear  they  would  require  at  these  times,  the  assist- 
ance of  St  Martin.  These  periodical"  bouts  kept 
them  short  of  cash,  and  the  seats  fell  into  a  serious 
state  of  disrepair.  The  Session  called  on  them  to 
put  things  right,  and  advanced  them  money  for 
the  purpose,  the  interest  on  which  they  were  un- 


i9-'  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

able  to  meet ;  on  wliicli  the  seats  came  into  the 
hands  of  the  Session  some  time  after  1822.  About 
one  hundred  years  before — 1727 — a  ""William 
Brand,  Talyeor,"  caused  a  sensation  in  the  burgh. 
While  drinking1  in  the  company  of  three  men  of 
other  crafts,  he  sold  to  them  "ye  Talyeors  seat  in 
ye  Kirk  for  ane  hundred  rix  dollars."  The  Tailors' 
Society  petitioned  the  Town  Council,  who  over- 
turned the  bargain,  and  fined  "ilk  ane"  of  the 
prisoners  "twentie  punds  Scots." 

The  late  Mr  William  Melville  was  the  last  box- 
master,   but  the  box  cannot  now  be  traced. 


The  Weavers'  Box. 


GUILD  SEATS  AND  PANELS  193 

The    Wivcrs. 

This  is  the  only  oiie  of  the  societies  whose  box 
still  exists.  It  contains  many  old  documents  ol 
the  craft,  and  is  in  the  possession  of  Councillor 
Stevenson,  whose  father  received  it  from  the  last 
of  the  weavers.  Jt  is  by  the  courtesy  of  Councillor 
Stevenson  that  1  am  able  to  present  the  above 
picture  of  this  interesting  relic  of  by-gone  days. 
Mary  Somerville  describes  the  weavers'  seat, 
noticed  at  page  141,  as  having  over  it  a  picture  of 
a  shuttle  with  the  inscription  —  '  Life  is  swifter 
than  a  weaver's  shuttle  and  is  spent  without  hop 
Job." 


The  Jid.vtcrs  and 

Little  is  known  of  these  bodies.  Mary  Somer- 
ville writes  of  the  Baxters'  seat  as  having  a 
"  sheaf  of  wheat  painted  on  the  front."  This 
panel,  it  is  hoped,  may  yet  be  discovered.  There 
is  a  notice  of  the  Fleshers'  seat  at  page  141. 

The  M<i  I  tin  en. 

Of  the  three  Guilds  never  incorporated  —  the 
I'rymgilt,  Hirers,  and  Maltmen  —  the  first  has 
already  been  noticed.  In  the  report  of  the  Com- 
missioners to  the  Municipal  Corporations  of  Scot- 
land in  18M  it  is  stated  that  the  Maltmen  in  1C08 
were  allowed  by  the  Council  to  have  a  box  and  a 
"mutual  band"  and  to  levy  a  certain  sum  for  each 
boll  of  malt  that  was  made  for  the  support  of  their 
poor. 


i94  HISTORY  OF  BURNT1SLAND 

The  Hirer*. 

The  Hirers,  like  the  Maltmen,  were  a  numerous 
body.  A  postmaster  was  first  chosen  in  1609  in 
connection  witli  the  imposition  of  a  5  per  cent. 
tax  on  their  drawing's,  called  postsilver.  Twelve 
years  afterwards  the  Postmaster  General  for  Scot- 
land complained  to  the  Privy  Council  that  Burnt- 
island  and  Kinghorn.  were  "posting  on  their  own 
account,  and  infringing  his  patent."  In  1674  the 
pest  of  Sabbath  breaking-  appears  to  have  been 
specially  virulent.  It  was  kept  up  by  people 
from  Edinburgh  crossing-,  and  taking  a  day  in  the 
country  on  horseback.  The  wicked  Xewhaveii 
boatmen  started  it  by  landing-  passeng-ers  on  the 
"  Saboth  ....  Ordaines  no  boats  cross  with- 
out advertising-  the  minister  or  magistrates,"  nor 
any  "Hyrer"  to  hire  out  his  horse  under  penalties. 
The  postmaster  and  others  were  admonished.  But 
nothing-  would  stop  it.  So  a  virtue  was  made  of 
necessity,  and  liberty  practically  granted  on  pay- 
ment of  a  sufficient  fine.  On  one  occasion  the 
minister  reports  "fortie  shillings  Scotts  received 
from  D.  Humes,  skipper,  for  breach  of  the 
Sabbath." 


ECCLESIASTICAL  195 


CHAPTBK    XIV. 

KCCI.KST  VSTICAL. 

'Die  worthy  burgesses  of  Burntisland  were 
from  the  first  in  a  chronic  state  of  discontent  about 
the  ministry — praying  for  a  minister  at  all  costs, 
object in<>'  to  his  being-  placed,  or  scheming  to  bring 
about  his  dismissal.  At  the  Reformation  in  1558 
only  a  few  of  the  Roman  priests  became 
Protestant,  and  for  many  years  there  was  a 
scarcity  of  ministers.  It  was  not  until  15(J8,  on 
the  establishment  of  Presbyterianism,  that  the  first 
Protestant  minister  was  settled  at  Burntisland,  the 
Church  being-  still  at  the  Kirkton.  His  name 
cannot  be  iound  from  the  Session  Records  in 
Burntisland,  as  these  begin  later,  but  William 
"Watson  was  minister  on  the  King's  visit  to  the 
General  Assembly.  For  an  account  of  this  visit 
we  have  to  be  content  with  what  Speed  g-ives  as 
a  quotation  from  the  Council  Records.  A  repeated 
search  failed  to  reveal  this  entry,  and  I  think  it 
must  be  from  such  of  the  /SVWw/i  Records  as  are 
now  in  Edinburgh  : — "  Apud  Bruntiland  testio 
Mcli,  JG01.  The  baillies  and  Counsall  qubais 
names  follow,  viz.  :  being-  couvenit  to- 

gidder  in  Counsall  ordaines  ane  convenient  house 
to  b?  provided  for  ye  convention  of  ye  ministrie 
with  his  mag'isty  and  his  commissioners  to  he  hal- 


i96  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 


ilon  wtin  ye  Burgh  on  ye  tent  day  of  Mch  instant, 
and  ordains  cuils  to  be  providit  to  serve  for  fyre 
for  ye  said  house,  and  all  in  ane  voice  thinks 
Andro  AVilson  his  lodging  most  convenient  for  yt 
purpose  .  .  ."  Andro  AVilson  was  the  Town 
Clerk,  and  his  house  was  at  the  South  Hill.  This 
house  would  merely  be  used  as  a  refreshment  place 
for  the  ministers,  the  convention  being1  held  in 
the  new  church,  a  few  steps  distant.  As  has  been 
seen  in  Chapter  III.,  the  King  had  visited  Burnt- 
island  Castle  011  more  than  one  occasion,  and  was 
very  partial  to  the  Melvilles,  so  that  it  is  more 
than  probable  he  chose  to  be  entertained  there 
again  during  the  several  days  he  passed  at  Burnt- 
i  si  a  nd  at  this  time."  In  Calderwood's  "  History 
of  the  Church  of  Scotland,"  there  appears  the 
following:  —  "But  because  the  King  had  fallen 
from  his  horse  and  hurt  his  left  shoulder,  it  (the 
Assembly)  was  appointed  to  be  holden  at  Brunt- 
iland  the  12th  of  May  (1601)  whereupon  sundrie 
were  disappointed," 

The  eyes  of  the  sincerer  sort  were  upon  Mr 
Patrick  Thomson,  who  was  in  leets  with  Patrick 
Galloway  &  others.  The  King  would  needs  have 
the  leets  changed,  and  a  neutral  man  chosen.  So 
Mr  John  Hall  was  chosen,  not  a  neutral  man,  but 
a  secret  advancer  of  the  King's  course. 

A  letter  Avhich  Mr  James  Mclriiic  sent  to  be 
read  to  the  Assemblie,  the  King  taketh  out  of  the 
Moderator's  hand,  &  suffered  it  not  to  be  read, 
but  putteth  it  up  in  his  pocket." 


ECCLESIASTICAL  197 

;'  In  the  last  Session  (of  Assembly)  it  was 
nieaned  by  sundrie  of  the  Brethren,  that  there 
were  sundrie  errours  in  the  vulgar  translation  of 
the  Bible,  and  of  the  Psalms  in  meeter,  which  re- 
quired correcting1,  etc."  ''It  was  therefore  con- 
cluded, that  for  the  translation  of  the  Bible,  every 
one  of  the  Brethren,  who  had  greatest  skill  in  the 
languages,  employ  their  travels,  in  sundrie  parts 
of  the  vulgar  translation  of  the  Bible,  which  need 
to  be  amended,  and  to  confer  the  same  together 
at  the  next  AssemblLe." 

The  King-  was  present  at  this  "last  Session," 
and  made  a  speech,  but  does  not  appear,  according 
to  Calderwood,  to  have  made  any  reference  to  the 
proposed  new  translation. 

The  "g'ift"  from  the  King-  of  500  merks  per 
annum,  for  the  minister's  salary,  was  apparently 
gone  into  again  on  this  visit,  the  Council  supple- 
menting it  in  .March,  1602,  by  €200  Scots. 

This  William  Watson,  according'  to  the  Privy 
Council  Records,  was  one  of  the  eight  Presbyterian 
ministers  from  Scotland  who  met  in  conference 
with  the  King-  at  Greenwich  in  August  1606,  on 
the  question  of  Episcopacy  which  was  reintroduced 
in  1610.  Mr  Watson  held  tenaciously  to  Presby- 
tery, and  after  a  great  deal  of  trouble  was,  in  1615, 
removed  from  his  charge  and  warned  never  again 
to  appear  within  eight  miles  of  Burntisland. 

The  heritors,  until  lO-'VJ,  refused  to  pay  their 
part  of  the  minister's  stipend,  except  lie  officiated 


i98  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

occasionally  at  Hie  Kirkton ;  and  the  manse  was 
there  till  1657,  when  a  new  one  was  provided  in 
the  town  of  the  yearly  value  of  £35.  That  at  the 
Kirkton  was  said  to  be  worth  £60. 

In  1638  came  the  Covenant,  which  many  of  the 
inhabitants  of  Burntisland  signed  "with  tearis  of 
"Teat  joy,"  but  the  minister,  John  Mitchelson, 
would  not  sig'n,  and  refused  to  read  it  in  the 
Church,  or  allow  it  to  be  signed  there.  It  was 
ultimately  read  by  the  church  "docter,"  and 
Mitchelson  deposed. 

In  1660  the  minister  was  confined  in  Edinburgh 
Castle,  and  the  town  was  making  repeated  applica- 
tions for  his  release.  In  an  entry  in  the  Session 
Records  of  August  28,  there  occurs  the  expression 
"our  own  minister  Mr  George  Xairiie  being1  re- 
strained and  keeped  in  the  Castell  of  ICd1'."  The 
following  may  be  seen  in  Lament's  Diary  under 
date  June  1670 — "Mr  George  Xairne,  late  M.  att. 
Bruntillande  depairted  out  of  this  life  att  Fin- 
g-lassie  in  Fyft'e  .  .  ."  Ihit  the  services  kept 
up  well  at  this  time,  and  on  one  Sunday  in  1662, 
Speed  states  that  a  collection  at  the  church  door, 
for  the  repairs  of  Peterhead  harbour,  amounted  to 
53  Ibs."  Episcopacy  .was  being1  strongly  pressed 
under  Lauderdale  and  Kothes,  and  shepherdless 
flocks  met  in  private  houses,  or  in  the  country,  to 
hear  what  was  forbidden  in  the  church.  Speed 
says,  under  date  1677,  "for  many  years  there 
were  unsuccessful  attempts  to  g-et  a  minister." 
Lauderdale  had  just  sent  strict  orders  to  the 


ECCLESIASTICAL  199 

Council   to   prosecute  all   frequenters   of   Convent- 
icles. 

The  minister  in  1089  was  a  Mr  Johnstone, 
an  Episcopalian,  and  in  that  year  Bailie  Setoii 
was  pulled  up  because  £84  paid  to  him  for  meat 
and  drink  to  the  minister"  had  been  used  by  him 
for  "a  stand  of  colours  for  the  town's  militia." 
William  of  Orange,  while  again  establishing 
Presbytery  in  Scotland,  refused  to  allow  the  Epis- 
copalians to  be  deprived  of  their  charges,  except 
something  could  be  brought  against  their  moral 
character.  So,  in  1690,  "the  pretended  minister 
of  Burntisland,"  Mr  .Johnstone,  was  suspended. 
lint  there  were  those  in  the  town  who  resented 
this  fiercely.  When  a  Mr  Shepherd  was  sent  by 
the  Presbytery  to  preach  in  his  place  "he  found 
Mr  .Jolmstone  in  the  pulpit  and  the  men  of  the 
congregation  armed  with  staves,  and  he  was  forced 
to  conduct  his  service  at  the  Castle.  It  has  been 
stated  that  Jolmstone  was  restored  by  the  influence 
of  the  King,  but  this  lacks  confirmation.  How- 
ever this  xvas,  the  Session  liecords  show  that  Mr 
James  Inglis,  also  an  Episcopalian,  was  admitted 
in  109'5,  and  that  the  amount  of  dissatisfaction 
with  Episcopacy  led  to  his  deposition  in  1G99.  All 
this  appears  strange  when  we  read  that  the  Prince 
of  Orange  abolished  patronage.  There  was,  how- 
ever, an  important  condition.  If  the  patron — in 
the  case  of  Burnt  island  the  Crown — had  built  or 
sustained  the  Church  it  was  necessary  to  pay  him 
(JOO  merks.  Burnt  island  was  entitled  to  a  grant 


200  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

uf  500  merks  annually  for  the  minister's  stipend. 
The  town  could  barely  afford  to  drop  this  Crown 
»rant. 

1  am  indebted  for  the  following1  condensed 
account  of  a  religious  riot,  to  Mr  John  Jilyth, 
Kirkton,  who  made  a  complete  extract  of  it  from 
such  of  the  Session  Records  as  are  in  Edinburgh — 
In  .1711  a  Mr  Clegliorn  was  minister.  In  1712, 
after  his  translation  to  AVemyss,  Mr  Kbme/er 
Krskine,  afterwards  founder  of  the  Secession 
Church,  "was  called,  but  Mr  AVilliam  Duguid, 
licensed  by  the  Presbytery  in  1710,  was  also  (ailed, 
and  obtained  in  addition  a  presentation  from 
Queen  Anne,"  who  had  fully  restored  patronage. 
To  meet  the  difficulty,  the  General  Assembly 
bluntly  ''declared  his  (Duguid's)  license  null  and 
void,  and  presented  a  memorial  to  Her  Majesty 
through  John  Duke  of  Athol."  During  the  sitting 
of  the  Assembly,  Mr  Russell  of  Kennowav  was 
sent  by  the  Synod  to  preach  at  Burntisland.  On 
landing  at  the  pier  "he  was  opposed  in  a  very 
tumultuous  manner  by  a  mob,"  who  laid  hands 
on  him  and  tried  to  get  him  to  mount  a  horse  they 
had  ready  for  him,  and  leave  the  town  "by  the 
back  side."  He  refused,  and  attempted  to  delay 
matters  by  begging  "libertie  to  get  a  drink  of 
ale."  He  must  have  dispatched  a  messenger  for 
assistance  when  in  the  tavern,  as  "immediately 
after  his  asking  a  blessing"  the  crowd  came  and 
pulled  him  out  again.  Shortly  afterwards  "Bailie 
Thaland  came  up  and  took  him  by  the  hand, 


ECCLESIASTICAL  201 

promising-  to  protect  him,"  but  immediately  "the 
rabble,  "Tipping-  both,  made  them  part  hands,  and 
gript  the  Bailie  making  his  hat  g-o  one  way  and 
his  wig  another."  At  this  time  "Mr  Colin 
Mackenzie,  Rossend,  and  Bailie  Anderson,  came 
up  and  Mr  Russell  appealed  to  them  to  protect 
him.  But  they,  using  big  words,  did  ask  him 
how  he  could  come  there  to  occasion  such  a  rabble. 
He  answered  he  came  by  the  authority  oi'  his 
Master,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  appointment  of 
the  Synod  of  Fife.  They  replied,  "Begone,  sir," 
and  desired  him  to  mount  his  horse  and  prevent 
the  effusion  of  blood.  This  Mr  Russell  did. 
This  Duguid  was  said  to  be  a  Jacobite,  and 
Burntisland  at  that  time  reputed  to  be  ruled  by 
Jacobites. 

Two  years  later,  in  1714,  I  find  the  Council 
warning  the  Presbytery  that  King  George  was  now 
their  patron,  and  refusing  to  recognise  their 
nominees.  It  was  not  till  1711)  a  minister  was 
obtained,  who,  at  first,  seemed  likely  to  be  accept- 
able to  both  parties — the  Rev.  James  Thomson. 
He  remained  till  17-S7  when  he  joined  the 
Seceders.  He  had  refused  to  read  from  the  pulpit 
a  proclamation  for  the  discovery  of  the  murderers 
of  Porteous,  Captain  of  the  City  Guard  of  Edin- 
burgh. "James  Thomson,  minister  of  the 
Gospel"  appears  frequently  and  at  great  length 
in  the  Council  Records,  and  prosecuted  several 
law  cases  with  great  vigour.  One  of  these  was 
about  a  ruinous  house  on  which  he  had,  out  of 


202  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

kindness,  advanced  money  to  William  (led.  The 
house  was  on  the  "North  side  of  the  Hig'h  Street, 
fronting  the  Midgate"  (the  present  Kirkgate,  or 
a  vennel  then  existing-  between  Kirkgate  and 
Cockle  AVynd).  On  Ged's  death  the  liouse  fell 
into  Mr  Thomson's  hands,  when  lie  was  asked  by 
the  Council  to  render  it  habitable.  This  he,  at 
first  and  for  long1,  refused  to  do  "for  all  the  Kind's 
horses  and  all  the  Kind's  men." 

Sheriff  Mackay  portrays  Fife  as  the  nursery  of 
Secession.  The  Cameronians  originated  with 
Richard  Cameron,  a  native  of  Falkland.  The 
Seceders,  under  Ebenezer  Erskine,  very  .soon 
divided  into  Burghers  and  anti-Burghers,  and 
ag;ain  into  Auld  Lichts  and  New  Lichts.  There 
was  the  Relief  Church  arising1  in  Dunfermline. 
The  Sandemanians  owed  their  existence  to  Glas, 
son  of  a  minister  of  Aiichtermuchty.  The  liereans 
too,  thrived  in  Fife,  and  the  Catholic  Apostolic 
Church  was  founded  by  Edward  Irving,  sometime 
schoolmaster  in  Kirkcaldy. 

After  the  Secession  the  Church  in  Burntisland 
entered  on  a  long-  period  of  peace.  The  Rev. 
Robert  Spears  was  appointed  in  1743,  and  laboured 
for  36  years  with  g'reat  acceptance.  The  Rev. 
•Tames  \Vemyss  followed  in  1770,  ministering1  for 
43  years. 

This  welcome  calm  continued  till  the  arrival  of 
Dr  Couper  in  1834,  the  beginning-  of  the  "ten 
years'  conflict."  Dr  Couper  "came  out"  in  1843, 


ECCLESIASTICAL  203 

and  brought  nearly  all  the  members  with  him.  A 
church  was  built  for  him,  at  the  very  door  of  the 
Parish  Church,  by  Hubert  Young-  of  the  Grange. 
Of  the  handful  left  "behind"  in  the  Parish 
Church,  not  even  one  would  go  to  hear  the  newly- 
appointed  minister.  He  was  accused  of  every- 
thing bad,  even  playing-  "bools"  in  the  Kirk  pass- 
ages. However,  he  continued  for  some  consider- 
able time  to  deliver  his  sermons  to  the  Beadle  and 
Precentor. 

Hard  as  the  people  were  to  please  with  a 
minister  yet  difficulty  was  found  in  paying  his 
stipend.  It  was  often  in  arrears.  This  stinginess 
may  have  led  the  minister  in  1G84  to  "  demand 
the  tiend  of  fish."  The  Council  went  in  a  flutter 
about  this  to  the  Archbishop  of  St  Andrews,  and 
were  greatly  relieved  to  find  that  the  Archbishop 
was  not  at  the  bottom  of  the  proposal,  and  em- 
phatically refused  to  countenance  it.  Impecuni- 
osity  abounded.  This  was  not  the  only  case  of 
the  "  cat  licking  the  dowg's  mouth."  In  1674 
the  town's  officers — part  of  whose  duties  was  to 
show  people  into  the  pews  on  Sunday,  for  which 
they  were  promised  a  share  in  the  collections, 
had  received  nothing  tor  some  time — were  con- 
strained dramatically  to  bring  themselves  to  public 
recollection  by  taking  a  collection  on  their  own 
account. 

After  the  trials  of  the  Commonwealth  the 
Session  had  much  trouble  with  law-breakers  of 


204  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

various  sorts.  They  instituted  what  were  called 
searchers,  and  reports  were  made  weekly  of  the 
state  of  morals.  "  Vagiiig"  the  fields,  the 
Castle  lirae,  or  the  "  Shear"  were  forbidden.  So 
were  toasting-  "bread  and  bring  ing  water  on  Snn- 
day.  One  pint  of  water  was  allowed.  Hiring 
horses  or  carrying  passengers  by  the  Ferry  on 
Sunday  were  subject  to  forfeiture  of  the  horses 
or  boats,  but  were  by  and  by  suffered,  under 
supervision,  on  payment  of  considerable  fines, 
which  were  given  to  the  poor.  A  very  strong 
breath  of  freedom  must  have  been  blowing  through 
"  society  "  at  this  time.  Conciliatory  measures 
seemed  a  waste  of  good  temper,  and  the  Council 
became  so  alarmed  at  this  "progress  of  an  age  of 
reason"  that  they  held  a  special  meeting  and 
""declared  they  would  see  the  Act"  as  regards  the 
Sabbath  put  in  force  "within  the  Cite,"  and 
warned  all  against  "  frequenting  ale  houses  or 
taverns."  Those  absent  from  the  Kirk  without 
a  "  lawful  excuse"  were  fined  5s,  and  "  anyone 
brewing  upon  ye  Saboth  nycht  at  even  sail  pay 
6s  8d."  About  1670  the  Tuesday's  sermon  and 
sometimes  the  Wednesday's  preaching  are  men- 
tioned. Cateuhi sings  of  particular  persons  took 
place  nearly  every  week  day.  and  all  appeared  in 
rotation  on  Sundays  for  that  purpose. 

In  1073  Barbara  Thaland  appeared  before  the 
pulpit  and  confessed  to  having-  indulged  in  the 
luxury  of  "fly ting,"  to  the  hurt  of  her  neighbours, 
"'craved  God's  forgiveness,  and  promised  not  to  do 


ECCLESIASTICAL  205 

the  lyke  again."  That  required  a  lot  of  courage. 
\Ve  lift  our  hat.  Due  to  the  spread  of  d:s::ise  in 
1684  the  Session  and  Council  prohibited  all  persons 
from  attending  "  lykewalks  of  dead  corpses,"  and 
in  1689  no  person  was  allowed  to  go  to  the  house 
of  a  deceased  person  nor  "eat,  drink,  nor  smoke 
tobacco  before  a  funeral." 

Witches,  too.  played  the  mischief  with  church 
and  town.  As  early  as  1598  Robert  Brown  ac- 
cused Janet  Allan  of  causing  the  death  of  his  son 
by  witchcraft.  She  was  tried  by  the  town's  jury 
of  15,  found  guilty,  and  sentenced  to  be  "  brunt 
quick."  She  must  have  been  pardoned,  as  shortly 
after  she  is  accused  of  another  death,  and  again 
sentenced.  Lament  says  in  1649: —  'This  sum- 
mer there  were  very  many  witch  taken  and  brunt 
in  seuerall  parts  of  this  Kingdom,  as  in  Lothian 
and  i'Vft'e,  vix.,  in  Knderkething,  Aberdoure, 
Bruniillande,  Deysert,  Dunfermling."  A  very 
remarkable  case  occurred  in  1673,  recorded  in  the 
Session  Records  now  in  the  Register  House.  The 
case  is  very  voluminous,  but  a  long  extract  lias 
been  made  by  Mr  John  Blyth,  Kirkton,  who  has 
been  kind  enough  to  allow  me  to  take  from  it 
the  following  very  condensed  account : — 

Klspeth  Finlay  appeared  before  the  Session  and 
confessed  in  great  detail  to  having  seen  the  "devill 
in  bodilie  shape,  on  a  moonlight  night,  when  she, 
was  going  for  a  pynte  of  aill  "  for  the  Town 
Clerk,  to  whom  she  was  a  servant.  She  appears 
to  have  resented  the  tricks  and  practical  jokes  of 


206  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

another  curious  female  (Margaret  Couper),  and 
Klspeth's  stories  about  her  are  calculated  to  prove 
her  friendly  with  Satan.  She  said  Margaret 
Couper  accosted  her,  when  out  for  the  usual  aill, 
and  hade  her  steal  widow  Baine'-fi  bairn's  snood 
oft'  his  head,  and  thereafter  swear  that  Jon 
MoncriefTs  wife  gave  her  it.  On  another  occa- 
sion at  night  she  was  following'  the  crowd  which 
was  marching'  with  the  "  pype  and  drum,"  when 
she  lost  her  shoe  in  the  sand,  and,  searching'  for 
it,  saw  "  Margaret  Couper,  at  Jon  Halkston's  well, 
who  came  up  to  her,  took  her  by  the  hand,  and 
brought  her  to  the  Devil."  She  saw  "ye  foule 
theefe  standing  at  ye  barn  dcor  like  ane  high 
man,  and  higher,  with  black  cloathes,  and  a  blew 
bonnet."  .  .  .  He  and  Margaret  went  a  little 
distance"  from  her  "  till  a  consultation."  "  Mar- 
garet then  took  out  a  little  black  cuttie  spoon" 
and  poured  a  spoonful  of  water  on  the  middle 
fing'er  of  Elspeth's  left  hand,  and  while  this  rite 
was  taking1  up  her  attention  the  "  foule  theefe" 
suddenly  "  laid  his  hands  beavy  and  cold  as  iron 
on  hers."  With  that  she  fell,  got  up  again,  but 
she  could  not  speak,  and  her  legs  almost  failed 
her.  Margaret  Couper  said  "sillie  facile  thing'," 
and  laug'hed  along-  with  the  devil.  Again, 
Margaret  Couper  took  her  to  her  house  one  night 
and  went  through  some  e?ri?  encantations.  She 
lighted  a  little  stick  which  she  took  from  a  "mugg 
with  brimston  .  .  .  that  blented,  blented  with 
a  blew  low,"  etc.  The  Devil  then  appeared  again, 


ECCLESIASTICAL  207 

"white"  this  time  "except  his  face  and  hands." 
She  made  a  great  to  do,  and  did  not  know  how 
she  got  out  of  the  house ;  but  she  »saw  him  again 
"all  in  black  at  ye  cheik  of  ye  door,"  and  as  she 
staggered  on  the  way  home  to  the  Town  Clerk's 
she  passed  the  "  foule  theefe  again  a-11  in  black 
on  the  top  of  the  crag."  Her  legs  failed  her, 
and  she  foundered  going  up  her  master's  stair. 
The  Clerk  must  haA'e  been  "dry,"  and  would  pro- 
bably not  observe  (if  there  was  any  of  his  "pynte 
of  aill  "  left  after  these  athletics)  that  it  wa.s 
mulled  and  strongly  sulphurous. 

It  seems  the  ministers  of  Uurntisland  and 
Kinghorn  were  acknowledged  authorities  in  the 
now  lost  art  of  witch-finding.  The  King-horn 
minister  is  described  a,s  having:  been  an  absolute 
terror  to  the  wretched  creatures  who  appeared 
before  him.  This  appears  to  have  been  due  to 
the  fact  that,  somewhat  like  Willie  Wastel's 
wife,  of  whom  Burns  wrote  "  she  had  an  e'e,  she 
had  but  ane,  the  cat  had  twa  the  very  colour," 
lie  had  a  black  mask  over  one  eye  which  gave  to 
the  other,  though  not  situated  like  Cyclop's  in 
the  centre  of  the  forehead,  an  uncanny  and  pro- 
digious penetration.  This  time  lie  met  his  match. 
Meeting-  after  meeting  was  held  over  these  two 
hussies  without  their  judges  being  able  to  decide 
which  was  telling  the  truth.  They  were  com- 
pletely baffled.  Kls]>eth  had  the  better  of  them 
all.  She  appears  never  to  have  forgiven  Margaret 


2o8  HISTORY  OF  BURNTISLAND 

for  frightening  lier,  and  especially  for  calling  her 
a  "  sill}-  facile  thing-." 

In  all,  from  the  year  1563  to  1722  there  are 
figures  to  show  that  in  Scotland  alone  over  4000 
persons  were  burned  for  practising  witchcraft. 
Thirty  were  burned  on  the  Castle  Hill  of  Edin- 
burgh on  account  of  their  supposed  attempt  to 
persuade  the  Devil  to  raise  a  storm  to  destroy  the 
ship  in  which  James  VI.  was  bringing  home  his 
Danish  bride.  Dangerous  as  the  reputation  for 
having  dealings  with  Satan  was,  it  seems  strange 
that  in  many  cases  women  so  accused  seemed 
rather  to  enjoy  the  charge;  stranger  still,  to  us, 
that  most  ministers  should  have  been  strong  be- 
lievers in  it.  Even  to  a  late  period  the  belief 
held  on.  AVhen  the  Statutes  against  witchcraft 
were  repealed  in  1735  a  section  of  the  Seceders 
were  greatly  offended,  and  made  efforts  to  show 
in  an  Act  of  Presbytery  in  1743  that  this  repeal 
was  contrary  to  the  express  law  of  God,  "  thou 
shalt  not  suffer  a  witch  to  live." 

If  there  are  any  stray  magicians  left,  no  Gov- 
ernment is  bold  enough  to  burn  them,  or  even  to 
heap  coals  of  fire  on  their  head  by  feeding  them. 
One  tiling  is  certain,  we  may  safely  go  abroad  o' 
nights,  the  present  fashion  in  skirts  making  aerial 
excursions  astride  broomsticks  impossible. 


IN7DEX 


Abbots  of  Dunferrnline,  21.   3(i. 

41. 

Abbot's  Hall,  3G. 
Abercroinbie,     Colonel     James. 

M.P..   burghs,   58. 
Agricola,  16,  17. 
Ale,   77,   78.     Duty   on,   78.   84. 

200. 

Ale  tasters,  77. 

Alexander  III.,  22.  39,  12.3,  121. 
Ammunition,  95.  114. 
Anderson.       Sir      R.       Rmvand, 

LL.D.,  135,  158. 
Aiu-horage.      62.        Value      and 

charges,  84,  166. 
Anderson,  Dr..  19. 
Anne  of  Denmark,  43,  208. 
A n up.    Queen,   200. 
Arbitration,  157. 
Arms,     Coats    of,     Burnti-land. 

ancient,  83,  151  ;  present,  135. 

.136;   Royal,    174. 
Army  in    Ireland,   subscription.^. 

96,  97;  Commonwealth',  ll(i. 
Arskine,  Sir  John,  M.P..  57. 
Astrolabe,  174,  181,  182. 

Bakers,  75,  151,  156;  .seat,  193. 

Balingall,  Mrs,  131,  146. 

Banishment,  80. 

Bani|uet,  70,  79. 

Bailies,  election,  51;  defied  .">!»; 
imprisoned,  60,  62;  their 
powers,  62;  cursing  them.  113. 

Bnlbio.  44. 

Balmnto.   93. 

Barony.   II. 

Mention.    Hubert,    of   Kilrie,  48. 

llell.  To]  booth,  70.  89.  Kirk. 
146. 

Beaconage,  62. 


Beggars,  80. 

Ben  net,  M.  W.,  177. 

Beer,  75,  77. 

Bernham,  Bishop  David  de,  119. 

122 

Bertiiand,  24,  26. 
Bible,  136. 

Binn  (House),  13,   14. 
Binu  (Hill),  13,  14,  20. 
Binnend,   16,-  125;  Seat,   140. 
Black  Jock's  Hill,  125. 
Black  Staae,  124. 
Blackness  Caatle,  107. 
Blyth,  John,  200,  205. 
Blyth,  George,  18. 
Boat*,  Luggage,  83. 
Boatsilver,  62,  85. 
Eodotria,  16. 
Bo  ids.  56,  165. 
Bonfires,  70. 
Bools,  203. 
Booths,  62,  76. 
Bos  well,  Sir  Alexander,  18. 


Branding,  80. 

Bread,  75.  204. 


Brewer-;.  77,  78. 

British  (.'amp,   17. 

Broken  WaiuK  58. 

Broonihill,  62,  97,  99,  104. 

Bioughton,  Colonel,  48. 

Bulletis,  69. 

Burgess,    25,    71  ;    Female,    85 ; 

Oaths  and  Fees,  K>.">  l>. 
Burgh  Courts,  51. 
Burgh  .Mail.  30. 
Burgh  Official*,  .in-  Town  Clerk. 

Town      Officers,      Constables, 

Procurator    Fiscal.    Treasurer. 

Dempster. 

Burghs   Uo\al.    Baron,   nnd   Re" 
ahty.   25,'  2H. 


21O 


INDEX 


Burghs  Convention,  52,  71,  100, 
172. 

Burutisland,  Prehistoric  and 
Roman,  13,  14,  16;  Derivation 
and  first  mention  of  name,  21, 
23,  24,  26,  28;  Parish,  26,  119 ; 
B.  of  Regality,  24,  26,  30. 
Burgh  Royal,'  29,  30,  31; 
Barony  aud  Lord  of,  44,  45 ; 
Bonds,  56;  Sedition,  59;  Con- 
vention, 57;  Assembly,  197; 
Bankrupt,  61,  65,  78 ;  one 
hundred  years  ago,  and  line.-'. 
72,  73  ;  Coats  of  Arms,  83,  135, 
151;  Early  Attacks,  92;  Be 
seiged,  108;  Surrender,  109; 
English  Garrison,  112;  Dutch 
Attack,  114;  Earl  of  Mar's 
Ru-e,  115-6;  Result  of  Occu- 
pation, 116-7. 

Burntisland  Castle,  16,  17,  26 ; 
Boundaries  and  Rights,  31, 
34;  Early  History,  35,  36; 
Lines,  38 ;  St  Margaret's 
Relics,  38,  39;  Proprietors,  36, 
43,  48 ;  English  Headquarters. 
lf)0,  112;  Max's  Defence,  115, 
116;  Kirk  Seat,  134,  135; 
Visits  of  James  VI.,  45,  196. 

Burntisland  Harbour,  James  V. 
Harbour  Works,  27 ;  Latin 
Name  30,  31  ;  Petitions  to 
Parliament  re  Dock,  78 ; 
Provost's  Pier,  73 ;  Revenue, 
62;  Piers  in  1600,  and  Imp. 
Customs,  82 ;  Imports,  Ex- 
ports, and  Burntifilaiid  Ships 
in  1640,  83 ;  Forts,  82,  93.  99, 
101 ;  Attacked,  101  ;  Crom- 
well's Pier  and  Repairs,  109. 

Burntifiland,  Lords,  45,  46. 

Bute,  Marquis  of,  135. 

Byng,  Sir  George.  116. 

Cairn,  15. 
Caledonias,  21. 
Caledonians,  21. 
Campbell.  Murdock,  48. 
Canmore,  Malcolm,  39. 
Canopies,  we  Kirke  Seats. 
Castle,  see  Burntisland  Castle. 


Castle  Mills,  31,   32,  33. 

Castor  and  Pollux,  69. 

Catechisings,  204. 

Charles  I.,  98;  visit  and  cook. 
137,  138. 

Charles  II.,  declaration,  61  ; 
Coronation,  etc.,  70;  visits 
and  costs  of  restoration,  99; 
Stirling,  107;  Message,  108. 

Charters,  29,  30,  31. 

Chastellard,  40. 

Chaplin,  Alexander,  seat  136, 
143. 

Chevalier,  The  Old,  70. 

Clayness,  Sands,  42;  Fort,  10'), 
101;  Keepers,  103. 

Clock,  Town,  76,  89. 

Coal,  Dues,  62 ;  Conveyance  and 
Export  of,  84;  Value  of  Cus- 
toms, 85. 

Coine,   104,   123. 

Cokefce  Clerk,  and  Seal,  82. 

Collection,  95.  96,  198.  203. 

"  Comon  Lands,"  62.  99. 

Common   Roll.s,  51. 

Commonwealth,  sr<-  Army. 

Communion,   144. 

Compass,  174,  182. 

Constables,  51,   58. 

Convener,  52,  54. 

Conventicle,  18. 

Convention  of  Burghs,  see 
Burghs  Convention. 

Cot-burn-dale,  125. 

Council,  Town,  Method  of  Elec- 
tion, 51,  60,  157,  162,  169,  203. 

Councillors,  unwilling,  59,  60 ; 
relaxation,  70,  71. 

Council  of  State,  53. 

Covenant,  198. 

Covenanters,  97. 

Customs  Receiver,  44. 

Customs,  small,  62 ;  list  of  "11 
1670,  85. 

Cunning'ham,  John  Gilchrist. 
169. 

Cunyngayrland,  24. 

Craigkennoohie,  15,  62,  72. 

Craigluscar,   38. 

Cromwell's  Pier,  *?e  Burntislaml 
Hjarbour. 


INDEX 


211 


Cromwell,      105;      letter,      106; 

strategy,  letters,  etc.,  107-108; 

stay      at      Burntisland,      and 

house,   111;   Proclaimed,   113; 

his  legacy,  123. 
Crossgate,  19. 
Cross,  or  Crosshouse,  75,  90-91, 

152 

Cross-staff,  175,  180,  181. 
Crow,  William,  the  late,  169. 
Crown,  four  pleas  of,  26. 
Crown  of  the  Cau-eway,  155. 

Darien  Scheme,  55. 

David  I.,   118. 

Davidson,  John  and  Walter,  66. 

Dean  of  Guild,  &>?.  Guildry. 

Defoe,  84. 

Delves,    125   (mare's),   73. 

Dempster,  51,  59. 

Devil,  the,   103,  205,  206. 

Devil's   punch    bowl,    103. 

Diamonds,  19. 

Discipline,  Church,  203. 

Disruption,  202. 

Docksilver,  62. 

Dodhead,  seat,  133. 

Drummer,  60,  80,  206. 

Dunbar  rout,  100,  105. 

Dunearn ;    camp,    lake,     bottle. 

etc.,  17,  18. 
Dunfennline    Abbey,    destroyed. 

39;  lands  annexed   to  Crown. 

43;    grant,    118;    Chartulan, 

122. 
Durie-i,  arms,  35  ;  seal  of,  35,  38  ; 

Peter,    37;    George,    .sainted, 

his  morals,  36,  38,  142;  David, 

43;  John's  seat,  142. 

Edinburgh,    Cattle,   39,   44.   99. 

198. 

Elgin,  Earl  of,  48. 
Elizabeth,  Quec>n,  44. 
Earncraig,  82,  104. 
Earthquake,  127. 
East   H«-iid,  82. 
Episcopacy,  191,  198,  200. 
Erskinc,  Rev.    Ebenexer,  L'OII. 
ErskiiK-,     Sir    Jam<>s    St     Cliiir. 

Provost,  56;  M.P.,  57. 


Ereflaiid,  24. 
Executions,  81. 
Exports,   84. 

Fair,  sec  Market. 

Fairfax,    Miss    and    Lieutenant, 

49. 

Fencibles,  see.  Militia. 
Ferguson,    William,    of    Raith, 

Provost,  56,  136. 
Ferguson,    Duncan,    ex-Provost, 

135. 

Ferry,  112,  194,  204. 
Fife  Burghs,  55. 
Fines  and  Penalties,  46,  61,  62, 

63,   70,   77,  79,   116,   146,   152, 

155,  189,   194,  204. 
Finlayson,    Rev.    Joseph,    sage, 

179.' 

Fish,  sale  of,  76 ;  cod  and  her- 
ring, 84;  tiend  of,  203. 
Kleshers,  76;  seat,  133,  140,  147, 

149 ;  <seal  of  cause,  157. 
Forbes,   Bishop  Alexander  Pen- 

rose,    and    Rev.    Henry    Hay, 

124. 

Forbes,  Mr,  Oil  Cake  Co.,  41. 
Fortifications,    82,    92,    95,    100; 

Position  of  and   resume,   101  ; 

Plan,  102. 
Free  Trade,  85. 
(•'•'••men,    we    Burgoss. 

(1    lories,  «et<  Kirk. 

G.vl'ow  Hill,  103. 

Gammack,   Dr  James,   11?. 

Garrison,  101,  111,  112. 

God,  Alexander,  M.P.,  L.4,  !!•?; 

Captaij.    114;   seat,    144. 
General   Assembly,   71,  97,   108, 

196,  200. 

George  IV.,  101. 
Glamis   Castle,   93. 
Golf,  69. 

Grange  Distillery,  18. 
Grange,  seats,  133,  142. 
Graysunday   Pier,  82. 
(irivimmiiiit,    14. 
(rriclT.    Patrick.    Provost.  53. 
Guns,      7ll.      100  -101  ;      taken      n\ 

Cromwell,  116,  126. 


212 


Guildry,    133;    seats,    147,    158; 

book,  161  ;  Council  and  Dean, 

162;  box,  privileges,  etc.,  164; 

seats    and    Lord    Dean,    167  ; 

panels,    157,    162,    168;    Dean. 

172. 
Guilds,  ancient,  150. 

Hailstones,    20. 
Halfmooii  Battery,   104. 
Hamilton.   Patrick,  37. 
Hamilton,  Duke  of,  55,  97. 
Hamilton,  Dame  Jean,  135. 
Hammermen,      133,      149,      151  ; 

book,  etc.,  185;  arms,  deacon, 

etc.,   186. 

Harbour,    get   Burntisland. 
Harley  shot,   125. 
Harrow,  Mrs,  172. 
Haxton  of  Rathillet,  153. 
Herring,  84. 
Heritors,   200. 
Head  Court,  51,  59. 
Hirers,  seats,  149.  151,  194. 
Horologe,  89. 
House-letting,    79. 
Horse  race,  70. 
Home,  Sir  George,  Provost,  31. 

52. 

Imports,  83. 
Inchkeith,    92. 
Inchgarvie,   106. 
Invasion,  57,  100. 
Irish  Rebellion,  97. 

Jacobites,  115,  201. 

James  IV.,  27. 

James  V.,  26,  51,   118,   151. 

James  VI.,  42;  visits  Castle,  Jb. 

46,  128;  Assembly.  197. 
Jones,  Paul,  116. 
Jury  of  15  ;  name^  in  Latin,  62. 


Kidd,   Alexander,   176. 

Kinghorn,   Earl  of,  93. 

Kinghorn,  16,  22  ;  Wester  Parish 
and  Kirk,  26  ;  Easter  and 
Wester,  parva  and  I/HI//IXI, 
118. 

King's  Haven,  25. 


Kingsvvood.  22. 

Kirk,  80;  erection,  118;  design. 
126 ;  belfry,  steeple,  earth- 
quake, 127;  chairs,  slated. 
pulpit,  etc.,  128;  alteration-. 
1822,  130;  seats  and  pulpit. 
131,  137;  canopies,  130,  135, 
136;  right  to  seats,  136;  ladle, 
plates,  sand-glass,  ship,  chan- 
deliers, offenders'  stool,  145; 
galleries,  146 ;  Session,  144, 
191,  200;  redecorated,  158; 
Secession,  201  ;  Disruption, 
203;  Discipline,  204. 

Kirkyard,  63,  98. 

Kirk  Seat,  135,  136,  140. 

Kirke,  Miss  K.  J.,  Hilton,  ];>, 
130,  173,  179. 

Kirke,  Mrs  John,  182. 

Kirke,  D.  J.  Balfour,  Provost, 
27,  174. 

Kirkcaldy  dialect,    167. 

Kirkcaldy  of  Grange,  42,  92. 

Kirkton  Church,  26,  118,  146 
198. 

Knaps,  the,  125. 

Knox,  John,  37,  46. 

Lammerlaws,  42,  63,  72;  fort. 
100,  171. 

LandaJe,  Dr,  13. 

Landale,  Miss,  182. 

Laurie,  W.  A.,  35,  48. 

Laurie,  Mrs,  35,  175. 

Le  Mains,  37,  125. 

Leslie,  John,  Lojxl ;  Hon. 
Thomas,  Hon.  Charles,  Pro- 
vost •;  ;  Norm  aai  and  Earl 
Rothes,  56. 

Leslie,   Hon.    Charles,  89. 

Leslie,  General,  96,  101. 

Leslie  of  Quartier's  seat,  142. 

Leven  and  Melville,  Earls  of, 
45. 

Leven,   Ear]   of,  55,   112. 

Lilburn,  Colonel,  112. 

Linen,  84. 

Links,  63,  72,  79,   164. 

Lord  St  Clair's  Raid,  115. 

Low,   David,  lines  by.  66. 


INDKX 


213 


Louping  Dykes,  166. 
Lucius  ill.,  Pope,  lib. 
Lykewalka,   205. 

Mackenzie,  Colin.  34 

Malt,  78. 

Maltinen,    149,    151,    193. 

Marc-lies    perambulation,    64. 

Market  goods,  meat,  drink, 
coals,  etc.,  75. 

Markets,  Inspectors,  62;  meal, 
fle.-.h,  etc.,  75;  days.  75; 
annual.  152. 

Marv    of   Lorraine,   92. 

Mary.   Queen,  40,   42,    151. 

M  In  tosh.   Bailie,    172. 

M'Omish,  Mre,  103,  146.  153, 
191. 

Melville,  Stir  Joint,  of  RaiMi, 
37,  41.  42. 

Melville,  Sir  Robert,  the  fir-st, 
30,  31,  43,  44.  Sir  Robert, 
the  }'ounger,  33.  4fj.  47,  52; 
scat.  135.  Sir  James  of  Hal- 
liill  succeeds,  son  same  name 
follows,  46;  subscription,  96. 
Lord  Melville  of  Raith  pri- 
soner in  Castle.  47.  Jame.s 
Melville,  167. 

"Mettaris,  coinon,"  62. 

Mill   Dam,   31. 

Mills,  various,  31-32. 

Moderators.  ."i2. 

Monmouth,  Duke  of,  70. 

MOIKS    Grampus.   2u. 

Morgan,    Major-General,    113. 

Moiibray,  John,  of  Cockairnie. 
79. 

Moubray,  Francis,  of  Barnboglr. 
16. 

\ct.her  Grange,  37  ;  seat.  142. 
\   ul)i»ging,  125;  seat,  143. 
\nrth  C'ommon  Lands,  99. 

01<1  Man'.-  Scat,  140. 

Orn.ik.  Alexander.  16;  Alex- 
ander. David,  William,  and 
Captain  Orroek,  21;  Robert, 
King's  Master  of  Works,  21, 
27,  28. 


Orroek    House,    19;    diamonds. 

etc.,  19,  20. 
Orroek.  lands  of,  44. 
Oswald,  James,  Townsend,  Pro 

vost,  56;  M.P.,  58. 
Over  Kinghorn,   44. 

1'ack  and  Peel,  163. 

Panels,  Guild,  131,  157,  158; 
East  Gallery,  5th  panel,  166 ; 
6th,  173;  7fh.  173;  8th,  174, 
9th,  175;  10th,  175;  14th,  170, 
and  15th,  177.  South  Gallery. 
1st,  179;  2nd,  179;  3rd.  180: 
4th,  182:  5th,  182;  tith,  173; 
7th,  8th,  9th,  10th,  168. 

Parliament,  Scottish,  Common- 
wealth, Union,  55-57.  Sir  J. 
Arskine,  M.P.,  at  Union,  f»7 ; 
members  after  Union,  57. 

Patrick,  Master  of  Gray,  36. 

Patronage,   199,  200. 

Paving,  iti'f  Street. 

Perth,  115. 

Petitions  to  Parliament,  57,  78. 

Pettycnr,  22. 

Pierci,  under  own  names  and 
Burntisland  Harbour. 

Pillars,   Kirk,    158,   160. 

Pillory,  90. 

Piper,  town's,  155. 

Piracy,   28,   95. 

Pitcairn,  Lord  Robert,  30,  37, 
43. 

Pit  ligo   Press,   120. 

Pitre-avie,  107. 

Plague,  76,  80,  164. 

Poor,  63,  151,  203. 

Pope   Innocent.  40. 

Port.  62,  92,   109.   L58. 

Portus  Gratius,  31,  92. 

Postmaster,  62,  194. 

Postmaster-General,  194. 

Postsilver,  62,    194. 

Presbyterianism,   195,   196,  198. 

Prime  Guild,  149;  stair,  149- 
150;  rules,  171. 

Privateers,  28-29,  96. 

Procurator  -Fiscal,  27. 

Provost,  first,  51  ;  list  of,  52. 

Pulpit,  si'f  Kirk. 


2I4 


INDEX 


Quadrant,  181,  183. 
Quartering,  101,  112. 
Quartermaster,   62. 
Queensferry,   107. 

Ransomee,  see   Sailors. 

Revenues,   62. 

Riots,  59,  60 ;  Council  Chamber 

81 ;  streets,  199. 
Roads,   ancient,   124. 
Roger,  Allan,  F.E.I.S.,  62,  176. 
Roger,    James,    M.A.,    176. 
Roman    Fleet,    16 ;    Antiquities, 

17;  Calendar,   119. 
Rosseiid,  see  Burntisland  Cast!:. 
Rothes,  Earl  of,  198. 

Sabbath-breaking,   49,   194,  204^ 
Sailors  ;  captive,  94  ;  poor,  101  ; 

sentries,     101-4 ;     navy,     113 ; 

society  ajid  panels,   171-179. 
Sand,  blown,  13. 
Schanks,  Murdock,  124. 
School,  64-5-6. 
Schoolmaster,       Schoolmistress, 

64-6. 

School    Doctor,    64. 
Seals  of  Cause,  157,  186,  188. 
Seamills,    31,    32,    33,    47,    85; 

seat,   142. 
Searches,  204. 
Seat-letting,   191 
Seats,     svc     Guilds,     Heritors, 

Plans,   128,   133;   and  individ- 
ual names. 
Seeders,    198,   202. 
Sentries,    101-4. 
Session,   see  Kirk. 
Sett  of  the  Burgh,  51,  58,  59. 
Seymour,  Admiral,  92. 
Sibbald,  Sir  Robert.  16,  17.  142. 
Sick  Benefit,  162. 
Sigillaria,  14. 
Silverbarton,   21. 
Shepherd,        James,        Rossend 

Castle,  34,  48,   182. 
Ships,  privateering,  28 ;  number 

in  1640,  83 ;  warship*,  92,  93. 
Shirra,  Rev.  Mr,  116. 
Shoemakers ;  seat,  141,  149,  151. 

156;  arms,  etc.,  188. 


Shore,  62,  204. 

Smiths,  xr.<>  Hammermen. 

Smuggling,    62,    152. 

Soldiers,  92,  98.  99;     107,     10? 

109. 
Somerville,  M.,  49;     seat,     142 

193. 
Speed,   James,   24,   83,   90.    11^ 

143,  147,  153,  195. 
Spice  Rue,  84. 
St   Adamnan,    118. 
St  Andrew's  CLOSS,    172.   175-1) 
St  Serf,  119,  120. 
St   George's   Cross,    175. 
St  Margaret,  38-9,  40. 
St   Patrick's   Crose,    ITti. 
Statutes,  61,  79. 
Steamboat  pier,  87. 
Stellar,    Colonel    James,    M.I'. 

58. 

Stevenson,   D.W.,    103,    193. 
Stranger's   Seat,    140. 
Streets,  84,  91,  109;  110,  155. 
Stent  Roll,  63. 
Stentmaster,  62. 
Stewart,  James,  18. 
Sugar  House,  41,  84. 
Sword.  James,  M.P.,  54. 
Swine,  76. 

Tacksmen,  63. 

Tailors,  151,  157.   191  ;  insignia, 

seats,  saints,  etc.,  191. 
Taverns,  69,   73. 
Taxes,  60,  79,  84,  113. 
Taylor,    James,    of    Starleyhall. 

175. 

Tiend  of  Fish,  204. 
Tiutock  Tap,  19. 
Tobacco,  46,  205. 
Tolbooth,  51;  bell,  70;  in  1592. 

etc.,  87  ;  clock,  89  ;  a  barracks, 

100,   112. 
Town  Clerk,  60;  in  prison,  60: 

bolts,  61,  91,  196. 
Town  Officers,  51,  58. 
Treasurer,  51,  70,  79,  140. 
Tronhouse,   90. 
Tumulus,    15. 
Tweedale,  Earl  of,  30,  77. 


INDEX 


Unfreemen,  75,  152,  153,  155. 
191. 

Unlaw,  76. 

Union  Jack,  174,  175. 

Union  of  Crowns  and  Parlia- 
ments, 45,  57,  176. 

Urns  cinerary,  13,  14. 

Violer,  Town's,   155. 
Vitriol  Works,  84,   104. 

Wadclell,  James,  Burgh  Sur- 
veyor, 90. 

Wallace,  Thomas  A.,  135,  153, 
159,  IGO. 

War.  92  105.     Dutch,   113-117. 

Watching  and  warding,  62. 

Watchmaker,  89. 

NVutson,  John;  seat,   140. 

Weapons,  drawing,  81 ;  raid  on, 
115. 

Weavers;  seat,  134,  141,  149, 
151,  157;  seat  and  box,  193. 

Weight*?  and  Measures,  62. 


Wemyss,  Earl  of,  47-8,  136. 

Wemyss,  Sir  James,  47,  135-6 ; 
Rev.  James,  202 ;  Sir  James 
and  Wemyss  arms,  49-50. 

Wemys-i,  Countess  of,  32,  47, 
136;  seat,  142. 

Well  o'  the  Spa,  20.' 

Welton,   21. 

West  Head,  31,  82. 

Whales,  49,  77. 

WMimyhall,  133,  142. 

William  of  Orange,  145,  197. 

Williamson,  Mrs,  141.  15.'5. 

Wilson,    William,   31. 

Winter,  Admiral,  92. 

Wi'hart,   family,    175. 

Witchcraft,  26,'  205-208. 

Women  ;  Burgesses,  85,  101, 
156;  feirk  seats,  137;  Free- 
man's daughter,  188. 

Wood,  Sir  Andrew,  27. 

Wrights,   151,   185-8. 

"Ye,"  23-4. 


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