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Sometimes referred to, erroneously, as the "Kingdom of Fife", this County is a peninsula lying between the Firth of Tay and Forth. Although most of the County was dependent on agriculture in the 19th Century, the coastal towns and villages were heavily involved in fishing. The "East Neuk" of Fife includes the fishing villages of Anstruther, Crail and Pittenweem with the renowned Scottish Fisheries Museum being located in Anstruther. The principal town is Dunfermline where the body of Robert the Bruce is buried. It was famous for its damask linen industry and for the fact that the benefactor, Andrew Carnegie, was born here.
You can get a feel for the lives your ancestors lived by visiting the area they came from. These are areas where, for centuries, families lived together in a tightly-knit community. In the Highlands they are linked to clan heartlands, whereas, in the rest of Scotland the names are often those of the local landed families. Although it is unlikely that family historians can link their ancestry to clan chiefs or family dynasties, it can still be a moving experience to tour the clan and family heartlands.
Here is a selection of the most common names in this area.
Balfour
Bruce
Erskine
Lindsay
The Parish Church can unlock many secrets for ancestral researchers. Not only was it the place where children were baptised, proclamations of marriage announced and the dead buried, it was also the centre of most social activity within the Parish. There is, however, no such thing as a definitive list of parishes. Over the decades they have merged, divided, been renamed and had changes made to their spelling. The following list is based largely on the situation at the time of publication of the New Statistical Account (1834-1845).
Abbotshall,
Abdie,
Abercrombie (St Monans),
Aberdour,
Anstruther Easter,
Anstruther Wester,
Auchterderran,
Auchtermuchty,
Auchtertool,
Ballingry,
Balmerino,
Beath,
Burntisland,
Cameron,
Carnbee,
Carnock,
Ceres,
Collessie,
Crail,
Creich,
Cults,
Cupar,
Dairsie,
Dalgety,
Dunbog,
Dunfermline,
Dunino,
Dysart,
Elie,
Falkland,
Ferry Port-on-Craig,
Flisk,
Forgan,
Inverkeithing,
Kemback,
Kennoway,
Kilconquhar,
Kilmany,
Kilrenny,
Kinghorn,
Kinglassie,
Kings Kettle (Kettle),
Kingsbarns,
Kirkcaldy,
Largo,
Leslie,
Leuchars,
Logie,
Markinch,
Monimail,
Moonzie,
Newburgh,
Newburn,
Pittenweem,
Saline,
Scoonie,
St Andrews (St Andrews and St Leonards),
St Leonards,
Strathmiglo,
Torryburn,
Wemyss
* subsequently divided into seperate parishes, ( ) denotes alternative name or spelling
Detailed information on life and work within each of these parishes can be found in the Old (1791-99) and the New (1834-45) Statistical Account of Scotland. These are freely accessible on http://edina.ed.ac.uk/statacc. Part of their charm is the individual views of the minister, which can include some fascinating accounts of a parish's history, topography, employment, landowners, communications, agriculture and even the morality of the parishioners.
Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.
The following is a list of the libraries in your chosen area:
Central Fife
Central Library
War Memorial Grounds
Kirkcaldy
KY1 1YG
Tel: +44 1592 412879
Fax: +44 1592 412750
E-mail:
Kirkcaldy.library@fife.gov.uk
Open: Mon-Th, 10:00 - 19:00 & Fri-Sat, 10:00 - 17:00.
Extensive indexed photographic collection, newspapers include Fife Free Press (1871 to date), and Fifeshire Advertiser (1845-1965) with an index for 1845-1865. Indexed press cutting collection.
West Fife
Local History Department
Dunfermline Carnegie Library
1 Abbot Street
Dunfermline
KY12 7NL
Tel: +44 1383 312600
Fax: +44 1383 312608
E-mail:
DCLib.Admin@fife.gov.uk
www.fifedirect.org.uk
Open: Mon-Tue & Thu-Fri 09:30-19:00; Wed-Sat 09:30-17:00
Extensive collection of books, articles, maps and photographs on West Fife. Newspapers include the West Fife Echo (1900-1932) and the Dunfermline Journal (1851-1951 incomplete)
East Fife
Local History Collection
Cupar Library
33 Crossgate
Cupar
KY15 5AS
Tel: +44 1333 412285
Fax: +44 1333 412467
E-mail:
cupar.library@fife.gov.uk
www.fifedirect.org.uk
Open: Mon, Fri & Sat, 09:30 - 17:00, Tue, Wed & Thu 09:30 - 19:00.
Newspapers include the Fifeshire Journal 1833-1893 microfilm and the East of Fife Record 1856-1916 bound volume, 1870-1916 microfilm. Courier & Advertiser 1926-1989 bound volumes; 1939-145 microfilm
A newspaper index is maintained. Valuation Rolls 1893-1967. Register of Sasines 1731-1947. Old Parish Records. Census returns 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 1901. Also, maps, local history books and photograhs. An enquiry service is available.
Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.
The following is a list of the archive offices in your chosen area:
Fife Council Archive Centre
Carleton House
Balgonie Road
Markinch
Fife
KY7 6AQ
Tel: +44 1592 413256
Fax: +44 1592 417447
E-mail:
Andrew.Dowsey@fife.gov.uk
www.fifedirect.org.uk
Open: Mon-Fri, 09:00 - 17:00, by appointment only.
County records covering Fife public bodies from 1709, including school log books from 1863. Good range of records for burghs in Central Area of Fife. The Archive Centre also has some records for burghs in West Fife and North East Fife. (See also Dunfermline Carnegie Library for the archives of West Fife burghs and St Andrews University Library for burghs in North East Fife).
Local History Department
Dunfermline Carnegie Library
Abbot Street
Dunfermline
KY12 7NL
Tel: +44 1383 312600
Fax: +44 1383 314608
E-mail:
dunfermline.library@fife.gov.uk
Includes the archives of West Fife burghs.
St Andrews University Library
Special Collections Department
North Street
St Andrews
KY16 9TR
Tel: +44 1334 462324
Fax: +44 1334 462282
E-mail:
library@st-andrews.ac.uk
www.st-andrews.ac.uk/specialcollections
Extensive collection of archives relating to North East Fife.
Scotland is a country with a remarkable history. So it should come as no surprise that Scotland is home to a remarkable collection of museums and heritage centres. These range from the major, internationally renowned collections in Edinburgh's Royal Museum of Scotland to hundreds of small centres that specialise in the history of local communities. The following museums are all in your chosen area. A visit to any one of them may well shed new light on the lives led by your ancestors.
Crail Museum and Heritage Centre
62-64 Nethergate
Crail
KY10 3TL
Tel: +44 1333 450869
Open: April-May weekends & public holidays and June-September Mon-Sat 10:00-13:00 & 14:00-17:00; Sun 14:00-17:00
The museum provides an insight into the past life of this ancient Royal Burgh, its kirk, seafaring tradition, 200 year old golf club and HMS Jackdaw Fleet-Air-Arm Station.
Scottish Fisheries Museum
Harbourhead
Anstruther
Fife
KY10 3AB
Tel: +44 1333 310628
E-mail:
enquiries@scotfishmuseum.org
Web: www.scotfishmuseum.org
Open: April-September, Mon-Sat, 10:00 - 17:30 & Sun 11:00 -
17:00.
October-March, Mon-Sat, 10:00 - 16:30 & Sun 12:00 - 16:30.
The museum covers virtually every aspect of the Scottish fishing industry, including the many associated shore jobs as well as those at sea. The library and photographic archive are open by appointment.
Kirkcaldy Museum and Art Gallery
War Memorial Gardens
Kirkcaldy
Fife
KY1 1YG
Tel: +44 1592 412860
Fax: +44 1592 412870
Open: Mon-Sat, 10:30 - 17:00 & Sun 14:00 - 17:00.
The "Changing Places" section tells the story of the social, industrial and natural heritage of the locality.
Fife Folk Museum
The Weigh House
High Street
Ceres
Cupar
Fife
KY15 5NF
Tel: +44 1334 828180
Open: Easter and May-October, daily 14:00-17:00.
The museum comprises a 17th Century tollbooth and 18th Century cottages illustrating the social, economic and cultural history of rural Fife. Includes "Diggin up Your Roots" exhibition.
Local societies are run by volunteers who meet together periodically. Most maintain an index of members' interests - and this could well lead to the discovery of a long lost cousin or two. If there are any such societies in your chosen area, they will be listed below.
Tay Valley Family History Society
Research Centre
179-181 Princes Street
Dundee
DD4 6DQ
Tel: +44 1382 461845
Fax: +44 1382 455532
E-mail:
tvfhs@tayvalleyfhs.org.uk
www.tayvalleyfhs.org.uk
Open: Mon 10:00 - 16:00 & 19:00 - 21:00, Tue-Wed & Fri, 10:00 - 16:00, Thu 10:00 - 16:00 & 19:00 - 21:00 & Sat 10:00 - 13:00.
Fife Family History Society
30 Brown Street
Buckhaven
Fife
KY8 2JW
Email:
sec@ffhs.freeserve.co.uk
www.fifefhs.org
There are no permanent premises but there is a family history room in the public library in Methil.
It may seem a little odd, but a visit to the burial ground of an ancestor can make you feel more closely connected to them. However, tracking down the specific plot, or lair as they were referred to in Scotland, depends on the period of time when the deaths occurred.
Up to the mid-19th century it was the normal practice for people to be interred in the Parish Kirk burial ground - although this was only rarely marked with anything as grand as a headstone. The Scottish Association of Family History Societies (SAFHS) is currently co-ordinating a major project to develop a National Burial Index, relating to pre-1855 records. This will eventually be available on CD ROM. Although this will help to confirm that burials took place in parish burial grounds, it will not, unfortunately, indicate the location of the lair.
If your ancestor was wealthy enough, their grave may have been marked by an inscribed headstone. Over the years, family history societies and other volunteer groups have painstakingly transcribed and indexed such inscriptions - and these are nearly always held in the relevant local history libraries or family history research centres.
By the mid-19th Century, many parish burial grounds had become seriously overcrowded, especially those in urban areas, and this led to the creation of both private and municipal cemeteries. If you know the place and date of death, you should be able to discover the location of a lair, although not all cemeteries and records have survived.
The concept of cremation started to gain popularity in the late 1940s and has increased ever since. Ashes may be taken away by the family, scattered in the garden of remembrance or buried either in the crematorium or in a family plot.
Central Fife
Kirkcaldy Crematorium Lodge
Rosemount Avenue
Dunnikier
Kirkcaldy
KY1 3PL
Tel: +44 1592 260 277
Fax: +44 1592 203 438
Email: Cathy.Henderson@fife.gov.uk
West Fife
Dunfermline Crematorium Lodge
Masterton Road
Dunfermline
KY11 8QR
Tel: +44 1383 724 653
Fax: +44 1383 738 636
East Fife
Bereavement Services
County Buildings
St Catherine Street
Cupar
KY15 4TA
Tel: +44 1334 412 818
Fax: +44 1334 412 896
There is normally no charge for a search of the Fife burial records. Precise details of date and burial ground are advisable.
