(1) Engraving of the Old Church of St Serf’s, 1853 (Source: William Muir, ed, Notices of the Local Records of Dysart (Glasgow: Maitland Club 1853), p. 22.
‘Prior Walls’ / Chapel Site by the Sea
By the late eighteenth century there was a tradition in Crail that there had once been a medieval priory by the sea, a little to the south of what is now called Prior’s Croft. In reality the name probably arises from the land being owned by the nuns at Haddington Priory. However, there may have been a small chapel in this area in the Middle Ages. In the 1790s it was noted that there stood by the sea ‘a ruin evidently of great antiquity, the east gable of which is still standing’. This ruin bore ‘the name of the prior walls’. The gable (which according to a nineteenth-century writer had ‘Gothic windows’) was washed away by the sea during storms in about 1801. Some foundations remained visible into the 1860s, but by the twentieth century they too had been lost to coastal erosion.
‘The Nunnery’ / Chapel Site on Nethergate
A plot of land on the south side of the Nethergate in Crail has long been known as ‘The Nunnery’. However, written records suggest that there was at no point a convent of nuns in Crail. The name is perhaps derived from an association with the nuns at Haddington Priory (who owned property in Crail and had for many years the patronage of the parish church). It is possible that there was in the Middle Ages a small chapel on this site. In the nineteenth century human remains were discovered in this area during work to level the road surface. Along the boundary of the property there is an old wall which has been tentatively dated to the sixteenth century. A stone with what appears to be a medieval consecration cross could be seen in this wall in the late twentieth century.
1215 The Roman Catholic Church Officially Backs the Doctrine of Purgatory
In 1215 the Fourth Lateran Council officially declared the Roman Catholic Church’s belief in the doctrine of purgatory. This was the idea that most people did not proceed directly to heaven when they died, but spent time in an unpleasant waiting area where they suffered and were purged of their sins. To lessen the time a soul spent in purgatory it was important to lead a good life, sincerely confess sins, and have prayers and masses said after death. In the late Middle Ages a number of churches in Fife were adapted to make space for more altars where chaplains could perform masses and prayers for the dead. Most ranks of Scottish society from kings down to craftsmen invested in prayers for the souls of the dead.
1249 – 1250 Margaret Becomes a Saint
Queen Margaret (the wife of Malcolm III) seems to have been regarded as a saint by the residents of Fife soon after her death in 1093. Miracles were recorded at Margaret’s tomb in Dunfermline in the twelfth and early thirteenth century. Margaret was formally canonised by Pope Innocent IV in 1250 following a long campaign supported by the Scottish and English kings.
1320 The Declaration of Arbroath Describes St Andrew as Patron Saint of the Scots
The origins of the close connection between St Andrew and the people of Scotland go back into the early Middle Ages. However, during the wars between Scotland and England in the 1290s and 1300s a particular emphasis was placed on St Andrew’s role as a protector of the Scots. In 1320, the famous letter known as the Declaration of Arbroath referred to St Andrew as the ‘patron for ever’ of the Scottish people. At this time St Andrews Cathedral was increasingly portrayed as a symbol of the Scottish nation.
During the thirteenth century some people felt that monasteries had become too wealthy. In response new religious orders of friars were created. The friars were committed to extreme poverty and earned much of their income from begging. Unlike many monks who shut themselves away from society, the friars spent a lot of time out in the world preaching and supporting the poor. The Franciscans (founded by St Francis) and the Dominicans (founded by St Dominic) were two of the largest orders of friars. The Franciscans and Dominicans seem to have arrived in Scotland in the thirteenth century. The first evidence for the friars in Fife comes from the founding of a Dominican friary at Cupar in 1348. Further Dominican houses were established at St Monans and St Andrews. The Franciscans set up communities at Inverkeithing and St Andrews.
In 1349 the Black Death (probably a severe epidemic of bubonic plague) reached Fife. Churchmen were particularly likely to catch the disease as they often tended to the sick and dying. The communal lifestyles of monasteries also proved ideal for spreading infection. At least twenty-four canons at St Andrews Cathedral died of plague (this was at a time when there were about forty canons attached to the cathedral). Following the 1349 outbreak, waves of plague repeatedly swept through Scotland until the middle of the seventeenth century. The constant exposure to sudden death may have encouraged the focus on salvation and the afterlife which characterised late medieval Scottish society.
1362 – 1370 David II Rebuilds the Church at St Monans
In the 1360s King David II spent a large amount of money rebuilding the church at St Monans. The king did this because in 1346 he had survived being severely wounded by an arrow in the face at the Battle of Neville’s Cross (where the English defeated the Scots). After going on pilgrimage to St Monans the arrow miraculously removed itself from the king’s head. To give thanks for his healing David II paid to build a much larger church in honour of St Monan.
1410 – 1414 The University of St Andrews is Founded
During the late Middle Ages universities increasingly took over responsiblity for higher education. In 1410 a group of churchmen established a university in St Andrews (which was already an important place of learning with many scholars attached to the Cathedral and other religious sites). The university soon received official backing, and in 1413 Pope Benedict XIII confirmed St Andrews’ status as a university. When the official papal documents arrived in St Andrews the church bells rang out in celebration, and there were religious services, parties, and bonfires. St Andrews was Scotland’s first university. Later in the Middle Ages universities were also founded at Glasgow and Aberdeen.
1433 Hussite Preacher Burned as a Heretic
In the early 1430s a doctor named Pavel Kravar (sometimes known as Paul Craw in Scotland) was burned for heresy in the centre of St Andrews. Kravar was from Bohemia and had tried to gain support in Fife for the Hussite movement, which then had a significant number of followers in Eastern Europe. The Hussites wanted major changes to religion and society (among other beliefs they supported the redistribution of church property and severe punishments for sinners). This led them to be regarded as heretics by the Roman Catholic authorities. During the early fifteenth century Fife’s religious leaders were concerned about the possibility of heresy spreading from England and Continental Europe and so took swift action against Kravar.
1453 – 1456 The Observant Franciscans Arrive in Fife
Like many religious orders, the Franciscans (or grey friars) grew slightly less strict over time. This concerned some people, and led to the establishing of the Observant Franciscan movement. The Observant Franciscans had unusually strict rules on poverty and believed they were following more closely the teachings of St Francis. In the early 1450s an Observant Franciscan friary was founded in St Andrews by Bishop James Kennedy.
1472 St Andrews Becomes an Archbishopric
The bishops of St Andrews had for centuries claimed to be the most important churchmen in Scotland. In 1472 their special status was officially recognised by the pope, when the bishopric of St Andrews was raised into an archbishopric. The new archbishops had authority over the other Scottish dioceses. However, St Andrews’ power was slightly reduced in the 1490s when Glasgow also became an archbishopric and given control over Argyll, Dunblane, Dunkeld and Galloway.
1528 – 1558 Protestants Burned as Heretics
Between the 1520s and the 1550s the Roman Catholic authorities in Fife severely punished a number of Protestant sympathisers. No less than four Protestants were burned at the stake in St Andrews. The first and most high profile of these was Patrick Hamilton, whose execution in 1528 was so badly mishandled that he took six hours to die. Henry Forrest, George Wishart, and Walter Myln also suffered the death penalty for spreading reformist beliefs.
The 1540s saw fighting between Scotland and England. The conflict was partly driven by the English government’s wish to arrange a marriage between Edward VI and the young Mary Queen of Scots (which is why this period is sometimes called the Rough Wooing). However, the war rapidly acquired a religious aspect, as English leaders tried to impose Protestantism on Scotland. Some residents of Fife who supported religious change backed the English. Meanwhile other Scots looked to Roman Catholic France for help. During the conflict the English attacked coastal Fife, including burning Balmerino Abbey.
In the spring of 1546 the Roman Catholic archbishop of St Andrews, Cardinal David Beaton, was assassinated by a group of Fife lairds who opposed his religious and political policies. The murderers gained access to Beaton’s residence at St Andrews Castle because the gates were open for building work. The lairds killed Beaton, strung his body from the walls, then proceeded to occupy the castle for over a year. They were eventually removed by a fleet sent from France which bombarded the castle into submission.
In the spring and summer of 1559 Protestant activists set out to ‘reform’ Roman Catholic churches. Influenced by strict Calvinist ideas on the wickedness of ‘idols’, they smashed statues, removed altars, and burned religious books. Once churches had been ‘purged’ in this fashion the Protestants established new forms of services and church government. Cupar was one of the first places in Fife to be reformed, and Crail followed soon after. The Protestants (who called themselves ‘the Congregation’) then turned their attention to St Andrews – Scotland’s historic religious capital. In June 1559 the Protestant preacher John Knox delivered a sermon in St Andrews encouraging his listeners to ‘remove the monuments of idolatry’. Knox and his supporters proceeded to sack St Andrews Cathedral and other religious sites in the burgh. From this point onwards St Andrews was controlled by Protestants, and became a key Reformist stronghold. By the summer of 1560 Protestant forces had occupied Edinburgh and the Scottish Parliament officially rejected Roman Catholicism.
For many years there were bitter debates about how the new Protestant Church of Scotland should be governed. In the 1560s each region had a superintendent who oversaw religious affairs and reported back to the General Assembly (an annual meeting of ministers serving in the Church of Scotland). The first superintendent of Fife was John Winram – who had previously been involved in Archbishop Hamilton’s plans for Roman Catholic reform. In the early 1570s pressure from central government led to the reintroduction of bishops to the Church of Scotland. John Douglas, an academic from St Mary’s College, was chosen as the first Protestant archbishop of St Andrews.
1574 Punishments Imposed for Celebrating Christmas
By the 1570s the Church of Scotland was adopting an increasingly hard line on religious festivals. In particular there was a campaign against celebrating Christmas (or Yule as it was often known in Scotland). At the beginning of 1574 the St Andrews Kirk Session punished a number of people that ‘observed superstitiously the said Yule day’. The kirk session ordered that anyone who ‘abstained from work’ at Christmas or any other holy day ‘except Sunday’ should be prosecuted.
1592 Presbyterian Church Government Established
The later decades of the sixteenth century saw ongoing tensions about how radical the Church of Scotland should be. Many of these arguments became focused around the question of church government. In 1592 the Scottish Parliament abolished the role of bishops – a brief victory for those Scots who wanted a more strictly Reformed version of Christianity. Instead the Scottish Church would adopt a more democratic form of church government with regional presbyteries reporting back to the General Assembly. Churches which adopt this type of administrative structure are often known as Presbyterian.
1601 General Assembly at Burntisland Proposes a New Translation of the Bible
Reading the Bible formed a vital part of Protestant religious activity. In particular Protestants believed that people should have access to the Bible in their native language. Yet there were significant problems with many of the early translations of the Bible into English. In 1601 a meeting of the General Assembly at the Fife parish of Burntisland suggested the commissioning of an improved translation of the Scriptures. This proposal received the backing of the Scottish King James VI who implemented the scheme after he became ruler of England in 1603. The resulting translation is often called the King James Bible, and was for many centuries the main version of the Scriptures used in English-speaking countries.
As he grew older King James VI became opposed to the relatively democratic government of the Church of Scotland. He had bitter disputes with what he termed the ‘fiery ministers’ of the General Assembly. The king believed that Presbyterianism led to disorder and the undermining of royal authority. As a result he campaigned for the reintroduction of bishops to Scotland – a policy which was backed by the Scottish Parliament in July 1606. James VI’s religious policies were resisted by some residents of Fife. In the autumn of 1606 the St Andrews academic Andrew Melville was sent to the Tower of London for criticising James VI’s changes to the Church.
The 1630s saw growing tensions about religion in Scotland. At this time King Charles I tried to bring the Church of Scotland more in line with English practices. Charles firmly supported the role of bishops and wanted more elaborate services. In 1637 a new prayer book was published for Scotland, partly based on the English Book of Common Prayer. This move was deeply disliked by many Scots. When Archbishop John Spottiswoode of St Andrews tried to impose the new prayer book it triggered riots. One of the key opponents of the changes in worship was Alexander Henderson (who came from Fife and had previously served as minister at Leuchars). Henderson helped draw up the National Covenant – a document in which Scots expressed their opposition to alterations to the Church of Scotland.
1639 – 1660 Wars of the Three Kingdoms and Cromwell’s Occupation of Scotland
In 1639 Scotland slipped into religious war. Supporters of the National Covenant (sometimes known as Covenanters) took up arms in defence of their beliefs. The response of Charles I to this crisis led to civil war across his three kingdoms – namely England, Ireland, and Scotland. For most of the 1640s the Scottish Parliament opposed the king. However, following Charles I’s execution in 1649, the Scottish government gave support to the Royalist side and backed the crowning of Charles II at Scone. This prompted the English Parliament and the military dictator Oliver Cromwell to invade Scotland. During the 1650s Fife was occupied by English forces. The invaders were resented and there were complaints that English soldiers did not behave properly in Fife churches. Despite these issues Presbyterian preaching and services continued in most places.
1661 Charles II Overturns Religious Changes
In 1660 the English invited Charles II to return as king. Shortly afterwards Charles set about overturning the religious changes of the previous decades. In 1661 the Scottish Parliament passed the Rescissory Act which got rid of all the laws passed since 1633. This paved the way for Charles II to reintroduce bishops and support more elaborate forms of worship. The minister of Crail, James Sharp, was made archbishop of St Andrews. Meanwhile religious festivals such as Christmas, Easter, and St Andrew’s Day were once again celebrated. These changes were welcomed in some quarters but were opposed by many Fife residents.
Archbishop James Sharp was a divisive religious leader. Many Presbyterians felt that he had sold out the Church of Scotland by agreeing to become archbishop of St Andrews. Sharp rigorously enforced the religious changes imposed by Charles II and removed a number of his opponents from their posts in the Church. In 1679 Archbishop Sharp was murdered by a group of radical Presbyterians. He was set upon while travelling across Magus Muir in Fife. Sharp’s assassins dragged him from his carriage and killed him in front of his daughter.
1689 – 1690 Presbyterianism is Restored
In 1689 King James VII was replaced as ruler of Scotland by his daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange. Soon afterwards the Scottish Parliament (which had backed William and Mary) passed an act abolishing the authority of bishops. In 1690 Scotland officially became a Presbyterian state. The members of the Church of Scotland who refused to accept these changes formed the beginnings of the Scottish Episcopal Church. There were committed Presbyterians and Episcopalians in Fife, creating long-term religious divisions.
1695 Episcopal Clergy Banned from Performing Marriages or Baptisms
Many of Fife’s Episcopal clergymen were removed from their parishes by the restoration of Presbyterianism. In 1695 the Scottish Parliament passed a law forbidding displaced Episcopal clergy from performing marriages or baptisms under pain of ‘perpetual imprisonment or banishment’.
After much debate, the parliaments of Scotland and England passed legislation to create a new Kingdom of Great Britain. The Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh closed. Until the twentieth century legislation on Scottish religious affairs became the responsibility of the British Parliament at Westminster.
1711 Changes to Appointments in the Church of Scotland
Lobbying from Scottish aristocrats led to the passing of the Church Patronage Act. This stated that the old patrons of Scottish parishes (typically large landowners) could influence the appointment of Church of Scotland ministers. The move was deeply unpopular with many Presbyterians, and there was significant opposition to the changes in Fife.
1711 The Scottish Episcopalians Act is Passed
The British government was initially more tolerant of Episcopalians than the Scottish Parliament had been. In 1711 the laws against Episcopal marriages and baptisms were removed and new legislation ordered that Episcopalians were not to be disturbed ‘in the exercise of their religious worship’.
When Presbyterianism was re-established in 1690 the Scottish Parliament also passed legislation banning Christmas. In 1712 this ban was lifted and the British Parliament legalised keeping Christmas in Scotland. However, most Presbyterians remained opposed to any festivities or special services on 25 December.
1715 – 1716 Jacobite Rising (The Fifteen)
The accession of George I to the British throne was soon followed by a rebellion backing James Francis Edward Stuart’s claim to be king instead. James (also known as the Old Pretender) was a Roman Catholic, but he received support from many Scottish Episcopalians who were unhappy about the restoration of Presbyterianism. During the autumn of 1715 Jacobite rebels occupied Dundee and were active in Fife. However, their success was short-lived. In December 1715 government soldiers entered Dunfermline and Burntisland, paving the way to regaining control over the rest of Fife.
1719 Limits on Size of Episcopal Congregations
After the Jacobite rising of 1715 the British government became increasingly suspicious of Scottish Episcopalians. Ministers in the Scottish Episcopal Church were required to take an oath renouncing the Stuart claim to the throne and promising to pray for George I. Most Episcopal ministers refused to do this. Episcopalians who did not accept George I were known as ‘non-jurors’ and were banned from conducting services with more than nine attendees. There were several ‘non-juring’ ministers and congregations in Fife. Because of the restrictions non-jurors often worshipped in private houses. In Pittenweem the non-juring Episcopalians met for a time in a barn on the site of the medieval Pittenweem Priory.
1730 The Glasite Church (or Kail Kirk) is Founded
During the 1720s the popular preacher John Glas (a graduate of the University of St Andrews and minister at Tealing near Dundee) put forward a series of radical ideas including condemning the idea of a national church and regarding communion as a ‘love feast’. He was removed as minister of Tealing in 1730 and left the Church of Scotland to found his own sect. The first Glasite church was in Dundee, but a congregation was soon set up in Kirkcaldy. Because the Glasites celebrated communion as a meal with vegetable broth they became known as the ‘Kail Kirk’ (reflecting the traditional Scots term for kale or cabbage soup).
1733 The Secession Church Splits from the Church of Scotland
Disagreements about the appointment of ministers and the role of powerful landowners as patrons led to a split in the Church of Scotland. A small group of ministers who wished for congregations to have greater control over church appointments broke away and founded the more radical Secession Church. There was considerable support for the Secession Church in Fife. Some of the break-away congregations worshipped in converted secular buildings. Others constructed their own churches, like the now demolished Bethelfield Church in Kirkcaldy.
1745 – 1746 Jacobite Rising (The Forty-Five)
In August 1745 Charles Edward Stuart (sometimes called the Young Pretender) landed on the West Coast of Scotland. His arrival triggered a far-reaching rebellion in support of the Stuart claim to the throne. In comparison to many other parts of Lowland Scotland Fife had a significant Jacobite presence. Episcopalians were particularly likely to join the Jacobites, although many Presbyterians also backed the rising.
1746 Increased Restrictions on Episcopalians
Following the failed rebellion of 1745 and 1746 checks on Episcopalians increased. Episcopal ministers who failed to take an oath of loyalty were forbidden to lead services for more than four people. Episcopalians were also not allowed to be public officials or attend university.
1747 The Secession Church Divides into the Burghers and Anti-Burghers
The new Secession Church had a number of internal divisions which came to a head in the late 1740s. A particular area of disagreement concerned whether Seceders could take an oath to support the religion ‘presently professed in the country’. This oath was required of public officials, and in some Scottish burghs was demanded of all burgesses (essentially urban residents holding property over a certain value). Those congregations which accepted the oath became known as Burghers and those who rejected it were called Anti-Burghers.
1761 The Relief Church Splits from the Church of Scotland
During the 1750s and 1760s a dispute over the appointment of a new minister at Inverkeithing led to another split in the Church of Scotland. A group of ministers who objected to outside interference in parish appointments set up the new Relief Church. The first official meeting of the Relief Church took place at Colinsburgh. Perhaps unsurprisingly given its local origins the Relief Church soon gathered considerable support in Fife.
1778 – 1780 Protests in Support of Continuing Restrictions on Roman Catholics
Since the Reformation the Scottish government had banned Roman Catholic worship. In 1778 the British Parliament tried to reduce the restrictions on Roman Catholics. The proposed act caused major protests in Scotland. As a result of the popular unrest, Scotland was excluded from the new legislation, meaning that Scottish Roman Catholics continued to experience serious limits on their economic activities, choice of careers, and ability to practice their faith. Generations of discrimination meant that during the eighteenth century there were relatively few Roman Catholics in Fife.
1780 drawing of the chapel. (Source: Anne Watters, Kirkcaldy's Churches: Brief Histories)
Following the death of Charles Edward Stuart, the leaders of the Scottish Episcopal Church agreed to support George III. After some argument, the British Parliament removed most of the legal restrictions on Episcopalians in Scotland. Episcopal worship was now allowed, and Episcopalians could attend university. However, there remained some questions about the status of ministers in the Scottish Episcopal Church and whether clergy ordained north of the Border could work in England.
1793 Legal Restrictions on Roman Catholics are Reduced
In the early 1790s the British Parliament decided to resolve the status of Roman Catholics in Scotland. More than a decade after the harshest restrictions had been lifted on Catholics in the rest of the United Kingdom, it was agreed that Roman Catholic worship would be allowed in Scotland, and that Catholics could legally own land and join the army.
1820 Burghers and Anti-Burghers Join Together
After more than seventy years of disagreement (largely focusing on the relationship between church and state) most members of the Burgher Church resolved their differences with the Anti-Burghers. They joined together as the new United Secession Church. This union resulted in some reorganisation of church buildings and congregations in Fife.
In 1829 the British Parliament passed legislation lifting most restrictions on Roman Catholics. Among other new freedoms, Roman Catholics were now allowed to vote and become members of Parliament. Over the course of the nineteenth century the Roman Catholic presence in Fife grew, largely as a result of immigration from Ireland.
1843 The Great Disruption in the Church of Scotland
For more than a century there had been divisions in the Church of Scotland over how appointments were made and the relationship between church and state. A series of legal cases in the 1830s worsened relations between the growing evangelical wing of the Church of Scotland and less radical ministers who accepted the right of the government to interfere in religious affairs. In 1843, following bitter argument, 121 ministers walked out of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. The break-away ministers set up the new Free Church of Scotland. Free Church congregations sprang up across Fife, leading to the construction of a large number of new churches.
1847 The United Secession Church and the Relief Church Join Together
While the Church of Scotland was splitting again, some groups of seceders were joining together. In 1847 the United Secession Church and the Relief Church combined to form the United Presbyterian Church. The United Presbyterians had considerable support in Fife.
1864 Removal of Restrictions on Episcopal Clergy
For some decades there had been debates about the fact that clergy ordained by Scottish Episcopal bishops could not legally be appointed to positions in the Church of England. In 1864 this ban was overturned, ending official government discrimination against Episcopalians. This was a time when Episcopal congregations were growing and many new churches were built in Fife. At the end of the 1860s the Episcopalians in St Andrews constructed a large new church with room for 600 worshippers.
1874 Lay Patronage Abolished in the Church of Scotland
Since the early 1700s the role of lay patrons in church appointments had been a major cause of discontent in the Church of Scotland, and had triggered several splits in the church. In 1874 the British Parliament agreed that Church of Scotland congregations should have the right to choose their own ministers, rather than powerful landowners making appointments to parishes.
1878 Restoration of Scotland’s Roman Catholic Hierarchy
As discrimination against Roman Catholics reduced, the Papacy decided to re-establish a traditional church hierarchy in Scotland. Six Roman Catholic dioceses were created. Except for Glasgow, all the new dioceses were subject to the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh.
1887 The University of St Andrews Celebrates Christmas
For several centuries the University of St Andrews had not celebrated Christmas. However, in 1887 the university decided to have a communal Christmas dinner at St Mary’s College. The menu included hare soup, roast beef, and plum pudding.
1900 The United Presbyterian Church and the Free Church of Scotland Join Together
The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries had seen several groups leave the Church of Scotland. In 1900 two of the largest of these break-away denominations joined together. Following several years of negotiations, the majority of members of the Free Church of Scotland joined with the United Presbyterian Church. Together they created the United Free Church of Scotland.
Thousands of Fife residents served in the armed forces during the First World War. Many were killed. After the war communities across Fife put up memorials to the dead. These war memorials are frequently located in churches. Others are free-standing, but often still take the shape of a cross. Fife churches also became the scene of Armistice Day commemorations where the sacrifices made in wartime are remembered.
1921 The Church of Scotland Act is Passed
After centuries of the controversy about the relationship between church and state, the British Parliament passed the Church of Scotland Act. This gave the Church of Scotland freedom to decide spiritual matters and church appointments without government interference. The new legislation resolved some of the bitter debates which had divided many Fife communities in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
1929 The United Free Church and the Church of Scotland Join Together
At a joint assembly in Edinburgh the United Free Church agreed to merge with the Church of Scotland. This meant that many places in Fife now had multiple Church of Scotland congregations. Some continued as independent congregations, but others amalgamated. As a result a number of former church buildings were converted. Several Fife churches became halls or other community spaces.
During the Second World War the armed forces expanded and many people moved around the country. New places of worship were established in Fife for service personnel from Britain and overseas. A significant number of Polish troops were stationed in Fife, leading to a growth in Catholic congregations in the area.
During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries Presbyterian opposition to Christmas reduced. In 1958 Christmas became a public holiday in Scotland. Increasingly Fife’s Church of Scotland congregations held special services for Christmas Day.
1962 – 1965 Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council (held in the Vatican in Rome) sought to modernise Roman Catholicism. It agreed major changes to Roman Catholic worship. One of the most notable alterations was ending the use of Latin for ordinary services. The interiors of several Roman Catholic churches in Fife were remodelled following the Second Vatican Council to align with new policies on how the Mass should be celebrated.
1969 Scotland’s First Cardinal Since the Reformation
Since the sixteenth century there had been no cardinals resident in Scotland. However, in 1969 Gordon Gray, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, was made a cardinal by Pope Paul VI.
1978 Fife’s First Female Church of Scotland Minister
In the late 1960s the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland agreed that women could be ordained as ministers on the same terms as men. The first woman to serve as a Church of Scotland minister in Fife was Mary Morrison, who began her ministry at Townhill in Dunfermline in 1978.
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747 - Early Evidence for a Religious Centre at St Andrews
St Andrews was an important religious centre from an early date. There seems to have already been a monastery here in 747 when the death of the abbot Tuathalán was recorded. The spectacular stone monument known as the St Andrews sarcophagus probably also dates from the eighth century. Its carvings show similarities with religious art from Continental Europe.
965 First Recorded Pilgrims to St Andrews
By the tenth century St Andrews had become one of the most important churches in the kingdom of the Scots. In 965 the brother of the King of Tara died while on pilgrimage to St Andrews. This incident is the earliest evidence for St Andrews as a place of pilgrimage.
A fourteenth-century illustration of plague burials in Tournai. Similarly rushed burials probably took place in Fife. (Credit: Pierart dou Tielt / Wikimedia)
A late medieval image of St Andrew with his traditional X-shaped cross. (Credit: University of St Andrews)
A late seventeenth-century French engraving of the Scottish Parliament. The different estates which made up the parliament are shown in procession at the bottom of the page and sitting at the top. (Credit: National Galleries of Scotland)
A naval inspection at Crail Aerodrome in about 1940. Early in the Second World War a chapel was built at Crail Airfield for the service personnel. (Credit: George Cowie / University of St Andrews)
A naval inspection at Crail Airfield in the early 1940s. (Source: University of St Andrews Library, GMC-5-16-17.)
A section of old masonry which perhaps formed part of Crail Castle. (Source: William Jack / University of St Andrews Library, WMJ-EN-115-2.)
A video showing how St Andrews Cathedral may have appeared in 1318. (Source: Open Virtual Worlds / Smart History)
A woodcut showing protestors objecting to Archbishop Spottiswoode's efforts to introduce the Scottish Prayer Book. (Credit: Wikimedia)
A wreath and the letters PH marking the site of Patrick Hamilton's execution on North Street in St Andrews. (Credit: Bess Rhodes)
The Abbey of Culross was founded in 1217 by Maol Choluim I, Earl of Fife (1204–1228), who was himself buried in the church in 1228x1229. Dedicated to St Mary and St Serf, it housed monks of the Cistercian order, a reformed order founded in the late twelfth century at the Burgundian Abbey of Citeaux, from which they take their name. It also housed the relics of St Serf which were visited by pilgrims, including James IV in the early sixteenth century. Most of the current building dates from the 1200s, apart from the large central tower, constructed in the fifteenth century. Shortly after the Reformation, the presbytery, transepts choir and tower of the Abbey were converted into the parish church of Culross, and are still in use today a Culross Abbey Parish Church.
Abdie and Dunbog Parish Church opened its doors in 1827. It was built to replace Abdie’s medieval parish church. The architects for the new building were James Milne and William Burn. In the 1830s the new church was described by the minister of Abdie as a ‘plain substantial building’. It was intended to accommodate between 500 and 600 people (perhaps standing close together). In the 1960s the parish of Abdie united with the nearby parish of Dunbog, and the parish church at Dunbog closed a little later. Abdie and Dunbog is now part of a new parish known as Lindores, which covers Newburgh as well. On Sundays the same minister celebrates services in the Church of Scotland parish church in Newburgh, and the church at Abdie.
Abdie and Dunbog Parish Church (Bess Rhodes).
There has been a parish church at Abdie since at least the 1190s. For most of the Middle Ages the rectorship of Abdie was held by Lindores Abbey. The abbey benefited from income from the parish, and in exchange appointed a vicar who was meant to take services and care for the local community. In the 1450s the vicar of Abdie was an unsatisfactory character named John Laing. It was alleged that Laing was ‘an open and notorious fornicator’ who was ‘ignorant of letters and unfit to hold divine office’. After this there may have been efforts to find Abdie a more educated priest, as in 1466 a university graduate named Alexander Meldrum became vicar. Until the late 1550s many of the parishioners of Abdie seem to have supported traditional Catholic piety. However, after the Reformation the structures of the new Protestant Church of Scotland were established relatively quickly. At the start of the 1660s the medieval church was extended by the addition of an aisle on the north side. The new aisle was funded by the then minister Alexander Balfour and his family, who lived at nearby Denmylne Castle. In 1689 the minister of Abdie, William Arnott, was removed from his post for refusing to accept William and Mary as monarchs. Perhaps chastened by this experience, many of the eighteenth-century ministers of Abdie appear to have avoided political controversy. Indeed, Thomas Millar (minister from 1788 to 1792) was described by contemporaries as being ‘distinguished for sedateness’. However, this was not the approach adopted by Robert Thomas, who became minister of Abdie in 1796. The new parish minister became involved in political writing, publishing an attack on the revolutionary theories of Thomas Paine. At over 430 pages it was one of the longest eighteenth-century responses to Paine’s work. Robert Thomas also became involved in a bitter dispute about his glebe (the area of land assigned to a parish minister). The disagreement about the glebe went all the way to the House of Lords, which was then the highest court of appeal in the United Kingdom. By the time of Robert Thomas, the medieval church at Abdie was deemed increasingly out of date. It was criticised as ‘an old narrow building, low in the walls, and poorly lighted’. In the 1820s the congregation moved to a new building a short distance away. The old church soon fell into disrepair and by 1836 was in ruins. Today the building is completely roofless, though most of the external walls still stand. Several notable medieval and early modern tombstones can be found in and around the old church.
St Monans and Abercrombie [Abircroy] on J. Blaeu’s map of Eastern Fife, 1654. (National Library of Scotland)
The former parish church of Abercrombie is first recorded around 1160. During the Middle Ages both Dunfermline Abbey and Culross Abbey had rights regarding Abercrombie, and the parish church was at times a focus for disputes between the two monasteries. Abercrombie survived the Reformation. However, in the 1640s St Monans became the main parish church. Abercrombie Parish Church was abandoned soon after and gradually fell into ruin.
St Monans and Abercrombie [Abircroy] on J. Blaeu’s map of Eastern Fife, 1654.
Aberdour (/ˌæbərˈdaʊər/ (About this soundlisten); Scots: Aiberdour,[2] Scottish Gaelic: Obar Dobhair) is a scenic and historic village on the south coast of Fife, Scotland. It is on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, looking south to the island of Inchcolm and its Abbey, and to Leith and Edinburgh beyond. According to the 2011 census, the village has a population of 1,633.[1]
At Aberdour the country rock (carboniferous sandstone) has been intruded by younger magma. There are also good examples of faulting and cross bedding.
The location of the church so close to their country seat at Aberdour Castle had been a point of contention for the Douglas family for some time, and in 1790 they successfully closed St Fillan’s and opened a new church in Wester Aberdour. It was located close to the main road, but was considered by some observers to be too distant from some of the northern parts of the parish. The church received few additions in the relatively short time that it was in use, aside from a striking war memorial built in 1919. Following the restoration of St Fillan’s in 1926, it was converted into a church hall and continues to be well used by community groups and as a venue for local events and activities.
Aberdour Former Parish Church Interior (before 1926).
Shortly after the Great Disruption in 1843, a Free Church congregation was founded in Aberdour. They opened a church, called St Colme’s, in 1845, close to the location of the old parish church. By 1848 it had a congregation of 318. In 1900 it became a United Free Church, by which point the congregation had fallen to 117, and in 1929 it re-joined the church of Scotland. In 1940 the church the congregation joined St Fillan’s and the parish church of Dalgety in a triple union, and in the 1950s the church was demolished.
A walking trail to see the geology of Aberdour.
All Saints’ Church originally served the St Andrews fishing community (which was traditionally focused around the east end of town). In 1903 a small iron mission church was established, and in 1907 a stone chancel was added. Following the First World War further building work took place, and the completed church was consecrated on All Saints’ Day in 1923. Much of the construction work was paid for by Mrs Younger of Mount Melville who instructed that Holy Communion must be the main service every Sunday morning. (At that time Matins was more commonly the principal morning service in Episcopal churches.)
An anonymous engraving of King James VI and I. (Credit: National Galleries of Scotland)
An anonymous engraving of Queen Mary II. With her husband William of Orange, Mary authorised the restoration of Presbyterianism in Scotland. (Credit: National Galleries of Scotland)
An early seventeenth-century house in Inverkeithing. In July 1651 there was a battle fought just to the south of Inverkeithing between English Parliamentarians and Scottish supporters of Charles II. (Credit: Open Virtual Worlds / University of St Andrews)
An eighteenth-century drawing of the monument to Archbishop Sharp in Holy Trinity Church, St Andrews. A relief near the base of the monument shows the archbishop's murder. (Credit: University of St Andrews)
An eighteenth-century painting of St Mary's College in the University of St Andrews. John Douglas was for many years a member of St Mary's. (Credit: University of St Andrews)
An English cartoon by William Heath making fun of Christmas festivities in the countryside in about 1800. (Credit: The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London)