The Ancient Kingdom - Interesting facts about Fife

Fife, is one of the remaining ancient Kingdoms of Scotland. Often referred to as 'Scotland in minature', It is alive with history, culture and natural beauty. Every year sees an increase in tourists from all over the world who are discovering for themselves what this beautiful region has to offer.

Fife is situated on the East coast of Scotland, facing the wild and rugged North Sea. A natural peninsula nestled between the two great rivers of the Firth of Forth to the south and the Firth of Tay to the north. There are four main towns in the region - Dunfermline, Glenrothes, St.Andrews and Kirkcaldy.

Edinburgh is of course the capital of Scotland but it wasn't always the case. Dunfermline - one of the many Royal Burghs in Fife - was once the seat of royalty and the capital of Scotland. Further back in time the ancient tribe who inhabited the area were the Picts. Fife was one of their kingdoms and this is why it is still referred to as a 'kingdom' today.

The ancient peoples who inhabited some areas of Scotland - the Picts - had Fife as one of their Kingdoms and was known to them as 'Fib'. The word 'Pict' was actually used by the Romans and means the painted or tatooed people. The Picts' Celtic neighbours called them the Cruithne. The various Kingdoms of the Picts finally merged with those of the Gaels and Scotland became known as Alba. Later, these tribes merged with a new tribe called the Scots, so eventually leading to the land being referred to as Scotland.

There is still an air of mystery surrounding the Pictish people. Research continues to try and build up a bigger picture of their lives and culture. Their enigmatic air is stronger probably because they left no written evidence. Their communications are found on beautiful symbols carved on ancient stones that have still to be fully deciphered. The legacy of the Picts can be found all over Fife.

There are two main bridges over the river Forth that separates Fife from Lothian. In 1964 the Forth Road Bridge was opened linking Edinburgh from South Queensferry to Fife at North Queensferry. The distinctive cantilever Forth Rail Bridge was opened in 1890. It has the second longest single cantilever bridge span in the world.

With the opening of both bridges there was an end to an historical period that had lasted since the 11th century. Queen Margaret, wife to King Malcolm III of Scotland founded a ferry service for religious pilgirms to travel from Edinburgh to Dunfermline Abbey and St.Andrews. The ferry service gave life to the port towns of Queensferry and North Queensferry, the service lasting for over 800 years.

History will change again when a third bridge begins construction in the near future and there have also been calls for a restoration of the ferry service from Fife to Lothian.

One of the major towns in Fife is the Royal Burgh of Dunfermline. A Royal Burgh is a town that was granted a Royal Charter. This gave the towns certain privileges over others and many were actually situated on royal lands.

Dunfermline was once the capital of Scotland. Situated about 3 miles north of the Firth of Forth it has an ancient and rich historical ancestry. The town still has the remains of the royal palace, where Charles I of Scotland & England, was the last king to be born there. Dunfermline Abbey - the buriel place for many of Scotland's past royalty - is still in use today. The Remains of King Robert the Bruce; King Malcolom Canmore and Queen Margaret are within the Abbey. Other Scottish royalty buried there includes King Malcolm IV, King Alexander III and King David I as well as numerous dukes, earls and other important people.

The site where the Abbey stands goes back to 800 AD when the Culdees - early Celtic Christians -  built a site of worship. Later it became a Benedictine Priory founded by Queen Margaret in the 1070's. Her son, King David I extended the building and renamed it an abbey instead of a priory.

One of the most beautiful and popular areas in Dunfermline is Pittencrief Park or known locally as 'The Glen'. Open to the public and free of charge to enter, it was gifted to the people of Dunfermline in 1902 by the town's most famous son, Andrew Carnegie. The park is about 76 acres and has a variety of interests and settings to suit all tastes. These include picnic areas, woodlands, natural deep running burns and caves, picnic areas, play areas, wildlife area and both sunken and formal gardens. These are in addition to the historical interest sites and Pittencrief House.

The park is known locally as 'The Glen' due to its geographical feature of a rugged rock rift that runs through the town. It is also historically significant in that it contains the ruins of an old tower house. This is believed to be the site of 'Malcolm's Tower' still on its highly defendable outcrop of rock within the park. Other areas of historical interest include 'William Wallace's Well' where he is reputed to have hidden from the English. There is also the remains of St. Catherine's Hospital and Alms House dating from about the 13th century. One of the most popular attractions is the 13th century Royal Palace that can be seen from the park.

The name Pittencrief comes from the Lairds who owned the estate before it was bought by Andrew Carnegie. Pittencrief House, now a small museum, is one of the focal interests. Built in 1610 for Sir Alexander Clerk it was a private home for 300 years. One of the most famous people to stay in the house was Brigadier General John Forbes. In 1758 America he defeated a French force at Fort Duquesne. This was renamed Fort Pitt and later changed to Pittsburgh.

Pittencrief park hosts numerous events, sports and festivals throughout the year and continues to be a popular venue for people of all ages and interests.

The land on which St. Andrews sits has had human occupation since the stone age and was certainly an area occupied by the ancient Picts. In 906AD the area became the seat of the Bishop of Alba. The present town was founded in about 1140 by Bishop Robert.

St. Andrews is of course named after the patron saint of Scotland. The name of the town arose when a monk arrived from Patras in Western Greece. He reputedly carried with him human artifacts belonging to St. Andrew. Namely an armbone, three fingers from the right hand, a tooth and a kneecap. When this stranger arrived on the beach at the place where the town would eventually be, the King of the Picts went to the shore to meet this odd stranger with his peculiar artifacts. It was at this time that a miracle is said to have occurred. When the King reached the shore a huge St. Andrews cross, coloured white appeared in the blue sky. This was the colour and emblem that would become Scotland's national flag - the St. Andrews Cross and Andrew became Scotland's patron saint.

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club based at St. Andrews is one of the most presitgious in the world and regarded as the 'Home of Golf'. However, it is not the oldest golf club. That title goes to the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers based at Muirfield in Edinburgh founded in 1744. The Royal and Ancient was founded in 1754 when a group of nobleman had a silver golf club made to be presented annually to the winner of the golf tournament held there.

In Scotland, in the mid 1400's King James II banned both the sports of golf and soccer. This seems to have been because the ordinary folk were, reputedly, more keen to play sports than to practice archery, which was necessary for defence. In addition they would often go off to play golf or soccer rather than attend church services. This ban was not lifted until 1502 when King James IV reversed the decision as he wanted to play golf himself. His grandaughter, Mary ,Queen of Scots was known to have loved the game. So much so, that she was chastised for playing a round of golf two days after her husband, Lord Darnely, had been murdered. Mary is sometimes referred to as the 'Mother of Golf'. She used a small cottage near to St. Andrews when she went there to play the sport. On loosing a golf match, Mary presented one of her ladies-in-waiting with a beautiful necklace. It is also thought that the Queen is responsible for introducing the name 'caddy'.

Until very recently St. Andrews was more celebrated for its association with golf than for love. However, with the town being the meeting place for Prince William and Kate Middleton it is now famous, for the present at least, for royal romance rather than sport.

St. Andrews university is the oldest university in Scotland and third oldest in the UK after Oxford and Cambridge. It was founded in 1410-1413 and today continues to be regarded as one of the best academic centres not only in the UK but in the world. The university is not only open to citizens of the UK, but has a large number of international students as well.

Fife is without doubt an area of great beauty and culture, but like other places it has its dark side. With this sinister aspect comes a sense of shame.

The later half of the 16th and 17th centuries saw an increasing paranoia about witches, devils and so called dark arts. Almost any word or deed could be twisted out of context and viewed as the work of some demon or other. Many who were known for their healing, herbalism and general good neighbour deeds, were tried for witchcraft. A handful managed to escape with their lives. Many more were executed in the traditonal Scottish way of first strangling the victim then burning their body at the stake. Executions like this were carried out in a few places in Fife such as Inverkeithing, Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy. That confessions from these poor souls were only gained after extreme torture, makes admissions of working with the devil highly dubious. Perhaps, not unlike today, there will be a handful who dabbled in diabolic arts. But for the most part these unfortunate people only practiced their ancient traditions in the form of folk/herbal brewing and healing. And like the present day Wicca, did not worship or acknowledge any demonic entities. The majority of the accused were probably just ordinary people who made the wrong kind of enemies or looked and acted oddly. This was sometimes enough for charges to be brought and a verdict of guilty to be pronounced.

But the old 'craft of the wise' is not the only mysterious inhabitant of Fife. For the Kingdom has it's fair share of spirits and ghosts that wander the many castles, mansions and other historical sites.

• The Abbots House in Dunfermline is now a beautiful heritage centre. The house has had many different owners over the centuries. However, one former occupant is reputedly still living there - the spirit of a benedictine monk. This spirit is said to be friendly but there may be others who are not so nice. People have reported being pushed on the Queen Anne stairs by an unseen force and sudden cold spots occur with no natural explanation. The late Princess Margaret, sister to the present Queen, apparently refused to have her photograph taken in certain areas of the house because she felt very uncomfortable in certain rooms.
  
• Alhambra Theatre - Dunfermline. The theatre may also house the ghost of a monk as many people have reported seeing a 'dark shadow' walking through the building. If this is the case, he might be an early inhabitant of St. Andrews church that lay near to the site. Other researchers feel it could be the spirit of an Italian actress who played at the theatre in the 1920's.The story says that she was having an affair with her co-actor. When her husband discovered the actress and her lover, she ran to hide from him in the 'actors box'. When her husband enetered she stepped back, fell and broke her neck. The old projection room is reported to be a particularly uncomfortable area but it is unclear what, if any, spirits are the cause.
• Balcomie Castle. Balcomie Castle is situated near the beautiful little fishing village of Crail, on Fife's coast. The spirit of a small boy has been seen on numerous occasions and has even been heard to whistle. This unfortunate wee soul was, for some unknown reason, locked into one of the castle's dungeons. He was apparently forgotten about and found later having starved to death.
• MacDuff's Castle, East Weymss Mary sibbald is reported to be the ghost who haunts the now ruinous MacDuff's castle. She was a petty thief who was finally caught and executed for her crimes at the castle. People have reported seeing her shadowy figure roaming the ruins and the surrounding area.
• Falkland Palace - Falkland Village. A royal castle has stood on this site from at least the 14th century, when the crown aquired the land from MacDuff of Fife. It was a favourite place of many later royals, who used it as a hunting lodge, including Mary Queen of Scots. Falkland also has one of the oldest tennis courts in the world, constructed in 1539 where the Kings and Queens of Scotland would play 'real' tennis. This beautiful palace also has a darker side. In 1402, the Duke of Albany, who was regent of Scotland for his brother the King, had his nephew and heir to the throne locked up in Falkland where the young man was starved to death. The Duke was exonerated from blame by Parliament, but rumours and suspicions continue to this day. Interestingly despite it's long history, Falkland is reported to have only one frequent ghost. It is a female spirit, who is not Mary, Queen of Scots, but thought to be of a heart broken young woman. She still roams the castle looking for her lover who was killed in battle. When the spirit is witnessed she is said to be glowing with a grey hue/mist surrounding her.
• Balgonie Castle - the orginal structure dates back to 1360 when the tower - Fife's oldest - was built by Sir Thomas Sibbald of Balgonie. The castle, which has been fully restored, is very popular as a romantic venue for weddings. The ceremonies being held in the beautiful castle church and the main reception held in the Great Hall. The castle is reputed to have several different hauntings. One of the most common is that of a spirit called 'Green Jeanie' who is said to be one of the former ladies of the house. She walks around the castle looking out over the lands surrounding it and also peers into the rooms of the castle. There is also the ghost of a dog, a shadow hooded figure and a spirit that is said to be a soldier. In 1912 during restoration a human skeleton was found under the floor of the great hall - the person's identity is unknown.
• Kellie Castle - dates back to the 14th century and is reported to be haunted by two main spirits. The first is that of James Lorimer who lived on the property in late 1800's. He is often seen sitting in one of the long corridors of the castle. The second spirit is reported to be that of Ann Erskine. This unfortunte lady fell to her death from one of the high castle windows and still roams the scene of her death to this day. Many people have reported hearing light footsteps on the stone staircase when no one is there. It is believed that these footsteps belong to Ann.

Fife's varied historical buildings and sites are numerous. But in addition to the more famous landmarks are a number of hidden and fascinating gems.

1. Village of Lundin Links - standing stones.

Lundin Links is a small village whose main claim to fame is that of having the oldest ladies golf course in the world. On the greens however, are stone monuments that date from about the 2nd millenium BCE. The standing stones are impressive in height and stature. The shape they make may be rectangular - although one stone went missing in the 18th century. But there is some speculation that the standing stones may have formed a circle similar to that found at Stonehenge. If this is the case, then the circle would have been one of outstanding proportion. It is still unclear what ancient people are responsible for this ancient structure.

2. St. Margarets Cave - Dunfermline

The first thing that becomes overwhelmingly obvious when you enter St. Margaret's Cave is the smell. Not unplesant. But it is heavy and thick with age, history and atmosphere. Ancient, black-green, damp rocks add to the mystery of the place. It is not hard to picture the scene, 900 years ago, when Queen Margaret, as she was then, entered the cave to say her daily prayers.

When the Queen walked to the cave all those centuries ago, she would have strolled through a tree-lined pathway. A small stream at the bottom of a small rising lead up to the entrance of the cave. Today, the cave is buried under a modern car-park with a tunnel of 87 steps leading deep into the earth to reach it.

Margaret was a Saxon princess and granddaughter to the King of England - Edmund Ironside. Margaret became Queen of Scotland in 1070 when she married the King of Scots - Malcolm Canmore in Dunfermline. She produced a large family and three of her eight children became Kings of Scots in their own right - Edgar, Alexander and David. Margaret died on November 16th, 1093 and was deeply mourned because of her love and kindness to both rich and poor. She was made a saint by Pope Innocent the fourth not only due to her charitable and pious life, but also because of reported miracles that occurred after her death.

3. Queen Gruoch's Well - Ballingry

This historical gem is very close to my heart, since it can be found in my own home village of Ballingry. Gruoch of course was the Queen and wife of King MacBeth of Scotland. And it has to be said that as much as shakespeare was a brilliant playright, his historical accuracy is null and void . As Scot's author Nigel Tranter puts it, "...few historical royal couples, surely, have been so grievously traduced...". King MacBeth and Queen Gruoch were nothing like the bloody, murderous pair of Shakespeare's play. They were in fact strong and fair rulers according to the earliest and most accurate of existing records. Queen Gruoch was a very important and improving influence in Celtic Scotland for over 17 years. Charters show that she, along with King MacBeth, endowed the Culdee Monastery, On St. Serfs Inch, at Loch Leven - just north of Ballingry. It is intriguing to note that the name Ballingry may have had the earlier form of Baile-an-Grouch, which meant - the abode of Gruoch. It is also interesting that water wells to the Celtic people were very important. Wells and water were sacred to the Celts, both in the pre and post Christian times. They were also closely associated with the Mother Goddess figure, healing, knowledge and mysticism. So there is perhaps more value to this well and to Gruoch herself than a simple historical site.

4. St Fillans cave - Pittenweem Village

Pittenweem is a very old and beautiful fishing village on the coast of Fife. St. Fillan's Cave was only rediscovered in 1935. When located the site had been filled in by the rubbish of smugglers who used the cave as a hiding place in the previous few hundred years. The area was cleared out and re-dedicated. In the year 2000 it was opened to the public. The cave itself has probably given rise to the name of the village. Pittenweem literally means 'place of the cave'. In the 7th century when St. Fillan is believed to have occupied the site, the cave could only have been reached by boat.

Fife has quite a number of curious tales to tell. Here are just a few:

• Kirkcaldy in Fife is the birthplace of Adam Smith, (1723-1790), who is the father of modern economics. But did you know that the great man was kidnapped by gypsies when he was only 4 years old? He was released when a large group of local folks went on the search to rescue him.
• Did you know that Daniel DeFoe, the author of "Robinson Crusoe", probably based this character on Sir Alexander Selkirk from Fife? Sir Alexander, (1676-1721), was a renowned sailor, but became a castaway for four years on an uninhabited island. There is a statue of honour of him in his home town of Lower Largo in Fife.
• Did you know that some of the finest ships from the navy of English King, Henry VII was trounced off the coast of Fife by a Scottish pirate? The man responsible for the defeat of the English navy was Sir Andrew Wood. Sir Andrew was an excellent mariner and he was also a privateer - in otherwords a legal pirate. He was also personal sea captain to King James III of Scotland and his Queen - Margaret of Denmark.
• Survivors from the Spanish Armada, after having received hospitality in the Shetlands, made their way to the neutral territory of Anstruther in Fife. Many of them remained in the area for some time, before finally making their way home to Spain.
• Kinghorn in Fife was the place where one of Scotland's greatest Kings died tragically on 19th March 1286. King Alexander III was on his way home to Fife to visit his pregant wife -Queen Yolande - who was also celebrating her birthday. It was a black, stormy night when the King set out on his journey. His friends and many of his Court pleaded with him to stay until the storm cleared. But the King was eager to see his wife. What happened next is still a mystery. But it seems he became separated from his guides. In the dark his horse presumably lost its footing. The King was found the next morning, on the beach, at the bottom of a high embankment with a broken neck. His death brought an abrupt end to what had been a 'golden' age in Scotland's history.
• The hill of Largo Law in Fife is steeped in mystery and legends. Geologists say that the hill is volcanic in origin. But folk legends paint a more colourful picture, that the hill was created by the Devil when he dropped a huge boulder. Part of an outcrop of rock is called 'the Devil's Chair'. Other legends surrounding the hill say that there is buried treasure hidden somewhere within the hill. However, the treasure is guarded by a spectre who must be met to find out the exact location of the gold and jewels.
• Situated within the Lomond Hills range in Fife is a very curious, 40 foot high stone called Carlin Maggie's Stone. The legend here is that Maggie was a dark witch who was turned into stone by the Devil because her nagging got on his nerves. The stone is actually made from volcanic basalt but many similar natural workings have, in legend, been associated with 'the cailleach'. The Cailleach are mythological divine hags in both Scottish and Irish mythology.

Not all visitors to Fife were welcomed and these included the Romans and later the Vikings.

Romans

The Romans arrived in Fife in about 82AD and from here moved towards Tayside, building forts as they did so. In the Summer of 82 or 83 AD, the Picts, led by the fierce warrior Calgacus attacked a legions encampment at Lochore-Ballingry in Fife and almost succeeded in causing a devastating defeat, but the Romans were saved in time by reinforcements. Calgacus and the Pictish warriors retreated to fight another day. There is an area between my own village of Ballingry and neighbouring Lochore, named locally as  'The Roman Steps'. This is the site of both the legionnaires camp and the raid by Calgacus and the Picts. The Romans did eventually leave the area and Fife was ruled by the Picts until about the 9th century AD.

The Vikings

The Vikings fierce reputation is still prevalent today as well as their skill as sailors. Fife, jutting out into the North Sea and facing towards the Viking lands, was an obvious landing place for the warriors. In the middle ages, Fife Ness, East Neuk and Earlsferry were the coastal areas where the Vikings were known to have landed. But the men of Fife were waiting. Many bloody fights took place and today stone coffins can still be found where Viking remains were buried. The Vikings lost so many battles in Fife that they called it their buriel ground. But not everyone who lived within the Fife area was so ready or able to defend. One of the most brutal attacks took place on the Isle of May where 600 monks were callously slaughtered.

I hope you have enjoyed this small excursion into Fife. But there is still much more to say. There are many other towns, villages and places that are just as beautiful and interesting as those mentioned in this article. Such as the towns of Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes. The beautiful fishing villages dotted along Fife's coastline. And the many other stunning and fascinating places situated in the Kingdom's heartlands.

But all fascinating journeys are more fun when you have good company. Perhaps then, you will join me again on my next tour of the ancient Kingdom?