LARGO

[Recently the Fife Family History Society received a most generous donation to its Library from the family of the late Miss Isabel Paxton of Lundin Links, whose father was a well known local figure, through his interest in photography and botany. We have been given some photographs, taken by Mr Paxton, of the Largo area two glass negatives (one of Lower Largo, the other of Largo House), and, of special interest, seven pages of handwritten notes on the history and folklore of the Largo area, presumably written by Miss Paxton in the 1940's. The Society would like to thank Mr Ian Marshall for the donation, and Mrs Lilian Macdonald for her assistance.]

LARGO

Largo was originally written "Largauch," from the Gaelic, meaning "the sunny seaward slope." The original is still preserved in "Sunnybraes."

THE STANDING STONES

Little is known about these three red-sandstone blocks; they may be part of a Druid temple for sun-worshippers, but some authorities believe them to be gravestones of Macbeth's period

LUNDIN TOWER

Built about 1500 on the site of older buildings which had belonged to the Lundin family since 1160. Mary, Queen of Scots, spent a night there in 1565, when the then Laird of Lundin remonstrated with her on her Catholic belief, for which impropriety he was imprisoned in the St Andrews dungeons at the age of 80. To the North of the Tower is the Old Chapel, now used as a pigeon house, and near the Chapel is a fine avenue of lime trees, which are very old.

PITCURVIE CASTLE (sometimes called BALCRUVIE)

This Castle originally belonged to the Lundins, but was brought into the family of Lindsay of Byers by the marriage of Elizabeth Lundin in 1498.

KEIL'S DEN

Said to have been the haunt of witches

LARGO LAW

The Law is 949ft above sea level, and is believed to have been a volcano. What was once the crater is now a valley, dividing the original peak into two summits. The Law was used as a beacon hill long ago.

NORRIE'S LAW

Supposed to be an ancient Norse burial site. In 1819 a pedlar found there a stone coffin containing a suit of scale armour, and a sword and shield made of silver, some of which is now in the Antiquarian Museum in Edinburgh. "Norrie" comes from Norway, the home of the Norse vikings, supposed to be buried there. They possessed the coast from Crail to Dysart in the ninth century. The Law was supposed to contain treasure, and sheep, whose wool was tinged with yellow from lying on the hoard. There is a legend that a ghost appeared to a shepherd on the Law, and promised to reveal the secret of the treasure:

'If Auchindownie cock disnae craw,

And Balmain horn disnae blaw,

I'll tell ye where the gowd mine is in Largo Law."

The shepherd went home and killed all the cocks at Auchendownie and made the Balmain cowherd promise not to blow his horn. At the appointed time the shepherd met the ghost, which was just about to reveal the secret, when Tammie Norrie, the Balmain cowherd, blew his horn. The ghost vanished, exclaiming:

"Woe to the man that blew the horn,

For out of the spot he shall ne'er be borne."

The cowherd was struck dead on the spot, and his body could not be moved, as it seemed pinned to the earth. A mound of stones was raised over it, which has grown into the green hillock, known as Norrie's Law.

WOOD'S HOSPITAL.

Built by John Wood in 1659, for thirteen 'honest persons of the name of Wood that are decayed in their substance," each of whom had a bed-room and a sitting-room, there being also accommodation for a chaplain, porter and gardener. Rebuilt 1830. Wood also built the wall round the churchyard, and built a school and schoolmaster's house at Drumeldrie.

SIR ANDREW WOOD'S TOWER

Sir Andrew was born in the Kirkton about 1450. He was a Leith merchant, and was granted the Lands of Largo on condition that he kept the King's ships in repair. Later he gave up trading as a merchant, and took command of the then Scottish "navy," which consisted of two ships, "The Flower" and 'Yellow Carvel." He defeated and took prisoner an entire fleet of English pirate ships. This enraged the English, and Stephen Bull, a London merchant, sailed with three large ships, to give battle to Wood. They fought a fierce battle, lasting nearly two days, when Bull was defeated and taken prisoner. Sir Andrew made the English pirates build him a house and "tower or fortilace' at Largo, of which the present tower was part. Sir Andrew, who married Elizabeth Lundin, and who died in 1521(?), had a canal dug betwen his house and the church, and sailed to the church in a barge, when he was too frail to walk. The tower is now a pigeon house.

THE TEMPLE

So called because the land once belonged to the Knights Templar. Old stone coffins have been discovered there.

PARISH CHURCH

This is a "Cross" church with chancel, nave, and north and south transepts. The chancel is the only pre-Reformation part of the building remaining, and was used as a private burial place. Inside the main entrance on the east wall is a slab with Latin inscription, which was erected in 1817 and which gives the date of the Church as 1300, in the reign of King Robert the Bruce. [This statement is inaccurate, as Duncan, Earl of Fife, granted the Church to the nuns of North Berwick in the 12th century, and it was in fact consecrated in 1243.) It also gives the date of various alterations, and states that the spire was erected in 1623. Another tablet states that it was enlarged and wholly renewed by (Sir) John Gilmour in 1894.

In 1826 the chancel was taken into the church; before that it, had been a burial place, and was probably walled off. The spire was erected in 1623 by Peter Black, Tailor to the Royal Family, who bought the estate of Largo from the Woods. Black's initials and date are on the stone on the south side of the spire, which is supported on the chancel arch. The renovations by (Sir) John Gilmour included a new timber roof, new seats. a font, a vestry, and a new chancel arch. The wall around the churchyard was built in 1657 by John Wood, who was buried in the Chancel.