THE GOURLAYS OF ANSTRUTHER

Three generations of the Gourlay family were quite famous in the East of Fife. The first two generations were booksellers in Anstruther; the third was a journalist in Leven, the first editor of "The Leven Mail."

Founder of the family was ANDREW GOURLAY (1803-1876). He had been born in St Andrews on Aug 1 1803, the son of GEORGE GOURLAY, farm-servant, Bonnytown, and Mary Mackie, and was educated in the parish-school of Dunino. In 1813 the famous William Tennant (1784-1848), the author of "Anster Fair" and later Professor of Hebrew and Oriental Languages at the University of St Andrews (1834-48), became the school-master of Dunino, and in 1814, as was the custom in those days, his close friend, William Cockburn (1759-1837), bookseller and bookbinder in Anstruther, applied to the parish school-master for a suitable boy to enter into an apprenticeship under him. Tennant chose Gourlay. And so, in 1814, as a lad scarcely 11 years of age, Gourlay left for Anstruther, to begin his apprenticeship to the bookbinding and bookselling trades. So kindly did Cockburn - "that fussly little bibliopole" - take to his new apprentice, that when the terms of his indenture were completed Gourlay remained with him as his shopman, When Cockburn died in January 1837, he made over to "Andrew Gourlay, my Shopman, my shop tools, viz the Rolls and presses standing and lying and the whole of the Stamps and types."

Gourlay then went into partnership with his late master's daughter, Isabella Cockburn, under the firm of Gourlay & Co, their shop being situated in Tolbooth Wynd. This partnership was dissolved by mutual consent on January 25 1842, and Gourlay continued the business in Anstruther under his own name, until failing health forced him into retirement in Martinmas 1875, with the Stock-in-Trade of his shop at the Shore, together with his Circulating Library, being sold on Sep 24 1875. He served on Anstruther Town Council from 1858-1864, and was Clerk to the Police Commission and Harbour Master. He died on Feb 20 1876. In July 1829 he had married MARGARET JACK of Pittenweem. They had the following children:

(1) MARY GOURLAY - b Dec 27 1830

(2) GEORGE GOURLAY - b Jan 12 1832; d Aug 26 1891; see below

(3) ANDREW GOURLAY - b Sep 28 1833; teacher; d Kineff, May 13 1885

(4) WILLIAM COCKBURN GOURLAY - b c 1836; shipmaster of barque "Bella" of Liverpool; d Rio de Janeiro, Feb 26 1873 (37)

(5) JAMES GOURLAY b c 1840; d Oct 27 1879 aged 39

(6) JOHN GOURLAY b c 1843; accidentally killed, Feb 1 1851 aged 8 (FH Feb 6 1851)

(7) THOMAS GOURLAY - b April 23 1844; d Hawera, New Zealand, Jan 4 1925 aged 80

(8) JESSIE GOURLAY - b Feb 20 1848; 3rd daughter; m Walter Richardson (d June 26 1884 aged 34), tailor and clothier, Dunedin, New Zealand, and died Dunedin, Aug 1 1900 (57)

(9) ISABELLA COCKBURN GOURLAY - b Feb 7 1850; 4th daughter; died Hawera, New Zealand, May 19 1925 aged 75

(10) AGNES ANDERSON GOURLAY - b Aug 24 1852; 5th daughter; m Dunedin June 29 1882, Samuel Dick, clothier, Palmerston, son of James Dick, Berwick, and died Dunedin, Sep 26 1908 aged 56

(11) HELEN GREIG GOURLAY - b Feb 28 1854; 6th daughter; died Wellington, New Zealand, May 4 1935 aged 80

His eldest son, GEORGE GOURLAY (1832-1891) was also a bookseller in Anstruther, but he was not connected with his father's shop. After serving an apprenticeship under his father in c 1866 he opened in the High Street a small "news or coffee room, in which neighbours came from far and near to discuss the events of the day," and with the help of his wife, ELIZABETH RONALD (d April 1908), he built up a large business. He was the Town's local historian, author of three books - "Fisher Life, or, The Memorials of Cellardyke and The Fife Coast" (1879); "Our Old Neighbours; or Folk Lore of the East of Fife" (1887); and "Anstruther; or Illustrations of Scottish Burgh Life' (1888). He died Aug 26 1891.

His son, ANDREW GOURLAY (d 1939), was a famous local journalist. He had served his time on the "East of Fife Record" in Anstruther, under its founder, Lewis Russell, and had then come to Leven as the reporter for the Record. In 1911 the Fifeshire Advertiser of Kirkcaldy founded The Leven Mail, and Gourlay accepted the position as its first editor. He quickly made the Mail a success, and it soon overshadowed the already exisiting paper, "The Leven Advertiser and Wemyss Gazette." Along the coast of the East Neuk of Fife, he was known simply as "Gourlay of the Mail." He died in 1939.