PARISH OF KETTLE.

This PARISH is in the centre of the County, partly in the Howe of Fife, and partly ascending and going over the hills which flank that valley on the southern side. It is bounded by the parish of Falkland on the west, by Markinch, Kennoway, and Scoonie on the south, by Ceres and Cults on the east, and by Cults and Collessie on the north. The river Eden traces the western half of the northern boundary, but the parish of Cults, cuts it off from the river at the east border. Its length is upwards of eight miles from north-west, to south-east, and its breadth three miles at the middle, but it contracts greatly towards the extremities. It contains the villages of King's Kettle, Hole Kettle, or as it is more frequently termed, Kettle Bridge, Coaltown of Burnturk, Balmalcolm, and Muirhead. Bankton Park, Myreside, and Rumdewan are often named as separate villages, but they are merely suburbs of King's Kettle. The arable land, both in the Howe of Fife, and in the skirts and ascent of the hills, is very various in soil, but even the highest grounds are clothed with verdure, and afford excellent pasturage. The rocks are chiefly of the coal formation; and sandstone, limestone, coal, and a fine kind of whinstone, are worked. The old road from Kinghorn to Cupar passed through Clatto Den, on the south-west and hilly portion of the Parish, not far from which are the remains of an old tower, which is said to have belonged to a family of the name of Seaton, of whom tradition asserts that they were notorious robbers and murderers, exercising their bloody calling upon the passengers that passed along what was then one of the principal highways of the County.

The Parish is traversed by the road from Kirkcaldy to Cupar, by the road from Kennoway, by Coaltown and King's Kettle to Newburgh, by the road from King's Kettle to Falkland, and by the E. P. & D. Railway, which has stations at King's Kettle and Falkland Road. King's Kettle, the capital of the Parish, is about half a mile to the north of the public thoroughfare leading through the Howe of Fife, about seven miles from Cupar, twelve from Kirkcaldy, eighteen from Tayport, and nineteen from Perth. The villages of Balmalcolm, Kettle Bridge, and Muirhead, are all on the great Fife road, the latter being at the south-western extremity of the parish. All these villages are chiefly inhabited by weavers. Coaltown of Burnturk is on the high ground to the south-east of King's Kettle, and is partly inhabited by weavers and partly by miners. For many years this Parish has been one of the chief seats of the linen manufacture in Fife, but its importance is declining, and the number of hand-loom weavers has much diminished of late years. Agriculture holds the next place in importance to the linen manufacture, and the coal works near Burnturk, and the lime works at Forthar, employ a good number of workmen.

The name "Kettle," is of doubtful etymology; and all that can be said of it is, that in old deeds it is called "Katul," and sometimes "Catul," and in common phraseology, it is invariably entitled "the Kettle." At one period it was denominated "King's Kettle," from being then the property of the crown, but the prefix "King's" was long in disuse, until, on the opening of the Railway, the directors were induced to adopt the old title, as the name of their station, and the appellation " King's Kettle," is once more coming into general use. The ancient name of the Parish was Lathrisk, or as it is sometimes spelt in old charters, "Lorresk," from the circumstance that the Parish Church was then situated on the lands of Lathrisk, at the north-west end of the parish, but about 1636 the Church and Manse were removed to the village of King's Kettle, since which period the Parish has received the name of the village.

The Parish Church, a gothic structure with elegant tower and pinnacles, was built in 1832, and contains 1200 sittings. There is a very handsome U. P. Church at King's Kettle, erected in 1852, containing nearly 700 sittings. There is also a Free Church at Balmalcolm, for the parishes of Kettle and Cults. The Parish School is a very suitable modern building, in addition to which there is a Female Industrial School at King's Kettle, a Subscription School at Kettle Bridge, and an Adventure School at Coaltown.

The POST TOWN is Ladybank, with a Sub-Office at King's Kettle. Thomas Beveridge, Sub-Post Master.--Letters arrive from Ladybank about 9.35 A.M., and 5.35 P.M., and are despatched at 6.20 A.M. and 2.55 P.M. There are several farms and hamlets along the southern border of the parish, the residents in which receive their letters through Freuchie, Kennoway, and Pitlessie Post Offices, and are thus entered in the Directory.

BLACKSMITHS.

Birrell, William, Welltree, by Freuchie

Bogie, George, King's Kettle

Campbell, William, (&, Agricultural Implement Maker) Kettle Bridge

Porter, Thomas, Langdyke, by Kennoway

Porter, William, Balmalcolm

Stewart, William, King's Kettle

Watson, Andrew, Kettle Hill

BOOT & SHOEMAKERS.

Bett, James, King's Kettle

Gardiner, John, do

Morton, William, do

Ramsay, William, do

Scott, Robert, Kettle Bridge

BUILDERS.

Berwick, Matthew, & Thomas, Kettle Bridge

Russell, Peter, Kettle Bridge

CAM BUILDERS.

Dall, George, King's Kettle

Swan, William, Myreside

CARRIERS.

E. P. & D. Railway Company, Stations at King's Kettle and Falkland Road, Wm. Elder, Agent, King's Kettle, and R. Anderson, Agent, Falkland Road

Oliphant, Wm., from Strathmiglo, Perth, &c., to King's Kettle, every Thursday

CARTERS & LAND LABOURERS.

Aitken, Thomas, King's Kettle

Allison, James, Balmalcolm

Bayne, Andrew, Drakelands, by Freuchie

Bell, William, do by do

Blyth, George, King's Kettle

Donaldson, Thomas, Coalpitden

Hoy, John, Carseknowes

Hoy, Robert, do

Kinnear, William, do

Laing, John, Balmalcolm

Muir, James, Kettle Bridge

Oliphant, George, do

Oswald, Mrs James, Middlefield

Rattray, David, Kettle Hill

Rattray, William, Middlefield

CLERGY.

Barr, Hugh, U. P. Church, King's Kettle

Maxwell, Alex., Free Church, Balmalcolm

Reid, Wm., Parish Church, Kettle Manse

DRAPERS.

Angus Robert, King's Kettle

Arthur, Thomas, do

DRESSMAKERS & MILLINERS.

Adam, Miss, Kettle Bridge

Buist, Miss Ann, King's Kettle

Gilmour, Mrs Robert, Kettle Bridge

Grandison, Miss Jean, King's Kettle

Laing, Miss Janet, do

Lawson, Miss Margaret, do

McGlashan, Misses, (& Furnishings) Kettle Bridge

Martin, Mrs John, Kettle Bridge

Skinner, Miss Isabella, King's Kettle

Watson, Miss Margaret, Kettle Bridge

FARMERS.

Arnot, Thomas, Esq., Home Farm, Chapel

Berwick, Robert, Annfield

Brown, W., Ramornie Mains, by Ladybank

Christie, Lawrence, Clatto, by Pitlessie

Christie, Thomas, Bowden

Clelland, John, Hilton Hill

Deas, John, Fronthill

Dingwall, William, Ramornie Mill, by Ladybank

Edie, George, King's Kettle

Henderson, Andrew, Balmalcolm

Hoy, David, Devon Common, by Kennoway

Johnston, William, Esq., Home Farm, Lathrisk, by Falkland

Lawson, Alexander, Esq., Burn-Lurk

Paterson, David, Newhall

Rintoul, David, Milldeans, by Kennoway

Russell, Peter, Dams

Scott, William, Rameldrie Mill

Speedie, A., Beattie's Craig, by Kennoway

Speedie, And., Clatto Barns, by do

Storrar, Alex., Easter Lathrisk, by Freuchie

Swan, Alexander, Esq., Riggs, by do

Thallon, Robert, Devon, by Kennoway

Thomas, James, Forthar

Tod, James, Airdits

Wilkie, George, Nottingham, by Freuchie

Wilson, William, Hole Kettle

GENTRY & PEOPLE OF INDEPENDENT MEANS.

Arnot, Thomas, Esq., Chapel

Barclay, Miss, Balmalcolm

Dodds, Rev. George, King's Kettle

Edmeston, Mrs William, Kettle Bridge

Heriot, F. L. M., Esq., Ramornie House, by Ladybank

Inglis, Mrs John, Balmalcolm

Johnston, William, Esq., Lathrisk, by Falkland

Lawson, Alex., Esq., of Burnturk, Annfield House

Richardson, Mrs John, King's Kettle

Sands, James, Esq., Balmalcolm

Swan, Alex., Esq., Riggs, by Freuchie

Thomson, Mrs David, Orkie House

Thomas, James, Esq., Forthar

Tullis, Mrs Charles, Kettle Bridge

GROCERS.

Angus, Robert, King's Kettle

Arthur, Thomas, do

Clark, James, Dams

Co-Operative Store, King's Kettle (James Wishart, Manager)

Dowie, Walter, Kettle Bridge

Jack, David, do

McGlashan, Peter, do

Mackie, Helen, do

Millie, George, Coaltown

Nelson, Mrs, Kettle Bridge

Rintoul, Robert, King's Kettle

Tod, James, do

JOINERS &. WRIGHTS.

Bogie, William, Welltree

Cellars, William, King's Kettle

Gillespie, Peter. do

Orford, John, Kettle Bridge

Tod, James, Balmalcolm

SLATERS & PLASTERERS.

Dewar, Alexander, King's Kettle

Towers, James, do

SOCIETIES & CLUBS.

Kettle Bridge Funeral Society, Richard Paton, President, Thomas Rae, Sec.

King's Kettle Horticultural Society, Alex. Lawson, Esq., President, John Scott, Sec. & Treas.

King's Kettle Total Abstinence Society, Rev. H. Barr, President, R. Blyth, Sec.

King's Kettle Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association, Rev. Hugh Barr, President, John Angus, Sec.

TAILORS.

Buist, Samuel, King's Kettle

Jackson, Thomas, do

Kay, Robert, Kettle Bridge

Ritchie, George, King's Kettle

Seath, William, do

TEACHERS & SCHOOLS.

Byers, Miss Elizabeth, Female Industrial and Infant School, King's Kettle

Hynd, D., Subscription School Kettle Bridge

Turpie, David, Adventure School, Coaltown of Burnturk

Williamson, John, Parish School, King's Kettle

VINTNERS.

Kinninmonth, Herriot, King's Kettle

Myles, Alex., (Inn license) do

Russell, Peter, Kettle Bridge

MISCELLANEOUS.

Arnot, John, Bookseller & Stationer, King's Kettle

Bell, Jas. H., Medical Practitioner, King's Kettle

Beveridge, David, Manager, Linen Manufactory, King's Kettle

Beveridge, Thomas, Jun., Manager, Baking Society, King's Kettle

Braid, Robert, Parish Sexton, King's Kettle

Blyth, George, Coal Grieve, Coaltown

Carrie, David, Saddler, Kettle Bridge

Elder, William, Coal Merchant, Railway Station, King's Kettle

Grant, David, China, Stoneware, & Rag, Merchant, King's Kettle

Inglis, Thomas, Molecatcher, King's Kettle

Ireland, Thomas, Reed Maker, King's Kettle (James Gibson, Manager)

Lawson, Alexander, Linen Manufacturer, King's Kettle

Martin, Thomas, Manager, Saw-Mill, Milldeans, by Kennoway

Melville, W., Weavers' Agent, Kettle Bridge

Robertson, Andrew, Turner & Weavers' Implement Maker, Kettle Bridge

Russell, William, Dealer in Dairy Produce, Dams

Scott, William, Miller, (Corn) Rameldrie Mill

Symington, Andrew, Clock &Watchmaker, King's Kettle

Taylor, Mrs Wm., Straw Bonnet Maker, King's Kettle

Thomas, Mr James, Lime Burner & Coalmaster, Forthar

Williamson, John, Inspector of Poor, Collector of Poors' Rates, and Registrar, King's Kettle

DELETE

Gillespie, Peter, Joiner & Wright

Thomson, Mrs David, Orkie House

Home | Search | Contact | Print version | Help