Some Famous Fife Personalities

MR. ALEX DARWOOD

TUESDAY 11th MAY 1999

 

FFHS Chairman Andrew Campbell, opened the evening's proceedings by welcoming Mr.Darwood. Mr. Darwood began his talk in a light-hearted way by introducing us to his 'boredom' checker, his wife was sitting in the front row, ready with any signals should he, as he put it 'ramble on too much'. Needless to say, his wife remained silent throughout the evening, as his lecture, like his previous lectures to the society, was quite enthralling.

Mr. Darwood explained that he had had a problem knowing which Fife personalities he should actually talk about, as he proudly stated that Fife had a higher proportion of famous men and women than any other county in the UK.

The members were given an insight into the lives of 5 famous Fifers, with Mr.Darwood beginning with The Rev. Dr. Thomas Chalmers, who was born in the house that Mr.Darwood resides in to-day.

With the kind assistance of Mrs. Fay Will, our Minute Secretary, the following is a short biography of the 5 personalities on whom Mr.Darwood gave us his talk.

The Rev. Dr. Thomas Chalmers

Thomas Chalmers was born at Anstruther on the 17th March 1780, he gained notoriety by leading what was known as the 'disruption' of the Church of Scotland in 1843 in Edinburgh. His revolt was sparked by his feeling of injustice at the idea that local parishioners had no say in the appointment of ministers. This 'disruption' led to a breakaway from the Church of Scotland, and the beginning of The Free Church of Scotland. At the time it was considered a dramatic and drastic step to take, as all the ministers who took part along with Thomas Chalmers in this desertion stood to lose their dwellings as they were of course living in C.o S. Parish Manses. Thomas Chalmers grounding in theology included his appointment to the parish church at Kilmany, such was his great success in this post, he was invited to preach at the Tron in Glasgow. He then went on to occupy the chair of Moral Philosophy at St.Andrews, before taking up a similar post in Edinburgh. After the 'disruption' in 1843, he became principal and Professor of Theology to the Seceding church. Rev. Dr. Thomas Chalmers died in 1847.

Lady Anne Lindsay

Lady Anne Lindsay was born in 1750, the daughter of James, Earl of Balcarres. She wrote the popular ballad 'Auld Robin Gray' when she was 21 years old, though the fact that she wrote it, only became known some time later.

Captain George Moodie

Captain Moodie was the skipper of the famous Tea Clipper 'Cutty Sark', which is now permanently in dry dock at Greenwich, London. On Captain Moodie's retirement, he resided at The Anchorage, Methil Brae, which is just along the road from where Methil Library is found today. Captain Moodie later became resident in McDuff house, in Auchtermuchty, where he died aged 94 in 1923. Mr. Ken Cassells from New Zealand is a descendant of Captain Moodie. For more details on the life of Captain George Moodie, please see FFHS Journal Vol.10 No. 3 pages 54-58.

Rev. Andrew Melville

Rev. Melville, minister of Anstruther, like many ministers of his time was considered the 'man to see' any time parishioners were concerned or in need of advice. Such an ocassion of concern occurred in the year 1588. This was at the time of the great Spanish Armada and their attempted invasion of England. The inhabitants of the town were alarmed early one morning when a Spanish ship was sighted just off Cellardyke harbour, and in a state of fear, the parishioners approached the minister, as he would 'ken whit tae dae'. Rev. Melville met with the captain of the Spanish ship and determined ,that far from being a threat to the inhabitants of Anstruther, the ship had limped into the harbour in a battered state, and the crew were in urgent need of food and medical attention. The good people of Anstruther having been given this report from Rev.Melville, but not without some trepidation rallied around and saw to the needs of the ship's crew. This act of compassion and charity was not forgotten by the Captain of the ship when on his return to Spain, he discovered that a ships crew from Cellardyke were being held in a Spanish prison and were in grave danger of being executed. The Spanish Captain pleaded with the King of Spain on behalf of the Cellardyke crew, and they were released from their torment and allowed to sail home to their families in Cellardyke.

King Charles I

King Charles I was born in Dunfermline in 1600, he was second in line to the thrones of England and Scotland, however the untimely death of his elder brother aged 16, he became heir apparent. Although his coronation took place in Westminster Abbey, his patriotism of his native land brought him to Holyrood for a belated 'Scottish' coronation in 1633. This coronation was carried out with the full regalia and necessitated the transportation of his court, along with the crown jewels, and a wealth of Gold and Silver. Rather than subject this wealth to the long overland journey by coaches, it was decided it should be transported back to England by ship, the ship chosen was the 'Blessing of Burntisland' . On it's journey crossing the Firth of Forth, the ship was caught in a storm and sunk with the loss of all it's contents.

Investigations recently have taken place by several teams of divers, around the spot where the ship is thought to have sunk. These investigations have revealed what is thought to be the remains of the 'Blessing of Burntisland', and it is hoped that very soon the recovery of the 'King's treasure ship' will be concluded. Leading the team of Investigators is Alex Kilgour, a Kirkcaldy businessman.

At the conclusion of Mr.Darwood's talk, members were invited to ask questions, which Mr. Darwood answered with great enthusiasm. FFHS member Mr. Archie Lumsden offered on behalf of the society our appreciation and thanks to Mr. Darwood, for a most enjoyable evening.