SUBTERRANEAN PASSAGES
Near the North east corner of
the King’s Cellar there is an opening 2 feet wide and 2 ½ feet in
height, which leads upwards by a gentle incline into a small recess.
This opening appears to us to be the top part of an ancient doorway.
Were the accumulated earth and rubbish to be cleared away in front
of said opening, it is likely that a flight of steps would be found
descending to the foot of the now unseen doorway, or steps going
down by the side of the wall. This done, a number of steps
would likely be discovered leading up into this small recess just
mentioned. In February, 1877, our friend Mr. George Robertson
(Comely Park) armed with
lights and a magnetic comp0ass, ascended said opening or top of
door. The following are a few of the interesting details he
has kindly sent to us, and for which we return thanks: “In the
said recess there is a water-course, which apparently comes from the
north foot of the wall below the great western window. There
is also an ascending small opening, covered with an iron grating,
just below the causeway of the Pends. In the north west corner
there is a Gothic entrance-the entrance to the subterranean
passage-which goes in a north west direction parallel to the Palace
wall. The passage is not straight, but bends a little at
several places. The entire length of the passage is 89 feet,
and 2 ½ feet in breadth and about 4 ½ feet in height.” (See
also Chal. Hist. Dunf. vol. i. pp. 95-97).
It appears to us that the
uneven and somewhat slight circular direction in some places of the
passage would indicate the foundations of circular towers, which may
have stood on each side of the main door of the Palace, similar to
those seen at Holyrood and
Falkland.
TOWER RUINS (MALCOLM CANMORE’S),
TOWER HILL
Of this celebrated tower there
exists only small fragments of the south and the west walls.
In 1790 the south wall measured 31 feet in length, the west wall 49
½ feet, with a height of about 8 feet and a thickness of about 8
feet.
LIST OF PICTURES AND OTHER WORKS OF
ART BY
SIR NOEL PATON, R.S.A., LL.D.
&c
THE following paintings, &c.,
are the work of two eminent natives of
Dunfermline who have, through their
productions, conferred great honour on the “old grey city”—namely,
Sir Joseph Noel Paton, R.S.A., LL.D., Her Majesty’s Limner for
Scotland, and Mr. Waller H. Paton. R.S.A. Also a list is added
of the sculptured works from the chisel of their talented sister,
Mrs. D. O. Hill, now al resident in Edinburgh.
List of a
few of Sir Joseph Noel Paton’s Works from 1838 to 1878
“Fight between Bothwell and
Balfour,” 1838. “Rachel Weeping for her Children,” 1845.
Quarrel of Oberon and Titania,” 1846. “Puck and Fairy,” 1847.
“Christ Bearing His Cross,” 1847-likfe size. “Reconciliation
of Oberon and Titania,” 1847; these two Pictures jointly obtained a
Prize in the Second Class of £300 at the Westminster Hall
Competition this year. “Thomas the Rhymer and the Queen of
Faerie,” 1851. “Christ Blessing Little Children” 1852.
“The Pursuit of Pleasure,” 1855, an Allegorical Picture, painted in
Wooer’s Alley,
Dunfermline and exhibited in the
Music Hall, Dunfermline, for a benevolent purpose. “Home for
the Crimea,” 1856. “In Memoriam,” 1858, an Illustration of the
Indian Mutiny. By Command of Her Majesty a large Photograph
was taken fro this Picture. “The Entombment and Gethsemane,”
1860. “The Dowie Dens of Yarrow,” 1862; six pictures, Engraved
for the Royal Association for the Promotion of the Fine Arts.
“Illustrations to Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner,” 1864. “Fact
and Fancy,” 1860. “Faith and Reason,” 1869. “Christ and
Sleeping Disciples,” 1870. “The Good Shepherd,” 1872.
“Bruce and the Spider,” 1873. “Christ and Mary at the
Sepulchre,” 1873. “Satan Watching the Sleep of Christ,” 1874.
“The Man of Sorrows,” 1875—life size. “Christian Arming in the
House Beautiful.” 1876. “Christ the Great Shepherd,” 1876, &c
Read a small biography of
Sir Joseph Noel Paton (pdf) also a
Book of his poems
List of a
few of the Painting, Drawings and Water Colours, &c Exhibited by
Waller Hugh Paton, Esq., R.S.A.
“Ellen Masson,” 1851. “Edinburgh
from the Fife Coast,” 1852. “The Black Pool and Upper Pool,
Finnich Glen.” 1853. “Outlet of Loch Achray,” 1859. “The
Two Templars,” 1861. “Cologne, from Bridge of Boats,” 1862.
“Rome from the Pincian Hill,” 1862. “Holyrood Palace,” 1862.
“Edinburgh from Arthur’s Seat,” 1864. “Lochaber no more,”
1865. “The Island of Graves, Skye,” 1867. “Tomb of the
Bruce, Dunfermline,” 1868. “Castle Campbell,” 1870. “The
Fair of St. Olaf, Kirkwall,” 1874. “Entrance to Glencoe,”
1877, &c.
List of
Sculptured Works by Mrs. D. O. Hill (Amelia Paton)
Bust of Noel Paton, 1842
(first attempt). Bust of the Countess of
Elgin, 1863. Bust of Mrs. A.
Burns Shand, 1865. Bust of Dr. Livingstone, 1866. Bust
of Sir R. Murchison, 1866. Bust of Thomas Carlyle, 1867.
Bust of Sir David Brewster, 1867. Bust of Sir George Harvey,
1868. Marble Statuette of Hugh Miller, 1869. A Marble
Statuette of Robert Burns, 1870, &c.
MR. ANDREW BLAIR’S PAINTINGS
THE following is a list of a
few of the Paintings by Mr. Andrew Blair,
Dunfermline; many of these were
exhibited in Edinburgh, were most favourably criticized in the
newspapers of the day, and were disposed of at high prices:
“City of
Dunfermline from the North West”-A
large Lithographic Print was taken from this Painting in 1862.
“A Shadowy Lane, Pittencrieff Glen,” 1864. “The Tay, above the
Bridge of Aberfeldy,” 1865. “Old Porter’s Lodge, near
Dunfermline Palace,” 1866. “Old Mills, Monastery Street,
Dunfermline,” 1866. “Dunfermline Palace from the King’s
Kitchen,” 1866. “Edinburgh from the Bell House Rock,
Aberdour,” 1867. “Norham Castle,” 1869. “Loch Awe,”
1869. “North Porch of Old Abbey Church, Dunfermline,” 1873.
“Frater Hall, Dunfermline from the West,” 1873, &c.
MR. A. P. TAYLOR’S PHOTOGRAPHS
THE following is a list of a
few of the full plate photograph views of the public buildings, &c
in and around Dunfermline,
by Mr. Alexander Taylor, photographer, East Port Street, viz.:-Two
large views of Dunfermline from the south and the south east—The
Abbey Church, from the north and the south—Interior Views of the
Nave—The Monastery Ruins (interior and exterior)—The Great Western
Window and “The Pends”—The Palace, from Pittencrieff Glen and from
the north east. The Old Town House, the New Municipal
Buildings, the County Buildings, the Carnegie Baths, &c., and, on a
smaller scale, many of the Churches, the High School, and the
principal streets, as also the Mansion Houses of Pittencrieff,
Pitfirrane, Pitliver, Broomhall, Fordel, &c.
SITE
OF ALTARS IN DUNFERMLINE ABBEY
IT is now impossible to point
out the sites of all the altars of Dunfermline Abbey. The
sites of only two are known with certainty, viz., that of the High
Altar and the Altar of the Holy Cross.
The HIGH ALTAR, from circa
A.D. 1075 to 1226, occupied a site near the extreme east end of the
then Abbey—afterwards known as the Nave, and latterly as the Auld
Kirk. In the space between the two spiral cut columns at the
east end of the kirk the high or “grate awtre” stood for about 151
years, and right in front of it and near, was an area known as the
locus sepulturæ regum, or royal burying place. In this area,
between A.D. 1093 and 1250, many of the royal remains were interred.
(See An. Dunf. for dates of royal interments and Appendix).
After A.D. 1226 the High Altar was transferred to the east end of
the then newly built Choir, about three yards to the east of the
present Session house door.
The HOLY CROSS ALTAR or “Rwde
Awtre,” stood in the space between the zig zag cut pillar on the
south side and the plane pillar near to it on the west. Before
this altar the remains of St. Margaret were interred, and near to it
one of her sons (Ethelrede) whose remains were discovered in 1847,
when the flooring of the Auld Kirk was being levelled and repaired.
Probably St. Mary’s Altar stood opposite this Rood Altar on the
north side—Viz., the Altar of our Lady Mary.
ST. MARGARET’S TOMB.—The base
or plinth stones of this tomb are in a very dilapidated state,
probably broken, as we find them, by the fall of some wall which
“wes castit doun” at the Reformation, in 1560. The site is
covered by two stones—the largest, the undermost one, is about 9
feet in length by 6 in breadth; the upper stone, which lies upon it,
is about 7 feet by 4. These stones are composed of a kind of
blue limestone, marked all over by shells and other figures.
They were probably quarried in 1250 from either
Charleston or Roscobie, as the quarries in these places abound in
compact limestones similarly marked. On the surface of one of
the stones are to be seen six circular indentations, which,
according to a vague tradition, were pointed out to the curious as
being places on which once stood tall candle sticks with their
candles, which were kept perpetually burning on the tomb.
Shortly after the Chartulary of the Abbey was printed, in 1842, we
went carefully over may of the old charters, when we discovered the
lights were kept perpetually burning, not
on the tombs, but
before them, or on the
outside of them. We
consequently came to the conclusion that the
six circular marks on one
of these stones were simply the worn out sockets from which arose
tall slender stone pillars, which supported an ornamental canopy, or
“herss,” considerably above these stones, and that on the upper
would be a full length figure, in stone, of St. Margaret lying on
her back, with clasped hands, as observed on other royal tombs.
HIGH ALTAR STEP—Mr. John
Baine, C.E., who made so many plans and took so many sketches of the
old ruins in 1790, has indicated on one of his plans the site of the
old High Altar and notices the position of the remaining step
belonging to it. In his plan this step lies on a site between
the present pulpit and the Session house door. When the ground
in this locality was being levelled, in 1817, for the
New Abbey Church, this old step was removed. The step still
exists and may be seen doing service as a sear for the weary at the
outside of the south wall of the New Abbey Church, a few yards east
of the entrance to Pitreavie burying vault. Here it rests on
two pillars which were taken from a grave in the north churchyard.
By inspecting this very interesting relic of the past, it will be
seen that in its composition it is precisely similar to the base or
plinth stones of St. Margaret’s tomb.
ETYMOLOGIES
THE following etymologies of manes of
places near Dunfermline are
taken from Fernie’s History of Dunfermline, pp. 130, 131—
BALMULE, from
bal (Gaelic) a dwelling
and maol
(Irish) an eminence or promomtory-“the
dwelling on the eminence.”
BEATH, from the
Britich,
dedev; or Gaelic,
beath—“Birchwood.”
CAVEL, it derives its Celtic name from the British,
cavell,
signifying retired,
or “enclosed place, a retreat.”
CRAIGLUSCAR, from the British and Irish,
craig, a rock; and
the Gaelic,
lusca, a cave, or
luscair, signifying
a person who lives in a cave—“”the rock of the hermit.”
DRUMTUTHIL, from
the Gaelic, drum, a
ridge, and
tuathal, northern—“The northern ridge”—(double
ridge?)
DUNDUFF, from the Gaelic;
dun a hill and
dubh, black—“the
black hill.”
GARVOCK or
GARVOCH, an abbreviation of the Gaelic
garbh-cnoc;
garbh, rough;
cnoc,
a hill—“the rough hill.”
KNOCKHOUSE, from
cnoc, Gaelic; and
house, English—“the house on the hill.”
LOGIE, from the Gaelic,
lagan, signifying a hollow; the Gaelic
an, as a termination, is
often changed into the Scoto-Saxon;
hence “kilnlogie.”
PITTENCRIEFF, from the Gaelic,
pit-an-croibh;
pit in the Gaelic and
pitt in the British
signify a hollow;
craobh,
provounced criev,
a tree—“the hollow of the tree; perhaps the hollow of the wood.”
PITFIRRANE or PITFERRAN, from the Gaelic,
pit, a hollow and
fearn,
land—“the hollow of the land.”
PITLIVER, in the British
hliver
signifies a flux or flow, probably the hollow of the stream or water;
in the neighbourhood of Pitliver the
burn or water runs through a deep hollow or glen.
ROSCOBIE, from the British
rhos-cobau—“the
moor with mounds.”
TOUCH, from the British
tuach,
signifying the side of the water.
To which we add the following from
our own list;
Limekilns was
known before the middle of the sixteenth century as
Limekilhill, Lymekill,
&c., the name originating fro the limestone kilns.
Inverkeithing,
inver (Gaelic),
i.e., at the mouth of the
Keithing.
Aber-dour
(British), mouth—“at
the mouth of the Dour.”
Carnock or
Caer-enoc,
caer (British) a
castle; and
cnoc,
an insulated hill.
Caer-neil—“the
castle at the termination of, or end of the wall.”
Carniehill
mau either come fron
cairn, heap of stones
for the dead or from
caer, a castle; and
in
or n,
on and hill; English—“the
cairn of stones on
the hill.” Crossford
(Corsford)
Scotch—“stepping stones across the rivulet.”
Crossgates,
the site where cross
roads meet. Rosythe (Rosshythe)
derived from
ross,
old British, which means a promontory, and
hythe, from the
Saxon, meaning a port or landing
place—“the port or landing place of Edgar, the
atheling, and his Saxon
retinue in the 1069. This root of the word
rosythe was
discovered by the writer in 1835, and by him then made the subject
of an Essay, showing that the name was derived from its being the
port where the Saxon exiles landed in 1069.
“Ross” being the primitive
name, and
hythe being added to Ross after the Saxon landing.
(See An. Dunf. date 1069.) “Saline”—some writers refer the
orgin of this name to
saline or
saltish.
In charters of date about 1300 the name is
sauelyn, quite a
different root from our now common name, saline. The meaning
of
sauel
has not been ascertained;
lyn, a pool or
waterfall;
sauel may therefore have some connection with the
contour or
aspect of the ground or
view in the locality of the
lyn.
1.
PAR-DIEU KNOLL—This
knoll, or knowe, appears to be
artificial; “it lies” on a level extent of ground at a distance of
about 230 yards directly south of the
Netherton
Bridge. Fernie in his History of
Dunfermline, P. 83, notes that it is 30 feet in circumference, and
about 16 feet in height, and adds, that according to tradition it
was formed by people who brought sand on their backs from the sea,
as a penance enjoined in the days of popery, and that the name if
the hillock seemed to favour the story
of its origin. We rather think that its name is derived from
the ancient name of the land on which it is situated, viz.,
Pardusin,
a name alluded to by King David I. in his first confirmation charter
to the Monastery of Dunfermline in A. D. 1128. The site came
afterwards to be known as Pardews, Per-deus,
and the hillock appears to be a large tumuli, in the
certre of which probably lie the remains
of some unrecorded hero or heroes who fell in battle on the spot.
2.
WHIRLBUT—The origin of this name is now unknown; the grounds
of
Whirlbut, probably a
toft or acre, lie immediately to the south of the “Spittal
Brig” on the west side. Some old dictionaries state that
Whirlbut was an old game, and Jones in his
Dictionary states that Whirlbat means
anything moved rapidly round to give
a blow. There is a tradition that
Wappenshaws were conducted here and that the arrows were shot
against Par-dieu Knowe as a target, the distance between
Whirlbut and the
knowe being about 600 yards. (Whorle
also refers to ancient spinning.)
3. BUYT-ACRE,
some times called Boot-acre, but the proper name would b e Butt-acre,
an acre adjacent to Par-dieu Knowe, the annual proceeds of this would
likely be expended on keeping up the archery butts, &c. A
tradition also exists which asserts that a butt was set up on a site
near the parish manse, west end of Priory Lane, and that arrows were
shot from a site near Par-dieu Knowe, about 500 yards distant.
4. MOUNT HOOLY, or Mount Holy,
as it has some times been designated, is the name of a property
adjacent Rumbling Well Toll Bar, east end of Baldridge Burn.
The origin of the name is unknown, but perhaps the name is not an
old one. There are several
Mount Hoolies in Fifeshire.
5. GEELIES WYND or JEELIES
WYND—A well known name from a remote period down to the end of the
first quarter of the present century. This ancient wynd about
1820 was named Reid Street and the Abbey Wall, the lower parts of
which still front Reid Street, had a private gate on it here, for
the use of the Abbey servants, &c, hence Gillie’s Wynd or Servant’s
Wynd. The Abbey Servants Wynd or Road led to the Abbey Grange,
about three fourths of a mile south south east from Gillie’s Wynd.
6.
BEE-ALLEY GARDEN—This is evidently a
corruption of the Bailie Garden, the garden on the east side of the
old Royal Bowling Green (back of the mill). It appears
this garden belonged to the Bailie of the monastery.
7. THE QUEST-END YARDS “were
yairds lyand at the lower back of the Collieraw, near the Tolbooth.”
Some writers have translated quest end into
Ostend? As these yards belonged
to Mr. Philian of the olden time, were situate at the extreme west
end, or termination of the Burgh, there can be no doubt that quest,
an old name or pronunciation of west, simply meant the west end
yards!
8. MAISON DIEU LANDS(now known
as
Mason Lands) lie about 100
yards east from the site of Castle Blair (the Peel-Muir).
There are a great many maison dieus and lands in Scotland, and are
all of ecclesiastical origin and no doubt, the Dunfermline maison
dieu lands were, in the olden time, in connection with some
religious house.
9. PILMUIR—There are a great
many Pilmuirs or Peelmuirs, in
Scotland. They appear to have derived their names from some
early, now unknown, Peel or Peil—i.e. a keep or castle.
Perhaps the site called Castle Blair, the foundations of which were
visible about the middle of last century, may have been the “Peil”
and the swamp and muir, lying to the east of it and belonging to it,
may have given the name of “Pilmuir” in its contracted form.
10. BERRY-LAW—This height
(Berrylaw Top) about one and a quarter miles west north west from
the Cross of Dunfermline, is a conspicuous height crowned with
trees. A great many places in
Scotland have the name of Law from British blaw--a hill.
“Berry” is probably a corruption for “Burgh” so that “Berry-law”
means Burgh Hill. (See An. Dunf. date 1860.)
11. HALY-BLUID ACRES—These
acres are in the immediate vicinity of
Dunfermline, being less than half a mile east of the Cross. “The
annuals” arising from these acres belonged to the Abbey and were
disposed of to the monk who officiated at the Haly-bluid Altar, in
the Haly-bluid Aisle of Dunfermline Abbey. A misconception of the
designation applied to the row of houses built on their site is
evident by being designated Marty’s Place!--presuming that holy or “haly
bluid” must have been shed on the spot! The place has had its
name changed lately to Holyrood Place—a more appropriate name.
The Acorn Ward lies a little to the south east of these acres.
12. THE ALMONRY LANDS—This
piece of ground lies at the foot of the New Row, at the back of the
house forming the south west angle of Woodmill Street, or Road, the
annuals for which went to the poor as alms, or doles, under the
supervision of Abbey officials.
13. GALLOWRIGG HILL—It is
distant about a mile and half south south
west from the Cross. This farm has been noticed in some
writings, as having derived its name from some gallows that may have
been in “walking order” here in early times. We rather think
not. It is probable that the name is rather a corruption of
Galrig, mentioned in an Abbey charter of date 1290. (See
“Stone and Coal Charter,” An. Dunf. date 1290, p. 103.)
14. GALLOWS BANK was sometimes
called Garlic Hill. There are some traces of evidence left
which go to show that it was in this locality that the private
gallows of the Laird of Baldridge was erected and hence the name is
a genuine one. (See An. Dunf. dates 1583 and 1587.) This
site is about two miles north of
Dunfermline.
15.
BOOFIE’S BRAE—The origin of this
name has not yet been clearly elucidated. It may, perhaps, be
derived from Buffie, which signifies rough and shaggy—i.e. the
rough, shaggy brae. It has been said that Boofie is the old
vernacular for rabbit—Rabbit’s brae or hare, Harie Brae.
Again, Buffet’s Brae signifies the Boxing Brae.
16. GOLFDRUM lies in the
north west district of Dunfermline.
It is said, but without substantial evidence, to have been the drum
or ridge on which King James and his followers amused themselves at
the game or pastime of Golf. Such at least is the traditional
account.
17. WALLACE SPA—This well is
situated about 200 yards south from the Ruins of Malcolm Canmore’s
Tower, on Tower Hill. Until the middle of last century it was
a public well, and was held in high esteem for its cooling effects
and other properties. As a mineral well, it would be called
Well-of-Spa in Scotch Wall-o’-Spa, which easily passes into Wallace
Spa.
MEMORIAL STONES, OR TABLETS, TO
INDICATE THE SITES OF THE OLD BURGH PORTS.
|
THE WEST PORT
of
1327
Stood Across the
Street Here
REMOVED IN 1780.
|
|
THE EAST PORT
of
1488
Stood Across the
Street
Here
REMOVED IN 1752. |
|
THE COLLIER ROW
Or
MILL PORT
Stood Across the Street Here
REMOVED IN 1754.
|
|
THE
CROSS WYND PORT
Stood Across the Street Here
REMOVED IN 1752. |
|
THE
ROTTEN ROW PORT
Stood Across the Street Here.
REMOVED (circa) 1754.
|
|
THE
TOLBOOTH PORT
Stood Across the Street Here.
REMOVED IN 1769.
|
P.S. Very likely there would be a
Port or “Yett” at the extreme east end of Maygate.
INSCRIPTIONS FOR TABLETS FOR ST. MARGARET’S STONE AND ORATORY.
|
ST.
MARGARET’S STONE
St.
Margaret, Consort of Malcolm III according to tradition, often
rested on this Stone between the years 1069 and 1093. |
|
ST.
MARGARET’S ORATORY
Queen
Margaret, Consort of Malcolm III according to tradition, used
this Cave as an Oratory between the years 1070 and 1093. |
P.S. There are two houses or sites
which should be indicated by memorial stones or plates, viz., the
house situated at the north corner of the Cross Wynd, stating that
on the site stood a house in which Elizabeth Halket, authoress of
the celebrated warlike poem Hardiknute, for sometime lived and that
here she died, in 1727. In the first open space down that
close in High Street, that leads down to the east end of the
Maygate, there is n old house with the date 1607 on it’s “lintel
stane.” A plate or stone should be placed above this date,
certifying that the Rev. Ralph Erskine for some time lived in this
house, that here he died on
6th November, 1752 and
that it was in this house that the Associate Synod met to confer
with the Rev. George Whitefield in order that he should become a
member of their body. Many of the sites of the places of
sepulture, and of the sites of some of the old altars, can yet be
seen; such interesting sites are surely worthy of a memorial stone
or plate.
RELICS OF “DUNFERMLINE
IN THE OLDEN TIME.”
The following Relics of “Dunfermline
in the Olden Time” are this year (1878) in the possession of E.
Henderson, LL.D.:
1. THE BRASS MATRIX COCQUET
(DOUBLE) SEAL of the Regality of
Dunfermline. (Vide An. Dunf. date 1302, p. 120.)
2. A GLAZED CASE, containing
eight fragments of Stained Glass from the Choir of the Abbey (found
1818); a double impression in lead of the Burgh Matrix Seal,
supposed to have been attached to some old charter or deed; fragment
of the Oak Coffin of King Robert the Bruce, found in his Stone
Coffin, 1819; fragment of Glazed Brick from the pavement of the
Choir (1818) ; fragment of carved Blue Stone, and one of Marble,
from the Tomb on King Robert the Bruce (1818); a small bit of Oak
from the rafters of the Nave of the Abbey; a Penny of King Robert
the Bruce; a bit of Pewter lead, being part of an ornamental ball
from weather cock stalk.
3. A LARGE PIECE OF THE OAK
TABERNACLE WORK OF THE
CHOIR, found in the Choir area, 1818. (Vide Chal. Hist. Dunf.
vol. ii. plate iii. p. 3.)
4. THE BURGH OF DUNFERMLINE
ARMS (in iron), from the last Town House.
5. A LARGE COLLECTION of old
Prints, Drawings, Sketches, Plans, Maps, &c of Dunfermline and
vicinity (about 150); also, copies of numerous works printed in
Dunfermline, between the years 1780 and 1878 and works printed
elsewhere by natives of Dunfermline.
6. A PENNY OF EDWARD II. OF
ENGLAND, found in the walls of an old
house in the Collier Row in 1807. (Vide An. Dunf. date 1807)
7. A SMALL CIRCULAR
BOX containing a fragment of a finger
bone of King Robert the Bruce, and bit o9f decayed Oak from his
Stone Coffin, and Coffin Nail (1818)
8. A CLOCK FROM “QUEEN
ANN OF DENMARK’S” HOUSE, Dunfermline,
adjacent to the Palace. (The wheels of this clock are of
iron.)
9. A CARVED OAK PANNEL from the
King’s Gallery in the Nave of Dunfermline Abbey (circa 1580-1600)
10. AN OAK CHAIR FROM
Dunfermline Palace ornamented with
five Scottish Crowns, the Chair of King James V. (1513-1542.)
11. THE WEAVERS’
FLAG OF SILK, having various devices
woven on it. (See An. Dunf., date 1734.)
12. SEAMLESS SHIRT, woven by a
Dunfermline weaver in the year
1702. (An. Dunf. date 1702.)
The Exterior and Interior Views of
the north fragment of the Ruins of the Old Abbey Choir, in water
colours, by Andrew Mercer,
Dunfermline, 1818. (An. Dunf. date 1819.
TOWN HOUSE STEEPLE (1860)
AT page 680 we notice “the cone-less”
state of the Town House Steeple. The following lines were at
the time composed on behalf of the Steeple by our respected friend
Me. A. Stewart, of Her Majesty’s Customs,
Liverpool (May 21st,
1866). These lines were understood to be the means of leading
the Authorities to recap the Steeple with a cone similar to the old
one. (See Town House View, page 533.)
HUMBLE PETITION OF THE TOWN HOUSE
STEEPLE, DUNFERMLINE
A hunder
years hae o’er
me passed
Oh! Wae is me, we
ha’e a host
Since
first I faced the winter’s blast,
O’ stranger men wha rule the roast,
Seen far
and near—baith east and
wast--
O’ magistrates wi’ scarce a ghost
My
weather-cock;
O’ public speerit,
A
headless thing I am at last,
This
weel I ken, unto my cost,
A laughin’ stock.
An’ try to bear it.
The
strangers and the passers by,
‘Tis not that ready cash is scanty,
Look to
the lift wi’
wonderin’ eye.
O’ this they’re often flush and
vaunty;
And,
“Bless my heart,” I hear them cry,
Does
mither’s son want for his aunty
“Was that a steeple?”
A testimonial?
A public
standin’ joke am I
He’ll no wait
lang for cash they’ll grant ye
“Mong decent people.
An ceremonial.
Through
sun and shower and tempest keen
Ye wha’s
sma’ souls nae
higher rise
A
usefu’ ornament I’ve been,
Than chimney cans that cleave the skies,
The pride
o’ mony glowrin’
een,
Wha’s very name
and memory dies
But
noo a stump;
When life ye sever,
Shorn o’
my head and shoulder clean,
Know, on Time’s page
Dunfermline lies
A’ but the rump.
Engraved for ever!
An’ has
it come to this at last,
Then ye
wha rule this ancient
toon,
Will no
ane doon the
gauntlet cast,
Frae you I crave a precious boon;
Or nail
his colours to the mast,
Bestow on me a decent croon,
For
his auld toon,
As,
ance of yore,
An’ keep
the landmarks o’ the past
A noble, generous hearted loon
Frae
tumblin’ doon?
Bestowed before.
If that
my prayer ye do not grant,
I swear
my ghost your path shall haunt,
An’ by
your death beds mock and taunt,
An’ laugh
and snigger,
An’ in
your glazin’ een
shall flaunt
My rumpit
figure.
THE
DEVON WATER SCHEME
MR. GEORGE LAUDER, to whom the community of Dunfermline is so much
indebted for their water supply, has sent us the following letter,
giving us the details of his exertions in the case of the Devon
Water Supply: “Sir, In the month of October, 1870 the Council of
Dunfermline applied to Parliament for a bill to bring water from
Loch Glow. An agitation was got up against it, and was
continued for months. A plebiscite was taken, which resulted
in above
1000 of a majority against the bill.
The bill was withdrawn in 1871, the expense of which being above
£700. At that time I launched the Glendevon Water Scheme,
which was to bring 2,000,000 gallons of water per day to Craigluscar
Ponds for the supply of the West of Fife, by means of clay pipes,
more than half way with a fall of three feet to the mile, and 10,000
yards of iron pipes, with a compensation pond there for the supply
of the river, the estimated cost of which was £30,000. The
agitation was kept up by me for nearly six years by letters to the
Press newspaper and otherwise. Lithographed plans were printed
in 1876 showing Glensherup, the Boreland Burn, &c., as issue streams
for a town supply. The Council took this scheme up, and
carried it into effect
by means of above 2000 yards of clay
pipes, the remainder of iron pipes, with a large pond on Glensherup
Burn, as a compensation pond, for the city supply, thereby setting
aside Craigluscar Ponds altogether. The pipe tract was
finished, and the water let on in Dunfermline in August, 1878.
We are now supplied with water four times more in quantity than the
city needs……..The Store and Compensation Ponds are at present
progressing (October, 1878), and will be completed in about two
years. Cost of the scheme above £60,000. I am still
engaged in trying to get Crossford, Charleston, Limekilns,
Inverkeithing, and Aberdour supplied from our abundance of water.
I may here mention, that the daily supply from the Glensherup Scheme
is about 1,600,000 gallons which in about 100 a day to each head of
the inhabitants of the city. The Loch
Glow Scheme would have cost about £
10,000; and its distance from Dunfermline about 6 miles north.
Glensherup Pond is about 17 miles north west of the city, and about
900 feet above its level.” (See also Annals Of Dunfermline,
dates 1870, 1875, 1876, 1878.)
NOTANDA
RECEIVED BY THE PRINTER TOO
LATE FOR
INSERTION IN THEIR PROPER
PLACES
1798—LITERATURE—“Sketch of the Times: a Dialogue between a Weaver and
a Smith, contrasting the New Light with the Days of Old. By
Robert Flockhart.
Edinburgh:
Printed
for the author J. Simpson, 1798.” (This octavo, of 31 pp. long
out of print, should have been noticed at page 538. A
reference is made to 1798 at p. 635, instead of to this page of the
Addenda.)
1827—LITERATURE—“The Elements of Arithmetic, in Two Parts, for the Use
of Schools,” publishes in 1827 by A Haxton, Rector of the Grammar
School, Dunfermline. This is a 12
mo. work of 194 pp. with an appendix of 32 pp. and contains several
curious questions relative to
Dunfermline.
1851—1854—BOUNDARY OF THE QUOAD SACRA PARISHES OF ST. ANDREWS
AND NORTH CHURCH—In the deeds of
erection of these parishes, the boundary between them is declared to
be the Water of Line!!! There never was a Water of Line in
such a locality and those interested in this matter should at once
get this “vitiating mistake” rectified.
1851—NORTH CHURCH—Ordination—The Rev. Alexander Mitchell, M.A. was
ordained Minister of this Church, on
17th April 1861.
1852—THE
DUNFERMLINE BOWLING CLUB was established this year and leased a
piece of ground at the north end of Woodhead Street, where they
constructed a Bowling Green. There were 36 members.
1855—THE
ABBEY PARK BOWLING GREEN CLUB was laid out by its members this year,
on a piece of ground leased from the Bank of Scotland.
1857—THE
BANKRUPTCY OF THE WESTERN BANK OF SCOTLAND—The head bank in
Glasgow failed on Nov. 9th;
according to another account, on Feb. 4th. The
former appears to be the correct one. The branch of this bank
in Dunfermline consequently ceased to exist on November 9th
of this year. A few days after it was closed, the National
Bank of Scotland opened a branch of their bank in Dunfermline
(November 1857) under the agency of William Beveridge, Esq., who
still holds that position.
1859—THE
“Dunfermline: and the “Abbey
Park” Bowling Green Clubs united and enlarged the Green leased by
the Dunfermline Club. In 1860 under the Presidency of Provost
Whitelaw, their “Club Rules and Laws of Game” were adopted and
published by A. Romanes, Press Office. These clubs, although
united in the matter of their enlarged Green, retain their original
designations.
1864—THE
PUBLIC PARK AND SIR JOSEPH
PAXTON—On the 17th of August 1864, Sir Joseph Paxton
arrived in Dunfermline, for the special purpose of inspecting the
Public Park. He made a survey of the park, and drew up a plan
for laying it out, &c.
1876—LITERATURE—“Local Musing. By Henry Syme. Printed by
A. Romanes,
Dunfermline.” This
handsomely got up 12 mo. vol. of 252 pp., containing 109 musings
(in poetry), are very interesting,
instructive, and amusing.
THE END
