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162 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1948-49. XI. QUARR ABBEYO YT ANCIENN A : T FIFE ROUTE . FYFR y EB . SMITH, F.S.A.ScoT., AND THE LATE REV. NORMAN M. JOHNSON, B.Sc., F.R.S.E., F.S.A.ScoT. In the Chartulary of the Abbey of Balmerino,1 which was founded in 1227, four interesting charters are to be found,2 dealing with certain grants of quarrying rights, rights-of-way, and other matters ancillary to the supply of stones for the construction of parts of the Abbey and its surrounding buildings. None of these particular charters bears a date, and it is only by indirect evidence that one can estimate the approximate period of these documents. A careful study of various other (dated) charters where the same principals or witnesses appeae concerneb o t r d suggests tha e wholth t e series were executed some time over a range of years between 1227 and 1250. Much helpful information in this direction has been obtained from the publications Scottise oth f h History Society, particularly those editer EassonD y db . What is most probably the first of the four shows that the Cistercian monks of Balmerino received from one Hugo of Nydie (a piece of land near Strathkinness, Fife s "wholgrana )hi f o t e quarr f Nydie.yo monke Th " s were entitle "breao dt carrd kan y away stones t frotheia t mi r pleasure." Nor was this all: they had the free use of a road through Hugo's land leading to a ford across the River -Eden at Bruckly, "a toft in the town of Nydie " 3 and pasture rights for 24 oxen. There was also an auxiliary grant of pasture rights, fro mneighbourina gnorte lairdth n hEdene o , sidth f ecaso n a ,i f eo delay at the ford at Bruckly. The Eden is, at this point, tidal, so that delays coul e frequentb d lateA . r lair f Nydio d e granted further land and also "grass for two cows, one horse and sixty sheep on the common pasture of Nydie." It is interesting to note that this particular charter was witnessed by, inter alias, a neighbour of the monks, John de Haya, the laird of Naughton, in Balmerino parish. A geological examination of some of the stones in the Abbey ruins shows calciferoue theb mo t s sandston identicaf eo l structure wit calciferoue hth s sandstone found in'Nydie quarr severad yan l other near-by quarriess i t I . interesting to note that; no examples of this type of stone are known to be found anywhere within twelve e Abbeymileth f o s , except e soutth f o h 1 Balmerino Abbey,s it d Jamey b an s Campbell; Pre-Reformation Churches Fifeshire,n i . BJ .y b Hackle. 2 The Chartulary of the Abbeys of Balmerino and Lindores, Abbotsford Club, 1841. 3 A "toft" is a messuage, otherwise a dwelling and offices, together with the adjoining lands appro- priate to the household, with a right to common pasture in some cases. QUARR ABBEYO YT ANCIENN A : T FIFE ROUTE. 163 Rive othee r th Eden n r O han. d ther thought lease othea o ear e tw tb ro t types of stone represented in the ruined Abbey, one of which is of an Old Red Sandstone type. This rather suggests that there migh scope b tr efo some interesting research into the type and source of the various building stone svarioue useth t da s period constructionf so . Starting from the facts mentioned above, and considering also various other fragments of evidence, both visual and written, and taking topo- SE.A LEVEL _......._....._._..__..._.._...._. ..JT--_~~**^*~_.--_-O 5MILES Fig. 1. Line of old road from Quarry to BaJmerino Abbey. [Errata: in Section, line should rise at Ardlogie to 406'; in Plan, Ardlogie House should be above the line.] graphical details into account, it has been found possible to trace out the major part of this very early route, which undoubtedly would be used not onlquarra s ya y highwaroade t alsth s bu ,oa y betwee e Abbee th n th d yan cathedral town of St Andrews, until such time as the bridges over the Eden were built—that at Guardbridge in 1419, and that at Dairsie some time between 1522 and 1539. It is just possible, however, that there may have bee r nea o Dairsie nfora t th ra d e Bridge sit ebuildine prioth e o th t r f go bridge. Even after the construction of these bridges the old road continued uselengths n parr i highwait e f fo ,th o t s a , y between Balmerin r Grauldroo y handsoute e Cupath south-wesd d on hd an an ,e o othere nan rth th n o ;t te o thui s nsomus facn swa i et i t extent unti beginnine lth nineteente th f go h century e road th paro f N ,o t. however , apparently achieve e honoudth r of being designated a turnpike road, and no doubt that is why so little of the route survives to-day as a road in current use for modern traffic. 164 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1948-49. The descriptio e routeth f no , which follows, e Balmerinstartth t a s o proceedsend dan , generally speaking south-easterla n i , y direction towards e Quarrth y (fig. 1). The exact point from which it left the Abbey precincts is not known for certain t wouli t bu d, most likely start nea Abbee th r y Bar r Granaryno , just Abbee nortth f ho y t wouli itself d milan d , ol crose l e ladth sth o et south of the Monk's Well (which still exists). The first point where we have positive identificatio whers ni t eenteri e rougsth h vegetatio e smalth f nlo wood (no t down)wcu , abou fee0 e 50 tAbbey—Nationat th eas f o t l Grid Reference 37/360247—from which point"it follow e smalth s l burn that flows from Bottomcraig, crossin Kirktogthe n Loa 363247nat , proceeding eastwards until it passes close by the cottage, once the Bottomcraig School, t roae 366247a th dt neaA . r thi sboundard poinol n a t y wal verf o l y large stones still exists, and out of this grows a fine old gean or wild cherry tree. Again to the east the road can be followed until it reaches 372246, a point just wes Naughtof o t n Home Farm. From her t swunei g throug Pare h th Naughton,f ko exace 1th t line being unknown, unti t reachei l presene dth t Wormit—Balmerino roa t approxida - mately 374245, leaving this line almost immediately to proceed roughly south, up the "Naughton Brae" (PL XXXII, 1) towards Gauldry, following 2 the present somewhat rough track which can still be used for cart traffic. The main road running east-west through Gauldry, and formerly known as "e Ferrygait,th reaches "i crossed dan nex e t 377238dth a tr furlonFo . e gth roahavy f severadma o e e followeon l alternativy an d r o e e routeson a vi , e "bacotheth f o rk roads nexvillagee e w th t d n definitel"p i pic u an , t ki y t 380237a , nea e paristh r h boundary. Adjacen thio t t s poin a hous s i t e once inn n t finusegrass-growa A bu s e. d a n straight stretcseew nno s hi to run south-east, on the west side of Dandie's Wood. Here the road is of very considerabl etreesd widthol d , mainlan , y beech eacn o , h side form fina e avenu halr efo milfa t leasea t (PI. XXXII, 2). Shortly afterwardst a , 387227, after emerging fro treee mth t passesi typicaa fooe f sth o t l small Fifeshire den, known as Gowl's Den. At this point the track, as it now becomes, turns south-wes Kilmanyo t t thimora s bu ,si e moder3 n partr ou ; road, now only a footpath, follows the Pitedie Burn to the St Fort—Kilmany road at 393223. From this point, having crosse highwaye dth routr ou , e forms para f o t road in current use, being the road climbing south-east towards Logie village, and known as the Brighouse Brae (it runs through the lands of the 1 Naughton—formerly Ardnechtan—the site of an old castle, meaning Nechtan's Height, possibly named after a Pictish king or chief. 2 Gauldry—formerly Gallery or Galluran—from Old Norse "galder"—a windy place. 3 Gowl's Den—"Gowl" is a word used to denote a small gash or ravine (cf. Windy Gowl in the Pentlands). QUARRY TO ABBEY: AN ANCIENT FIFE ROUTE. 165 small estate of Brighouse). As it crosses the Motray Water at 395220, an older and smaller bridge can be seen underneath the modern concrete almoss i bridge t i t t certaibu , n tha streae th toriginall s mwa y forde t thida s point. From here, at about 60 feet above sea-level at the Motray, the road rise somo t sfee 0 approximateln i te40 mile t 409210)yon e(a . Then, just beyond Ardlogie House, our route leaves the highway again, carrying almost straigh , whil on presente eth t highway swings west towards Logie village.1 From this point it degenerates into little more than a cart-track, heading roughly south-eas almosr fo t t hal milea f 412204o t , , wher eroaa sortf do s goe east-north-easf sof Cuplahillo t s Farmrouter Ou ., however, continues on the same line as before, but it shortly becomes almost impassable even foa pedestrianr , e profusowinth o t ge growt f vegetationo hd ol e Th .