FRINGE OF GOLD The Fife Anthology Edited by Duncan Glen & Tom Hubbard BIRLINN Contents Introduction xin Bridges, Ferries, Coaches, and the Railway Sheila Mackay: Bridging the Forth Estuary 1 T. S. Law: The Forth Brig 2 Peter and Carol Dean: Hey-Days of Stage Coaching 3 Kilrounie [John R. Russell]: From a Railway Carriage Window. From Bumtisland to the Tay in the 1890s 3 John Geddie: The Kingdom of Fife as seen in 1923 4 Duncan Glen: Specifics 7 George Outram: The Annuity 8 Kincardine to Culross and to Rosyth John Geddie: Kincardine 12 Anonymous: The Hammermen of Culross 12 Inscription on a Headstone in Culross 13 Peter Davidson: The Palace Lying in the Sandhaven of Culross 13 Robin Smith: Fife's Bridges Westwards from Dunfermline 14 William Hershaw: High Valleyfield 15 A. M. Forster: Limekilns: Sunday May 9th, 1999 16 Charles Beatty: Admiral Beatty at Rosyth and Aberdour, 1914-18 16 Charles Beatty: The Surrendered German Fleet in the Firth of Forth 1918 17 Dunfermline Stewart M. MacPherson: Saint Margaret, Queen of Scots 19 Anonymous: Abbot House 21 Inscription on lintel at the entrance to Abbot House 21 V. Gordon Childe and W. Douglas Simpson: Dunfermline Abbey 21 Robert Henryson: From The Testament of Cresseid 22 Tom Hubbard: The Retour o Troilus 23 T. S' Law: The Bink 25 George Bruce: Odd Goings-on in Dunfermline Toun 25 Sally Evans: Begging Peacock, Dunfermline 26 Fringe of Cold Herman Melville: From Moby Dick: or The Whale 26 Patrick Geddes: City Development: Dunfermline as Town and City, 1904 27 Andrew Carnegie: Dunfermline in my boyhood 28 Ian Jack: The Auld Grey Toun: A Story of Urban Decline 29 Inverkeithing to Kinghorn Lesley Scott-Moncrieff: Inverkeithing, 1963 32 Eric Simpson: The Bonny Earl of Moray 32 Anonymous ballad: The Bonny Earl of Moray 35 Anonymous: Fordell, July 1856 36 Eric Simpson: St Bridget's Seventeenth-Century Kirk 36 Anonymous ballad: Sir Patrick Spens 38 Charles Henry Ross: A Cat in Aberdour 39 Glen L. Pride: St Fillan's Kirk, Aberdour 40 V. Gordon Childe and W. Douglas Simpson: Inchcolm Abbey 40 Alexander Hutchison: Inchcolm 41 James Boswell: Boswell and Dr. Johnson on Inchkeith 44 Hamish Brown: Inchkeith: An Island of Dereliction, 1984 44 Duncan Glen: Pierre de Chastelard and Mary, Queen of Scots 46 Oliver Cromwell: From A Letter to the Speaker of the House of Commons 47 Andrew McNeil: Mary fae Burntisland 47 Anonymous: Quhen Alexander our kynge was dede 48 Theo Lang: Kinghorn: Death of a King 48 Allan Ramsay: From An Elegy on Patie Birnie 49 West Fife's Towns and Proudest Industry T. S. Law: From Licht Attoore the Face 50 Dan Imrie: The Culture of Fife Miners 51 William Hershaw: A Lakota Sioux in Cowdenbeath High Street, 23rd August 1904 52 Ian W. King: 6 Cowdenbeath Koipu 53 Jennie Lee: The Old Arcade 54 John Watt: The Kelty Clippie 55 John Simpkins: A Piper of Lochgelly, 1812 56 Anonymous: Hill of Benarty 56 Gregory Burke: From Gagarin Way 57 Joe Corrie: The Image o' God 58 Joe Corrie: Scottish Pride 59 VI Contents William Hershaw: For Joe Corrie 60 Ian Rankin: From Rebus's Scotland: Court and Spark 60 Auchtertool to Kirkcaldy, Dysart, Wemyss, Methil, Buckhaven and Leven Andy Shanks and Jim Russell: St. Andrew in the Window 62 Jane Welsh Carlyle: Letters from Auchtertool and Edinburgh 63 Anonymous: School in Linktown, Kirkcaldy 64 Herman Melville: From Israel Potter: His Fifty Years of Exile 65 Robert Lyndsay of Pitscottie: Kirkcaldy of Grange 66 Tom Hubbard: At Seafield, Fife (1984) 66 Maureen Sangster: Kirkcaldy Vennel 68 Ronnie Wood: Michael Scot (or Scott) 69 Tom Hubbard: Mephistophelean Ballant-Scherzo on Ane Fife Legend 71 Anonymous: Some says the Deil's daid 72 Thomas Carlyle: From Reminiscences 73 Mark Twain: Marjorie Fleming: The Wonder Child 74 Marjory Fleming: From Marjory's Book 75 Tom Hubbard: Invitation to the Voyage: Fife Child in the Fifties 76 Duncan Glen: By the Sea 77 Richard Demarco: Kunst = Kapital, Art = Wealth 78 Adam Smith: From The Wealth of Nations 79 Anonymous: Whaling: The Maritime History of Kirkcaldy District 80 Mrs M. C. Smith: The Boy in the Train 82 D. P. Thomson: Melvilles of Kirkcaldy and Raith 83 A. H. Millar: The St Clairs of Ravenscraig Castle and Roslin Chapel 84 Hans Christian Andersen: At Ravenscraig Castle 86 Sir Walter Scott: Rosabelle/rom The Lay of the Last Minstrel 87 Lillian King: Val McDermid 88 Anonymous: Dysart for coal and saut 89 John Buchan: Dysart. From A Lost Lady of Old Years 89 George Buchanan, transcreated by Tom Hubbard: Deserta 89 Elise McKay: The Man in the Rock 90 Robert Burns: Hey Ca' Thro' 91 General Alex Campbell: Letter to General Wemyss 91 James Robertson: From Joseph Knight 92 John Simpson: Origin of Wemyss Caves 93 David, Second Earl of Wemyss: Methil Herbure, 1664; and Invasion, 1667, at Burntisland and Buckhaven 93 vu Fringe of Cold John Brewster: The Barbar o Methil 94 Robert Louis Stevenson: Letter to Mrs Sitwell 96 Elizabeth Kendzia: Ambulance Driver with the Fife Voluntary Aid Detachment of the Red Cross 97 Eleanor Livingstone: Last Chance 98 By the Rivers Leven, Ore and Eden Glen L. Pride: Leven and Ore Valleys 99 G. P. Bennett: The Cut on the River Leven 99 Anonymous: From At Chrystis Kirk on the Grene 100 Anonymous: Leslie 101 Theo Lang: Markinch 101 Duncan Glen: From Walkin in Fife 103 Anonymous: Lairds in the Markinch District of Fife 106 Ian Nimmo White: Kirkforthar 106 Alan Bold: The Maidenbore Rock 107 James Laver: The Haig Distilleries 108 A. M. Findlay: By Balgriebank and Bighty, above Baintown 110 Duncan Glen: Archbishop Sharp's Journey from Kennoway to Magus Muir 111 James Russell: An Account of the Murder of Archbishop Sharp 112 Robert Louis Stevenson: The Murderers at Magus Muir 114 Sir Walter Scott: The Murder of David, Duke of Rothesay 115 Lillias Scott Forbes: Nae Bield in Falkland 116 Sir David Lyndsay of the Mount: From The Dreme: To King James V 117 Robert Lyndsay of Pitscottie: The Last Days of King James V 118 Anonymous: Och, awa to Freuchie and fry mice 118 Theo Lang: Lomond Hills 119 Anonymous: Jenny Nettles 119 Hugh MacDiarmid: From A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle 120 James Hogg: From Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner 120 Anonymous: The Wee Cooper of Fife 123 Kenneth Roy: Jimmy [Shand] in a Nutshell 125 Sir Walter Scott: MacDufFs Cross 126 Anonymous: Lindores Loch 127 Duncan Glen: Two Rural Ruined Churches: St Magridin's (Old Parish) Church, Abdie, and Monimail Old Parish Church 127 Inscription: Ye loadin pilgrims... 130 vni Contents Elizabeth Melville, Lady Culross: My dear Brother, with courage beare the crosse 131 T. G. Snoddy: Collessie and Monimail to Cupar 131 Sir David Lyndsay of the Mount: "Proclamatioun" on Casde Hill, Cupar 136 Sir Walter Scott: From Marmion 136 Sarah Tytler (Henrietta Keddie): Cupar. From Logie Town 137 Duncan Glen: Encounter 139 Karen Garland: Cults Kirk, near Pitlessie, and Sir David Wilkie 139 John Deacon: Scotstarvit Tower 142 Duncan Glen: Truly Ceres 143 T. S. Law: Ceres, Scodand 144 Sir David Lyndsay of the Mount: From The Historie of Ane Nobil and Vailyeand Squyer William Meldrum 144 Kathleen Sayer: The Walled Garden of KeUie Castle 145 Lady Anne Lindsay Barnard: From A Letter to Sir Walter Scott 147 Lady Anne Lindsay Barnard: Auld Robin Gray 147 Duncan Glen: Newburn Old Parish Church 149 The East Neuk Robert Louis Stevenson: Litde Towns of the East Neuk 151 Gordon Meade: The Beachcomber 151 Tom Watson: East Neuk 152 Sydney Goodsir Smith: The Staunan Stanes 153 Robert Louis Stevenson: The Coast of Fife 153 Rev. Spence Oliphant: Alexander Selkirk, of Lower Largo 154 Sydney Goodsir Smith: Largo 155 Anonymous: The Boatie Row 156 Tom Watson: The Messenger an' Me 156 Tom Watson: Ruminant 156 Rev. James Melville: A Ferry Crossing from North Berwick toElie, 1586 157 Duncan Glen: St Monans and Swine 158 John Brewster: St Monans 158 Duncan Glen: Homer Country 159 Anonymous: A Witch of Pittenweem 160 Anna Crowe: Pittenweem Beach 160 Duncan Glen: The Porteous Riots 160 Rev. James Melville: The Spaniards of the Armada at Anstruther, 1588 161 IX Fringe of Gold Forbes MacGregor: High Jinks in Anstruther 162 Francis Sempill: Maggie Lauder 164 William Tennant: From Anster Fair 165 Robert Louis Stevenson: Anstruther: Mr. Thomson, the 'curat' 166 Alastair Mackie: From Back-Green Odyssey 167 Forbes MacGregor: On Cementing Level the Stable Floor at the Old Manse, Wester Anstruther, St Swithin's Day, 1963 168 Harry D. Watson: From Dark-Age East Fife to Mediaeval Kilrenny 169 Christopher Rush: Shipwright's Spehl 171 Margaret Gillies Brown: Reflections in Crail 172 William Sharp: The Coves of Crail 173 Mikhail Lermontov, transcreated by Tom Hubbard: A Wish 174 Gordon Jarvie: Fulmars at Crail 174 Robert Lyndsay of Pitscottie: The Arrival of Mary of Guise-Lorraine, Second Wife of King James V, at Fifeness, in June 1538 175 Across Country to Leuchars and the Tay D. and L. McGilp: Dunino: The Den, Pagan and Early Christian Worship 177 Stephen Scobie: From Dunino 179 David Grant: God's Own Scholar 180 Harvey Holton: Thinkin and Daein 183 Inscription from the painted ceiling of the long gallery of Earlshall, near Leuchars 184 Sir Robert Lorimer: Earlshall Garden 185 John Geddie: Northwards from St Andrews 185 St Andrews Lajos Aprily, transcreated by Tom Hubbard with Attila Dosa: Northern Roses 188 Lajos Aprily, transcreated by Tom Hubbard with Attila Dosa: Scottish Muid 188 Carolina Oliphant, Lady Nairne: The Fife Laird 189 Anonymous: The Inheritance of the Fife Laird 190 Dr Samuel Johnson: In St Andrews 190 Andrew Lang: From A Monk of Fife 192 Margaret Oliphant: From The Library Window 193 Tom Scott: Brand the Builder 194 Lord Cockburn: Golfing at St Andrews 196 'Jonathan Oldbuck': Among the St Andrews Golfers in 1874 197 Contents Jo Grimond: Jo Grimond's St Andrews 199 Willa Muir: Willa and Edwin Muir in St Andrews in the 1930s 201 George Bruce: St Andrews, June 1946 203 Tessa Ransford: At School 204 Shirley McKay: Bob Dylan's Honorary Doctorate 205 Robert Fergusson: Elegy, On the Death of Mr.