Ordnance gazetteer of Scotland

FIFE
and flax, are carried on at Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy,
Dysart, Leslie, Auchtermuehty, Kingskettle, Ladybank,
Strathmiglo, Falkland, Tayport, and other places.
Collieries and limestone quarries are numerous, some of
the former being very extensive, and employing a large
number of hands. Breweries are numerous, and there
are several pretty extensive distilleries. The manufac-
ture of floor-cloth (at Kirkcaldy), ironfonnding and the
making of machinery, the tanning of leather, the manu-
facture of earthenware and porcelain, paper, and fishing-
nets, coach-building, ship-building in iron and wood,
and the making of bricks and tiles, are also carried on.
The maritime traffic is not confined to any one or two
ports, but diffuses itself round nearly all the coast, at
the numerous towns and villages on the Tay, the German
Ocean, and the Forth, though chiefly on the latter. It
is of considerable aggregate extent, and has grown very
rapidly of recent years, according to the statistics of
the one headport, Kirkcaldy. Lastly, there are the
fisheries, for cod, ling, hake, etc., in the home waters,
and for herrings as far afield as Wick and Yarmouth.
Steam ferries are maintained between Newport and
Dundee, between Ferryport-on-Craig (Tayport) and
Broughty Ferry, between Burntisland and Granton, and
between North Queensferry and South Queensferry.
A main line of railway, connecting by the Forth Bridge
with Edinburgh, goes along the coast to Burntisland and
Dysart, strikes thence northward to Ladybank, and
forks there into two lines — the one going north-eastward,
and at Leuchars Junction turning again north-westward
to the shores of the Tay near Newport, where it crosses
the Tay Bridge to Dundee; the other goes north- west-
ward to Newburgh, and proceeds thence into Perthshire
towards Perth. One branch line leaves Leuchars Junc-
tion and goes NNE to Tayport, then turning west up
the firth joins the main line at the Tay Bridge; while
another branch goes south-eastward to St Andrews, and
meets there the East Fife railway. Another line,
coming eastward from Stirling, passes Alloa, Dunferm-
line, Crossgates, and Lochgelly, forming a junction with
the main line at Thornton. From the last-named station
a railway runs eastward along the coast to Leven, Largo,
Elie, Anstruther, Crail, and St Andrews. It has been
proposed to construct an East Fife Central railway from
Leven to Bonnyton, with a northern branch connecting
with the main line at Dairsie, and another branch going
direct east and connecting with the Anstruther and St
Andrews railway. From Alloa and Kinross a railway
enters the upper reach of Eden valley, passing to the
vicinity of Auchtermuehty, and thence SE to a junction
with the main line at Ladybank. A railway from Cow-
denbeath goes north-north-westward into Kinross-shire,
to join the Alloa and Ladybank line at Kinross. A
railway has been constructed by the owner of the pro-
perty, from Thornton to Wemyss, Buckhaven, and
Methyl. The Dunfermline, Kinross, and Glenfarg line
to Perth affords the most direct route to that city from
Edinburgh. Starting from Inverkeithing at the north
end of the Forth Bridge, it runs NW to Dunfermline,
then NE to near Cowdenbeath, where it turns again in
a north-westerly direction through Kinross-shire and
Glenfarg. The Cupar district contains 85 miles of turn-
pike roads and 126 miles of statute labour roads; the
Dunfermline district, 45J of turnpike roads and 49J of
statute labour roads; the St Andrews district, 135J of
turnpike roads and 73 J of statute labour roads; the
Kirkcaldy district, 77 of turnpike roads and 67J of
statute labour roads ; the Cupar and Kinross district,
22£ of roads; the Outh and Nivingston district, 27 J of
turnpike roads ; the Leven Bridge district, 7^ of roads.
The Fife boundaries, as affected by the adjoining
counties of Kinross and Perth, underwent considerable
readjustment by the Boundary Commissioners in 1891.
Of those parishes partly in Kinross-shire and partly in
Fife, the Ryelaw detached part of the parish of Port-
moak, and those portions of the same parish and of Bal-
lingry detached part which lay to the south of the new
channel (called The Cut) of the river Leven, have been
transferred to Fife (to the parish of Kinglassie), while
682
FIFE
the portions of Kinglassie and of Ballingry detached
part that lay north of The Cut, have been transferred to
Kinross-shire (to the parish of Portmoak). The More-
land portion of Dunfermline (in the extreme north of
the parish), which had been claimed and assessed by
Kinross-shire, was declared by the Commissioners to
form part of that county, and was transferred to the
parish of Cleish. As concerns the county of Perth, the
Perthshire detached parishes of Culross and Tulliallau
have been transferred wholly to Fife; while Abernethy,
which was partly in Perthshire and partly in Fife, has
been placed entirely in the former county— the Easter
Colzie portion of the parish, however, going to the Fife
parish of Newburgh, and the Noehnarrie and Pitlour
portions to that of Strathmiglo. The parish of Arngask,
which was situated partly in Fife, partly in the county
of Perth, and partly in that of Kinross, was also placed
wholly in Perthshire. Extensive alterations have like-
wise been made on the boundaries of the interior parishes
of Fife, for which, however, see the separate articles.
By the Redistribution of Seats Act of 1885 the county
was divided into two divisions, East and West, each of
which returns one member to Parliament. The con-
stituency in 1896 numbered, East, 9573; West, 11,130.
Royal burghs exercising the parliamentary franchise are
— Dunfermline and Inverkeithing, included in the Stir-
ling district of burghs; the Kirkcaldy district of burghs,
comprising Kirkcaldy, Burntisland, Dysart, and King-
horn, with a total constituency of 6234; and the St
Andrews district of burghs, comprising St Andrews,
Anstruther-Easter, Anstruther- Wester, Crail, Cupar,
Kilrenny, and Pittenween, with a total constituency of
3923. The royal burghs not now exercising thu parlia-
mentary franchise are Newburgh, Auchtermuehty, Falk-
land, and Earlsferry. Leslie, Leven, Linktown, West
Wemyss, and Elie are burghs of barony or of regality;
and Ladybank and Lochgelly are police burghs.
Mansions, all noticed elsewhere, are Balcaskie, Bal-
carres, Birkhill, Broomhall, Cambo, Charleton, Craw-
ford Priory, Donibristle, Dysart House, Elie House,
Falkland House, Fordel, Grangemuii', Inchdairnie, Inch-
rye Abbey, Kilconquhar, Largo House, Leslie House,
Naughton, Otterston, Pitcorthie, Raith, Wemyss Castle,
and many others.
The county is governed by a lord-lieutenant, a vice-
lieutenant, fortydeputy -lieutenants, a sheriff, two sheriffs-
substitute, and 374 commissioners of supply and justices
of peace. It is divided into an eastern and a western
district, each with a resident sheriff -substitute ; and
sheriff ordinary and debts recovery courts are held in
Cupar, Dunfermline, and Kirkcaldy. Sheriff small-debt
courts are also held at Cupar, Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy,
St Andrews, Anstruther, Auchtermuehty, Leven, and
Newburgh. There is a burgh police force in Dunferm-
line (17), and in Kirkcaldy (21); the remaining police
in the county comprise 90 men, under a chief constable,
whose yearly pay is £400.
For County Council representation Fife is divided into
four districts — namely, Cupar District, with 10 divisional
members and one representative each for the 4 burghs
of Auchtermuehty, Cupar, Falkland, and Newburgh; St
Andrews District, also with 10 divisional members and
8 representatives — two for St Andrews, and one each
for the burghs of Anstruther-Easter, Anstruther- Wester,
Crail, Kilrenny, Pittenweem, and Earlsferry; Kirkcaldy
District, with 14 divisional members and 3 burgh repre-
sentatives — one each for the burghs of Burntisland,
Dysart, and Kinghorn; and Dunfermline District, with
9 divisional members and 2 representatives — one each
for the burghs of Culross and Inverkeithing. The Council
is divided into the following committees: — The Con-
vener's Committee, Local Authority (composed also of
gentlemen who are not councillors), Standing Joint
Committee (composed also of Commissioners of Supply,
with the Sheriff of Fife ex officio), County Road Board,
Finance and Property Committee, Valuation Committee,
Fife and Kinross District Lunacy Board (including two
representatives from Kinross-shire), Weights and Mea-
sures Committee, Prison Visiting Committee, Tay Ferries