Topographical, statistical, and historical gazetteer of Scotland > Volume 1

FIFESHIRE.
541
creasing — for the spinning of tow and flax into differ-
ent qualities of yarn. The cloths woven are of vari-
ous kinds : sail-cloth, bed-ticking, brown linen, dow-
las, duck, checks, shirting, and table-linen. The da-
mask manufacture of Dunfermline is probably unequal-
led in the world, for the beauty of its design, and the
skill with which it is executed. The cotton-manu-
facture has never been an object of the expenditure
of capital in this county ; but many workmen are em-
ployed in this manufacture for Glasgow houses. Iron-
founding and the making of machinery is carried on
in different places. Salt is still manufactured in the
county, though not to the extent it formerly was.
The tanning of leather is also carried on in two or
three localities. Bricks and tiles are made for local
use; and earthenware and china manufactured to
some extent. Coach-building is likewise carried on.
There are breweries in almost every village for the
manufacture of beer, and at some of these strong ale
of good quality is made. There are three pretty ex-
tensive distilleries, which afford the farmer a ready
market for his barley. Ship-building also forms a
part of the trade of the county.
The weights and measures of this county, before
the act for the equalization of these, were Tron,
reckoning 16 Scots Troy lbs. to the stone, and 20
Troy ozs. to the lb., for wool, butter, cheese, hides,
and other home-productions. Dutch for butcher-
meat — except in Kirkcaldy presbytery, where Tron
was used — meal, foreign flax, and hemp, iron and
Dutch goods. Avoirdupois for groceries. The stone
of flax was 22 lbs. avoirdupois. The measure for
wheat, pease, and beans, was a tirlot, containing
2274.888 cubic inches; or 1 fir. 3 mutchkins standard-
measure, being 35.29 per cent, better. For oats,
barley, and malt, the rirlot containing 3308.928 cubic
inches; and was 1 firlot 1 pint, or 3.225 percent,
better than the standard. Home-made woollen cloth
sold by the ell of 37A inches.
In concluding this general summary of the county
of Fife, we shall lay before our readers the opinion
of Mr. Hill, the commissioner for inspecting prisons in
Scotland, on the state of crime in this shire. " There
is," he says, " but little crime at present in Fifeshire,
and much less than formerly. The most common
offences at this time are assaults, ami other disturban-
ces of the peace, and petty thefts. These offences are
committed chiefly by young persons between the age
of 12 and 30, most of whom are inhabitants of the
county. It is observed, that there are but few regular
farm-servants among the offenders. The most seri
ous offences are committed by vagrants and other
strangers. Almost all the assaults arise trom drunken-
ness; and this, including the desire to obtain the means
of indulgence in drunkenness, is the cause of many of
the thefts. Such of the parents of the criminals as are
known are most of them of bad character, or are at least
neglectful of their children. In the western district
it was stated, that many of the young thieves are or-
phans, and that, as a class, the criminals there are in-
ferior to others in education and intelligence. Among
the offences that have become less common than for-
merly, are housebreaking, forgery, and child-murder.
On the other hand, there have been some violent dis-
turbances at the elections lately, which did not
occur formerly." The law-commissioners were so
much struck with the paucity of crime in Fifeshire,
that they applied to the sheriff for information on
the subject, and this led to an application to the
sheriff-substitute of the eastern division, for an ac-
count of the preventive police, which had been or-
ganized under his direction. This police was estab-
lished at the time of the cholera ; and, in the first
instance, extended to the Cupar district only. Its
object was to rid the place of vagrants, in order to
prevent the introduction of the cholera ; and it work-
ed so efficiently, that between 300 and 400 vagrants
were either removed or prevented from entering in
the course of one month. The inhabitants of the
other parts of the county, desirous of partaking in
the advantages of these arrangements, applied to Mr.
Jamieson for his assistance, and, at their request, he
organized a preventive pobce for the whole county,
and this has continued in operation ever since. There
are in ail-about 20 men, including the superintendent,
and the total cost is rather more than £600 sterling
a-year, which sum is paid from the county-rates.
Mr. Jamieson considers the present force insufficient
for the full development of the plan, but it has been
calculated that even on its present footing, the police
effects a saving to the county of £10,000 sterling a-
year: estimating the cost of each vagrant, in his al-
ternate character of a beggar and a thief, at one shil-
ling a-day only. In confirmation of the general belief
that much of the crime is committed by vagrants, it
may be stated that, with every diminution of the
number of vagrants in Fifeshire, there has been a re-
duction in the amount of crime.
The aboriginal inhabitants of Fife were Celts ; and
here, as in other parts of Europe, the names of the
more remarkable natural features of the country, as
well as of most of the towns, demonstrate the fact.
At the period of the Roman invasion, the peninsula
between the Forth and the Tay was inhabited by
the Horestii, one of those tribes who peopled ancient
Caledonia. The district inhabited by this tribe in-
cluded the modern shires of Fife, Clackmannan, and
Kinross, the eastern part of Strathearn, and the
country lying westward of the Tay as far as the river
Brand." It does not appear that the Horestii had
any towns within the bounds of what now consti-
tutes Fife. Their chief towns were Alauna, Lindum
on the river Allan, and Victoria on the river Earn;
and here the Romans afterwards had stations on the
great military way which led north-east towards
Ptoroton or Burghhead, on the Murray frith. Hill
forts, however, were numerous, all over the county,
and the remains of several of these are still to be
traced. On Dunearn hill there was a British fort of
great strength, which soon yielded to the art of the
Romans. Upon Carneil hill, near Carnock, the
Horestii had another fort, wheh had in all probabili-
ty been in possession of the Romans, as in 17 74,
upon opening some tumuli on the hill, several urns
were found containing Roman coins. About 1J mile
north from Carnock there was a fort on a hill called
Craigluscar; and 3 miles north-north-west there was
one on Saline hill, and another at no great distance
below. The situation of several others can also still
be traced on the heights in the northern part of the
parish of Strathmiglo, as well as on the hills near
Newburgh.
In the year 78 of the Christian era, Agricola took
the command of the Roman provinces in Britain.
The year 79 he appears chiefly to have spent in sub-
duing and endeavouring to civilize portions ol the
south. In the year 80, he left Mancunium — the Man-
chester of the present time — with the intention of
penetrating into the north by the western coast.
Having overrun the whole of this country between
the Solway and the friths of Clyde and Forth, he
began to turn his attention to the countries lying to
the north of the Forth. He ordered his fleet to sur-
vey the northern shores of the Forth, and to sound
the harbours ; and setting out with his army, crossed
the frith at its most contracted part now known as
Queensferry. He thus in the year 83 entered the
country of the Horestii. The Caledonian Britons
from the higher regions, aware of the object of the
Roman general, began offensive operations by attack-