Scotland > 1882-1915 - Slater's Royal National Commercial Directory of Scotland > 1903, Part 1 - Slater's Royal National Commercial Directory of Scotland ... (Royal National Directory of Scotland.) With ... map, etc

616 DUXFERMUXE.
prosperity of Dunfermline may be entirely
ascribed to its manufacture of table linens
and damask goods. This branch of in-
dustry was started about the commence-
ment of last century, and is carried on here
to a greater extent than in any other town
in Great Britain, many firms being engaged
in this business. There are several large
factories where power-loom weaving is
carried on. It is said that the chest of
the Incorporation of Weavers contains two
curious specimens of their art — a man's
Bhirt wrought in the loom by a weaver of
the name of Inglis, and a woman's shift by
another named Meldrum, both of which
are without seam, and effected without the
assistance of the needle ; the only part
which Inglis could not accomplish was a
button for the neck. Exclusive of the linen
trade, there are other branches of magni-
tude and importance, among which may be
mentioned the large fire-clay works of
Messrs J. & M. Craig Limited, at Lillie-
hill ; Messrs. Street Brothers Limited, at
Townhill ; Loch-Head Fire Clay Co. Loch-
Head and the Fife Coal Co. Limited, at
Crossgates. There are also iron and brass
foundries and engineering works. The
coal trade in the neighbourhood is also very
extensive, and large quantities of this
article are annually exported. About 4,000
men are employed in connection with the
collieries. Six branch banks are established
here, in addition to a Savings Bank, for
which a fine building has been erected in
East Port street, at a cost of £3,000. The
board of directors includes the provost,
bailies and clergymen of the town. There
are four newspapers, namely, the "-Dun-
fermline Press," the Dunfermline Jour-
nal" (published on Saturday), the "Dun
fermline Citizen " (on Wednesday) and the
*' Dunfermline Express '' (on Tuesday).
The public park, at the east end of the
town, extends over between 30 and 40
acres, is finely laid out and planted -with
trees, and has a polished granite fountain,
given by the late Provost Donald, and a
band-stand with a gilt dome, the gift of
Mrs. Carnegie. The park, on a clear day,
commands a fine view of Edinburgh and
the Firth of Forth.
The Town House, in Kirkgate, on the
site of the Old Town House, was begun in
1875 and finished in 1879, at a coat of
about £20,000. The building, which pre-
sents a combination of the French and
Scotch Gothic styles, is from a design by
Mr. J. C. Walker, Edinburgh, and has two
frontages, and at the north-east angle is a
tower, 150 feet, containing a clock with
four illuminated dials, and striking the
hours on a bell, weighing 33 cwt. The ex-
terior is adorned with carvings of the
royal Scottish and burgh arms, and has
also canopied niches with busts represent-
ing Malcolm Canmore and Queen Margaret
and King Robert the Bruce and Elizabeth,
his second queen, all of whom are buried
in the abbey. On the Kirkgate front are
eight carved stone panels from the old
Town House, some of which are said to
have originally belonged to the old market
cross of 1620. The interior of the building
includes a burgh court room and a council
chamber, and offices for the town clerk
and other officials of the burgh. The
County buildings, on the south side of the
High street, are in the Classic style,
and include a tower with spire 132 feet;
they contain a sheriff court room, justice of
peace court room, and a suite of rooms for
the sheriff, sheriff clerk, procurator fiscal
and other county officials. The Post Office,
a building in Queen Anne street, stands on
the site of the old High school. The
Carnegie Public Baths, in Bath street, were
erected in 1875 by a gift of £5,000 from
Andrew Carnegie esq. LL.D. of Skibo
Castle and a native of Dunfermline, from
designs prepared by Mr. Andrew Scobie,
architect, of Dunfermline. New baths
and a gymnasium are now (1903)
being erected in Pilmuir street, at a cost
of about £35,000, given by Mr. Andrew Car-
negie, from designs by Mr. Hippolyte J.
Blanc, architect, of Edinburgh. The me-
morial stone was laid by Mrs. Carnegie, on
the 16th July, 1902. The Carnegie Free
Library, in St. Margaret and Abbot streets,
was erected in 1881-3, at a cost of £8,000,
also given by Mr. A. Carnegie, and is a
building in the domestic Turlor style, from
plans prepared by Mr. J. C. Walker, archi-
tect, of Edinburgh. The library comprises
15,760 volumes, and there are reading rooms
for ladies and gentlemen, recreation and
smoke rooms, lavatories, and a dwelling-
house for the librarian. The memorial stone
•was laid July 27th, 1881, and the building
FIFESHIRE.
was opened by the Earl of Rosebery,
August 29th, 1883. Mr. Carnegie has since
given further donations to the amount of
£800 towards the maintenance and manage-
ment of the library. St. Margaret's Hall,
in St. Margaret street, was begun in 1876,
and completed in 1878, at a cost of about
£12,000, from plans prepared by Mr. Star-
forth, Edinburgh; the style is an adapta-
tion of Early English, and the building
contains a large hall, seating 1,500 persons,
another seating 350, billiard rooms, a read-
ing room, and several committee and board
rooms. In the large hall is a splendid
organ, purchased and presented by the
ladies of the town and district at a cost
of over £1,300. The building belongs to
the St. Margaret's Hall Company Limited.
The principal hotels are the City Arms, in
Bridge street and the Royal, in High
street. The Cottage Hospital, in Nether-
town Broad street, containing 20 beds, was
erected at a cost of about £4,500, and
opened on September 1st, 1894; it is sup-
ported by voluntary subscriptions ; the
hospital is now (1903) being enlarged, and
will eventually have about 45 beds. The
West Fife Joint Hospital for Infectious
Diseases, situated at the west end of the
town, was opened on November 1st, 1894,
and is maintained by the Dunfermline com-
mittee of the West of Fife County Council,
and local authorities of the burghs of Dun-
fermline, Inverkeithing, Culross and Cow-
denbeath, and contains 55 beds.
The Abbey, the church of which is now
the High Kirk of the burgh, was founded
as a Priory of Benedictines on the site of a
Culdee cell in 1080 by Malcolm Canmore,
who was buried in the church in 1093 ;
there must have been a church here pre-
vious to 1080, as King Malcolm is said to
have been married at Dunfermline in 1070
to Margaret, sister of Edgar Atheling : in
1124 it was created an abbey, and in 1224
the abbot received the mitre, but in 1304
most of the abbey buildings were burnt by
order of King Edward I. At the Refor-
mation in 1560, the remaining buildings
and church, except the nave, which the
"New Religion'' reserved for their own
parish kirk, were destroyed, and only this
nave remained until 1821, when a new
parish kirk, consisting of chancel, transept
and a central tower, 100 feet in height,
was added to the east of the nave : the
west doorway of the old church, between
the two western towers, is Norman, and
above it is a fine Decorated window; the
Norman nave is of eight bays, with a north
porch containing a rich Norman doorway;
the transept, central tower and choir com-
posing the present church, are in a modern
Gothic style, and beneath the tower the
remains of King Robert Bruce have been
re-interred ; the nave contains 17 other
royal tombs, besides those of the Regents,
Thomas, Earl of Moray, and Robert, Duke
of Albany : on the south side of the
church are some remains of the refectory
and cells. The tower has the words " King
Robert the Bruce " in massive stone letters,
four feet high, round the four sides at the
summit. The parish church has been col-
legiate and under the care of two ministers
since 1645.
The Grammar School, instituted towards
the end of the 15th century, was, in 1873,
by the operation of " The Education
(Scotland) Act, 1872," transferred to the
burgh School Board, the interest of the
original sum of £2,000, which belonged to
the school, being made over annually to that
body. In 1877 the board, wlith the approval
of the Board of Education, converted the
school into one for the imparting of higher
or secondary education. The present build-
ing was erected in Buchanan street at a
cost of £7,500, and the school transferred
to it in January, 1886. Adjoining is an
annexe for Technical Instruction, erected
In 1899 by the munificence of Mr. Carnegie,
at a cost of £10,000. The board have also
erected a school in the west end of the town
at a cost of £4,136, and a central school
has been substituted for the Rolland and
Commercial schools, a*t a cost of £5,143. A
new infants' department was built in 1895
at an estimated cost of £2,800. There is
also a school originally erected in connection
with St. Leonard's steam power weaving
factory, but which the board purchased at
a cost of £1,200. Altogether there are
seven schools under the control of the
board, while a supervision is exercised over
three other educational institutions. Broom-
hall, the seat of the Earl nf Elgin and
Kincardine K.G., G.C.S.I., G.C.I.E., P.C.
and Pitfirrane House, the seat of Sir Peter
[slater's
A. Halketfc bart. D.L., J.P. are in this
parish. The market is held on Tuesday for
grain, which is disposed of by stock and
sample. The entire parish of Dunfermline
comprises 21.042 statute acres; rental value
of burgh, £101,400; rateable value of
burgh, £87,890; landward, £47,288; the
population in 1891 was 28,948 in the parish,
and in 1901 was 31,697, including 25,250
in the royal burgh, or 22,039 in the parlia-
mentary burgh. Included in the total
population was 3 officials and 102 inmates
in the combination poorhouse.
The number of electors on the parlia-
mentary register in 1903 was 3,464.
("Yossford, Halbeath, Townhill, Wellwood,
Kingseat and Miles Mark are small villages
and hamlets fin this parish, and in the
parliamentary division of West Fife, from
one to three miles distant from Dunferm-
line. At Halbeath is a board school. At
Townhill are collieries, fire-clay works,
and a board school. At Wellwood are the
collieries of Messrs. Thomas Spowart and
Co. Limited, and a school. At Miles Mark
a school has been built by the joint aid of
the parish and burgh School Boards, at a
cost of £3,000, for 400 children. Popula-
tion in 1901: Crossford, 540; Halbeath,
1,002; Townhill, 2,274; Wellwood, 730;
Kingseat, 738 ; and Miles Mark and Park
Nook, 450.
Crossgates is a village partly in the parish
of Dalgetty and partly in this parish, 4
miles' east-north-east from Dunfermline and
4 north from Inverkeithing, with a station
on the North British railway. The inhabi-
tants are principally employed in the col-
lieries surrounding the viillage. There are
Established and United Presbyterian
churches and a Board school. Population
in 1891, 1,165, and in 1901, 1,771, of which
443 are in Dalgetty parish.
Post, M. O., T., T. M. O., E. D. & P. P.
O., S. B. & A. & I. O. Queen Anne
street; William Richardson, postmaster.
Box closes for town delivery at 6.45 &
9.30 a.m. & 4 (not on Saturdays) & 7
p.m
Sundav, letters can be called for 9.30 till
10.30 a.m
Post Office, Crossford; Miss Alison Brown,
postmistress. Deliveries, 8.30 a.m. &
6.30. p.m. ; dispatches, 8 a.m. & 5.20 p.m.
Postal Orders are issued & paid here.
The nearest money order & telegraph
office is at Dunfermline, a mile and a
half distant
Post, T. & M. O. O. & S. B. Crossgates;
Charles Walls, postmaster. (Railway
Sub-Office. Letters should have R.S.O.
Fifeshire added.) Deliveries, 8 a.m. &
6.40 p.m.; dispatches, 6.30 & 8.10 a.m.
& 3.30 & 5.50 p.m. ; Sunday, 8.40 a.m
Post Office, Kingseat; Robert Livingston,
postmaster. Letters arrive through Dun-
fermline. Delivery, 12 noon; dispatch,
1.45 p.m. Postal Orders are issued &
paid here. The nearest money order
office is at Townhill & telegraph office at
Halbeath, 2 miles distant
Post & T. O. Halbeath ; Mrs. Mary Ander-
son, postmistress. Letters arrive through
Dunfermline. Delivery, 10.45 a.m.; dis-
patch, 2.25 p.m. Postal Orders are issued
6 paid here. The nearest money order
office is at Crossgates, a mile & a half
distant
Post & M. O. O. Hill of Beath; Alexander
Lamond, sub-postmaster. Letters arrive
through Crossgates B. S.O. Dispatched
at 3.15 p.m. Nearest telegraph office is
at Crossgates, one mile distant
Post, M. O. & T. O. & S. B. Townhill;
George M. Simpson, postmaster. Letters
arrive through Dunfermline. Deliveries,
7 & 10 a.m. & 5 p.m. ; dispatches at 7
a.m. & 2.30 & 5 p.m
Letters for Crossford, Halbeath, Wellwood
& Miles Mark should be addressed " near
Dunfermline "
MEMBER. OF PARLIAMENT for the
Stirling Burghs.
Right Hon. Sir Henrv Campbell-Bannerman
G.C.B., P.C, M.A", D.L., J.P. Belmont
castle, Meigle, Perthshire ; & 6 Grosvenor
place S W & Reform, Brooks's & Oxford
& Cambridge clubs SW, London
JUSTICES OF THE PEACE
Attending the Court house. County build-
ings, Dunferml ine.
The Earl of Elgin & Kincardine K.G.,
G.C.S.I., G.C.I.E., P.C. (Lord Lieut.),
Brocmhall
Lord Balfour of Burleigh, Kennet ho. Alloa