Gazetteer of Scotland > Volume 1

248
DUNFERMLINE.
teen persons. The last capital punishment
under these authorities, was in 1732. The
most odious instances of such a tyrannous and
barbarous judicature inflicting the punishment
of death, occurred in 1643, when six women
were burnt for witchcraft, in the vicinity of the
burgh. Other two unhappy females would have
shared the same fate had they not died in prison.
For nearly a hundred and fifty years before the
abolition of the heritable jurisdictions, the mu-
nicipal government of Dunfermline was some-
what anomalous. In 1588, the year after the
temporalities of the church were annexed to the
crown, James VI., then a young man of
twenty-two years of age, elevated the town to
the condition of a royal burgh. His grant
was a charter of confirmation of a variety of
privileges previously enjoyed under the ab-
bots, but it unfortunately did not include
any right to the lands, or temporalities, of
the church. Henceforth, till the abolition
of the heritable jurisdictions, there was, in
some respects, a conflict of civil powers.
In 1724, the set of the burgh was placed on
the footing it still maintains. The magis-
trates, consisting of a provost, two bailies, and
a dean of guild, a treasurer, a chamberlain, and
a town clerk, have their separate duties. The
council is composed of twenty-two members ;
twelve of whom are guildry or merchant coun-
cillors, and ten from the trades ; eight of these
being deacons of incorporations, which are
eight in number, wrights, smiths, weavers, tai-
lors, shoemakers, bakers, masons, and fleshers.
The town-council is annually elected through-
out all its members. The burgh joins with
Queensferry, Culross, Inverkeithing, and Stir-
ling, in sending a member to Parliament. The
armorial bearing of the burgh is significant of
the origin of the place. It consists of a tower
supported by two lions, inclosed in a double
circle. Round the exterior circle is, " Sigillum
civitatis Fermeloduni ■" and round the interior
is, " Esto rupes inaccessa ;" on the reverse is
a female figure, bearing a sceptre, and on each
side an inverted sword ; round it is, " Marga-
rita Regina Scotorum." The annual revenue
of the burgh is about L.1500, which arises
from the rents of landed property, from coal
rent, and from the petty customs. There
are about nine hundred acres of land belonging
to the burgal corporation, of which two hun-
dred are planted. The land is partitioned in-
to three farms. Though possessing such
sources of revenue, it is understood that the
affairs of the burgh are not in a flourishing
condition. A considerable part of the landed
property has been, or is in the course of being
disposed of, to pay off debt incurred by the
profuse expenditure of former magistrates,
or by outlays in attempting to discover coal.
The land-tax or cess, payable by the burgh to
government, amounts to about L.80, and an
additional levy of L.45 is made merely to
stand for the expense of collection. Such a
system of procedure need excite no surprise,
as a similar evil haunts almost every town
with burgal privileges in the kingdom, and
seems to be endured with an exceeding degree
of patience. The fraternity of guildry of Dun-
fermline is an important body. It possesses
considerable property in the neighbourhood of
the town, and at North Queensferry. Its
present revenue, including the money gather-
ed from the sale of licences to shops, is about
L.350. The dues of entry to neutral mem-
bers, are a little above L.30 ; but to sons or
sons-in-law, within burgh, they are only thirteen
shillings and fourpence. The constabulary
force of the burgh is of ancient standing.
There are twenty constables, annually chosen
by the council ; one of whom is elected by
themselves as chief, and is dignified with
the title of " My Lord " Their duty is to quell
riots in the street, or disturbances in public-
houses, and generally to preserve the peace of
the burgh. On Sunday forenoon, four of them
in rotation, with two officers, perambulate the
streets, and prevent any misdemeanour or in-
decorum during public worship.* At the be-
ginning of the present century, the police of
the town was found to have become inadequate
* In times of greater religious fervour, there existed in
most of the Scottish towns, and more particularly in
those of the western part of Fife and in Stirlingshire, a
class of functionaries called seizers. They were author-
ized to prowl about on the streets and in the vicinities of
towns, during the period of divine service on Sundays, in
order to seize and place in confinement all whom they
noticed out of the church. We are informed by tradition
that these duties were performed with unscrupulous
zeal. The above constables of Dunfermline, their suc-
cessors, exercise their functions with a moderation agree-
able to modern manners, and resemble in this respect
the church wardens of England in some of the large
towns. To show that seizing is not confined to this
country, but obtains even to as great rigour in some places
across the border, one of the writers of the present work
has frequently seen boys brought into the churches in an
English manufacturing town during the service, and
placed in a species of pillory before the rails of the com-
munion tahj£.