a little harbour. A little above to the north-east, is the village and parish church of Kilrinny or Kilninian, so named from St. Ninian one of St. Regulus's companions1. It belonged to the abbacy of Dryburgh: and here the laird of Balfour hath one of his seats, which is a fine new house2. In the same village is the seat of Lumisdean of Innergelly 3 a grand-child of Sir James Lumisdean (a cadet of Lumisdean of that Ilk in the Mers) major-general to Gustavus Adolphus king of Sweden, in whose wars he was famous for the taking of Frankfort on the Oder, and other actions of honour. Here is also the manor of Lumisden of RinnyHill.

A mile east from Kilrinny is Third-part, one of the seats of David Scot of Scotstarbet4. He is descended of the great family of Buccleugh, a grandson to Sir John Scot of Scotstarbet, director of the chancery, and a Lord of the Session, a very learned gentleman, and a patron of learning: he founded a regency for teaching of the Latin tongue in St. Leonard's College in St. Andrews; and gave a mortification to the Smiths of Glasgow, for which he has the presenting of prentices.

The next place we meet with eastward is Barns, the seat of an ancient family of the name of Cuningham. They have a charter from king Robert II. And to them doth the island of May now belong5.

A mile east from Barns, and two from Kilrinny, is the town of Crail, consisting of two streets from west to east,

and

I The church was dedicated to and named from St. Irenæus, bishop of Lyons, and is still generally called St. Irenie by seafaring men.

2 Kilrenny House is now destroyed. The site of it belongs to Andrew Johnston, Esq. of Rinnyhill or Irenichill, whose seat is built close by it. 3 The seat of James Lumisdaine, Esq.

4 Now the property of the Marquis of Titchfield, by his marriage with the eldest daughter of the late Major General John Scot of Balcomie, heiress of her father, and of his older brother David Scot, Esq. of Scotstarvet. 5 Barns and the Isle of May belong to the Marquis of Titchfield.

and there is to be seen the ruins of a strong castle, in which our kings sometimes resided: king David I. died. here. It is a burgh royal of an antient erection, before king William's time. Their privileges were from the water of Levin to Pitmilly-burn's mouth, called then the water of Putiken 3. Boethius says, it was a considerable town, anno 874. The harbour is at the west-end of the town, but cannot admit ships of burden. But there is a creek, east of the town called Roome, where there might be an harbour made for ships of any burden, and well fenced from all winds. The church is a good large building, consisting of church, vestery, and quire; and before the refor mation it was anno 1517, upon the induement, and petition of the priors of Hadington, and William Myretoun vicar of Lathrisk, erected into a collegiat church, consisting of a provost, a vicar pensioner, a sacrist, and nine other prebends. It was of old a place of good trade; and again within

The royal demesne of Crail, with its castle, was frequently part of the jointure lands of the Queens of Scotland. The castle is now entirely demolished. Upon the site of it, a gentleman has lately erected a neat summerhouse, which commands a fine prospect, and having a battery of small cannon mounted upon its top, it makes an excellent appearance from the sea.

2 A similarity of names has misled Sibbald in this case. David I. frequently resided at Crail, but he died at Carlisle, May 1153, where he had fixed his residence for some time before. Carlisle was part of his dominions as Earl of Cumberland. Hailes, Vol. I.

3 Accordingly the customs are regularly collected by the burgh between Crail and Pitmilly. Pittenweem and Anstruther Easter were burdened with an annual rent or reddendo, when they were erected into royal burghs. The other places between Crail and Leven do not appear ever to have been in use of making any such payment for their anchorage and customs; but the question has never yet been decided, whether the town of Crail has or has not lost these, with several other rights and privileges. Stat. Acc.

4 This is probably the place called the old harbour in some of the char ters belonging to the town.

5 It was in this church that the mob, inflamed by the preaching of the famous John Knox, began the work of abolishing the monuments of idola

Y y

try

within these twenty years they have been improving it by their fishing, beyond what was for some time before 1. They have now belonging to them six ships and barks, and about eighty fishing boats, which for the most part are employed in herring fishing, which come upon this coast yearly about Lambas, at which seasons there come from the coasts of Angus, Mearns, and Aberdeenshire about 200 boats more, whom the inhabitants of this town furnish with nets and other materials for the herring fishing: and for this herring trade they have provided themselves with cellars, salt-girnels, and other ware-houses proper.

About a mile from this is the eastmost point of Fife, upon which is a small fishing village, called Fife's-ness*, beside which is the house of Balcomie: from Malcolm IV. to James II. anno reg. 11. it belonged to the Hayes, and since, the Leslys have possessed it, afterward it came to the Learmonths and now it is the seat of Sir William Hope, uncle to the present Earl of Hopetoun 3.

SECT.

try in Fife, as their brethren had done at Perth a few days before. Haying finished their operations here, they followed their apostolical leader to St. Andrews, where they assisted in levelling its beautiful and superb cathedral to the ground. Stat. Acc. Vol. IX. No. 30.

1 As early as the 9th century, when Crail or Carrail is said to have been a place of considerable note, the inhabitants of the Netherlands resorted to the coasts of Scotland to purchase salted fish from the natives, of whom they learned the trade which the Dutch have since pursued with so much national advantage. Anderson's Hist, of Commerce.

2 The point of Fife-ness is laid down in north latitude 56° 17', and west longitude 2° 0'.—A ridge of rocks, called the Car, runs out from it a considerable way, and renders the doubling of the cape dangerous to seamen unacquainted with the coast. Ainslie's Map.

3 Balcomie, which is kept up chiefly as a land-mark for seamen, is the property of the Earl of Kellie. This was the landing-place of Mary of Guise, wife of James V. and mother of the ill-fated Mary. She was accompanied by the French Admiral D'Annabault, and was met by James at St. Andrews, where a marriage was celebrated, fruitful in so many evils to the unhappy kingdom of Scotland, and to the beautiful princess, who was its only offspring.

SECTION III.

The Coast, from Fife-ness to the Mouth of the River Eden.

Now we turn to the coast on the north of Fyfe, and go westward. The first place of remark is a cave hard by Fife-ness, where king Constantine II. was killed by the Danes, having taken him in battle near this, about anno 8741. Here is to be seen the marks of the Danish camp, viz. the ruins of a dry-stone dyke built from north to south, by which they inclosed themselves in the cast point of Fife, the other parts being encompassed by the sea. To the west of Balcomie and a little to the south of this coast, is Wolmerstoun, antiently the possession of gentlemen of the name of Spence who were of blood to the Macduffs Earls of Fife; now it belongs to Mr. John Lindesay commissary of St. Andrews, a cadet of the Earl of Craufurd's. Then we meet with Randerston the possession of Mr. James Balfour, second son to Sir David Balfour of Forret, a Lord of the Session3. Below this house is a fort, hard upon the shore, on a rock, called Randerston-Castle: where there is a ruinous old dry-stone wall, or heaps of stones all round the level ground above the rock.

To the west of this and two miles from the east point, is Cambo, a large fine house with gardens and inclosures and planting; the seat of Sir Alexander Areskin Lord Lyon, son to Sir Charles Lord Lyon, brother to the Earl of Kellie: of old it belonged to the Camboes of that Ilk, and then to Y y 2

1 See before, page 79. note 1.

2 The seat of Patrick Lindsay, Esq.

The property of David Balfour Hay, Esq. of Leys.

the

the Myrtons1. And on a rising ground be-south this, is Newhall, an house and estate belonging formerly to the Maemorans, now to the lairds of Cesnuck, by marriage of the heiress. Half a mile to the east of Cambo and near the coast is Kings-barns, a pleasant village, with a parish church lately erected, and several good houses in it belonging to the fewars: it was formerly a part of the Earl of Fife's estate, now it is annexed to the crown, to which the present fewars pay a great duty. A mile west of this is Pitmilly near the coast also, the house of a very antient family of the name of Monipenny3. The Lord Monipenny," whom we find in the parliament rolls in king James III's. reign, was (say they) a branch of their family. Anno 1211 Thomas prior of St. Andrews gave, Richardo Monipenie, terram de Putmullin, quam Malisius tenuit. Half a mile from this, on the water of Kenlay are the ruins of a seat of the archbishop of St. Andrews, called Inchmurtach; now are to be seen only the ruins, and the walls of a chapel. The books of Paisly and Scone say, that 14th May 1363, king David II. held a parliament here. South of Inchmurtach on a higher ground are some obelisks of rough stones which the great antiquary Mr. Maule thinks are the monuments of some great men killed in the battle with the Danes. Betwixt this and St. Andrews, and a mile becast it, on the sea, is Kinkell, so called from the chapel of St. Anna, built here by Kellach bishop of St. Andrews about anno 875. Of old the Moubrays had Kinkell, then by marriage

Now a seat of the Right Honourable Thomas Erskine, Earl of Kellie. 2 Now the property of the Honourable Henry Erskine.

3 The seat of David Monypenny, Esq. This family produced some eminent statesmen in Scotland; and from a branch settled in France, several sprung, who became equally distinguished in that country. The most celebrated was the Sieur de Concressault, who was often employed in important negotiations, and at different times visited Scotland as ambassador in the reigns of James III. and James IV.