Hide

Cameron

hide
Hide

Description of the parish in 1862

"Cameron parish contains the villages of Lathones, Peat Inn, Radernie and part of Denhead. It measures about 6 miles by 4 miles, and is bounded by St Andrews, Denino, Carnbee, Kilconquhar and Ceres. About three quarters of the land is under cultivation. There is a bed of black-band ironstone at Winthank which has been worked by a Newcastle company for a number of years. The blackband is burnt to a char at the pit mouth, then shipped to Newcastle from either St Andrews or Guardbridge. Coal is also worked in the parish, as also is lime. In addition to the parish church, there is a UP Church at Lathones." edited from Westwood's Directory for the counties of Fife & Kinross published 1862.

Hide

The parish includes Lathones, Peat Inn and Radernie.

Hide
topup

Archives & Libraries

The ScotlandsPlaces website lets users search across national databases by geographical location. It includes, amongst other material,

  • catalogue entries for maps and plans held by the National Records of Scotland, Edinburgh; some maps and plans can be viewed
  • photos and details of historical buildings and archaeological sites recorded by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, Edinburgh
  • 17th and 18th century tax rolls
  • Ordnance Survey [place] Name Books
  • an opportunity to transcribe thousands of historic documents
topup

Bibliography

A very good description is to be found in the relevant chapter in History of the County of Fife: From the Earliest Period to the Present Time by John M Leighton, published 1840, online at Google Books.

topup

Cemeteries

Cameron Churchyard, off A915, Cameron (grid ref. NO 485116, GPS: 56.29422 -2.834549):

  • The pre-1855 monumental inscriptions are listed in Fifeshire Monumental Inscriptions (pre-1855) vol. 3 The north east parishes by John Fowler Mitchell & Sheila Mitchell, published by the Scottish Genealogy Society. ISBN 0901061999
  • Another listing has been published by the Fife Family History Society in their Publication 15, Monumental Inscriptions.
  • The current lair registers (dating from 1842) are administered by Fife Council, Bereavement Services East, County Buildings, St Catherine Street, Cupar, KY15 4TA. Tel. 01334 659336. Fax 01334 412896.
  • The pre-1854 entries from this burial register have been published by the Fife Family History Society Journal (vol 9, no 1). They are also available on the Records pages of their website.
  • Transcripts of many of the older stones were made by an unknown hand in the 1870s. They are recorded in the Minute Book of the Anstruther Mortsafe Society, 1830-1874, held by the Special Collections Dept. of St Andrews University Library. They are included in Publication 38, Monumental Notes part 2, published by the Fife Family History Society.
  • War graves can be seen at the Scottish Wargraves Project.
  • A CD with photographs of the stones and transcriptions is available from Scottish Monumental Inscriptions or from The Parish Chest.
topup

Census

Parish / district reference number for 1841 - 1901 censuses: 412

The 1841 and 1851 returns can be searched on the FreeCEN website.

The 1851 census has been indexed by the Tay Valley Family History Society.

The 1861 census has been indexed and can be downloaded here

Some census records on microfilm may be consulted in LDS Family Search Centres around the world.

LDS Library Film Numbers:

 184118511861187118811891
Cameron10426991042253103826103988203518208749
(Data provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)

Further information on the main Fife page.

topup

Church History

In addition to the parish church, there was also a United Presbyterian Church in Lathones.

The Old Statistical Account (written in the 1790s) does not mention any dissenters from the Established Church.

The New Statistical Account (written in 1837) gives this information:

  • There is one Burgher meeting house situated on the border of this parish, adjoining the parishes of Kilconquhar and Carnbee, where there are a considerable population at a great distance from the ir parish churches.
  • The number of families of Dissenters is computed at 12.

The 1865 Ecclesiastical Directory lists the parish church and the United Presbyterian Church at Lathones.

Information and pictures of the churches at the Scottish Churches website.

Details of church history

  • Cameron Church
    In 1645 an Act of Parliament was passed which erected the Parish of Cameron. The parish church of Cameron was also built in or around this year and the original church remained in use until 1808 when the present day building was constructed. In 1949 Cameron established a link with the charge of Largoward and in 1975 a further link followed with St Andrews: St Leonard's, the linkage with Largoward however was later terminated in 1983. The Kirk Session of Cameron has fallen under the jurisdiction of the Presbytery of St Andrews throughout its existence.
  • Lathones Associate Congregation (later United Presbyterian, United Free and Church of Scotland)
    Lathones Associate Congregation first originated in 1824 when the Secession Presbytery of Cupar was petitioned by a group, requesting that sermon be provided at the hamlet of Lathones, which sat midway between St Andrews and Largo. This request was granted and a church to house the congregation was erected by the end of that same year. In October 1825 the congregation met to discuss the appointment of a permanent minister to serve Lathones and the first minister, David McRae, was ordained on the 6th March 1827. In 1900, upon the union of the Free Church and the United Presbyterians, Lathones Associate Congregation became Lathones United Free Church and in 1924 the congregation was linked with that of Colinsburgh. Following the 1900 union between the United Free Church and the Church of Scotland, Lathones U.F. became Lathones Church of Scotland and in 1933 the link with Colinsburgh was dissolved in favour of a union with Largoward. After this local union Lathones was dropped from the title of the charge and the former church and manse of Lathones were sold.
topup

Church Records

Data provided by the  Scottish Archive Network (SCAN)

The Parish Church (Established Church, Church of Scotland):

The original Old Parish Registers (of baptisms / births, proclamations / marriages, and deaths / burials) of the Church of Scotland, which cover the years up to 1854, are held in the National Records of Scotland in Edinburgh, and they can all be consulted there at the National Records of Scotland. The baptisms / births, proclamations / marriages and deaths / burials indexes can be searched at the ScotlandsPeople website. Copies of the register entries may be purchased.

Parish reference number: 412

The Old Parish Registers (OPRs) span the following dates (although there are gaps within these ranges):

Cameron OPR Births / baptisms Proclamations / marriages Deaths / burials / mortcloths
412/1 1695-1819 1695-1819  
412/2 1820-1854 1820-1854 1832-1854
(Data supplied by the National Records of Scotland)
 

The Detailed List of the Old Parochial Registers of Scotland, published 1872, provides this information about the content of the OPRs, including the gaps within them:

B.  and M.  intermixed till 1709. Separate entries of Contracts and of Marriages prior to that date. Both Records blank June 1709 - 1717, after which separate Registers kept. The fact of Marriage very frequently omitted about 1782 - 1797 incl.

Copies of the registers on microfilm may be consulted in some local libraries and at LDS Family Search Centres around the world. The indexes to baptisms / births and proclamations / marriages can also be searched on the LDS Family Search website or on the IGI on microfiche in local libraries.

LDS Library Film Numbers:

1040151 Item 5 Baptisms, 1695-1820; Marriages, 1695-1819.
1040152 Item 1 Baptisms, 1819-1854; Marriages, 1820-1854; Burials, 1832-1853.
(Data provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)

Deaths / burials are listed on Fife Family History Society's  Pre-1855 Fife Deaths CD.

Some of the OPR entries can be searched on the FreeREG site.

Further information on the main Fife page.

Kirk Session records are held at the Special Collections Dept. of St Andrews University Library, with digital copies at the National Records of Scotland, Edinburgh.

Heritors' Records (HR41) are at the National Records of Scotland, Edinburgh.

At the Special Collections Dept. of St Andrews University Library, with digital copies of the earlier volumes at the National Records of Scotland, Edinburgh:

  • CH2/49
    Cameron Kirk Session
    Minutes, 1694-1739 and 1833-1952; Cash book, 1717-1739; Accounts, 1752-1792; Communion roll, 1855-1868.

At the National Records of Scotland, Edinburgh:

  • HR/41
    Cameron parish heritors' records
    Minutes, 1823-1928; Cash book, 1849-1928; Report, 1924; Papers relating to transference to Church of Scotland, 1927-1928; Correspondence, 1879, 1919, 1921; Assignation, 1924.

Other Churches:

Records for other churches are held at the National Records of Scotland.

At the National Records of Scotland, Edinburgh:

  • CH3/206
    Lathones Associate Congregation (later United Presbyterian, United Free and Church of Scotland)
    Session minutes, 1827-1933; Manager's minutes, 1872-1933; Baptismal register, 1906-1933; Communion roll, 1892-1933.

The Cameron page of the LDS Family Search Research Wiki has more information about church history and records.

topup

Civil Registration

Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths began in Scotland on 1st January 1855. Full information on the main Fife page.

Registration districts covering this parish:

Registration districtnumberstart dateend date
Cameron41218551967
St Andrews45319681971
St Andrews41319722002
Fife4132003 

Registration districts did not necessarily coincide exactly with parishes. In the 20th century especially, there were frequent changes in registration districts.

topup

Description & Travel

Cameron churchOrdnance Survey Grid ReferenceGPSPost codeLat. 56°17'41"N
NO 47511756.294819
-2.849829
KY16 8PDLon. 2°50'4"W

Surrounding parishes: St Andrews, Dunino, Carnbee, Ceres, Kilconquhar.

You can see pictures of Cameron which are provided by:

topup

Directories

Westwood's ParochialDirectory for the Counties of Fife and Kinross for 1862 and 1866 are online at Google Books. On the Records pages of the Fife Family History Society website there is a transcription of the 1862 edition.

topup

Gazetteers

Several old gazetteers are available. They all contain descriptions of the parish and many are also worth searching for entries of places within the parish.

  • David Webster's Topographical Dictionary of Scotland, published 1819, online at Google Books.
  • Fullarton's Topographical, Statistical and Historical Gazetteer of Scotland, published 1842, online at Google Books.
  • Samuel Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of Scotland, published 1846, online at British History Online.
  • Barbieri's Descriptive and Historical Gazetteer of the Counties of Fife, Kinross and Clackmannan, published 1857, is at Google Books.
  • Frances Groome's Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (1882-4) and John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887), are on A Vision of Britain (click on "Historical places and writing").
  • Frances Groome's Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland(1892-6) on Electric Scotland
topup

Historical Geography

A Vision of Britain provides historical descriptions, population & housing statistics, historic boundaries and maps.

topup

Land & Property

Details of historic buildings and archaeological sites in this parish held by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, Edinburgh, are catalogued at ScotlandsPlaces. In the results, click RCAHMS. Unfortunately, not all entries have digital images.

topup

Maps

Historic maps:

Present-day maps:

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference NO483113 (Lat/Lon: 56.291674, -2.836361), Cameron which are provided by:

topup

Military History

War graves can be seen at the Scottish Wargraves Project.

topup

Obituaries

Andrew Campbell has produced Fife Deaths from Newspapers 1822-1854 - a compilation of deaths recorded in local newspapers. Copies of this index are held by the Fife libraries and the Family History Societies.

Fife Deaths Abroad 1855-1900 - a compilation of overseas deaths recorded in Fife newspapers - has been produced by Andrew Campbell of Fife Family History Society. The Society have re-published it in their Publications Series, 26.

topup

Occupations

The parish is included in Andrew Campbell's compilation of Fife Shopkeepers and Traders 1820-1870 taken from newspapers and directories. It is available in most Fife reference libraries, in the libraries of the family history societies, and at the Manuscript Department of the Special Collections Department of St Andrews University Library. It is also available as Fife Traders and Shopkeepers on CD from Fife Family History Society.

topup

Poor Houses, Poor Law

The relief of paupers after 1845 was carried out by the Parochial Board and later by the Parish Council. Their records are at the Fife Council Archive Centre. See Public Records below.

topup

Population

YearPopulation
17551295
18011095
18511207
1901738
1951630

There is a page with census statistics from 1755 to 1961 here.

See also A Vision of Britain and Histpop for population statistics.

topup

Probate Records

Probate records are 'Confirmations' in Scotland.

Prior to 1824, wills, testaments & inventories of residents of Cameron may be found in either the St Andrews Commissariot (CC20) or the Edinburgh Commissariot (CC8) records. From 1824, commissary business has been conducted by the Sheriff Court of Fife at Cupar (SC20).

Indexes and finding aids are given on the main Fife page.

Local sources worth searching for deeds include St Andrews Commissary Court and Cupar Sheriff Court.

topup

Public Records

Parochial Boards and their successors, Parish Councils, administered many local functions including poor relief.

At the Fife Council Archive Centre, Kirkcaldy:

  • FCC/6/12
    Cameron Parochial Board / Parish Council
    Minute book, 1926-1930.
topup

Schools

School Board Records and / or school logbooks are held at the Fife Council Archive Centre. Cameron records:

At the Fife Council Archive Centre, Kirkcaldy:

  • Cameron School
    Log books, 1863-1972; admissions registers, 1940-1972.
  • Radernie School
    Log books, 1874-1985; Managers' Minute Books, 1881-1919.
  • Denhead School
    Log books, 1874-1932.
  • Cameron School Board
    Minutes 1873-1919.

Entries less than 50 years old may contain sensitive personal information and are not on open access. If you are a former pupil you are entitled to see your own entry. Please contact the Archivist for further details.

Education statistics for Fife schools in 1891-2 list the following board schools in the parish:

School BoardSchoolAccommodation for scholarsAverage attendance
CameronCameron6841
Denhead6746
Radernie10152
topup

Statistics

"Statistical accounts" giving fascinating insights into the local topography and history, social and economic conditions, and even the daily lives of people, were written by the parish ministers in the 1790s and the 1840s. For more information see the main Fife pages

topup

Taxation

The hearth tax, clock & watch tax, male servants tax, female servants tax, and farm horse tax are all on ScotlandsPlaces.

See also the Early Taxation Records page.