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Anstruther Wester parish consists of the Burgh of Anstruther Wester (that part of Anstruther west of the Dreel Burn) together with the landward area to the north-west of the burgh. Anstruther Easter parish comprises the Burgh of Anstruther Easter (that part of Anstruther east of the Dreel Burn). For administrative purposes, the Isle of May is included in Anstruther Wester parish.
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The Murray Library, Anstruther holds copies of the East Fife Observer newspaper from 1914-1967.
Old Anstruther (Stenlake Publishing) contains many photographs and full descriptions.
There are 2 cemeteries in Anstruther Wester parish, and 1 gravestone on the Isle of May:
1. Anstruther Wester Churchyard, High Street, Anstruther (grid ref. NO 565035):
2. Anstruther Cemetery, St Andrews Road, Anstruther (grid ref. NO 564038):
3. On the Isle of May (grid ref. NT 655995):
The pre-1855 monumental inscriptions are listed in "Fifeshire Monumental Inscriptions (pre-1855) vol. 1 South east parishes" by John Fowler Mitchell & Sheila Mitchell, published by the Scottish Genealogy Society. ISBN 0901061948
Parish / district reference number for 1841 - 1901 censuses: 403
The 1841 return can be searched on the FreeCEN website.
The 1851 census has been indexed by the Tay Valley Family History Society.
The Isle of May is included in Anstruther Wester for the 1841 -1861 censuses, thereafter it is included in Crail (no. 417).
Further information on the main Fife page.
The original Old Parish Records (of baptisms / births, proclamations / marriages, and burials) of the Church of Scotland, which cover the years up to 1854, are held in the General Register Office for Scotland in Edinburgh, and copies on microfilm may be consulted in local libraries and at LDS Family History Centres around the world. The baptisms / births and proclamations / marriages (but not deaths) can also be searched at Scotland's People - the online database of Scottish Birth, Marriage, Death & Census records at the General Register Office. The index can also be searched on the LDS FamilySearch website.
Deaths are listed on Fife Family History Society's Pre-1855 Fife Deaths CD.
The old parish records span the following dates (although there may be gaps within these ranges):
| Anstruther Wester OPR | Births / baptisms | Proclamations / marriages | Deaths / burials / mortcloths |
| 403/1 | 1577-1601 | 1577-1601 | 1549-1817 |
| 403/2 | 1601-1757 | 1601-1611 | 1601-1754 |
| 403/3 | 1757-1819 | 1757-1819 | |
| 403/4 | 1651-1699 | ||
| 403/5 | 1820-1854 (+ index 1838-1854) | 1820-1854 (+ index 1838-1854) | 1820-1854 (+ index 1838-1854) |
| Data supplied by General Register Office for Scotland |
The 1865 Ecclesiastical Directory lists the parish churches of Anstruther Wester and Easter, the Free Church, the United Presbyterian Church, the Evangelical Union Church and the Baptist Church.
The Free Church (later Chalmers Memorial Church) has baptism records which are held at the Special Collections Dept. of St Andrews University Library:
| Anstruther Free Church | Births & Baptisms |
| CH3/ | 1843-1847 |
A transcript of these baptisms has been published by the Fife Family History Society Baptismal Registers No. 1. It is also available on the Records pages of their website.
Kirk Session and similar records for the following churches:
| Anstruther Wester Parish Church (CH2/624) | |
| Free Church | from 1843 |
| Chalmers Memorial | from 1902 |
| Associate Burgher (United Associate Church) | from 1818 |
| St Adrians Church of Scotland | from 1956 |
are held at the Manuscripts Dept. of St Andrews University Library. Some Kirk Session material is to be found in the OPR records (403/1 and 403/4).
Heritors' Records (HR48) are at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh.
Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths began in Scotland on 1st January 1855. Full information on the main Fife page.
| Registration district | number | start date | end date |
| Anstruther Wester | 403 | 1855 | 1930 |
| Anstruther and Kilrenny | 402 | 1931 | 1967 |
| East Neuk | 426 | 1968 | 1971 |
| East Neuk | 414 | 1972 | 2002 |
| Fife | 414 | 2003 |
Registration districts did not necessarily coincide exactly with parishes. In the 20th century especially, there were frequent changes in registration districts. The Isle of May was moved to Crail registration district (417) before 1871 and remained there until at least 1901.
Admiralty Court records and Burgh Court records are held at the Special Collections Dept. of St Andrews University Library.
| Anstruther Wester town centre | Ordnance Survey Grid Reference | GPS | Post code | Lat. 56°13'20"N |
| NO 564035 | 56.222057 -2.704691 |
KY10 3DG | Lon. 2°42'16"W |
There is a useful Anstruther website here.
On the Records pages of the Fife Family History Society website there is a transcription of Westwood's 1861 Parochial Directory of Fife.
On 15th May 1891, small areas with indistinct boundaries were exchanged between Anstruther Wester and Pittenweem parishes.
A Vision of Britain provides historical descriptions, population & housing statistics, historic boundaries and maps.
The Ordnance Survey [Place] Name Books 1850-1854 are held at the Fife Council Archive Centre. There is an index to the entries for this parish on the Fife Council website (select A in the A-Z list, then Archives).
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 recently re-published it in their Publications Series, 26.
Mariners of St Andrews and the East Neuk of Fife by David Dobson can be obtained from the Fife Family History Society or the Tay Valley Family History Society.
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.
| Year | Population |
| 1755 | 385 |
| 1801 | 296 |
| 1851 | 443 |
| 1901 | 574 |
| 1951 | 533 |
See also A Vision of Britain for population statistics.
Prior to 1824, wills, testaments & inventories of residents of Anstruther Wester 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.
School Board Records and / or school logbooks are held at the Fife Council Archive Centre.
The archives of the former Burghs of Anstruther Easter & Wester are held at the Special Collections Dept. of St Andrews University Library. They include the Admiralty Court Book for East Fife, Minute Books of the Anstruther Sea Box Society, Court Books and Council Minutes.
There are also some records at the Fife Council Archive Centre.
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