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Dunino

Map showing the location of the parish

"The parish of Dunino is bounded on the north by Cameron and St Andrews, on the east by St Andrews and Kingsbarns, on the south by Kingsbarns and Crail and on the west by Carnbee and Cameron. The lands of Kingsmuir belong to this parish although claimed by Crail. The parish is 3 miles from east to west and 2.5 miles in breadth. With an area of 3315 acres, 2955 are under cultivation, 300 are wooded and 60 are waste land. The highest elevation, Dunino Law from which the parish probably derives its name, is about 300 feet above sea level. It is watered by 3 rivulets that unite into the Kenly or Pitmilly Burn, which empties itself into the German Ocean. Till lately the soil was wet and moorish, especially King's Muir - which is rather a stiff clay; while other parts are sandy or alluvial. Much has been done this century by draining, planting and enclosing, and reclaiming waste land. There are 12 thrashing mills and 1 corn mill. Land valued at £2600 in 1797 is now worth nearly £12000. Bogs have been converted into corn land. Formerly little wheat was raised, now it surpasses oats and barley. The cattle are of the Fifeshire breed. There are about 200 sheep in the parish. There are 4 heritors. The whole parish presents vestiges of coal workings at a former period although none is worked now, it being brought from St Andrews, Anstruther or any other neighbouring parish. Limestone exists for local use. Much fine marble exists, which when polished has a beautiful yellow and white striated appearance. The freestone is durable and fine in texture. Ironstone has been found. The parish is wholly agricultural. The patron is the United College, St Andrews. The stipend is £202-6-6, with a glebe of £28. There are 2 public houses in the parish. Though the post town is St Andrews, there are 6 post offices within from 3 to 7 miles. There is no village and the nearest market town is St Andrews, 4 miles distant. East Anstruther is 5 miles distant and Cupar 13. The inhabitants are intelligent, sober and industrious, and certainly more moral than they had been in 1650 (when the weavers were sometimes cited before the Kirk Session for carrying home their webs on Sundays, millers were grinding their corn and reapers were cutting down corn on the holy day). The present church was erected in 1826, and there is no dissenting church in the parish." from A Descriptive & historic gazeteer of the counties of Fife, Kinross & Clackmannan, M Barberi, published 1857.

Towns and Villages

Dunino (previously, frequently spelled Denino)

Please read the main Fife pages if you have not already done so.

Cemeteries

Dunino Churchyard, Dunino (grid ref. NO 540109):

Census

Parish / district reference number for 1841 - 1901 censuses: 425. See also Civil Registration.

The 1841 return can be searched on the FreeCEN website.

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

Further information on the main Fife page.

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Church History

The 1865 Ecclesiastical Directory lists only the parish church.
Details of the church history here.

Church Records

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):

Dunino OPR Births / baptisms Proclamations / marriages Deaths / burials / mortcloths
425/1 1643-1771 1643-1771 1750-1771
425/2 1771-1819 1771-1819 1771-1819
425/3 1820-1854 1820-1854 1820-1854
Data supplied by General Register Office for Scotland

Kirk Session and similar records for the parish church (CH2/405) are held at the Special Collections Dept. of St Andrews University Library. Some Kirk Session material is to be found in the OPR records (425/1). Details of church records here.

Heritors' Records (HR64) are at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh. Details of records here.

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Civil Registration

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
Dunino 425 1855 1965
St Andrews and St Leonards 453 1966 1967
St Andrews 453 1968 1971
St Andrews 413 1972 2002
Fife 413 2003  

Registration districts did not necessarily coincide exactly with parishes. In the 20th century especially, there were frequent changes in registration districts. Part of Crail parish was transferred to Dunino registration district in 1880.

Description & Travel

Dunino church Ordnance Survey Grid Reference GPS Post code Lat. 56°17'18"N
NO 541109 56.288318
-2.743065		 KY16 8LU Lon. 2°44'36"W

Directories

On the Records pages of the Fife Family History Society website there is a transcription of Westwood's 1861 Parochial Directory of Fife.

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Historical Geography

On 1st January 1891, the following subjects were transferred from the parish of Crail to the parish of Dunino: Balkaithly Farm (part); Beley; Beley Bridge; Chesters Farm (part); New Bridge.

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

Maps

Historic maps: Present-day maps:

Names, Geographical

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).

Obituaries

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, 29.

Population

Year Population
1755 598
1801 326
1851 289
1901 272  * boundary changed
1951 183

See also A Vision of Britain for population statistics.

Probate Records

Prior to 1824, wills, testaments & inventories of residents of Dunino 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.

Schools

School records and school logbooks are held at the Fife Council Archive Centre. Details of records here.

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William McM. Owen    last updated 17 December 2006