| Kingdom of Fife | Contents | Fife Towns & Parishes | Nearby places |
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| Colinsburgh Earlsferry, Liberty and Williamsburgh (until 1891, then transferred to Elie parish) Kilconquhar Largoward |
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| Please read the main Fife pages if you have not already done so. | |
Old Elie & Earlsferry and Old Kilconquhar & Colinsburgh (Stenlake Publishing) contain many photographs and full descriptions.
There is 1 cemetery and 1 private chapel in Kilconquhar parish:
1. Kilconquhar Churchyard / Cemetery, Main Street, Kilconquhar (grid ref. NO 485020):
2. Balcarres Chapel, in the grounds of Balcarres House, Colinsburgh (grid ref. NO 474046):
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: 436
The 1851 census has been indexed by the Tay Valley Family History Society.
Further information on the main Fife page.
In addition to the parish church, there was also a Relief Church of Scotland at Largoward; a United Presbyterian
(Burgher) Church at Kilconquhar; an Associate Relief
church at Colinsburgh; and a United
Presbyterian church at Colinsburgh.
The 1865 Ecclesiastical Directory lists the parish church, another Established Church at Largoward, the Congregationalist Church in Colinsburgh and the United Presbyterian Church and Colinsburgh.
Details of church history here.
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):
| Kilconquhar OPR | Births / baptisms | Proclamations / marriages | Deaths / burials / mortcloths |
| 436/1 | 1637-1709 | 1637-1709 | |
| 436/2 | 1719-1793 | 1719-1770 | 1737-1787 |
| 436/3 | 1781-1819 (+ some indexes) | 1770-1819 | 1787-1819 (+ index 1787-1812) |
| 436/4 | 1820-1854 | 1820-1854 | 1820-1854 |
| Data supplied by General Register Office for Scotland |
Kirk Session and similar records for the parish church, the Relief Church of Scotland at Largoward, and the Associate Congregation at Colinsburgh are held at the Special Collections Dept. of St Andrews University Library. Details of church records here.
Heritors' Records (HR194) are at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh. Details of records here.
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 |
| Kilconquhar | 436 | 1855 | 1967 |
| Leven | 443 | 1968 | 1971 |
| Leven | 415 | 1972 | 2002 |
| Fife | 415 | 2003 |
Registration districts did not necessarily coincide exactly with parishes. In the 20th century especially, there were frequent changes in registration districts.
Records of Colinsburgh Small Debts Court are at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh. Details here.
| Kilconquhar church | Ordnance Survey Grid Reference | GPS | Post code | Lat. 56°12'29"N |
| NO 485021 | 56.208688 -2.831801 |
KY9 1LQ | Lon. 2°49'53"W |
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, a detached part of Elie parish was transferred to Kilconquhar parish
(comprising part of Charleton, Newton House, Muircambus and part of West Muircambus).
On the same date, an area of Kilconquhar parish situated on the coast was transferred
to the parish of Elie. This contained the burgh of Earlsferry, the villages of Liberty
& Williamsburgh, Donald's Land, Grange, Grangehill, Melon Park, St Ford, part of West
Muircambus, Kincraig, Old Glebe and Crooks.
A Vision of Britain provides historical descriptions, population & housing statistics, historic boundaries and maps.
Valuation Rolls and Sasines for Earlsferry are held by the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh. Details of records here.
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, 27 and 28.
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. Details of records here.
| Year | Population | |
| 1755 | 2131 | |
| 1801 | 2005 | |
| 1851 | 2489 | |
| 1901 | 1517 | * boundary changed |
| 1951 | 1197 |
See also A Vision of Britain for population statistics.
Prior to 1824, wills, testaments & inventories of residents of Kilconquhar 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 school logbooks are held at the Fife Council Archive Centre. Details of records here.
The archives of the former Burgh of Earlsferry are held by the Special Collections Dept. of St Andrews University Library and the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh. Details of records here.
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