Kingdom of Fife

Contents

Fife Towns & Parishes

Nearby places

Kilconquhar

Towns and Villages

Bibliography

Old Elie & Earlsferry and Old Kilconquhar & Colinsburgh (Stenlake Publishing) contain many photographs and full descriptions.

Cemeteries

There is 1 cemetery and 1 private chapel in Kilconquhar parish:

1. Kilconquhar Churchyard / Cemetery, Main Street, Kilconquhar (grid ref. NO 485020):

• The pre-1855 monumental inscriptions are in Mitchell & Mitchell (see below).
• A transcript of the burials from 1847 to 1854 has been published by the Fife Family History Society Journal (vol 8, no 3) and is also available on the Records pages of their website.
• A transcript of the inscriptions on some stones was printed in the East of Fife Record, 24 August 1906. It has been reprinted by the Fife Family History Society Journal (new series no. 6, Spring 2006).
• The current lair registers (dating from 1847) are administered by Fife Council, Cemeteries Department, County Buildings, St Catherine Street, Cupar, KY15 4TA. Tel. 01334 412818. Fax 01334 412896.

2. Balcarres Chapel, in the grounds of Balcarres House, Colinsburgh (grid ref. NO 474046):

• The pre-1855 monumental inscriptions are in Mitchell & Mitchell (see below).

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

Census

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.

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Church History

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.

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):

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.

Civil Registration

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

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

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Court Records

Records of Colinsburgh Small Debts Court are at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh. Details here.

Description & Travel

Directories

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

Historical Geography

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.

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Land & Property

Valuation Rolls and Sasines for Earlsferry are held by the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh. Details of records here.

Maps

• On-line maps:
  • Ordnance Survey 6-inch, 1st edition (1855) Fife sheets 18, 19, 26 at the Landmark Information Group (old-maps.co.uk).
  • Ordnance Survey one-inch, 2nd edition (1895) sheets 41  at the National Library of Scotland.
  • Ordnance Survey one-inch, Popular edition (1926) sheets 64, 68 at the National Library of Scotland.
  • A Vision of Britain has the Ordnance Survey one-inch, 1st edition (1850s) and the Ordnance Survey one-inch, Popular edition (1920s) - both showing parish boundaries; and Land Utilisation mapping (1930s).
• Paper maps:
  • The Caledonian Maps Victorian Ordnance Survey Map Series sheet 41 (reprint of the 1895 one-inch map).
  • Ordnance Survey one-inch, 7th series (1950s-1960s) sheet 56

• On-line maps:
  • Multimap
  • Streetmap
  • both Google maps and local.live provide detailed maps and aerial photographs
  • Google based mapping showing nearby GENUKI townships / parishes.
  • Google based mapping showing nearby places recorded in the GENUKI gazetter.
• Paper maps:
  • Ordnance Survey Landranger (scale 1:50000 -  about 1 inch to 1 mile) sheet 59 - St Andrews
  • Ordnance Survey Explorer (larger scale 1:25000 -  about 2 and a half inches to 1 mile) sheets 370 - Glenrothes north, Falkland & Lomond Hills, 371 - St Andrews and East Fife

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).

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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, 26, 27 and 28.

Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

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.

Population

See also A Vision of Britain for population statistics.

Probate Records

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.

Schools

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

Town Records

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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