Kingdom of Fife

Contents

Fife Towns & Parishes

nearby places

Kinglassie

Towns and Villages

Cemeteries

There are 2 cemeteries in Kinglassie parish:

1. Kinglassie Churchyard, Church Lane, Kinglassie (grid ref. NT 228985):

• 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
• Another listing has been published by the Fife Family History Society in their Publication 16, Monumental Inscriptions.
• The current lair registers for Kinglassie Churchyard (dating from 1832) are administered by Fife Council, Kirkcaldy Crematorium Lodge, Rosemount Avenue, Dunnikier, Kirkcaldy, KY1 3PL. Tel. 01592 260277. Fax 01592203438.

2. Kinglassie Cemetery, West End, Kinglassie (grid ref. NT 225983):

• The current lair registers for Kinglassie Cemetery (dating from 1861) are administered by Fife Council, Kirkcaldy Crematorium Lodge, Rosemount Avenue, Dunnikier, Kirkcaldy, KY1 3PL. Tel. 01592 260277. Fax 01592203438.

Census

The original 1841 census returns were lost in transit to Edinburgh.

Parish / district reference number for 1851 - 1901 censuses: 440

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 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):

The Old Statistical Account (written in the 1790s) gives this information about Dissenters:

• Half the heads of families adhere to some or other of the Sectaries [dissenting congregations]
• Few of them are inclined to have their names recorded in the parish register [of baptisms].

The 1865 Ecclesiastical Directory lists the parish church and the Free Church.

Kirk Session records for the parish church of Kinglassie (CH2/406) are held at the National Archives of Scotland.  Some Kirk Session material is to be found in the OPR records (440/3).

Similar records for the Free Church are at the Free Church Offices, Edinburgh.

The Presbytrie Book of Kirkcaldie, the record of the proceedings of the Presbytery of Kirkcaldy (which includes references to this parish), from 15 April 1630 - 14 September 1653, is available online.

Heritors' Records (HR256) are at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh.

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

Description & Travel

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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

Before May 1891, the boundary between Fife and Kinross had been the River Leven. However, a new river channel was cut between 1826 and 1836. On 15th May 1891, the new river channel became the county boundary. The following subjects, north of the new channel, were transferred from the parish of Kinglassie and the county of Fife to the parish of Portmoak and the county of Kinross: part of Auchmuir farm (which became part of Bowhouse farm). In return, parts of Bowhouse and Kinneston farms in Portmoak, south of the new cut, were transferred to Kinglassie (and became parts of Craigend and Auchmuir farms).

On the same date, Easter Balbeadie, Craigend and part of Wester Balbeadie were transferred from Ballingry parish to Kinglassie parish. Also, a detached part of the parish of Portmoak (consisting of The Ryelaw) was transferred from Portmoak and the county of Kinross to Kinglassie and the county of Fife.

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

History

Notices from the local records of Dysart, a compilation from various sources covering both parish and burgh matters from 1534 to 1697, is available online. It includes references to matters in this parish.

Maps

• On-line maps:
  • Ordnance Survey 6-inch, 1st edition (1855) Fife sheets 23, 24, 31, 32 at the Landmark Information Group (old-maps.co.uk).
  • Ordnance Survey one-inch, 2nd edition (1895) sheet 40 at the National Library of Scotland.
  • Ordnance Survey one-inch, Popular edition (1926) sheet 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 40 (reprint of the 1895 one-inch map).
  • Old-maps.co.uk sell paper copies of all their on-line maps.
  • Ordnance Survey one-inch, 7th series (1950s-1960s) sheets 55, 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 places in this parish and nearby recorded in the GENUKI gazetter.
• Paper maps:
  • Ordnance Survey Landranger (scale 1:50000 -  about 1 inch to 1 mile) sheets 58 - Perth & Alloa, 59 - St Andrews
  • Ordnance Survey Explorer (larger scale 1:25000 -  about 2 and a half inches to 1 mile) sheet 367 - Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy & Glenrothes south

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

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, 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.

Population

See also A Vision of Britain for population statistics.

Probate Records

Prior to 1824, wills, testaments & inventories of residents of Kinglassie may be found in either the St Andrews Commissariot (CC20) or the Edinburgh Commissariot (CC8) records. From 1824 to 1960, commissary business was conducted by the Sheriff Court of Fife at Cupar (SC20). From 1960, it has been conducted at Kirkcaldy (SC23) Sheriff Court.

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 / or school logbooks are held at the Fife Council Archive Centre.

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