Kingdom of Fife

Contents

Fife Towns & Parishes

Nearby places

Kirkcaldy

Towns and Villages

Archives, Libraries & Museums

Kirkcaldy Central Library has a large collection of genealogy and local History materials.

Kirkcaldy Museum and Art Gallery has a collection of artefacts telling the History of the town, but it also has several manuscript sources of interest to genealogists.

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Bibliography

Old Dysart and East Kirkcaldy and Old Kirkcaldy - Central, North & West (Stenlake Publishing) contain many photographs and full descriptions.

Cemeteries

There are 3 cemeteries in Kirkcaldy parish. There are others in the town, in Abbotshall and Dysart parishes.

• 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
• The lair registers for 1767-1972 are held by the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh (CH2/636/28,29 and 30). The entries for 1767-1854 have been transcribed and published by the Fife Family History Society. An index to the register of burials contained within the Kirk Session Records (CH2/636/28-29) for 1855 - 1972 has been published by the Fife Family History Society in their Publication 21. There is a complete listing of all burials from 1767-1854 on the Records pages of the Fife Family History Society.

• The current lair registers (dating from 1939) are administered by Fife Council, Kirkcaldy Crematorium Lodge, Rosemount Avenue, Dunnikier, Kirkcaldy, KY1 3PL. Tel. 01592 260277. Fax 01592203438.

• 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
• The current lair registers (dating from 1860) are administered by Fife Council, Kirkcaldy Crematorium Lodge, Rosemount Avenue, Dunnikier, Kirkcaldy, KY1 3PL. Tel. 01592 260277. Fax 01592203438.

Kirkcaldy Central Library has a large collection of transcripts, indexes and manuscript volumes of Kirkcaldy burials.

A selection of  interesting inscriptions and photographs are included in the booklet Guide to Kirkcaldy Graveyards, published by Kirkcaldy Civic Society, 1996 (ISBN 1946294038).

Census

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

Parish / district reference number for 1851 - 1901 censuses: 442 (see also Civil Registration).

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):

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The 1865 Ecclesiastical Directory lists the parish church, 2 other Established Churches (Port Brae and Pathhead), 4 Free Churches (Abbotshall, Dunnikier, Invertiel and Pathhead), 2 United Presbyterian Churches (Bethelfield and the Union Church), the Episcopal Church (St. Peter's), 2 Baptist Churches (Rose Street and White's Causeway), the Congregational Church and a United Original Seceders Church.

The following records are held by the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh. A transcript has been published by the Fife Family History Society Baptismal Registers No. 3: and is also available on the Records page of their website:

The Episcopal Church in Kirkcaldy (St Peter's) has registers which are held  by the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh. A transcript has been published by the Fife Family History Society Baptismal Registers No. 4:

The following records are held by the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh. A transcript has been published by the Fife Family History Society Baptismal Registers No. 5 and is also available on the Records pages of their website:

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The following records are held by the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh. A transcript has been published by the Fife Family History Society Baptismal Registers No. 1:

The Bethelfield baptisms and the Dysart Relief Baptisms are also available on the Records  pages of the Fife Family History Society's website.

Photocopies of the following records are held by the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh.

Roman Catholic marriages which took place in Kirkcaldy prior to 1855 have been transcribed and published by the Fife Family History Society in Publication 22 - Fife Roman Catholic Marriage Registers 1793 - 1854.

Kirk Session and similar records for the following churches are held by the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh:

The Presbytrie Book of Kirkcaldie, the record of the proceedings of the Kirkcaldy Presbytery from 15 April 1630 - 14 September 1653, is available online.

Heritors' Records (HR239) 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. Kirkcaldy registration district included part of Abbotshall parish until 1874, thereafter the whole of Abbotshall parish was included. Kirkcaldy registration district also included part of Kinghorn parish.

Court Records

Dean of Guild Court records, Licensing Court records and Burgh Court records are held by Fife Council Archives. A full list is held by Kirkcaldy Central Library.

Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court records are held by the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh (SC23). They include a Register of Decrees (from 1880), sequestrations (from 1880), small debt court (from 1837), Prime Gilt Box records for Kirkcaldy (1673-1871), and Commissary Court records (from 1960).

On the Records pages of the Fife Family History Society website there is an index to Kirkcaldy Burgh Register of Deeds (1716-1884).

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Description & Travel

Kirkcaldy Civic Society provide lots of information about the town.

Surrounding parishes: Abbotshall, Dysart, Auchterderran.

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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Genealogy

A page of information about some local ship-owning families is available on the Records pages of the Fife Family History Society.

Historical Geography

On 15th May 1891, two detached parts of Abbotshall (both surrounded by Kirkcaldy parish) were transferred to Kirkcaldy parish. They comprised the following subjects: Smeaton, Smeaton Row and part of East Smeaton Farm.

In 1901, the parishes of Abbotshall, Dysart & Kirkcaldy, plus part of the parish of Kinghorn (Invertiel), were united to form the parish of Kirkcaldy & Dysart.

In 1930, the burgh of Dysart was combined with the burgh of Kirkcaldy.

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 32, 37 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.
  • Town plans of Kirkcaldy dated 1809 (Moore), 1824 (Wood), 1855 (Ordnance Survey) and 1894 (Ordnance Survey) 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).
  • Ordnance Survey one-inch, 7th series (1950s-1960s) sheet 56
  • Caledonian Maps publish Wood's 1824 town plan of Kirkcaldy (which shows names of proprietors)
  • Alan Godfrey Maps produce reprints of the large scale 1894 Ordnance Survey town plans of Kirkcaldy & part of Dysart.

• 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) sheets 59 - St Andrews, 66 - Edinburgh
  • Ordnance Survey Explorer (larger scale 1:25000 -  about 2 and a half inches to 1 mile) sheet 367 - Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy & Glenrothes south

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Medical Records

Military History

The Register of the Fife Fallen in the Great War, vol 1:Kirkcaldy & Dysart Fallen, 1914-1919 has been published and is available from the Fife Family History Society and the Tay Valley Family History Society.

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

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, 29.

Occupations

A list of Kirkcaldy shoemakers, 1718 - 1854, extracted from the Kirkcaldy Shoemakers' Accounts Book , held by Kirkcaldy Museum, has been published by the Fife Family History Society in Publication 13 - Trade Incorporation Records.

A list of Kirkcaldy wrights, 1753 - 1845, extracted from a list of members of the Kirkcaldy Wright Incorporation Benefit Society , held by Kirkcaldy Central Library, has been published by the Fife Family History Society in Publication 14 - Trade Incorporation Records.

Records of Kirkcaldy Burgh Police Officers are held at the Fife Council Archive Centre.

Sailors on board ships registered at Kirkcaldy in 1851 are listed on CD: Scotland South-East Seamen Crew Lists, 1851 available from Family History Indexes.

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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.

Peter Higginbotham's website has a lot of information about Kirkcaldy combination poorhouse.

Population

See also A Vision of Britain for population statistics.

Probate Records

Prior to 1824, wills, testaments & inventories of residents of Kirkcaldy 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, Cupar Sheriff Court and Kirkcaldy Burgh Register of Deeds.

Schools

School Board Records and / or school logbooks are held at the Fife Council Archive Centre.

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Town Records

Most archives of the former Burghs of Dysart and Kirkcaldy are held by Fife Council Archives. They include a wealth of material: Council Minutes; Harbour Commissioners Minutes; Dysart Combination Poorhouse records (1921-1928); Kirkcaldy Combination Poorhouse records (1917-1928); Trade Incorporation records; Parochial Board records for Abbotshall, Dysart and Kirkcaldy; harbour dues (from 1666); etc. A full list is held by Kirkcaldy Central Library.

Kirkcaldy Burgh Protocol Books, Burgh Register of Sasines (from 1539) and Registers of Deeds are held at the National Archives of Scotland (B41).

On the Records pages of the Fife Family History Society website there is an index to Kirkcaldy Burgh Register of Deeds (1673-1871).

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