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Largo

Map showing the location of the parish

"Largo is bounded by the parishes of Kilconquhar, Newburn, Ceres and Scoonie. It contains the villages of Upper Largo (or Kirkton), Lower Largo, Lundin Mill and New Gilston. It is about 4.5 miles north - south and 3 miles in breadth. To the west of Largo Law, a deeply wooded ravine, Keil’s Den, intersects the parish from north - south. It is laid out with footpaths and is very picturesque, so is a favourite resort for all those who visit in the summer for sea bathing. The village of Lower Largo stands on the bay. Most of the houses have a decaying look, being mostly built from red sandstone taken from the sea. In old times a large trade was carried on here with Holland, and more recently Norway, but that is long at an end. Upper Largo is a well-built village with a number of good houses and shops. There is an institution in the village called Wood’s Hospital, for the maintenance of indigent persons of the name of Wood. Both Upper and Lower Largo are favourite resorts for sea bathing. The village of Lundin Mill is chiefly inhabited by weavers. The village of New Gilston is chiefly inhabited by miners. A noted native of the parish was Alexander Selkirk, the prototype of Robinson Crusoe. Besides the parish church, there is a Free Church at Kirkton, and a UP Church and a Baptist Church at Lower Largo." edited from Westwood's Directory for the counties of Fife & Kinross published 1862.

Towns & Villages

Kirkton of Largo (Upper Largo)
Lower Largo
Lundin Links
Lundin Mill
New Gilston

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

Cemeteries

There are 2 cemeteries in Largo parish:

1. Largo Old Churchyard, Church Place, Upper Largo (grid ref. NO 424035):

2. Largo Cemetery, North Feus, Upper Largo (grid ref. NO 422038):

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: 443

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):

Largo OPR Births / baptisms Proclamations / marriages Deaths / burials / mortcloths
443/1 1636-1656 1636-1656  
443/2 1670-1754 1670-1756  
443/3 1754-1819 1757-1819  
443/4     1767-1854
443/5 1820-1854 1820-1854  
Data supplied by General Register Office for Scotland

The 1865 Ecclesiastical Directory lists the parish church, the Baptist Church, the United Presbyterian Church and the Free Church.

There was a Relief Church at Lower Largo (later United Presbyterian, St David's United Free, then Church of Scotland) and  a Free Church (later Upper Largo United Free) at Upper Largo.

Kirk Session and similar records for the parish church (St Andrews's - CH2/960), the Relief Church (St David's - CH3/844) and the Free Church (CH3/204) are held at the Special Collections Dept. of St Andrews University Library. Some Kirk Session material is to be found in the OPR records (443/1).

A list of persons who brought testimonials from other parishes from 1767 - 1781 has been transcribed from the parish church Kirk Session records (CH2/960/7). A list of communicants from 1844 - 1857 has also been transcribed (from CH2/960/6). Both have been published by the Fife Family History Society in their Publication 20.

Heritors' Records (HR372) 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 district number start date end date
Largo 443 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.

Description & Travel

Largo church Ordnance Survey Grid Reference GPS Post code Lat. 56°13'13"N
NO 423036 56.221451
-2.932062		 KY8 6EH Lon. 2°55'49"W
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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

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

Maps

Historic maps: Present-day maps:
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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, 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

Year Population
1755 1396
1801 1867
1851 2800
1901 2046
1951 2500

See also A Vision of Britain for population statistics.

Probate Records

Prior to 1824, wills, testaments & inventories of residents of Largo 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 / or school logbooks are held at the Fife Council Archive Centre.

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William McM. Owen    last updated 02 December 2006