Kingdom of Fife

Contents

Fife Towns & Parishes

nearby places

Markinch

Towns and Villages

Bibliography

Old Markinch and Old Kennoway, Star & Windygates (Stenlake Publishing) contain many photographs and full descriptions.

Cemeteries

There are 4 cemeteries in Markinch parish:

1. Markinch Parish Churchyard, Kirk Street, Markinch (grid ref. NO 297019):

• The old Markinch churchyard was closed in 1856.
• The pre-1855 monumental inscriptions are in Mitchell & Mitchell (see below).
• Another listing of Markinch Old Churchyard inscriptions has been published by the Fife Family History Society in their Publication 18, Monumental Inscriptions.
•  An index of burials from 1853-1856 is held by Fife Council, Kirkcaldy Crematorium Lodge, Rosemount Avenue, Dunnikier, Kirkcaldy, KY1 3PL. Tel. 01592 260277. Fax 01592203438.
• A list of the surnames appearing in the Burial Registers from 1799-1854 is available on the Records pages of the Fife Family History Society website.

2. Northall Cemetery, Northall Road, Markinch (grid ref. NO 300024):

• The pre-1855 monumental inscriptions are in Mitchell & Mitchell (see below).
• The current lair registers (dating from 1854) are administered by Fife Council, Kirkcaldy Crematorium Lodge, Rosemount Avenue, Dunnikier, Kirkcaldy, KY1 3PL. Tel. 01592 260277. Fax 01592203438.

3. St Drostan's Cemetery, Lawhead, Markinch (grid ref. NO 302013):

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

4. Milton of Balgonie Churchyard, Milton of Balgonie (grid ref. NO 323008):

• The pre-1855 monumental inscriptions are in Mitchell & Mitchell (see below).
• Another listing of the Milton of Balgonie Churchyard stones has been published by the Fife Family History Society in their Publication 16, Monumental Inscriptions.

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

Return to top of page

Census

Parish / district reference number for 1841 - 1901 censuses: 447

Further information on the main Fife page.

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 1865 Ecclesiastical Directory lists the parish church, 2 other Established Churches (Milton and Thornton), United Presbyterian Churches in Markinch and Dubbyside, and the Free Church.

Kirk Session and similar records for the following churches in the parish are held at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh. Some Kirk Session material for the parish church is also to be found in the OPR records (447/3 and 447/6).

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 (HR59) are at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh.

Return to top of page

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.

Court Records

Markinch Burgh Court Records (from 1950) are held by Fife Council Archives.

Return to top of page

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.

Return to top of page

Historical Geography

The parish of Markinch had a detached portion situated at Dubbieside (or Innerleven). On 15th May 1891 it was transferred from the parish of Markinch to the parish of Wemyss. It comprised Innerleven, Innerleven Acres and Haugh Lands, and a large number of small properties, chiefly urban, in the police burgh of Buckhaven Methil and Innerleven.

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

History

• wage books & other records of miners employed at Cadham, Strathore & Cluny mines c.1680-1750
• household accounts for Leslie House, including records of payments to the family's household and farm servants

Maps

• On-line maps:
  • Ordnance Survey 6-inch, 1st edition (1855) Fife sheets 17, 24, 25, 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) sheets 64 and 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) 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 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) sheet 59 - St Andrews
  • Ordnance Survey Explorer (larger scale 1:25000 -  about 2 and a half inches to 1 mile) sheets 367 - Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy & Glenrothes south; 370 - Glenrothes north, Falkland & Lomond Hills

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).

Return to top of page

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.

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

Population

See also A Vision of Britain for population statistics.

Probate Records

Prior to 1824, wills, testaments & inventories of residents of Markinch 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.

Statistics

"Statistical accounts" giving fascinating insights into the local topography and history, social and economic conditions, and even the daily lives of people, were written by the parish ministers in the 1790s and the 1840s. For more information see the main Fife pages

• The 'Old' Statistical Account is at Google Books, (2 pages missing).
• The 'New' Statistical Account is also online at Google Books.

Town Records

The archives of the former Burgh of Markinch are held by Fife Council Archives. They include Council Minutes from 1890, Accounts and Valuation Rolls.

Return to top of page

Are you lost in the GENUKI hierarchy or arrived here from a search engine? If so, use the up-arrow(s) at the top of the page to go up the hierarchy.