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Newburn

Map showing the location of the parish

"The parish is bounded on the north & east by Kilconquhar, on the south by Largo Bay and on the west by Largo. It is 3.5 miles from north to south and 2 miles in breadth. Its area is 2400 acres, all under cultivation except 350 under pasture and 130 under wood. The land surface near the shore is sandy, forming extensive links which are kept in pasture. The land ascends from the shore to the northwards, reaching its greatest height at Gilston. The soil, with the exception of the links, is very fertile. The rent of land averages £2-12-0 per acre. The parish schoolmaster's salary is £30, plus £14 of fees, besides which there is an allowance for teaching a certain number of Poor children, from a fund left by John Wood of Orkie in 1659. There is 1 public house in the parish; sobriety and industry prevail. The nearest market towns are Colinsburgh and Largo. Balchristie is the only hamlet in the parish, containing a few houses." from A Descriptive & historic gazeteer of the counties of Fife, Kinross & Clackmannan, M Barbieri, published in 1857.

Towns and Villages

Newburn

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

Cemeteries

Newburn Churchyard (grid ref. NO 453035):

Census

Parish / district reference number for 1841 - 1901 censuses: 451

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

The 1865 Ecclesiastical Directory lists only the parish church.

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):

Newburn OPR Births / baptisms Proclamations / marriages Deaths / burials / mortcloths
451/1 1628-1678 1628-1678 1630-1669
451/2 1678-1819 1678-1819 1760-1819
451/3 1820-1854 1820-1854 1820-1854
Data supplied by General Register Office for Scotland

Kirk Session and similar records for the parish church (CH2/278) are held at the Special Collections Dept. of St Andrews University Library. Some Kirk Session material is to be found in the OPR records (451/1). Details of church records here.

Heritors' Records (HR666) are at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh. Details of the records here.

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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
Newburn 451 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.

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Description & Travel

Newburn church Ordnance Survey Grid Reference GPS Post code Lat. 56°13'15"N
NO 453035 56.220907
-2.883670		 KY8 6JE Lon. 2°53'1"W

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:

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, 28.

Population

Year Population
1755 438
1801 412
1851 375
1901 296
1951 191

See also A Vision of Britain for population statistics.

Probate Records

Prior to 1824, wills, testaments & inventories of residents of Newburn 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. Details of the records here.

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William McM. Owen    last updated 30 December 2006