Growing
up in Fife, I visited Burntisland quite often, mainly to
enjoy the summer Fair. Burntisland is a coastal town on
the Firth of Forth 10 miles east of the Forth Rail Bridge.
Occupying a natural harbor, Burntisland is said to have
been chosen by Agricola as a Roman naval base as early as
AD 83. Given to Dunfermline Abbey in the 12th century, a
castle, church and 'kirkton' were established close
to the harbor. The town was granted a royal charter by James
V in 1541 and developed as a naval base and a port trading
initially in fish and later in coal.
In 1850 the first rail ferry in the world, the Leviathan,
came into operation, linking Burntisland and Granton on
the opposite side of the Firth of Forth. It was the concept
of Thomas Bouch who was later to be responsible for the
design of the ill-fated Tay Railway Bridge.
In addition to brewing and distilling, which was carried
on from 1786 to 1916, Burntisland was a center of ship
building for half a century between 1918 and 1968. The
aluminum works founded in 1917 is still a major employer
in addition to marine service industries.
Local landmarks include Rossend Castle, now restored and
converted into offices, which dates from the 12th century;
the Burgh Chambers (1843); Burntisland Library and Museum;
Mary Somerville's house (1595), once the home (1786-1817)
of a daughter of one of Lord Nelson's captains and pioneer
of women's education who gave her name to Oxford's
first college for women founded in 1879; and the octagonal-towered
St Columba's Church, said to be the first church built
after the Reformation and where the General Assembly of
the Church of Scotland, meeting in 1601, decided to publish
the new authorized or 'King James' version of the
Bible. On the Binn Hill just above Burntisland James 'Paraffin'
Young started shale oil production and founded a village
in 1878. Annual events in Burntisland include a Fair,
Highland Games and the crowning of a 'Summer Queen'
on the Links. A popular summer resort, Burntisland has a
caravan site, bowling green, soccer ground and 18-hole golf
course.
Burntisland's
links with the sea have long been recognized. The Roman
commander, Agricola, set up camp on Dunearn Hill, probably
lured there by the natural harbor. He did not remain long
in the area, however, and little more is known of Burntisland
until King David 1 granted the lands for a church at Kirkton
in 1130, though this assumes that there was a settlement
in place here at the time. Rossend castle was built in 1119,
and a settlement grew around the church, controlled by the
Abbots of Dunfermline, known as Wester Kinghorn. The Bishop
of St. Andrews consecrated the church in 1243. The castle
was the residence of the Duries, who were the Abbots of
Dunfemline, and remained in their care until the Reformation.
Mary Queen of Scots stayed in 1563, and a French poet, Chastellard,
was discovered hiding in her bedchamber, for which he was
executed at St.Andrews (this was his second offence, the
first occurred in Holyrood).
A Royal Charter was granted by James V in 1541, to form
a burgh and utilize the harbor as a naval port. The Charter
remained unconfirmed until granted by James VI in 1586.
Burntisland flourished in this period, becoming the second
most important seaport in the Forth after Leith. The harbor
area prospered and expanded, to the detriment of the older
Kirkton. Shipbuilding became a major industry, and would
remain so for nearly 400 years. Due to the expansion of
this area, and the running down of Kirkton, it was proposed
to build a new church, started in 1592 and completed in
1595. The Reformation of 1559 may have influenced the
design, as there is certainly a Dutch flavor with the
square layout and central bell tower. The pulpit is also
central, to emphasize the equality of all in the eyes
of God. The church is still in a marvelous condition 400
years on, and the Guild seats, sailors loft, and marked
pews for the gentry are all well worth viewing. The church
is famous for having hosted the General Assembly in 1601,
where King James VI (residing at Rossend Castle at the
time), was instrumental in proposing a new translation
of the Bible, which when complete was used for 350 years
as the Authorized or King James Version. There is a carving
of an inverted anchor over the main entrance to the church,
symbolic of the sailor's and fishermen's faith
in God to protect them from the sea. A model of the "Great
Michael", a warship built in Burntisland during the
late 1500's, hangs in the kirk from one of the pillars.
An unusual feature is the external stairway on the east
side which allowed access to and exit from an upper gallery
known as the Sailor's Loft. This was to allow them
to leave during a sermon if the tides clashed with the
service. The church has recently undergone renovation
inside after part of the roof collapsed.
Burntisland, as a naval port, was involved in various
wars, French ships and troops being blockaded in the town
by the English in 1560. The port was used as a muster
area in 1588 during the threat of the Spanish Armada,
and Charles I lost a large amount of treasure when the
ferry "The Blessing of Burntisland" sank whilst
crossing the Forth during his Royal Tour.
During 1651, when English warships bombarded the town
and then Cromwell's troops took it, the garrison remained
for 9 years, until 1660. They were not popular with the
locals, as over the years several bodies clad in Roundhead
equipment have been discovered under hearths and during
harbor renovations. After this period, in 1666, Letters
of Marque were issued to several local ship masters, acting
as privateers against the Dutch, which led to a bombardment
of the town by Dutch warships in 1667. Apparently nearly
500 cannonballs landed in the town. In 1689 government
troops were shipped over to Burntisland to march to the
Highlands against Viscount (Bonnie) Dundee. Ferry movements
across the Forth were restricted during the 1715 Rebellion.
The herring fleets often anchored in Burntisland to land
their catches, and at its peak around 1800 almost 500
fishing boats would be in harbor, offloading for the 8
curing factories near the harbor. The coal industry and
the arrival of the railway ensured continuing prosperity.
As an example of the amount of trade passing through Burntisland
in 1894, The Fife Free Press of December 8th that
year carried the following : "Harbor Trade"
- Burntisland trade returns for November show that
the shipment of coal is gradually returning to about its
normal extent. During the past month 61 steamers and 17
sailing vessels cleared outwards with cargo, the total
coal shipments amounted to 60,955 tons, as against 63,891
for the corresponding month last year. The import trade
was fairly steady."
Around 1840 there was proposed a new railway line
running north from Burntisland towards the Firth of Tay.
Prince Albert Pier was constructed in 1844 to enable a
regular passenger service between Burntisland and Granton,
on the south side of the Forth. The railway station was
built in 1847, and the first rail ferry in the world commenced
in 1850. Burntisland gained enormously from this, but
the building of the Forth Bridge in 1890 reduced its status
to just another station on the line. Many service buildings
were constructed however, and the North British Railway
Company built and serviced engines, wagons and carriages
here for many years.
Visitors to the town should visit the local library, gifted
to the town in 1906 by Andrew Carnegie, where a small
local exhibition displays some interesting items from
the town's history. There is a good walk to be had
by the energetic up and over the Binn, the 200m high volcanic
hill at the back of the town, which affords a worthwhile
view over the Forth, across to Edinburgh and up to the
Bridges. The golf club is the 3rd oldest in Fife, after
St. Andrews and Crail.
