Coal had been mined in the area since at least the 12th century, but the number of pits increased ten-fold as demand for coal grew in the Victorian period. This endeavour lasted until 1609 when the colonists, having been opposed by the native population, were bought out by Kenneth Mackenzie, the clan chief of the Mackenzies.įife became a centre of heavy industry in the 19th century. In 1598, King James VI employed a group of 11 men from Fife, who became known as the Fife adventurers, to colonise the Isle of Lewis in an attempt to begin the "civilisation" and de-gaelicisation of the region. The distinctive red clay pan tiles seen on many old buildings in Fife arrived as ballast on trading boats and replaced the previously thatched roofs. Salt pans heated by local coal were historically a feature of the Fife coast.
Wool, linen, coal and salt were all traded. King James VI of Scotland described Fife, in Middle Scots, as a: "beggar's mantle fringed wi gowd" the golden fringe being the coast and its chain of little ports with their thriving fishing fleets and rich trading links with the Low Countries. The Earl of Fife was until the 15th century considered the principal peer of the Scottish realm, and reserved the right of crowning the nation's monarchs, reflecting the prestige of the area.Ī new royal palace was gradually constructed at Falkland, formerly the stronghold of Clan MacDuff, and was used by successive monarchs of the House of Stuart, who favoured Fife for its rich hunting grounds. The Abbey replaced Iona as the final resting place of Scotland's royal elite, with Robert I amongst those to be buried there. Malcolm had his principal home in Dunfermline and his wife Margaret was the main benefactor of Dunfermline Abbey. įife was an important royal and political centre from the reign of King Malcolm III onwards, as the leaders of Scotland gradually moved southwards away from their ancient strongholds around Scone. The hill-fort of Clatchard Craig, near Newburgh, was occupied as an important Pictish stronghold between the sixth and eighth centuries AD. : 133 The name is recorded as Fib in A.D. : 132 The notion of a kingdom may derive from a misinterpretation of an extract from Wyntoun. : 70–72 The earliest known reference to the common epithet The Kingdom of Fife dates from only 1678, in a proposition that the term derives from the quasi-regal privileges of the Earl of Fife. The Pictish king list and De Situ Albanie documents of the Poppleton manuscript mention the division of the Pictish realm or Albany into seven sub-kingdoms, one being Fife. St Andrews is also renowned as the home of golf.Ĭounty Buildings, Cupar, the former headquarters of Fife County Councilįife, bounded to the north by the Firth of Tay and to the south by the Firth of Forth, is a natural peninsula whose political boundaries have changed little over the ages.
From the 15th century it was the metropolis of the former Archdiocese of St Andrews, St Andrews Cathedral having been the seat of the most senior bishop of Scotland since the 10th century. It is well known for the University of St Andrews, the most ancient university of Scotland and one of the oldest universities in the world. The historic town of St Andrews is located on the northeast coast of Fife. It has a resident population of just under 367,000, over a third of whom live in the three principal towns, Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes. In older documents the county was very occasionally known by the anglicisation Fifeshire.įife is Scotland's third largest local authority area by population. By custom it is widely held to have been one of the major Pictish kingdoms, known as Fib, and is still commonly known as the Kingdom of Fife within Scotland. the historic counties of Perthshire and Kinross-shire) and Clackmannanshire. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i.e.
#Coastal courier registration#
Fife ( / f aɪ f/, Scottish English: Scottish Gaelic: Fìobha, IPA: Scots: Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland.
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