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Alexander Philp 1846-1931

11/5/2018

3 Comments

 
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When Alexander Philp was born in St Andrews in 1846, his father Benjamin was a baker there. However, the family moved to Largo in the 1850s - initially to Strathairly but then to Drummochy House (pictured above). Benjamin Philp was now a commission agent / grain merchant. This house was ideal in terms of both size (the family had many children) and location (overlooking the harbour). It had previously been the Petheram family home. Benjamin was involved with the Largo Granary Company and was proprietor of the granary around this time - see 1865 valuation roll below.
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Not long after the Philp family's move to Largo, the old flax spinning mill was taken over by David Russell of Silverburn, who in 1860 converted it into an oil and cake mill. A young Alexander Philp began a job there around this time. It would be an opportunity which would set him on course for a life-long career in the industry. The 1861 census shows Alexander working as a clerk there and a decade later, in 1871, he was recorded as a 'seed crusher's clerk' at the mill. A keen interest in golf also saw Alexander becoming one of the founders of the Lundin Golf Club in 1868.
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Some years later, David Russell acquired the old sugar mill at Burntisland and converted it also for seed crushing and the manufacture of linseed oil and cotton cake. Many of the workers at his new mill were brought over from Largo when the Burntisland venture opened in 1877, one of them being Alexander Philp, who became 'seed crusher master' (another 'import' from Largo was David Wallace).

​It was in Burntisland that Alexander met his future wife - Helen MacDougal Wallin. She was working at the Forth Hotel in the town, as an assistant to hotel keeper Agnes Horsburgh. The hotel was located right next to the railway station, docks and the mill where Philp worked. The Burntisland Heritage Trust website says of the hotel: " the 'swells of the town made it their rendezvous and 'commercials' made it their lodging because of its comforts and its proximity to the station". The daughter of a vet, Helen hailed from Berkshire, and it was down there that the pair married on 27 December 1882.

The Philps would go on to have eight children and remained in Burntisland for another couple of decades. Alexander was active in public life there too, being a town councillor and harbour commissioner, and having involvement in the golf and curling clubs. However, a new century brought change for the Philps and, in 1901, they returned to Largo. They bought 'The Mount' on Woodlands Road from David Lindsay the grocer and purchased the machinery within the old mill beneath the viaduct (see clip below from the 24 August 1901 Fife Free Press), where Alexander had begun his career forty years before.
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The mill restarted production as the adverts from the St Andrews Citizen below from 1902 (top) and 1905 (below) show. The business continued for several further years but petered out around 1912. Alexander retired and in 1928 an article in the Fife Free Press (8 Dec) reminisced about Mr Philp's time in Burntisland..."better known as 'Sandy' Philp in the circles in which he moved", it noted that he was "homely, plain-going and unaffected". Sandy (pictured inset) passed away on 23 April 1931 at The Mount aged 84. His wife Helen lived to the age of 90 and died in 1947.

With thanks to a relative of the Philp family for sharing the photograph of Alexander Philp (taken 1907).
3 Comments
John Band
13/5/2018 01:24:09 am

The 1861 census for Largo,April I think appears to say that Alexander Philp, age 14, is a flax manufacturers clerk. As the conversion of the Largo flax mill to seed crushing was still in progress at this time as recorded in David Russell's accounts this would suggest that Alexander may have begun his career with David Russell at his flax works at Silverburn.

Reply
John Band
13/5/2018 02:10:38 am

Alexander Philp became a partner in David Russell & Co. with others including Peter Wilson who began his career at Largo mid 1870's. They may have been the driving force for the expansion of the business at Burntisland. David Russell moved into paper making ( Tullis Russell, Markinch) at this time leaving Alexander & Peter in charge of the seed crushing business. In 1899 David Russell & Co. Ltd was bought over by the huge seed crushing conglomerate of British Oil & Cake Mills Ltd. The Largo Mill being both very small and leased from Largo estate was of no interest to them. Alexander Philp was offered a position with BOCM but turned it down. Peter Wilson joined them to manage the Burntisland branch. Alexander leased Largo and replaced the 6 outdated box presses with a modern Anglo American unit, producing 100 tons of cake per week. Owing to increasing imports into the UK of cheap oil Cake from Europe from 1905 ish Largo began to struggle even with a national demand for increased import tariffs. I believe Largo Mill ceased production on Christmas eve 1910. Alexander remained the lessee of the mill until his death, the presses were removed early in the first world war to be used in the manufacturer of gun cotton. The redundant mill was a great attraction for children to play in and in the1920's several boys were arrested for breaking in and stealing ropes etc. Alexander Philp however wished no charges to be brought which would adversely affect the boys.

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George Kirk Rall
18/8/2018 02:52:09 pm

Today I found your excellent blog about Lundin Links and in particular my relative Alexander Philp. I am an avid family historian and have substantial documented factual information about my Kirk and extended families including the Philp and Watson families in and around the east neuk of Fife. However I did not know that Alexander Philp was a founder member of Lundin golf club and that his father Benjamin was the first secretary and treasurer. Thank you very much for that information. I know the golf course very well indeed from the first twenty years of my life in Scotland. Very best wishes.

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