The previous post covered George Duff, first inn-keeper of the present Crusoe Hotel (then known as the Harbour Inn). During George Duff's time at Seatoun of Largo, there was another long-term inn-keeper operating in Kirkton of Largo. That was Edward Lee, who ran the present Upper Largo Hotel (then referred to as Lee's Inn). Ned Lee had run the Inn in the Kirkton for decades when he died in February 1842 aged in his late 70s. His wife Catherine continued the business for a few months before handing over to James Purves. This hand-over was reported in the Fife Herald of 22 December 1842 as follows:
"On Friday, a number of friends and acquaintances of Mr James Purves, innkeeper, Largo, gave him a dinner, as a token of their respect for him as a friend, and to show their sense of his kind, frank and obliging manners as a landlord, on his commencing business in the inn lately occupied by Mrs Lee."
Purves had previously been gamekeeper on the Largo estate, and had resided in Largo Lodge at the time of the 1841 census. His time at the Upper Largo inn was, however, to be brief. Upon the death of George Duff (innkeeper down at the Harbour Inn) in 1846, Duff's wife Ann shifted from the Seatoun to the Kirkton and took over from James Purves. This move shows that, while Ann Duff wished to continue in the inn-keeping business, she perhaps did not wish to be involved in the transport side of things which seemed to be bound up with the Harbour Inn (her husband having been an agent for the steamboats as well as arranging omnibus services around Fife).
And so the old 'Lee's Inn' became 'Duff's Inn' and later was increasingly referred to as 'The Commercial Inn' and then 'The Commercial Hotel'. When Ann Duff died in 1867, her daughter - also Ann Duff - took over the inn at Upper Largo and remained there until shortly before her death in December 1881. She was certainly recorded as innkeeper there in the 1881 census and her brother James Duff was also residing there. His occupation was listed as "late gold miner"! And so ended an era, spanning across seven decades, of various members of the Duff family running inns in Largo.
In Upper Largo William Birrell would take over the inn for the remainder of the 1880s, before Andrew Turnbull picked up the reins. In the next post - details of what happened to the Harbour Inn following Ann Duff's departure in 1846.
"On Friday, a number of friends and acquaintances of Mr James Purves, innkeeper, Largo, gave him a dinner, as a token of their respect for him as a friend, and to show their sense of his kind, frank and obliging manners as a landlord, on his commencing business in the inn lately occupied by Mrs Lee."
Purves had previously been gamekeeper on the Largo estate, and had resided in Largo Lodge at the time of the 1841 census. His time at the Upper Largo inn was, however, to be brief. Upon the death of George Duff (innkeeper down at the Harbour Inn) in 1846, Duff's wife Ann shifted from the Seatoun to the Kirkton and took over from James Purves. This move shows that, while Ann Duff wished to continue in the inn-keeping business, she perhaps did not wish to be involved in the transport side of things which seemed to be bound up with the Harbour Inn (her husband having been an agent for the steamboats as well as arranging omnibus services around Fife).
And so the old 'Lee's Inn' became 'Duff's Inn' and later was increasingly referred to as 'The Commercial Inn' and then 'The Commercial Hotel'. When Ann Duff died in 1867, her daughter - also Ann Duff - took over the inn at Upper Largo and remained there until shortly before her death in December 1881. She was certainly recorded as innkeeper there in the 1881 census and her brother James Duff was also residing there. His occupation was listed as "late gold miner"! And so ended an era, spanning across seven decades, of various members of the Duff family running inns in Largo.
In Upper Largo William Birrell would take over the inn for the remainder of the 1880s, before Andrew Turnbull picked up the reins. In the next post - details of what happened to the Harbour Inn following Ann Duff's departure in 1846.
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