The gentleman above, pictured back in 1922 at the age of 91, is James Methven. This blog has mentioned him before but since then more has been unearthed about this remarkable man's life and the above photo has been found. Born in 1831 in Lundin Mill and one of eight children in a family predominantly of weavers, James was interviewed by the St Andrews Citizen for its 3 June 1922 publication under the headline "Famous Lundin Links Worthy - A Chat with James Methven". The piece opened with the observation that every fishing village on the east coast of Fife could "boast of some old worthy who had been born and bred in the same place all his days" and remarked that Lundin Links was proud of its oldest inhabitant "Auld Jimmy".

Apparently he had "a wonderful memory, and his racy description of events eighty years ago give rise to great merriment". His recipe for a long life was given as "work hard, be temperate, and be a lover of sport". The name of "Jumpin' Jimmy O' Leven" was a household name all over the lowlands back in the 1850s and 1860s (I guess few had heard of Lundie Mill back then). The article continued...

"Mr Methven was a famous athlete and was never beaten until he retired, by any athlete of his age and weight. From the early age of seventeen he appeared at all the sports, and was always champion jumper. As a hammer and ball thrower he was seldom beaten, and he never failed to secure a place at vaulting. Hurdle races however were his favourites, and to use his own expression, "I cud loup ower the hurdles as guid as ony horse". James prides himself on always "knockin' spots oot o' a' the Duke o' Atholl's giants at sports". For twelve years Methven came up against Donald Dinnie at various sports but never once did Donald gain the mastery. Ned McNeil also competed at many tournaments, and he usually ran hard on Jimmy's heels."

Jimmy made annual visits to Leith, Dunbar, Galashiels and Liverpool. "And mind ye" he said "I had to tramp every inch o' the road". Methven reflected upon how the athletes of the time now had "trains, motors and cycles to convey them to tournaments whereas in the olden days "shank's naggy" was the only choice". What would he make of today's pampered professional sports people? How did he manage to walk to Liverpool and then compete successfully in the Highland Games there? How long would it have taken him to get there and what would he have had to carry with him? An advert for the 1859 Liverpool Highland Gathering is shown below.

James also had competition from his fellow villagers at the various games he competed in - notably his younger brother Peter and also William Tivendale (a Lundin Mill born forrester). The Caledonian Mercury of 4 August 1858 reported from the Dunbar Gymnastic Games and listed all the event winners. Jimmy got a placing (mostly 1st place) in the following events - running long leap; standing high leap; running high leap; standing hop-step-and-leap; running hop-step-and-leap; hitch and kick; throwing 28 lbs weight; throwing 56 lbs weight; and 150 yards hurdle race. With good prizes on offer, it was clearly worth his while walking all that way! The report of the Dunbar games also hints at what Jimmy's "racy description of events" might have referred to. The main events were followed by "a number of minor competitions...and a race among the fisher lassies, which caused much amusement...also two donkey races and climbing for leg of mutton on greased pole. On the conclusion of these games, dancing commenced in the ring and was blithely kept up till late."

Such events must have caused huge excitement in the towns where they took place - with thousands of visitors, work suspended for the day, bands playing, flags and banners flying, "shows" (such as menageries, shooting galleries, merry-go-rounds, conjurers) and all manner of tents and stalls. The Jedburgh Border Games of 1853 (another of Methven's regular venues) reported "retailers of berries, pies, tarts, gingerbread, nuts, &c...soda water, lemonade and ginger beer....corks loosed from the grasp of wire were flying in all the tents in all directions".  Methven's name crops up in many, many newspaper articles from the period in many different locations (Leven, Colinsburgh, Alva, Cupar, Dunfermline, Kinross, Dundee, St Andrews, Wishaw, Newcastle, Dumfries, Hawick, Leslie...to name a few) including several years at Leith Gymnastic Games held on Leith Links. The clipping below shows him winning multiple "purses of money" for his efforts in 1855 at Leith. 

The 14 August 1857 Forfar Advertiser (pictured) shows the Lundin Mill double act of Methven and Tivendale walking off with a wide range of prizes, as well as the mighty Donald Dinnie of Aboyne.

More on Dinnie here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Dinnie

Methven must have 'retired' as an athlete around the time of his marriage, aged 38, to Euphemia Robertson Cockburn. They had four children that survived infancy - Andrew (who became a joiner, serving his apprenticeship with Peter Broomfield of Upper Largo), Euphemia, Jane and James (a stone mason). 

Many were the gold, silver and bronze medals won by Jimmy (an example of one similar is shown inset, in addition to the many and varied other prizes. His working life was, unsurprisingly, an active one. As well as decades as a linen weaver, he was a forester for a time, a railway porter for a spell while in his 50s, and a 'mason's labourer' from his 60s and well into his 80s! By the time he was interviewed at the age of 91, he had time to enjoy his pastimes of shooting and golf (another sport for which he won trophies).

Going back to the St Andrews Citizen piece from 1922, we learn that James's four children were all thriving - with Andrew in South Africa, James in New Zealand and both daughters married - in London and East Lothian. The articles notes that Jimmy's father and grandfather both lived into their nineties.

James Methven reached the age of 95 and died in Lundin Links in 1926 - at Allan Cottage on Largo Road. A true local sporting hero and great all-rounder, Methven was much more than "some old worthy". Surely he would put many of today's athletes to shame. What he did and what he achieved was astounding and, had he lived in the present day, surely we would all have heard of him.

The above circa 1900 postcard image was taken next to the Keil Burn, on the east side of the road bridge on Largo Road (the stretch of road once referred to as The Wynd). The four-storey building on the left is 'Millburnlea', occupied around this time by a shoemaker and a joiner, with shop fronts at street level.  Meanwhile on the opposite side of the main road was Bridge House, where Christina Young's newsagent and stationery shop was situated prior to its move to Emsdorf Street.  

​'Burnside' and the sluice gate for the old flour mill have been covered in a previous post. The bridge dates back to the late eighteenth century when the turnpike road system reached Lundin Mill. By the 1930s there were calls for the widening of the narrow and out of date structure. This issue was under consideration for some time, before icy conditions in the winter of 1935/36 led to renewed demands from both residents and visiting motorists. By late March 1936 the advert below had appeared in local paper calling for the submission of tenders to carry out the works.

By 27 June, the Fife Free Press reported that "after years of patient waiting, work has at last begun on the much needed scheme of improvement at the narrow bridge at Lundie Mill....for years past this has been a trap to all classes of road users, motorists and pedestrians alike. It is surprising that there have not been more accidents at this spot....One of the most unsatisfactory features was the complete absence of footpaths." This article continued by noting the leading role of Councillor Christopher Gatherum of Upper Largo - who had "pegged away at the question for years". Although ultimately the change was not as significant as had been hoped for, the road was widened by about two feet and a four foot pathway added on the west side. Improvements were complete by late August - but not without incident - as the snippet below from the 4 July Fife Free Press from 1936 illustrates!

On this day, a century ago, the Largo branch of the Scottish Women's Rural Institutes was founded. The movement had begun in Canada in 1897 and the First World War hastened its development on this side of the Atlantic. The WI was formed in England in 1915 and the SWRI followed in Scotland two years later. The SWRI was inaugurated in Edinburgh on 27 June 1917, with the first meeting of the first Institute following swiftly afterwards in Longniddry, East Lothian on 25 July. The President of the Longniddry Institute (and driving force behind the inauguration of the Institutes in Scotland) was Mrs Catherine Blair of Hoprig Mains. The 26 July Scotsman covered this opening meeting (see below).

The spread of the movement didn't escape the notice of Kirkton of Largo's Evelyn Baxter, who at the age of 38, founded the Largo Institute, with her close friend, and fellow ornithologist, Leonora Rintoul and twelve other ladies. Misses Baxter and Rintoul are pictured above. These hard-working and practical ladies wasted no time in undertaking useful endeavours. The Dundee Courier of 11 May 1918 ran a piece under the headline "Largo Women's Good Work on the Land". This continued...

"Miss L. Jeffrey Rintoul reported at the Fife Women's County Committee on Agricultural Labour meeting at Cupar yesterday that Miss Baxter's gang at Largo had planted over 100 acres of potatoes, and among other work had done gardens at Upper and Lower Largo". At the meeting, a Mrs Young had called for more leaders in the county and stated that "leaders of Miss Baxter's type were very rare".  Miss Rintoul also reported the progress of the Rural Institutes, saying that the membership fee was 2s and that the government took 3d of this as an entertainment tax, as they had a little music at their meetings. At that time there were Institutes at Kilmany, Gauldry, Largo, Ceres and Luthrie, with plans afoot for others at Cameron and Leuchars.

By August of 1918, Misses Baxter and Rintoul had gone down to Somerset to Barwick Camp, Yeovil with a "Scottish gang" to prepare for the Fife harvest by being trained in every phase of the flax harvest. The image below shows women harvesting flax during the Great War in Yeovil just as the Largo ladies would have done. Typically, the good ladies of Largo organised a concert while staying at the camp, which was a great success and raised funds for Red Cross Week. The 3 August St Andrews Citizen covered this story and noted that "All the performers were Scotch. Miss Rintoul gave a Scotch recitation which brought down the house. Miss Stark sang "My ain wee hoose" beautifully". The Scottish ladies at the camp clearly had a great sense of humour - they decorated their tents with inscriptions and mottoes, including "Wha daur meddle wi' me". One tent was called "ma ain wee hoose" with a thistle underneath, others were named "The Beetle 'Ole", "Earwig Villa" and "Multum in Parvo" (a great deal in a small space). 

The Largo SWRI flourished and in 1932 the group published 'Largo Village Book', which remains a useful resource for those interested in the history of the parish.  In that book it states of the SWRI that "from the first meeting it was evident that it filled a felt want in the parish". Membership in the early decades was around 200 to 300 and attendance at the monthly meetings was large. Classes were also held for various crafts and cooking during the winter months. Baxter and Rintoul held roles in the movement at every level and during the Second World War helped to organise the Women's Land Army in Fife.  The Evelyn Baxter Scholarship continues within the SWRI to this day, encouraging the preservation of traditional craft. The Largo Institute continues to meet.

                100 Years of Largo SWRI - 1918 - 2018
​                   ________________________________________

On 8th May this year, 150 years will have passed since Lundin Golf Club was founded. According to the reflections of the St Andrews Citizen of 22 July 1899, the club "was founded at a meeting in the Lundin Mill Hotel" when "only six purely local men were present". They were reported to be:

Frederick Lumsden
Colin McTaggart
Alexander Philp
Peter Smith
Thomas Sime
Andrew Thomson

The article acknowledged the additional help of "Nicoll Malcolm, David Marshall and James Brown, of the Leven". Robert Smith of Innerleven Club (a Leven draper) seems also to have been involved, as at the time of his death the Courier credited him as being one of the founders of Lundin also. Robert Rintoul of Lahill (previously an Innerleven Captain) was elected the first Lundin Captain. Benjamin Philp (Largo commission agent and father of Alexander Philp mentioned above) was chosen to be the secretary and treasurer.

As A.S. Cunningham notes in his book "Golf Clubs Around Largo Bay" (1909), "the club led a hum-drum existence for for nine years" before "it dropped quietly out of sight in 1877". The club was "resusitated" in 1889. Frederick Lumsden was in the chair at the meeting to reorganise things, held in the Temperance Hall on 16 August. However, it is worth considering why the club failed to gather momentum in its infancy....

Firstly, to examine the local context. Standard Life Assurance Company had owned the Lundin Estate since 1852 and had tried (unsuccessfully) to expand the village of Lundin Mill by creating a development of marine villas and other facilities. By 1868, with plans unfulfilled and only a handful of feus occupied, a new golf club might have offered a final opportunity to stimulate interest in the further development of the village. The advert below dates to 1869 and names Standard Life clerk Mr Robertson as contact regarding summer lets (Edinburgh Evening Courant 15 May). However, by 1870, Standard Life had put the Lundin Estate up for sale. It was finally sold to Allan Gilmour in 1872.

While the estate had been in the hands of Standard Life, the factor had been George Todd Chiene. He had been the second Captain of the Lundin Golf Club - elected in 1869. Chiene was given special mention at the time of the opening of the new club house in 1896 (long after his departure and his death) as someone who was "far-seeing" and who, back in the late 1860s, was in charge of the estate on behalf of Standard Life and "took an active interest in the welfare of golfers" (Glasgow Herald 6 April 1896).

Furthermore, according to the Herald "through his interest several medals were presented to be played for by members of the club, and others, but even with these, and the fact that a considerable amount of money was spent on the upkeep and improvement of the links, there was not sufficient play to make the links on that side quite as good as they ought to have been. The fact was that those good golfers upon the west side of the dyke did not care to face the terrors of the "Straits of Belle Isle" and the rough country they knew lay beyond it". This unflattering description mentions the straits that lie between Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada - a rugged and uninhabited place! 

Secondly, looking at the local golfing scene of the time, 1867 saw the nearby Innerleven Golf Club move from Dubbieside (to the west of Leven) to the links on the east of the town (their original course having been encroached upon by works and sidings associated with the neighbouring coal pits). In 1868, the new Innerleven course was extended to Lundin Links prompting the founding of Lundin Golf Club. The Innerleven Club "offered special prizes to Lundin players to play over the new course between Mile Dyke and the last green at Lundin" (Dundee Evening Telegraph 7 Dec 1909). But it would appear that the majority of players favoured a round on the west side of the new extended course to one on the 'benty, tussocky and rife with whin' Lundin side. The Glasgow Herald (6 April 1896) reminded readers that back in 1868 "only four and a half couples put in an appearance at the first meeting"  which was played solely on the Lundin course. ​

Thirdly, it could be that events in the lives of the six local founders contributed further to the stalling of the club early in its existence. Clicking on the links above will take you to more information about the lives of five of the six founders (the sixth will be covered in a future post). Notably, Thomas Sime left Lundin Links for Kilconquhar just a few months after the club's founding. Also in the same year Colin McTaggart's employer - Mrs Durham - sold the Largo estate. He moved with her to Arniston House in Midlothian. In 1870 Frederick Lumsden's wife died, aged 32, leaving him and their six children to readjust to life without her. Peter Smith died in 1871. So external events affected at least four of the six founders very soon after that meeting on 8 May 1868.

Fortunately, the club has gone from strength to strength since 1889. At the time of the building of the new club house in 1896 (illustrated below), John Gilmour of Montrave proposed a toast and hailed the satisfactory position of the club but said that "he must admit the club had had its ups and downs".