On 14th July 1760 the British were victorious over the French in the Battle of Emsdorf, which is depicted in the above painting. This battle took place during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) - a struggle for world supremacy between Great Britain and France which is considered to be the first global conflict in history. At Emsdorf, the newly raised British 15th Light Dragoons, along with six battalions of Hanoverian and Hessian infantry and some irregular cavalry fought against the French side (which were five battalions of the Royal Bavière and the Anhalt regiments, German mercenaries, and a regiment of hussars recruited from Hungary). The two forces were roughly the same size at around 3,000 men. The British and Hanoverians wore red. 

Part of a campaign to disrupt the French line of communications, this particular battle's objective was to capture Marburg to the west of Emsdorf (a village in Hessen, Germany, north of Frankfurt) where a French supply depot was situated. The French force were settling down to lunch when the British alliance surprised them. The Anglo-Hanoverians ultimately captured over 1650 prisoners, mostly due to several charges by the British 15th Light Dragoons into the retreating French force. A map of the battle is shown below. 
​

The fledgling regiment's victory at Emsdorf caused a sensation back in Britain. They were awarded the first ever Battle Honour (the right to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on flags, uniforms or other accessories), thus beginning a system that continues to this day. The 15th Light Dragoons began to wear the words “At Emsdorf” on their light dragoon helmets (see image below) and, as a result of this victory, the regiment acquired the new nickname of “The Fighting Fifteenth”.
​

​William Erskine (pictured below) was knighted for his performance in Emsdorf by King George III. Nicknamed "Woolly" Erskine, he went on to be posted to America and spent three years participating in the American War of Independence. He later saw action in the wars of the French Revolution. The Erskine Baronetcy, of Torrie in Fife, was created in the Baronetage of Great Britain on 28 July 1791 for William. In 1793 the baronies of Torrie and Lundin were entailed by Sir William Erskine. When he died on 19 March 1795, he was succeeded by his eldest son William.

So by the beginning of the 1800s, General Sir William Erskine, second baronet of Torrie (1770-1813) was proprietor of the Lundin estate. With the death of his father was still relatively recent, when it came to forming plans for the development of a new village to the south of Lundin Mill, he decided to name it Emsdorf after his father's famous victory. The brief entry (no. 6334) in the Sasines of 1802, shown below, is the earliest reference to the name 'Emsdorf' within the Largo Parish. It records James Crawford as the first to take possession of a feu in the newly established village on charter by Sir William Erskine of Lundin. 

From then, further feus were taken up and Emdorf grew into the village seen on the 1854 map below. Many of the early residents of the village were linen hand loom weavers. At the time of the first census in 1841 there was a concentration of weavers in the streets of Emsdorf. The sound of the shuttle would have emanated from many of these houses, as a local nonagenarian commented in 1931.

The younger Sir William Erskine, the second Baronet, died in 1813. The title and estates passed first to his brother James, until his death in 1825 and then to youngest brother John, fourth baronet, who lived until 1836. The Baronet of Torrie title became extinct upon his death. The property of Sir John Erskine of Torrie then passed to the son of his late sister, Frances Erskine (1773-1798). This was Rear-Admiral James Erskine Wemyss of Wemyss (1789-1854), whose maternal grandfather was Sir William Erskine of Battle of Emsdorf fame. James Erskine Wemyss sold the Lundin Estate to the Standard Life Assurance Company in 1852, shortly before his death (see notice from 27 May 1852 Fife Herald below).
​

Although Emsdorf no longer exists as a village, the street names of Emsdorf Street, Emsdorf Road and Emsdorf Crescent survive to this day within Lundin Links. The unusual name often prompts questions. Although like several other streets and settlements around the country the name recalls a long-ago battle fought in a foreign land (other examples being Waterloo, Trafalgar and Maida), the full story of Sir William Erskine and his role in this battle remains relatively unknown. 
​

The inaugural show of the East of Fife Chrysanthemum Society was held in Upper Largo's Simpson Institute on 24th November 1892. The notice below from the 11 November East of Fife Record heralded the event as "something new in East Fife". With its focus on late season produce, and its independence from existing horticultural societies, the display was hailed as "a most welcome new departure at this season of the year and doubly so when it relies for its attractiveness mainly upon the chaste chrysanthemum".

Turning the Simpson Institute into a haven of colour on a grey November day, large tables of pot plants including ferns and palms, were brought from Gilston and Lahill Houses (homes of the Baxter and Rintoul families). The feature of the day was of course the chrysanthemum display but there were also other plants, fruit and vegetables on show, plus a small handicrafts section. Society Secretary, William Short, head gardener at Lahill, was instrumental in the creation of the show. Originally from Dorset, his connections there resulted in cider apples and a flowers making the journey from the gardens of Lord Wimbourne of Canford Manor in Dorset. These flowers were described as "very fine albeit their long railway journey had told somewhat against their appearance". Several prizes were contested for at the inaugural show and local entries came from John Watson of Eden Cottage, William Laing of Church Place and Robert Smith of Largo Place, among others.

The duty of opening the exhibition fell to Mr Gilmour of Montrave, honorary president of the society, who was accompanied on the platform by president Dr Stuart Palm. The former generated laughter when he remarked that he thought flowers were much better at opening themselves than in trying to have anyone do it for them. He supported the decision to start up such a society and hailed the chrysanthemum's ability to brighten the shortening days. Music was provided by Mr Adamson's string band from Leven - a "pleasant change from brass".

The show returned the following year and the Simpson Institute again provided the venue in the "stormy month of chill November". This time the show was opened by Mr J.H. Baxter of Teasses. The third show in 1894 had a change of venue, taking place in Anstruther Town Hall. The show date and schedule of competition classes were advertised many months in advance, as the 13 April 1894 East of Fife Record notice below shows. William Short was the key point of contact for the schedule.
​

The fourth show took place in Leven Town Hall in 1895 and saw entries larger than any previous year. The following year saw a return to the Simpson Institute. The committee at this time included chemist Andrew Hogg (president), William Short (Secretary) and John Watson of Upper Largo's Eden Cottage (Treasurer). By now there was a cup (for the best 24 Chrysanthemums) and a silver medal (for the best 12 Japanese blooms) among the prizes, which also included many valuable money prizes. Unfortunately in 1896 the "climatic conditions were not of the first order" and this fifth show was hampered by "the muddy state of the roads" which "prevented those in the outlying districts from being present in such numbers as would otherwise have been the case". ​Nevertheless the centre table was "literally a blaze of rainbow hues, radiating from the phenomenally large chrysanthemum blooms".

The sixth show was held in Anstruther Town Hall in 1897 and the seventh in Leven Town Hall in 1898. On the latter occasion, the newly knighted Sir John Gilmour commented on how he preferred opening this type of event to a bazaar with its "tea cosies and carpet slippers". He also noted that he believed there to be 100,000 Chrysanthemum Societies in the country now. The eighth event in 1899 came home to the Simpson Institute (see notice below from Leven Advertiser) before visiting Leven Town Hall once more in 1900, where the display provided "a magnificent scenic effect as viewed from the gallery".

The Leven Advertiser commented that the Society had "grown from the friendly rivalry of a few Largo cultivators to quite a county organisation" able to send competitors to the national shows at Edinburgh and Dundee. The opening speech by Dr Durward included facts such as that chrysanthemums had been introduced to Britain a century ago, that they originally came from Japan and that the name meant 'golden flower'. Both John and James Brown received a mention in the newspaper reports on exhibits, as did Robert Smith of Largo Place, who was in the unique position of having won a particular category every year since the show was instituted - namely potatoes.

In 1901, a new venue hosted the event - Beveridge Hall in Kirkcaldy. The following year, the tenth anniversary year, the show was held in Leven (Kirkcaldy growers having been inspired to set up their own society by that time). Captain Gilmour opened the show. That year (1902) was considered to be one of the worst summers ever, providing a challenge to the growers. In 1903, the display returned to Largo once again, with Dr Stuart Palm presiding at the opening ceremony. It was noted in the local press that the Simpson Institute proved quite small for the large number of entries. Thus in 1904 the venue switched to the Co-operative Hall in Methil - the larger hall "showing the blooms to great advantage".

The 1905 show took place in Leven Town Hall and the 1906 one in the Free Gardener's Hall, Buckhaven. The Simpson Institute hosted in 1907 (following a smaller display the previous year). As the notice below from 6 November Leven Advertiser shows, this was presided over by Robert Paxton (who was yet to move into Homelands and resided at the time at Elphinstone). George Lumsden of Aithernie House (now the Old Manor Hotel) performed the opening ceremony. The entries overflowed from the main hall into the entrance and an awning was formed outside from the door to the gate, where the vegetables were laid out.  Lumsden used his speech to inform the crowd that the chrysanthemum was not in fact the national flower of Japan as many thought but that the cherry blossom was. The blue ribbon of the show was won by William Short of Lahill and the prize for best twelve blooms by local John Watson.
​

It was back to Leven Town Hall in 1908. This time one of the founders of the society was absent. John Watson, of Eden Cottage a stalwart of the show since its inception, had passed away in June that year. However, his widow continued to contribute and made the prize list on this occasion. By now, it would appear that all agreed that Leven Town Hall was the ideal venue for the show and it became the permanent home of the event. In 1909 Major Shepherd gave the opening speech and called for the provision of gardening plots for miners. He noted that these men may not have a garden of their own and ought to have the option of following the outdoor pursuit of gardening. He hoped that in a few years time this would come to fruition and that men of the mining communities would have prize winning entries at the show.

In 1910, a female opened the show for the first time - Lady Eva Wemyss of Wemyss Castle. The 16 November Leven Advertiser commented that, although "cradled in Largo", Leven was the most popular venue for the show. Major Shepherd introduced Lady Wemyss and commented on her great achievement in the creation of the Randolph Wemyss Memorial Hospital. Now a new tradition had begun with a lady performing the opening ceremony and in 1911 Miss Leonora Rintoul of Lahill did the honours. Miss Rintoul was already a well-known ornithologist by this time. The 16 November Leven Advertiser extract below recalls her introduction by Provost Balfour.
​

The 1912 show was opened by Mrs Sprot and the 1913 event by Mrs Shepherd. A date was set for the 1914 display, however, the onset of World War One saw this, like many other events, cancelled. The concise notice above from the 17 September 1914 Leven Advertiser informed the public of this. Life changed in many ways over the years that followed and the East of Fife Chrysanthemum Society was never re-established, in spite of pleas such as the one below from a reader of the Leven Advertiser on 18 January 1923.
​

The above image featured on a postcard posted in Leven in 1910. It is thought to show a horticultural show held in the vicinity. One of the regular entrants in the shows run by the Leven Horticultural Society was James (Jimmie) Brown of Hatton Law, market gardener and owner of the fruit and flower shop on Emsdorf Street, Lundin Links. Over many years, his name featured in the list of prize winners in the local press. For example, in the late 1890s and early 1900s he won prizes in the following categories: pot plants, cut flowers, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, beets, peas, onions, potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, turnips, marrow, shallots, grapes, apples, gooseberries and redcurrants.

The list gives an insight to the types of produce that he would have sold from his mobile hut and later from his shop. There must have been a wonderful range of fresh, local, seasonal produce available to local people. James Brown came from a green-fingered family. His father was John Brown (1820-1909) who was born at Blindwells (just to the north of Largo House), son of Braidwood Clark and Andrew Brown (a ploughman). In 1841, John was working as a linen handloom weaver and living with his parents at Largo Home Farm, where his father was an agricultural labourer. 
​ 

By 1851, John had moved to Lundin Mill, married Alison Kellock (of the Kellock family who had the saw mill at Hatton Law) and had four children. He was now a garden labourer. A decade later, the family, now with six children, were living in the Gardener's Cottage at Lathallan House (picture below) where John was the head gardener. The family returned to Largo the following year and James (Jimmie) was born in 1862. The family lived in 'the dip' at Largo Road, close to the Keilside bakery. John rented the nursery at Hatton Law from his mother-in-law Christian Kellock (and later from brother-in-law Robert Wood Kellock after her death).
​

By 1881, John had been joined by his son James, working as the tenant of the nursery / market garden at Hatton Law (an area once known as Hunger-em-out). However, when Robert Kellock died in 1887, John Brown became owner of both the nursery at Hatton Law and one of the cottages there, known as 'Rosebank Cottage'. The family moved out there from Lundin Mill and by the time of the 1891 census, 70-year-old widower John Brown was living at Rosebank Cottage with daughters Isabella and Violet, granddaughter Violet Alice and son James. The same household was recorded in 1901. John Brown died in 1909 aged 89, after a long life working outside in the fresh air. The map below shows the close proximity of the various places where John Brown lived in his life - Blindwells (upper right), Largo Home Farm (centre right), Lundin Mill (at foot of map) and Hatton Law (upper left). He only left Largo Parish for a brief spell to work at Lathallan, near Largoward.

John Brown's son James continued the market garden and continued to exhibit his produce at horticultural shows. He was also on the committee of the East Fife Chrysanthemum Society, which also held shows over many years. His sister Violet, and his niece Alice , worked alongside him as fruiterers and shopkeepers. Below are a couple of examples of adverts placed in the Leven Advertiser for seasonal help with their business. Note that before the family occupied the Emsdorf Street shop, Violet Brown had a fruit outlet at Leven Links. Violet Brown, Alice's mother, died in 1931 aged 71.

As Jimmie got older, much of the produce for the Emsdorf Street shop was supplied by Peter Keay, gardener at Largo House (until his death in 1942). When Jimmie died in 1943, aged, 81, Alice was left to run the shop alone, 40 years after its 1903 opening. Locals recall that in the final years of the shop, which continued into the 1950s, there was only a small range of produce on offer. Below is the notice that Alice placed in the 9 June 1943 Leven Mail to acknowledge support that she received from the community at that time of her bereavement. Also below is the executry notice that appeared in the 23 June Leven Mail. Violet Alice Brown herself died in 1976, aged 88.
​

The Ainslie map of 1775 shown above shows a place by the name of Hunger Himout to the north of Lundin Mill, where Little Pilmuir is now. This lost place name means 'starve him or them out' and has variations including Hunger-em-out. It's the latter that is used in the 24 November 1836 Fife Herald piece below about a pair of men who lived there at the time who were charged with assault. This article states that Hunger-em-out is Hattonlaw but the name does seem to have applied to whole area encompassing Hattonlaw and Little Pilmuir.

The unusual name does appear elsewhere in Fife and further afield within Scotland, including Orkney and Lanarkshire. Another example close by is Hunger emout in the Parish of Kettle shown on the 1775 map too (see further below). The book 'The Place-Names of Fife' by Simon Taylor (2008) explains that this was a "humorously self-deprecating name" which "refers either to poverty of the land or to the fact that it was not big enough to support its inhabitants". The name belongs to a well-defined genre of early modern Scots place names containing a verbal construction. Not dissimilar is the English market town name of Hungerford, which is derived from a Saxon name meaning "ford leading to poor land".
​

Another reference to the term can be found in the 11 August 1858 North British Agriculturist below. This refers to "the hunger-him-out system of farming" which, in the case described, had reduced the land to worthless remains (caput mortuum in Latin). The suggestion seems to be that the land was depleted due to overuse and that soil fertility was not properly maintained. So perhaps at some point in history areas with this name had been exhausted by over use. Whatever the origins of the name in the Largo case, the Brown family certainly proved that the land could be made productive and that a good living could be made from it.

It is ironic that Largo's 'Hunger-em-out' was where the Brown family had their market garden for many decades. Jimmie Brown was a life-long market gardener, like his father before him and brought produce from Hatton Law to Lundin Links for decades. Before occupying the newly-built shop at the west end of Emsdorf Street from 1903, he sold his produce in the open air at Emsdorf Road. Esther Menzies recalls this as follows: "In the summer time, in a small clearing in the front of the trees, Jimmie Brown set up his hut and sold fruit and vegetables...[which were] green and crisp and were sold in fresh cabbage leaves instead of bags." After Jimmie died in 1943, while walking the road to Hunger-em-out, his niece Alice Brown continued to run the fruit and florist shop (see image at the foot of this post). 

Had you heard the name Hunger-em-out? How old do you think this name might be? When did it go out of use? Any thoughts on this interesting name welcome!
​