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Alexander Selkirk's Cottage

18/4/2025

Pictured above is a carte de visite by John Patrick of Leven, featuring a model of the house in which Alexander Selkirk lived in Lower Largo. The name 'Patrick' and the place 'Leven' can be seen in tiny writing on the left of the card and on the reverse is the photography studio's logo of the time (see below). This photograph of the model house can be dated to circa 1865.

The book 'Seatoun of Largo' by Ivy Jardine states that the scale model of the Selkirk cottage was made in 1865 by David Selkirk Gillies (then aged 22). John Patrick the photographer left Leven in 1867 for Kirkcaldy, confirming that the carte de visite must date to before then. The demolition of the old Selkirk home was preceded by the death in 1862 of Catherine Gillies (nee Selkirk or Selcraig) the great-grand-niece of Alexander Selkirk, the Largo-born inspiration for the character Robinson Crusoe.

Catherine, the widow of fisherman David Gillies, died on 1 February 1862 aged 83 years. The notice above appeared in the 4 February Fife Herald. She was both the owner and occupant of the home where Alexander was born. She "guarded most religiously the cup and chest, which, as interesting relics, had descended as an heirloom in the family" according to the Fifeshire Journal of 17 April 1862. The piece went on to say that "the death of this old woman is about to be followed by changes which must tend much to break up and obliterate the Largo-Crusoe traditions....The quaint old house of her fathers, with its moss-covered thatch, its grey walls and small windows" would soon also meet its demise. The house was indeed pulled down and the Crusoe relics put up for sale. The old cottage was likely demolished in 1862, as the replacement building on its site was described as 'ready for occupation' in November 1863. The model may therefore date to 1862, if modelled from real life rather than memory or sketches.

The actual house was likely not quite as neat and straight-edged as the model suggests. The engraving below by William Ballingall from his 1872 book 'Shores of Fife' shows the same number of windows and doors but a more uneven rooftop and gables. The engraving also shows some additional detail in terms of the adjoining structures, which provide more context. Note the crow-stepped gables - some examples of which can still be seen on Main Street today.

Once the old buildings were taken down and the site cleared, several new dwellings were erected. The replacement building on the actual cottage site was named Crusoe Buildings. This symmetrical building contained four dwellings each of which had a 'kitchen' and a 'room' with space for a corner bed. The building had undergone several refurbishments over the decades, including the enlargement of some windows and the conversion of the attic. The niche at the upper level, where the statue now reside, does not feature on the original drawings for the building. The Robinson Crusoe statue that we see today was unveiled in 1885.

Adjoining Crusoe Buildings were additional new dwellings, including 'Twin House', shown below, which was made for inseparable twin brothers William and Robert Gillies, owners of the fishing boat Ocean Bride. Several properties were built in total in a distinctive terrace - now 99 - 113 Main Street.

The model of the old cottage survived for many decades, receiving some repairs and repainting along the way. It looked slightly different by the early 1980s and appeared as below in the book 'Seatoun of Largo'. If you know what became of the scale model of the Selkirk family home - please leave a comment.

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A Walk Up Largo Law

11/4/2025

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Largo Law is an eroded volcanic plug, 290 metres (953 feet) high. A walk to the summit and back will take between 60 and 90 minutes, from Upper Largo, depending upon how long you linger to enjoy the 360-degree views from the top. The starting point, shown below, is a gate between Upper Largo Cemetery and the Kirkton of Largo Primary School building. Next to the gate, there is a small car park and a noticeboard with some information about the hill.

From the gate (marked 1 below), a narrow grassy path stretches to the north east. The path rises, passing Chesterstone Farm Cottages (marked 2 below) before skirting around the farm yard of Chesterstone (marked 3). From there signs direct you to turn left and follow the steep path that rises straight up towards the Law. Chesterstone Farm has been around for centuries and is present on the 1775 Ainslie map.

After a steep climb the first peak (a false summit) is reached. To reach the highest point, you must take a short drop to a stile over a fence. Pause to appreciate the view in the dip, framed by the two internal slopes (see below) before making the short ascent to the trig point at the higher second peak.

The triangulation post or trig point (shown below) has a metal plaque embedded into one side, displaying the post's unique identification number. Largo Law's unique number is 3152. There is also a cairn close by - a marker in the form of a pile of stones. There is a tradition in Scotland of carrying a stone up from the foot of a hill to place on a cairn at its top. In the Highlands there is a more specific lore that when clans fought in a battle, each individual would place a stone in a pile. Those who returned from battle removed a stone from the pile and the remaining stones built into a cairn to honour the dead.

Largo Law Cairn © Copyright Colin Kinnear and licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0

Views in all directions can be enjoyed from the summit, including the whole of Largo Bay, the nearby islands of the Forth including Bass Rock and Isle of May, the East Lothian coast and inland towards New Gilston. Once you have had sufficient time to appreciate the vista or enjoy a picnic, you can return back to Upper Largo using the same route.

Largo Law was once a 'beacon hill'. For thousands of years, all over the world, hill tops have been used for keeping watch and for signalling warnings with fire. Over time, beacon warning systems would have become more co-ordinated and controlled. An iron fire basket or stone built turret would have been filled with combustible material ready to blaze up when ignited. Someone would have manned the site, watching for contiguous warning signals to be lit. The Largo Law site may have been looking towards the Lomonds or Kellie Law for signals. The word 'Lomond' means beacon or blaze of light. Sometimes codes (eg one, two or three fires) may have been used to show the level of danger or the type of action required.

During the 19th century and into the 20th century, 'Beaconmania' hit the UK, with the slightest excuse being used to light fires on top of hills. Royal birthdays, Jubilees, anniversaries or military victories all triggered beacon lighting celebrations. Examples of such occasions, where a bonfire was lit at Largo Law include:

1842 - Visit of Queen Victoria to Scotland (many coastal bonfires were lit as she sailed up the Firth of Forth)
1863 - Royal Wedding of the future King Edward VII (then Prince of Wales) and Queen Alexandra
1887 - Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee
1897 - Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee
1902 - Coronation of Edward VII
1911 - Coronation of George V
1935 - Silver Jubilee of King George V
1953 - Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II

The top of the Law has also been the scene of Easter morning services and the objective of the annual 'Law Race' but mostly the hill attracts walkers eager to enjoy the view. The view has changed in some respects since the groups of well-dressed visitors toiled up its slopes to be met with rows of stooks (crops stood up in sheaves) and fishing boats laden with herring, as the 31 August 1848 Fife Herald below describes.

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Hillhead Grocer Shop - Part 3

4/4/2025

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The previous two blog posts have explored the origins of the former grocer shop at the foot of Hillhead Street (seen on the far left of the image above) and the somewhat turbulent turn of the century period for the shop. The next chapter in its history picks up from the departure of Matthew Barrie to Melrose and the arrival of Lawrence Smith from Carron Bridge, Falkirk. Born in 1881, Lawrence Smith was the eldest son of pattern maker Lawrence Smith senior, and was grocer's assistant at the time of the 1901 census. Five years later he married Alice Lawson and the couple relocated to Fife. The notice below from the 1 November 1906 Leven Advertiser notes the grant of a license for Smith for the Lundin Mill grocer premises.

The next year Lawrence and Alice's eldest daughter Jessie Watson Smith was born in Lundin Mill. The 1911 census records Lawrence, Alice and a 3-year-old Jessie in the household. Later that year another daughter, Jean, was born. The photograph below shows Jean (left) and Jessie (right) a couple of years later.

The image above shows Jessie outside the entrance to the grocer shop, seated in the carriage of the delivery horse. The same image is below, superimposed on the shop building in more recent times. Nowadays the street is filled with parked cars.

Lawrence Smith can be seen in the photograph above at the rear of the shop with his prize-winning dog and a trophy. He frequently entered dog competitions and was well-known in these sporting circles. Of course, 1914 saw the outbreak of the First World War and in September of that year, Lawrence joined up at Leven. Joining the 9th Battalion of the Seaforth Highlanders, he left for the front in April 1915. Lawrence is pictured below in his uniform.

In his absence, the grocer shop was supported by the wider family, including Lawrence's wife Alice, his widowed mother Jean and his younger brother William M. Smith. The extract from the 7 September 1916 Leven Advertiser tells us that two years later, William became the third Smith brother to join the army. According to the valuation roll, the official proprietor of the grocer shop at this time was their mother Jean Smith.

Meanwhile, Lawrence had a short spell at home on leave in October 1917. Sadly, only two months later he was killed by an enemy shell on 13 December 1917, aged 36 years. In the 27 December 1917 Leven Advertiser below, Lawrence was described as "an excellent leader of men, and devoid of fear, who had won the hearts of all the men in his platoon" and "a man of outstanding qualities, calm and unperturbable, and always brave and cheerful". Touchingly the letter received by his widow stated that "you have lost a husband of whom you should be proud and your daughters can always refer to their father in future years as a gallant and efficient soldier". Sergeant Smith was buried with full military hours in a British cemetery.

Sergeant Lawrence Smith is one of the 51 men who fell in the First World War named on Largo War Memorial. The detail on the memorial shown below includes his name in the middle of the list on one of the panels.

After the war, the shop continued for a time. The 1920 valuation roll for Largo Parish still lists the property as a shop, with Jean Smith as the proprietor. However, by 1925 the former shop was described as an 'office'. It had become the office of Largo Parish Council (see above) and remained as such for many years, even after the death of Jean Smith in 1934. In October 1925 a "daring fraud" took place in the office when David Smail pretended to have obtained work as a miner. He was given £2 by the Inspector of the Poor to purchase a pick and shovel and to tide his family over until the work began. However, the job did not materialise and he used the money himself, leaving "his wife and children destitute" according to the 22 December 1925 Leven Advertiser below.

When the use of the office ceased around 1950, the building became fully residential. Today the casual passer-by would hardly believe that this building was once a busy village amenity with an intriguing history. If you have any images or information about the days of this grocer shop, please do get in touch.

Decades after the grocer shop ceased to trade, the name 'Smith' could still be made out above the door. Very faint wording was also visible on the gable end. In the image above it appears that the words Licensed Grocer were part of the painted signage high on the gable wall.

With many thanks to the descendants of Lawrence Smith for sharing the family photographs and information.

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Alexander Selkirk's Cottage

A Walk Up Largo Law

Hillhead Grocer Shop - Part 3

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