Early picture postcards of the Largo area, such as the one above, featured what is known as an "undivided back". This was where the entire back of the postcard was dedicated to the recipient's address. In fact there was a clear printed instruction "the address only to be written on this side". Should the sender wish to add a note, this would have to be squeezed into whatever space might be available on the front. The picture dominated the front of the postcard but sometimes a border or dedicated area was left empty for a brief message to be added. 

The example above was posted in July 1901 and generously left half of the front available for a message. Note that the sender was staying at the Belmont Hotel. The example below was sent in October 1900 and was a postcard published for Malcolm's Stationery Salon, Leven. It was also generous with the space left for a message - unlike the one further below where only a lower margin was available and the sender chose not to include a message at all. In the case where no message was added it was presumably sufficient to show the recipient where the sender had visited and provide an idea of how the place looked.

When divided back postcards became the norm, the old stock of undivided back postcards could be modified. Such an alteration can be seen in the example below. The sender has carefully added a pen-drawn line down the reverse side, before writing a message on the left hand side. In this case, the space on the front below the image was also used. The images on picture postcards soon filled the entire space on the front side and messages became confined to reverse side. The only exception perhaps being the popular 'X' added to mark the spot where the sender was residing.
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On 22 July 1913, bank clerk Thomas Robertson Stewart married Andrewina Williamson at Coventry Cottage, Drummochy, the bride's family home. Andrewina's father was master slater and plasterer, Alexander Williamson. Thomas was son of long-serving head teacher of Lundin Mill Primary School, David Milne Stewart.

The couple set up home at Carnbaan on Leven Road, Lundin Links - the semi-detached villa second from right in the image below. Their daughter Isabella Welch Robertson Stewart was born on 28 April 1914 (3 months before the outbreak of World War One) at Carnbaan. Nine years later, on 17 February 1923, a second daughter was born in the same house - Rena Williamson Robertson Stewart, pictured above. Rena was named after her mother, who went by that name, rather than the formal Andrewina.
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Carnbaan would remain the family home for decades. With the nine-hole Lundin Ladies golf course over the back garden wall, the Montrave Hall next door and the tennis courts and bowling green just a stone's throw away, the house was ideally placed for the Stewart family, who were very active within their community. Thomas Stewart was organist and choirmaster at Largo Parish Church for many years. He, and his father David before him, served a combined 66 years in the role of Session Clerk at Largo Parish Church.

Thomas was also Treasurer and Secretary of Lundin Bowling Club for an extended period of time, having been both a founder member of the club and its first champion. A love of music, dance and Scots heritage was passed on to daughters Isobel and Rena. Local newspaper archives contain many references to musical performances by the family, such as an example where an 11-year-old Rena danced the Highland Fling, as well as other dances, at a school concert in the Montrave Hall, with musical accompaniment from her father. Isobel and Rena attended Lundin Mill Primary School, where the paternal grandfather they had never met had been headmaster for 37 years.

Singing, dancing and playing the piano featured throughout Rena's life. The piece below from 19 February 1941 Leven Mail describes how Thomas, Isobel, Rena and others put on a musical evening at the British Linen Bank House in Leven. Their mother had organised the event which successfully raised sufficient funding to purchase both a stirrup pump (for fire safety) and a first-aid box. Despite going on to live most of her life in England, Rena enthusiastically continued her Scottish Country Dancing - teaching it until the age of ninety!
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As well as having musical ability, Rena excelled academically. The above extract from 22 July 1939 Fife Free Press marks the successful attainment of her leaving certificate from Buckhaven High School. In fact, she also gained the Dux award at secondary school, as she had already done at primary school. Rena went on to study French and German at St Andrews University. The 30 June 1943 Leven Mail described how she was "capped" M.A. at the Younger Hall graduation.
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After graduation, which was of course during the Second World War, Rena, and her friend Agnes Gardner, decided to sign up for war service - joining the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). After undergoing training, Rena arrived at Bletchley Park, early in 1944, where she was put to work processing German messages. So began a period of Rena's life that has only been revealed in detail recently, due to security restrictions and Rena's modest nature. Her language skills later saw her be tasked with translating Hitler's will and eventually joining the BBC World Service (and going on to be its first senior female editor). For those intriguing aspects of Rena's life, far beyond her Lundin Links origins, it is necessary to read the newly-published and richly-illustrated book shown below "The Story of Rena Stewart - Bletchley Park Girl, Translator of Hitler's Will and BBC Pioneer", by Victoria Walsh, published by Pen and Sword.
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Although Rena had a full life down south, she often visited her parents and sister, Isobel Maclennan (nee Stewart) who had studied at Edinburgh University and had gone into teaching prior to marriage (in 1949) and motherhood. Thomas Stewart died in 1962 aged 79 years, and his wife in 1974, aged 88. Both were buried at Largo Cemetery alongside the parents of Thomas and other family members. The family headstone is shown below.
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Rena herself lived to be 100 years old and celebrated her very special birthday surrounded by family and friends. When Rena died on 11 November 2023 (Armistice Day), a truly remarkable life came to a close - a life with its foundations firmly established in Lundin Links and Largo, where both the Stewarts and the Williamsons left a lasting mark. She was laid to rest with her parents at Largo Cemetery.

NOTE:

Author of Rena Stewart's biography, Victoria Walsh, will be giving a talk at Lundin Golf Club on Thursday 10 July. Tickets are £3 from the club bar (cash only), which includes a glass of Prosecco. Doors open at 6.30, and the talk (followed by questions and answers) will start at 7pm, lasting around 45 minutes. Copies of the book will available afterwards. 

​The Photographic View Album of Lundin Links and District, pictured above, dates to around 1902. The 8 x 11 inch album contains twenty images captured by G.W. Wilson & Company Limited, photographic publishers, of Aberdeen. George Washington Wilson (1823-1893) was an artist turned photographer and his company captured images from all over Britain, as well as overseas, during the second half of the nineteenth century. After Wilson's death in 1893, his sons continued the firm, until it ceased trading in 1908. The album pictured was commissioned by postmistress Margaret Bremner. An order for the albums would have been placed with the company's travelling salesman. Many of the buildings featured in the Lundin Links album had been very recently completed, including the villas along Leven Road, the Lundin Links Hotel and the Post Office itself. 
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The above advert printed at the back of the album mentions the various services offered at the Post and Telegraph Office, including groceries and list of houses for let. The advert also notes that there were "a select variety of mounted views of places of interest on hand". There is no mention at this point of the picture postcards that would become extremely popular from 1902 onwards. Many of the images from the photographic view album went on to appear on G.W.W. trademarked postcards which Margaret Bremner sold from her Post Office to summer visitors.
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The red cover design with the gold floral embellishment on the album's hard-backed cover was a stock design, which can also be seen in examples of albums showcasing other vicinities - such as the one below containing views of Shetland. A great many localities had albums created by G.W.W. and by other photographic publishers, such as Valentine's of Dundee. Further examples are shown further below.

An early photographic view album was one of Kirkcaldy and District, published in 1896 by Valentine's of Dundee. It contained sixteen views of recent photographs and was advertised below in the 25 July 1896 Fife Free Press. There was also a 'Photographic View Album of Largo and District' - a variation of the Lundin Links one, published by John Welsh Postmaster at Lower Largo. If you have seen that one or have a copy, please do leave a comment.
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The Pitch and Putting Green in the above postcard view was laid out in 1923. The development was instigated by Robert C. Paxton of Homelands. He had been Captain of Lundin Golf Club 1907-08 and remained influential at the club, as well as within the wider community. The small piece below from the 26 April 1923 Leven Advertiser notes that Paxton was "again to the fore with an improvement scheme". He had provided and equipped a recreation hut for ex-Servicemen in 1920, among other public and private gifts.
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David Patrick lived and worked from his home on Golf Road overlooking the pitch and putting course. It can be seen on the right of the map extract below, where the short street named Golf Road meets the railway line. The site of the pitch and putting course is bounded by the railway to the south and the curve of Station Road to the north. The 18th hole of Lundin Golf Course is marked just below the railway line (and the 1st hole below that).

The 5 July 1923 Leven Advertiser below covered the inauguration of the pitch and putting course. The first ball was struck by Sheriff-Principal James Alexander Fleming K.C. of Strathairly House (who had been Captain of Lundin Golf Club 1919-20 and who had in 1921 unveiled Largo War Memorial). A total of 172 people went on to take part in a competition on the course that evening. The piece also notes that William Yule was appointed greenkeeper.

The above postcard is postmarked Leven 28 August 1912 and was addressed to Mrs William Wallace, 116 Easter Road, Edinburgh. The sender was Maggie of 2 Seagate, Leven and her message was as follows:

Dear Aunt, A little brother arrived here on Monday morning, both mother and baby are keeping well. Maggie 

On the front of the postcard was a faded image taken from the Links at Leven, looking towards Lundin Links and Largo. More interesting is the large "BB" written in blue pencil over the message side of the card.  Was this code for Baby Boy? Could this have been something added by the postal service - an annotation to indicate a special message?  If you know anything of this practice, please comment.

​Postcards specially designed for birth announcements did exist at the time. Some examples are shown below. Most of them consisted of imagery such as cabbage patches, storks and chimneys!
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Who was this "little brother" and who was Maggie?  The birth record below provides the answer. John McLean MacDonald was born at 2 Seagate, Leven on Monday 26 August 1912. His parents were Hector MacDonald, a dock labourer, and Isabella Doig. His elder sister Margaret Balfour MacDonald was born in 1898, so was aged around 14 at the time of his birth. The family (with five children) still lived at 2 Seagate at the time of the 1921 census. Baby John lived to the age of 84, passing away in 1996 in Leven.

The annotated image below picks out some recognisable features from the postcard image:

1. Aithernie House (Old Manor Hotel)
2. Lundin Links Station
3. Elmwood and Ravenswood
4. Lundin Golf Club House
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The above postcard is postmarked Lundin Links 21 November 1917 and was addressed to Mrs Bushell, 36 Kett's Hill in Norwich. The sender was Sergeant George Ballingall and his message was as follows:

Dear Mrs Bushell, I have arrived here all safe and glad to say found all my dear ones in the pink. I am pleased I am the same. Hoping that this P.C. finds you all well. I don't know how to thank you for the fruit etc as it came in very nice on the journey north. Note the cross on house where I stay. I remain yours sincerely, Sgt. G. Ballingall

This was during the First World War and George Ballingall was a joiner who lived at 3 Park Terrace in Lundin Links (in the house he had marked with a cross on the postcard - see detail below). George was the son of John Ballingall the cork cutter and artist. Having been in the volunteers when war broke out, George left Fife to serve with The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders). At the time he sent the postcard, in November 1917, he must have been on a visit home. The "dear ones" that he refers to in his message are his wife Elizabeth Horne and three children, Isabella (born 1908), Annie (born 1910) and John (born 1916). He must have been relieved to find them all "in the pink". The postcard had been produced by Young's newsagent of Emsdorf Street and conveniently featured the Ballingall family home at 3 Park Terrace in the centre of the image. 

The First World War ended in November 1918 but in 1919 George was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) for services in the field. This award was part of the King's Birthday Honours, which in 1919 were dominated by awards related to the recently ended war. The 3 June 1919 Dundee Courier below detailed the "Gallant Scots decorated by the King for services rendered in France and Flanders". Ballingall's name is highlighted below. The 14 June 1919 St Andrews Citizen piece further below notes his "considerable service in France" but few details are given of the nature of the distinguished service being awarded. If you know more about the events that led to his MSM award - please comment.

It must have been a huge relief for his family that George returned safely home at the end of the war, given that Largo Parish lost 51 men in the First World War. It must have been a source of great pride to see him awarded the Meritorious Service Medal after the war had ended. However, George Ballingall's story was not to have a happy ending. He became unwell shortly afterwards and was ultimately admitted to Glenalmond Sanatorium in Perthshire, a facility for patients with tuberculosis (a bacterial infection of the lungs which was common at the time). After serveral months as a patient there, George died on 23 June 1921, aged 32 years. 

George's wife had given birth to twin sons days before, on 10 June 1921 at the family home at 3 Park Terrace. In the days between the birth of twins Thomas and George and the death of their father, the 1921 census was taken. At 3 Park Terrace, Elizabeth was recorded as the head of the household, her five children were listed and in addition her sister Mary Ainslie (nee Horn) and niece Isabella were also living there. Meanwhile George was recorded as a patient at Glenalmond, where it was noted that he was a joiner with R.G. Galloway and had five dependent children. He died two days after the census was taken.

The 30 June 1921 Leven Advertiser below gave an account of the funeral of George Ballingall, which was a military and masonic funeral. Over 100 masons attended, along with representatives of the Black Watch and the pipe band. Largo Silver Band were also present. 

As a footnote, the purple pencil in which the postcard was written was likely an army issue copying pencil. Copying, or indelible, pencils were widely used during the First World War to assist officers in completing paperwork. They were used in the field as the non-erasable qualities of indelible pencils made them much more convenient than the alternatives.
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The above photograph features the Robinson Crusoe statue on Lower Largo's Main Street, on the day of its unveiling. The evergreen branches around the edges of the image are some of the many decorations around the village on that momentous day - 11 December 1885. The base of the statue (see detail below) is inscribed with the words T Stuart Burnett A.R.S.A. Sc. 1885 to indicate that the sculptor was Thomas Stuart Burnett, an Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy, and that the piece was sculpted in 1885. Burnett was present on the day of the unveiling, along with his wife.

The day after the 1885 statue unveiling the Fife Free Press reported that...

"There has now been completed by Mr T. Stuart Burnett, A.R.S.A., a life-size statue, in bronze, of Robinson Crusoe. It is placed in a niche in the wall in front of the cottage where he is said to have been born, and stands about six feet high. It is spiritedly designed and perfectly executed, and it certainly tells its own story. There is no dubiety as to who the figure is intended to represent. To all who have read the romance of his first voyage, it looks like an old friend. Crusoe is clad in his rough coat of goat's skins, with torn and tattered breeches of the same material. His muscular legs are bare from knees down. His feet are enclosed in skin strapped down. His left hand is slightly pressed on an old rifle, while his right shades his eyes, which are looking expectantly to sea as if to snatch the glimpse of a passing sail. An old Scottish claymore hangs by the left side, while an old war axe hangs from his right side. The cap is also of skin. Altogether the figure is a satisfactory model, and a true representation of Robinson Crusoe". 

William Walkington's blog biography celebrates the productive life Thomas Stuart Burnett, cut short by his untimely death at the age of 34 years in 1888. Largo is fortunate to be graced by an fine example of Burnett's work, which continues to gaze down from the same location of its unveiling some 140 years ago.
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Catherine Selkirk was born in Largo on 29 January 1779 and was baptised two days later in the presence of the congregation of Largo Kirk, as the record below tells us. Her parents were "John Selkirk weaver in Nether Largo and Margaret Martin his spouse". Nether Largo was the name used then for Lower Largo. The above photograph appeared in the book 'Seatoun of Largo' by Ivy Jardine (1982). John Selkirk (Catherine's father) was the son of Alexander Selkirk, who in turn was the son of David Selkirk (or Selcraig), the eldest brother of the famous Alexander Selkirk. This made Catherine 'Robinson Crusoe's' great-grand-niece.
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When Catherine was eight years old her mother Margaret died. The record below shows that she died on 14 December 1787 and was buried on 17 December. Just over a year later, her father John remarried, to Isabel Peattie or Pattie.

So what was life like in Largo around that time?

The Old Statistical Account of 1792, written by the Reverend Mr Spence Oliphant of Largo Kirk, provides some insight to daily life. In terms of health and wellbeing, the account tells of how "coughs are very general, rheumatism and other inflammatory complaints are not infrequent. Epidemic disorders sometimes appear..." often affecting those on "a low and spare diet". The typical diet of the population was described as "meagre broth, potatoes, cheese, butter in small quantities, and a preparation of meal in different forms, make up their constant fare". Meat was generally reserved for "a birth or marriage, or some other festival".
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At the time fish were "scarce" and "at present there is not a fisherman in Largo, and only 1 in Drummochy, who fishes in the summer and catches rabbits in the winter". The pier at Largo was in existence at the time "where vessels of 200 ton may receive or discharge their cargoes". In the Parish there were 3 corn mills, 2 barley mills, 3 lint mills and 2 salt pans. The main industry of the Parish was weaving, of mostly "linens and checks", with every weaver having access to a bleaching ground. The flax was mostly imported but was dressed and spun in the village. The image below provides some impression of how the buildings along the shore at Lower Largo looked at this time, although this particular artwork dates to a several decades later.

The Old Statistical Account also refers specifically to Alexander Selkirk and noted that "the chest and musket which Selkirk had with him on the island, are now in the possession of his grand-nephew, John Selkirk, weaver in Largo", referring to the father of Catherine. Upon the death of John Selkirk, Catherine became the keeper of the relics. These well-travelled artefacts had been left behind by Alexander around 1717 when he departed the village suddenly with Sophia Bruce.

Catherine Selkirk married fisherman/ linen weaver David Gillies in 1799. Some sources state that the couple had thirteen children but it is difficult to be certain as records are incomplete. In the census of 1841 (see extract above) David, Catherine, David junior (a fisherman) and Janet are listed in the household, as well as Catherine's sister Margaret Selkrig, aged 50. David Gillies died in 1846, leaving Catherine a widow. In the 1851 census (below) Catherine was recorded, aged 72, along with the only other member of the household - a 10-year-old grandchild, Christian Gillies. 
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Catherine lived to see the arrival of the railway in Largo in 1857, which must have been momentous for the community. At the time of the 1861 census she was living alone, and she died the following year, on 1 February 1862, just days after her 83rd birthday. Her obituary in the local press spoke of a "pleasant spoken" woman, who had experienced a life of labour and of "toiling, rejoicing, sorrowing". Having lost her mother as a child and predeceased by several children - sorrow was a theme throughout her life, yet this was coupled with a lifelong association with her famous relative and the home in which she lived was surrounded by public interest. 

Among the children who outlived her were:

Margaret Allan nee Gillies (married shoemaker David Allan); born c 1801, died 1876 aged 75
Samuel Gillies (fisherman); born c 1808, died in 1892 aged 84 at Bower House, Lower Largo
Christina Deas nee Gillies (married fisherman John Deas); born c1813,  died 1894 aged 81
James Gillies (fisherman/whaler); born 1816, died 1902 aged 87
Alexander Gillies (fisherman); born c1823, died 1898 aged 76

On her death record below her mother was incorrectly noted as Isabella Peattie, who was actually her step-mother. Her son Samuel registered her death and must have been illiterate as he signed with a cross as 'his mark'. Catherine was buried at the new cemetery very recently opened in the Parish. Soon after her death, the old cottage and birthplace of Alexander Selkirk (1676-1721) was demolished and the current Crusoe Buildings built upon the site. The relics so long cared for by Catherine were sold - finally separated from the birthplace of their former owner.
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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. 
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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.

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.
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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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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.
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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.
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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. 
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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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