As a follow-on from the previous post about the Port of Drummochie, and the heyday of the salt pans there, we can look in more detail at the visible evidence of the old structures around this area. First, for context, a map comparison (above) of Drummochy in 1964 (top) and a feuing plan of the same area from around 1840. Numbered on both maps are:

1. The site of the former Emsdorf School;
2. The Salt Panhouse on the 'Panbraes';
3. Drum Lodge;
4. Salt Girnel (later known as Net House).

These landmarks and others are also annotated on the map below of Drummochy Salt Works from the book 'Largo - An Illustrated History' by Eric Eunson and John Band. This also shows how the pair of skerries of rock directly in front of the panhouse would likely have been dammed to create a 'bucket pot' (basin). Here the sea water would have been held when the tide was out, ready to be drawn up into the panhouse for boiling. More about the salt production process can be read about here.

The aerial image above and the ground level images below show the remains of the harbour structure. Much of the original stone would have been recycled into new building works long ago.  The former 'Pan Braes' became known as 'Massney Braes'. Unable to find any definitive origin or meaning for the word Massney, I wonder if there is any connection to stone masons using this area as a source of material. Opinions welcome on this idea - or evidence of an alternative meaning to the name. It's certainly the case that stone has taken from this area of shore by masons. In 1880, legal action was taken to stop Thomas Tivendale, mason, from "taking stone for building purposes from the seashore opposite Mr Macrae's property". Mr Macrae was Colin George Macrae W.S. of Drum Lodge.
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Above images show specific detail of the old harbour of Drummochie, captured at a time when there was less sand covering the area. The image on the left is the base of the sloping revetment of the harbour entrance (looking back towards Drum Park). The photo on the right is the end of the pier section which projects from the Lundie rocks.

Another historic feature in this vicinity is the man-made extension to the end of the Lundie rocks. Built around the 1830s, in the pre-railway days of the steam boat services, this low-water pier allowed boats to dock, embark and disembark passengers and goods, whatever the state of the tide. The flat platform of cut rocks can still be seen at the Lundies southern tip. The two images above show this from the ground and below is the same area from above. Remnants of iron fixings in the rock indicate a walkway with a bannister once would have assisted passengers from the boat to the shore.

Enjoy a short drone video clip ending at the former Drummochy Harbour here: https://youtu.be/HzIW_B2jxbk

In recent times the 'Mile Dyke' has been known for being the dividing point between the course of the Lundin Golf Club to the east and the Leven Links Golf Course to the west. However, the wall or 'dyke' itself predates both courses, going back to the eighteenth century. The 'Miledyke Wood' appears on the 1854 O.S. map (see below). And, in the accompanying O.S. Name Book, the Miledyke Wood is described as "A wood chiefly composed of oak, beech and elm trees, planted nearly a century ago on the estate of Lundin". Historically the dyke was a march wall that formed the boundary between the estates of Lundin and Durie. 
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Always a local landmark and notable point of reference, mentions of the Mile Dyke in the local newspapers often relate to property lost close to it - see examples below from the Leven Advertiser in the early 1900s. 
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However, most frequently, the Mile Dyke is mentioned in relation to golf. Leven Links dates back to 1846 and originally ended to the east at the Mile Dyke. It was extended beyond the dyke by 1868, towards Lundin Mill. Lundin Golf Club was instituted at the same time. The Mile Dyke thus became not a golfing boundary but a hazard in the centre of the green. A shared Leven-Lundin golf links arrangement meant that play started at both ends with a pause at the half-way point to take turn about. However, by the early years of the 20th century, the increasing popularity of golf locally led to frequent congestion and drastic change was required. In 1909, new full eighteen-hole courses opened at each end and the golf links was divided. James Braid designed the Lundin course, while Alex Patrick laid out the new Leven course. When an end came to the previous combined arrangement, the Mile Dyke reverted to its role as a boundary point.
 

The Leven Mail ran a poem about the Mile Dyke on 16 October 1946, penned by James Dingwall of Leven. Shown in full below, the humorous words highlight the robustness and longevity of the wall. The piece ends with the fitting statement that the Mile Dyke "will for lang years yet be seen".

Above is a 'then and now' comparison of the roofless ruin of Newburn Old Church, which is located to the north west of Upper Largo, close to Drumeldrie. The east end of the church is of pre-Reformation date and may be part of the original structure, which was dedicated by Bishop Bernham in 1243. The top postcard image above dates to the early years of the twentieth century, when the structure was covered with thick ivy, long since removed. Two very new-looking headstones appear in the foreground on the left, which appear more weathered and less straight today. The chain link has disappeared from the stone posts surrounding this plot. The gravestone on the extreme right above has been removed, apart from its base, while some neighbouring headstones have tilted with the passage of time.

Here's what RCAHMS had to report on the Old Parish Church following a field visit in 1927:

"At the south side of the road close to Little Dumbarnie, half a mile north-west of Balchrystie, stand the ruins of the old parish church, so densely clad with ivy that the external features are not apparent . The rubble walls rise to a height of about 12 feet, and there are east and west gables, the latter with a late belfry. The church measures internally 54 feet 10 inches in length by 12 feet 4 inches in breadth at the east end and 14 feet 10 inches at the west end the widening being all on tile north between the west gable and a transeptal aisle, which projects from the middle of the north wall and is a later addition.

The windows, one of which in the west gable has had a circular head, are now all built up, and other structural changes have been made. The original entrance is probably the round-headed door near the western end of the south wall, but the porch which covers it is later. An equilateral-headed credence in the north wall with roll-moulding and outer checks for a door and a small locker-recess beneath, is a pre-Reformation feature, as is also a recessed piscina, chamfered, with a bowl 10 inches in diameter opposite to it in the south wall. A larger recess at the southern end of the east gable, 2 ½ feet high by 1 foot 10 inches wide by 1 foot 2 inches deep, now closed by a memorial stone, may also be early."

A few hundred yards away is the the early nineteenth century parish church which replaced the old church around 1815. This later church closed when the last minister of Newburn, Reverend Frederick Cox retired in 1958. The Parish of Newburn was united with that of Largo at that time. One of the ways in which the Old Newburn Church was recognised by the united church was by the holding of open air services there on the Sunday closest to midsummer's day. The old ruined church is in a beautiful spot and is filled with interesting features and memorials - well worth paying a visit to.

First published 300 years ago tomorrow (25 April 1719), the story of 'Robinson Crusoe' by Daniel Defoe (first edition frontispiece pictured above) was a ground-breaking work. Written in a highly-descriptive narrative style, the account is presented as if an autobiography of the title character. The first instalment 'The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe of York, Mariner' was so well received that by late summer 1719 the book had been reprinted three times and Defoe had published a sequel,  'The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe'. A third volume, 'Serious Reflections During the Life and Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe' completed the trilogy in 1720. Hundreds of editions, translations and spin-offs followed and the tale became one of the most widely published of all time. The isolation/survival premise of the story has been much imitated. There is even a literary genre named after the novel - ‘Robinsonade’ - defined as ‘a desert island story’ or ‘castaway narrative’.
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Written in a house in Church Street, Stoke Newington, London, 'Robinson Crusoe' was Defoe's debut work of fiction. And it came late in his life - he was almost sixty when he penned it. Defoe was born 'Daniel Foe' in London circa 1660. Son of James Foe, a butcher and tallow chandler, Daniel's early life coincided with the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London, as well as the raid on the Medway by the Dutch Navy. By the time he was ten, his mother Annie had died.

His adult life was equally event filled. As a risk-taking merchant he found himself bankrupt and as a political writer he was imprisoned. A prolific writer on topics as diverse as crime, politics, religion, marriage, psychology and the supernatural, he was also a pioneering journalist. After travelling around Europe, he adding the 'De' to his surname (perhaps to sound more exotic or aristocratic). He witnessed the Great Storm of 1703 and wrote a book about it the following year. After the success of his first work of fiction with 'Robinson Crusoe' in 1719, he followed up with others such as '​Moll Flanders' and 'Roxana'. His marriage to Mary Tuffley produced eight children. Defoe (pictured below) died on 24 April 1731.
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Before and during Defoe's lifetime there had been multiple stories of real-life castaways - including of course Largo-born Alexander Selkirk. Defoe himself never confirmed nor denied that Selkirk was the prototype for Robinson Crusoe and as a result much speculation has ensued over the centuries as to where the inspiration came from. Many articles and books have been published exploring various theories. 

While it's possible that Selkirk and Defoe actually met one another, what seems probable is that Defoe would have been familiar with the 1712 publication of 'A Cruising Voyage Around the World' by Captain Woodes Rogers, who had rescued Selkirk in February 1709 from his four years and four months of solitude on the island of Mas A Tierra in the Juan Fernandez archipelago off the coast of Chile. His publication relayed Selkirk's experiences in some detail as it was his crew who discovered Selkirk “clothed in goat-skins” gesticulating wildly to them from the shore. Selkirk’s survival story spread widely due to Woodes Rogers’s work. A likely scenario is that Selkirk's adventures - interwoven with creations of Defoe's own imagination plus perhaps elements from other retold survival stories - formed the basis of Robinson Crusoe, which was completed seven years later.

There were of course several notable differences between Alexander and Robinson. For example, the former left his ship by choice while the latter was shipwrecked. Selkirk spent four years and four months on an uninhabited island, while Crusoe found himself stranded for 28 years. Selkirk had only goats and cats for company while Crusoe had 'Man Friday'. Crusoe's island was in the Atlantic while Selkirk's was a Pacific island.

Back in the Parish of Largo, as elsewhere, the connection between the fictional Crusoe and the famous local Alexander Selkirk became strong. Both men (the real and the fictitious) were celebrated. In 1792, the Reverend Mr Spence Oliphant wrote the Statistical Account for the Parish of Largo. The words recorded within this (recorded under the 'Eminent and Notable Men' section) cemented the connection. Oliphant's words, shown below, bear a strong resemblance to the account published by Woodes Rogers and following the publication of the 1792 Statistical Account his words were reprinted in many newspapers and journals. Selkirk family members continued to live in Largo and were able to share recollections of their famous relative. Some Selkirk artefacts remained in circulation. The statue of Crusoe was erected on the site of Selkirk's former home in 1885. Part of the main street in Lower Largo was named 'Defoe Place' for a time. A Selkirk museum was a feature in Largo in the late 1980s.
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Three centuries after its origin, 'Robinson Crusoe' is still read and enjoyed in numerous formats and languages. The tale and its main character continue to be discussed and studied. The genre is still imitated and re-invented - a recent example being the novel (and movie) 'The Martian'.  But the classic image of the wild man dressed in goat skins is the one that remains most recognisable and most authentic. The true story of Alexander Selkirk and the image of him described by Woodes Rogers has influenced many an artistic book cover, as well as Largo's own statue. 
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Lundin House - the main mansion on the Lundin Estate - was almost completely demolished in 1876. The tower was left standing and is still a local landmark. A lesser-known building that still stands (albeit as a ruin) is the Doocot or Dovecot that served Lundin House. It is listed on the 'Buildings at Risk Register':

www.buildingsatrisk.org.uk/details/908010

A doocot is a structure full of pigeon holes for housing doves or pigeons, which were historically an important source of food. Early Scottish doocots were a beehive shape but a 'lectern' style with a mono-pitched roof became more common from the late 16th century. These structures continued to be built well into the 18th century (when the Lundin one is thought to date from), with some becoming quite decorative in style. The Lundin House Doocot is gothic in style - a style which can also be seen at Eglinton in Ayrshire (see below)

The doocot can been clearly seen on the 1854 map below of Lundin House (prior to the demolition). The longer building to the north east of the dovecot housed the kennels. Lamont's Diary shows evidence of a dovecot at Lundin House in the 1660s, although that would have been an earlier structure. The images further below show the dovecot (front and rear) still roofed and in much better condition in the 1970s (source RCHAMS). It's too bad that this interesting little building has not been maintained. ​If you know any more about this structure - please comment!

In October 1987, after over a century in place, Largo's iconic statue of Robinson Crusoe was lifted out of its niche in the Crusoe Buildings on Main Street and taken to Perthshire. There, the half-ton, bronze monument would be given a thorough clean up and repair job by Bill Hepworth of Alyth Art Foundry. The East Fife Mail reported that the work "would be a painstaking process, involving delicate cleaning with a wire brush and examining the state of the metal afterwards. All the work would be done by hand, as chemicals or machinery often left telltale signs. The job would last at least a month and would cost around £1400."
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However, locals would have to wait much longer than a month to see the return of the statue. Rather than return home straight away, Crusoe went on an adventure to the Glasgow Garden Festival - which ran from 26 April to 26 September 1988. Below is an image of the statue being placed on site at the festival prior to its official opening (next to Selkirk descendent Allan Jardine). Crusoe was located in the 'Water and Maritime' themed section of the festival, alongside tall ships, Navy ships and water-sports. This sector of the event aimed to showcase "Scotland's rich history of maritime trade and exploration".

However, being placed at ground level, rather than the intended elevated position, and being painted green for some reason, the T.Stuart Burnett statue was not shown in the most favourable light. Many visitors were left underwhelmed by the exhibit. Surely Largo folks were relieved to see him return home, restored to his normal colour! ​If you recall visiting Crusoe at the Glasgow Garden Festival, remember his absence from Lower Largo or know why he was painted green - please comment.

As a follow-up to the previous post on the unveiling of the statue at Crusoe Buildings in 1885, here is a little background on the sculptor who created the likeness of 'Robinson Crusoe' in bronze. Note that it was designed to depict the fictional character, as opposed to the real-life Alexander Selkirk (of whom there was no image or likeness in existence). Some visual representation of the character was much desired locally, hence the public movement to raise subscriptions for a monument (although the cost was ultimately met by David Gillies). The motto "Robinson Crusoe now we see, good and great at last" was one of several messages which were displayed on banners at the unveiling event.

Thomas Stuart Burnett was born in Edinburgh in 1853 and was the son of lithographic printer Robert Alexander Burnett and his wife Annie Stuart. Already a sculptor by the age of 18, Burnett studied under William Brodie and was elected an Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy in 1883. His other works include a statue of Rob Roy (1885), shown as insert, which is remarkably similar in style to the Crusoe statue; a statue of General Gordon and two small statues on the Scott Monument in Edinburgh.

Burnett died in 1888 at the early age of 34 from pneumonia. He is buried at Dean Cemetery in Edinburgh, alongside wife Margaret Irving. His grave is marked with a Celitc cross which bears an image of his profile, sculpted by John Stevenson Rhind (see below).

Fife has a wealth of milestones and wayside markers that have survived for around one-and-a-half to two centuries. Careful preservation over many decades has resulted in a range of styles of these once vital aids to the traveller remaining resolutely in place. With the introduction of turnpike roads in the late 18th century in Fife, many routes were improved and tolls were collected for their use. In the years that followed, the erection of milestones and direction posts became a requirement. As the 'Milestones of Fife' book by Darwood and Martin (2005) states:

"The surviving milestones are all to be found along former turnpike roads, while wayside markers mark junctions between two turnpike roads, or between one turnpike and one statute-labour road."

The image below features the milestone that stands at the junction of the A915 and Harbour Wynd, opposite the Largo War Memorial. This type is the most common style of milestone - a maximum of 3ft high, whinstone with a cast-iron cap, with cursive script and often abbreviated names (eg L Pr for Largo Pier or Bt Id for Burntisland). These milestones must have been costly to produce - each one being unique and therefore requiring its own individual mould. The mark on the side of the base is a bench mark - used as a reference point in measuring altitude. 'Largo Pier' featured on many milestones, being the main steam ferry port for the East Neuk at one time. The 'Largo' location (as opposed to Largo Pier) apparently was measured at Lundin Mill Bridge.

Below is a Wayside Marker located close to Pitcruvie north of Lundin Links. This lists various villages and farms and indicates whether they are located left or right (without distances). Contrast this version with that shown at the top of this post (in the montage of images) which features long lists of places with distances and a pointing hand symbol showing which direction applies (this one is found in Upper Largo where the A915 splits with the A917). 

World War Two brought about an order for all direction markers throughout the country to be removed in case of enemy invasion (see notice below from the St Andrews Citizen from 3 June 1940).  In many places, this resulted in the information being physically scrubbed off the markers, thus defacing them forever. However, in Fife a more easily reversible approach was taken. Markers with the information etched into them were removed entirely while those with caps had the caps removed and the stones left in place. Items removed were carefully stored.

Eventually, some years after the end of war, all were returned back into their original position. As the letter further below shows (Dundee Evening Telegraph 12 April 1950) this took a little longer than some had hoped in some places. Over the years since then many milestones have been saved, restored and protected by various groups and individuals. There are some wonderful stories of broken caps being welded back together, stones being dug up after decades underground, a cap being rescued from a rubbish dump, another being retrieved from a private garden. Let's hope that these relics from a bygone age continue to be given care and attention for many decades to come.

Pitcruvie (or Balcruvie as it is sometimes called) Castle, to the north of Lundin Links and Lower Largo adjacent to Keil's Den, is a ruinous grade B listed building. Built on the edge of a steep bank above the Keil Burn, the listing text describes the castle as follows:

"Possibly late 15th century with some reconstruction circa 1500. Ruinous rectangular, rubble built tower with later projecting stair at north west. At south east angle built up entrance at 1st floor level with indications of an earlier projecting stair. 2 intercommunicating ground floor vaulted chambers with trap being only access to 1st floor. Entrance to 1st floor on west elevation, round arched and formerly opening to screens passage. Chimney on east wall of hall barrel vaulted (now gone) inserted, early springing remains. Upper floors now fragmentary."

Furthermore, RCAHMS provide the following description of the castle:
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"This ruined tower has features which suggest that it has at some time been reconstructed though the difference in building style is so slight that it may indicate only changes made during building. The date of the original construction would seem to be a little before 1500. On plan the tower is an oblong lying E-W and measuring 25.5ft by 38.25ft with the remains of a small stair-wing projecting from the north-west angle. It is constructed of dressed stone with rubble filling and is now much weathered." 

The site belonged to a branch of the Ramsay family in the 14th century but became the property of the second Lord Lindsay of the Byres* upon his marriage with the heiress of Pitcruvie. The book 'The East Neuk of Fife - It's History and Antiquities' describes the story of the site's ownership as follows:

"It belonged, in the beginning of the fourteenth century, to a family of the name of Ramsay. Sir John Ramsay's granddaughter, Janet Ramsay, Lady Pitcruvie, married David, second Lord Lindsay of the Byres,....David, Lord Lindsay, died in 1492, and was succeeded by his brother John, who died without issue in 1497, and the title then came to Patrick, who, in 1498, has a charter of Pitcruvie for himself and his wife ; and his son John was styled Lindsay of Pitcruvie, whence we gather that Janet Ramsay had brought the lands of Pitcruvie into the Lindsay family. It was, with other lands, erected into the barony of Pitcruvie, and remained long in possession of their descendants. In or about 1650 Lord Crawford was obliged to sell Pitcruvie to James Watson of Aithernie. Soon after we find it in the hands of Arnot of Fernie ; and it now forms part of the estate of Largo."

 *Byres is located close to Haddington in East Lothian

Below are some pencil drawings of Pitcruive Castle done in 1838 by Alexander Archer, which show it in broadly the same state as it remains today.