Category: Antiquities

Largo House Engraving 1812

21/11/2025

The three images above illustrate the changing face of Largo House over the years. First built around 1750 for James Durham (1732-1808), it was his eldest son James Durham (1754-1840) that extended the original mansion to the layout shown at the top in the 1812 engraving. Soon afterwards, in 1815, he had the stable block built to designs by Alexander and James Leslie.

The engraving appeared in the Scots Magazine and Edinburgh Literary Miscellany of 1 April 1812 alongside a brief description of the property. In the engraving, Largo House appears quite stark, without the mature planting around it nor railings around the steps. In fact there are no signs of life in and around the building, aside from the trees in the background. Notice the gate and stone wall to the rear of the house, however, providing easy access to the orchard and walled garden.

The 1812 depiction was drawn by John Burnet and sculpted (engraved) by Robert Scott (13 November 1777–1841) the renowned Scottish engraver. Burnet was one of Scott's pupils. John Burnet was born and raised in Fisherrow in Musselburgh, a village just outside Edinburgh. His father George Burnet was the surveyor-general of excise for Scotland. John received some initial artistic training before taking a seven years apprenticeship with Scott.

Robert Scott first became known for a set of Views of Seats and Scenery chiefly in the Environs of Edinburgh, published in 1795 and 1796. He contributed plates for many years to the Scots Magazine, including this one of Largo House (and another featuring Lundin House). Eventually, he obtained a studio at 65 Princes Street in Edinburgh. One of his depictions of Robert Burns is shown below and a link to more examples of his work can be found here.

Coming back to Largo House owner, James Durham - after the death of his wife Elizabeth (daughter of Colonel Sheldon of Flitwick House) in 1826, James married for a second time in 1827 to Margaret, eldest daughter of Colonel John Anstruther Thomson of Charlton. The pair made further additions to Largo House around 1830 by extending further to the rear of the building. Another significant, if smaller scale, change made during General Durham's era was the addition of a coat of arms to the tympanum on the frontage of Largo House.

The full heraldic achievement of General James Durham bears two mottoes: Victoria non praeda (Victory not booty (or loot)) above the crest; and below the arms: Per mare per terras (Through the sea, through the lands). Note that in the view of the coat of arms below you can just make out the carved wording underneath which states Genl. James Durham 1830.

It seems likely that the 1750 date was added at the same time, as the lettering styles appear very similar (see comparison below). The construction of Largo House probably spanned over more than one year, around two and three quarter centuries ago.

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Servants at Largo House

17/10/2025

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The previous post considered the interior of Largo House as a newly constructed Georgian mansion house, focussing on the "upstairs" richly-furnished public rooms. However, the "below stairs", more functional parts of the house are also interesting to consider. Servants in various roles would have worked over the decades in spaces such as the kitchen, scullery, cellar, pantry, washing house, laundry and stables. Historical tax records, recently published online, list the names of thousands of domestic servants across 18th century Scotland, including those that worked at Largo House for James Durham Esquire.

In Scotland, taxes on male servants were assessed between 1777 and 1798, and taxes on female servants between 1785 and 1792. Throughout all of that time period James Durham (1754-1840) was the owner of Largo House. Shown above is the earliest example of one of his servant tax returns - detailing the male servants at Largo House in 1777. The list comprised three individuals: James Brouster (house servant), Thomas Taitt (coachman) and Thomas Anderson (gardener). Taxes were levied on wealthy households that employed "non-essential servants", such domestic help. Roles considered "essential", such as farm labourers and factory workers, were exempt from this tax.

Over the whole period that these taxes applied (1777 to 1798), James Durham had servants in the following roles at Largo House:

Housekeeper
Cook
Cook's Maid
Laundry Maid
Chambermaid
House Servant
Butler
Coachman
Footman
Chaise Driver
Gamekeeper
Gardener

The total number of servants, and the roles listed, varied a little from year to year. There was of course a clear male/female division of roles, with the females covering the roles of housekeeper, cook, cook's maid, laundry maid and chambermaid, while male servants carried out the roles of butler, coachman, footman, gamekeeper and gardener.

Thomas Bardwell, butler at Woodton Hall, Norfolk in 1774

The butler was the head of the male domestic staff, whose responsibilities included overseeing the wine cellar, managing the silver and other tableware, and supervising the footmen and other male servants. The butler would also be in charge of setting the table and serving meals. He would tend to welcome guests and be the point of communication between the master of the house and the staff. Supporting the butler would be the footman - performing a wide range of duties from attending doors to serving meals, and from shifting heavy items to running all manner of errands.

The housekeeper was in charge of the house as a whole, ensuring its appearance was always as expected. Other female servants and kitchen staff would report to her. This included the laundry maid who was responsible for washing, drying and ironing fine linen for family and guests, as well as the servants’ linen. Laundry would have been a long and laborious process, involving boiling water over a coal or wood fired stove, using wash boards and dolly tubs. Cast iron irons would also have been heated on a stove.

The Scullery Maid; Jean-Baptiste Simeon Chardin; Hunterian Art Gallery, University of Glasgow

A few examples of long-serving staff at Largo House during this period included:

Alexander Norval (or Norvil) - Footman from 1791 until his death in 1797. The record of his burial at Largo is shown above.

George Stein - Gardener between 1786 and 1798

Margaret (Peggy) Lawson - who progressed from Cook's Maid to Cook between 1785 and 1791

James Millar - initially described as a "chaise-driver" but later "coachman" between 1787 and 1795

Thomas Keay - Butler between 1795 and 1797

If you had an ancestor that worked among the domestic staff at Largo House, please leave a comment.

Gamekeeper and Cook by David Wilkie; Bradford Museums and Galleries

Read more about the life of a Georgian servant here: www.nts.org.uk/stories/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-servant

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Largo House Interior

10/10/2025

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The grand exterior of Largo House, now sadly obscured by vegetation, is familiar to many, from both images and from memory. The interior of this now ruinous mansion house however remains more mysterious. Photographs taken inside the house while still occupied appear to be non-existent. It's intriguing to imagine how the inside might have appeared when the house was first completed back in the 18th century. So, what can be pieced together from looking at similar grand homes of that era and from the few fragments of Largo House-specific information that survive?

A typical Scottish Georgian mansion featured distinct "upstairs" and "below stairs" areas. The upstairs public rooms were richly decorated and furnished - suitable for aristocratic living and for elegant social functions. Conversely, the areas inhabited by hard-working domestic staff were simple and practical. Rooms such as the drawing room, dining room and bedrooms were designed with a focus on symmetry, light, space and comfort. A sense of the floor plan of the original core of Largo House is provided by the drone photograph below. Note the central stair hall surrounded by many chimney flues.

Surviving records suggest a colourful and luxurious interior existed when Largo House was new. One room, described as the "low red room" was "partly hung with arras". Arras is a tapestry hung as a wall decoration, usually with a rich and complex stitched design. The term is derived from the French city of Arras, which was a major centre of tapestry production in the 14th and 15th centuries. There was a "blue room" where the bed was hung with "blue turk hangings" (turk being a type of fabric used in upholstery at the time), as well as a "green room". There was a "mid room" and a "high mid room" (which, unusually for the time, was hung with tartan at the foot of the bed).

Accounts dating to 1766, from Young and Trotter, the Edinburgh upholsterer and carpeting merchant, detail that Largo House was supplied with "blue and orange carpeting", as well as "window curtains of cherry" with "yellow tassels". The Drawing Room was furnished with "blue silk damask chairs". Damask is a reversible, woven fabric that features a distinct pattern created by a special weave. Named after the city of Damascus, where it was produced in the Middle Ages, damask was originally made from silk. Used for upholstery, curtains, and table linens, its pattern features a contrast between matte and shiny yarns.

There were also references to a "bed hung with red cambrot" and an "easie chair covered with yellow silk". A "large fine staircase lantern" was also ordered for the house from Young and Trotter. The image collages above and below are designed to evoke a sense of what the interior of Largo House might have looked like during the late 18th century - incorporating some of the known objects, colours and textures.

The advert below for Largo House furnisher Young and Trotter appeared in the 22 November 1750 Caledonian Mercury. Based at the Luckenbooths on the High Street Edinburgh, the firm was established in the 1740s by Thomas Trotter and Robert Young. The sign above their shop, and the eye catcher in the advert below, featured a pelican bleeding from the breast to feed her young.

Another supplier of interiors to Largo House was William Hamilton, the Edinburgh upholsterer and cabinet maker. James Durham commissioned furniture from him in 1769/70 - including a large mahogany bedstead. Hamilton was a competitor to Young and Trotter, although eventually the two firms combined. While still operating under his own name, William Hamilton is known to have executed commissions for the Duke of Argyll (1758-61), Lord Milton (1764-5), Sir James Clerk (1770-2) and Balfour Ramsay (1768-9), as well as James Durham of Largo (1769-70).

It is also well-documented that architect John Adam (brother of Robert Adam) supplied a chimney piece for Largo House. The specification on the account (which was dated May 1759), was "statuary marble" (that is marble of exceptional quality - literally meaning suitable for statues). Further details of the piece specified "ogee moulding" (a decorative trim with an S-shaped profile which features a concave curve that flows into a convex curve) and "dentils" (small, tooth-like rectangular blocks arranged in a repeating pattern).

No doubt there would have been many paintings on the walls, including family portraits and pieces by favourite Scottish artists. These would have been added to over the years that the Durham family inhabited Largo House, which was up until 1868, when the Largo estate was sold to William Johnson of Lathrisk. If you have further information on the interior of Largo House in its heyday please do get in touch or leave a comment.

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Catherine Gillies (nee Selkirk) - 1779-1862

25/4/2025

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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.

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".

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.

In September 1856, a London-based publication named Willis' Current Notes, included an article containing "New facts respecting Robinson Crusoe". The piece began as shown below and went on to quote extensively from the Largo Kirk Session records, listing various examples of the "naturally turbulent" lives of the family and their "quarrelsome habits". The piece ends by referring to "Widow Gillies" (Catherine) as the last of her generation of Selkirks, who reports suggest at this time had been predeceased by nine of her children.

A picture is painted of a poor widow who relies on "the benevolence of those who visit her interesting cottage, and the relics of her far-famed predecessor". Among the visitors that viewed the cottage, the sea-chest and the cocoa nut cup, had been Sir Walter Scott and his Fife-born publisher Archibald Constable. The pair arranged for a new rosewood stem and foot to be added to Selkirk's cocoa nut cup, along with an inscribed silver band to encircle the rim. Constable also paid for the Largo Kirk Session records to be rebound.

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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Alexander Selkirk's Cottage

18/4/2025

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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.

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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Newburn Parish Church Artefacts

14/3/2025

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An earlier post looked at the unification of Newburn Parish Church and Largo Parish Church. The two churches united in 1958, with the Newburn Church closing completely in January 1961. Before the church building at Newburn was converted into a private dwelling, a number of important artefacts were moved from there to Largo Parish Church at Upper Largo. One of the first things to be relocated was the Newburn Parish 1914-18 War Memorial Plaque, pictured above. In the images below, captured in 1963, the empty wall space and exposed brickwork indicates the place where this was once mounted on the church wall. This plaque is still proudly displayed within the church at Upper Largo.

The Newburn communion silver (which included two cups dated 1772) was of course retained for use by the unified church. One of the cups can be seen in detail above (as featured in the book 'Largo Kirk' by Douglas Lister and James Gillies (1968)). A wider range of the Newburn communion silver can be seen in situ at Newburn Parish Church in the photograph below (from the book 'The Architecture of Scottish Post-Reformation Churches 1560-1843' by George Hay (1957)).

The largest item relocated from Newburn to Largo was the panelled pulpit and canopy (seen above in another image from the book 'The Architecture of Scottish Post-Reformation Churches 1560-1843' by George Hay (1957)). This was removed and relocated to Largo Parish Church ahead of the conversation of Newburn Church into a private dwelling. Below is a composite image showing the pulpit both in its original location at Newburn (left, from the Canmore collection) and in its home of the last sixty years, Largo Kirk (right).

In fact, the installation of the Newburn pulpit at Largo was part of a wider programme of renovations at the time. This saw the communion table relocated from the east wall of the chancel to the axis of the cross, and the re-siting of the organ. The 29 September 1965 Leven Mail reported on the works and the extract below highlights the introduction of the Newburn pulpit and font.

On Sunday 26 September 1965 a special service took place to rededicate Largo and Newburn Parish Church, including the dedication of the new church furnishings. The notice below appeared in the Leven Mail two weeks beforehand. If you remember this service or have any memories of Newburn Parish Church before its closure, please get in touch or leave a comment.

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The Fairy Bridge

11/10/2024

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The Fairy Bridge crosses the Keil Burn at the north end of Keil's Den, just south Balmain Farm and north of Pitcruvie Castle. The map below from 1857 shows that it was once between two quarries, suggesting both the reason for its creation and the source of the stone from which it was constructed. It is linked to the road that passes Auchindownie by a short farm track. The origins of the 'Fairy Bridge' name are discussed in the 1931 book 'Bygone Fife', where James Wilkie writes of the traditions, legends and folklore of the Kingdom. He describes Keil's Den as "that notorious haunt of witches" and "a haunt of fairies as well as witches". Referring to the fairies, he continues:

"They held their revels on the green haugh at the northern end, where the ruins of the castle, once a stronghold of the Lindsays of Pitcruvie, or the Byres, look down on the Keil Burn. The bridge that spans the stream is still known as the Fairy Bridge".

The ambiguity around the age of the stone bridge is also touched upon by Wilkie.

"Over the Fairy Bridge, whensoever and by whomsoever erected, the wayfarer may pass out of the haunted den to farms so well known in mystic lore as Balmain and Fairyfield, and climb the slopes of Norrie's Law, where the herd blew his fatal blast and foiled the attempt to solve the riddle of the buried treasure. There still lingers a vague memory of the days when the retainers in Pitcruvie Castle crossed the bridge to the spot where they exercised in arms....In fairyland seven years are as three days; time is after all an arbitrary conception, and it is difficult to fix dates dealt with in tradition. So the age of the bridge may be left to the imagination."

However, Wilkie also notes that this was the site of an earlier timber bridge. A wooden bridge was certainly built in the vicinity in 1760. It is recorded in the minutes of the Kirk Session that local wright, James Murray was paid £10, 13s, 4d for its construction. A footnote in Wilkie's book tells us that the name of Fairyfield Farm was changed, as the fairies "shrink from direct mention". The photograph below of the bridge was captured by local chemist Peter Cowie, who was also a keen photographer, like many in that profession at the time.

The free-stone quarry by the Fairy Bridge was the source of the stone use to build the present Wood's Hospital (also known as John Wood's Houses) in Upper Largo. The advert above from 1831 is for the sale of the quarry after completion of the hospital. So the bridge must be older than that date. It's intriguing to imagine horses with loads of quarried stone navigating the bridge, as it made its way south to Kirkton of Largo for the construction of imposing James Leslie designed building (see map below for context and image of Wood's Hospital further below). There was said to be a stone on the bridge which states that it was restored by General James Durham in 1836.

The 'Suggested Walks and Places of Interest' pamphlet by Largo Field Studies Society describes the walk to the Fairy Bridge as follows...

From Upper Largo "take the road past the school. Go straight on at the cross road, downhill and across the road bridge over the Keil Burn. On the right view the remains of Pitcruvie Castle. Follow the road until the wood ends on the right. In spring a track skirting what was the wooded area can be traced to the Fairy Bridge but in summer it is liable to be overgrown."

This booklet also notes that the bridge was said to have been used by cadgers taking fish from Anstruther and other places in the East Neuk to the Royal Palace in Falkland, when the King was in residence. Whether that is true or not, the bridge is on the direct route as the crow flies from Anstruther to Falkland. The postcard image below suggests that the Fairy Bridge once provided a handy vantage point for recreational fishing. Nowadays access to the spot is more challenging, adding to the mystery of this forgotten source of folklore.

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Ancient Largo Stone at Parish Church Gates

9/8/2024

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Above is a 'then and now' comparison of the entrance to Upper Largo Church, looking towards East Drive. The older image at the top appeared on a 1920s postcard, upon which someone had written the following on the reverse:

"The ancient Largo stone is under canopy at left of view and the avenue leads to Largo House."

The avenue of tall, mature trees is prominent in the black and white image but absent from the present day view. There are still some trees there today but they are younger, smaller ones. The passage of time between the two views of Largo Church has resulted in a few other changes. Most noticeably, the two yews, one either side of the top of the steps, are no longer manicured into neat cone shapes. Iron gates have been removed from the top of the steps (a handrail is now in place in the centre of the steps). A small hard rail has also been added at either side of the church door and an electric light has been installed to illuminate the entrance. A metal boot scraper remains on either side of the entrance door.

Largo's Pictish Stone, which is the main subject of the postcard (despite it being difficult to spot under its shadowy canpoy) has been covered in an earlier blog post here. It is shown slightly more clearly in the 1970s Canmore image above. Its features have been much weathered since captured in the images below from John Stuart's 1856 publication 'Sculptured Stones of Scotland' - a seminal work that sparked great interest in Scotland's Pictish stones.

The East Drive Gates, including the fluted urns with swagged bands, can be seen in both the 'then' and now' images (although only one urn remains today). The tree-lined avenue that once extended along the east drive to Largo House is clearly shown on the 1912 map below. This map also shows the detail of the two small buildings which flank the steps leading up to the church west entrance (just above the letters W.T.). These were likely once a session house and offeratory house (the latter a place where the church collection was received). The photograph at the foot of this post looks back up the steps between these two buildings towards the west entrance.

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Standing Stanes Through The Years

10/5/2024

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The Standing Stanes of Lundin are three tall, unsculptured, irregularly shaped pillars of red sandstone. Ranging from about 13'6" to 18' high, they are thought to date back around four thousand years. In a world that's forever changing, the Standing Stones of Lundin provide a reassuring familiarity. These megaliths are one of the few local landmarks that would be recognisable to our ancestors. The land use around the stanes has however changed with the times. Long gone are the sheep pictured in the etching above by local engraver William Ballingall circa 1870. Crops no longer grow around their bases. For the past century plus, golf has been played among and around them.

This 1872 photograph by John Patrick shows a gentleman examining the stones while near rows of crops grow at his feet. It was likely a farm worker that discovered a "coffin built of loose slabs" on the site around 1844, which had been exposed immediately adjoining the standing stones.

The 1908 image captured by Lady Henrietta Gilmour shows the stones shortly before the Lundin Ladies Golf Club moved to occupy the site and embrace the stanes as a feature of their course. The zoomed in detail below shows clear evidence of graffiti in the form of carved initials and messages. The 2 September 1908 extract from the Leven Advertiser further below explains how this vandalism led to the installation of railings that year.

The initial enclosure was one large railing with a gate (see above). However, having all of the space between the stones fenced off and unplayable for golf must have proved problematic. In 1922 this was replaced by two sets of railings forming separate enclosures. Golfers could then play through the middle of the stones as part of the course's second hole. These railings (shown below) remained in place until the early 1980s.

The newspaper piece below from a 1969 East Fife Mail shows a section of the railings. By this time they were looking a little buckled and worse for wear.

The two images below, both from the Canmore Collection, show the stanes shortly before and after the railing removal. The first is from the mid-1970s and shows a wider scene of the second hole fairway (and third tee behind) with the railings still around the stanes. The second image dates to 1986, when the stanes had been recently released from their iron enclosures, enabling people to fully enjoy their ancient splendour from all angles.

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Gold Ribbon Torcs

5/4/2024

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The gold ribbon torcs pictured above were found at Lower Largo in 1848 but date back to 300 BC - 50 AD. On display at the National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street in Edinburgh, they can be seen in the Scotland Galleries, in the Early People section (on Level -1). The term 'torc' usually refers to a necklet but can also be applied to smaller armlets or bracelets such as these. These three bracelets (and two fragments of another) consist of spirally twisted gold, finished with recurved ends.

The technique created simple but elegant decorative jewellery. The ends were curved backwards to form simple hooks for fastening. Expensive and high status items of jewellery, these torcs were worn to demonstrate the status and wealth of their owners. This style of jewellery was popular for a lengthy period of time and many similar examples have been found elsewhere, including Aberdeenshire, Ross-shire, Perthshire and Moray.

Below is an extract of information from the 'notice' of presentation of the objects to the museum. They were presented by Robert Dundas of Arniston, in 1883, the same year that his mother Lilias Dundas Calderwood Durham (former resident of Largo House) had died. Note that these were presented at the same time as the silver discovered at Norrie's Law, which is displayed alongside the gold torcs within the museum to this day.

The Largo discovery was highlighted on many local maps, including the 1912 example below, where the words Gold Armlets found (A.D. 1848) can be seen just north of Rollo Villa. As a site of antiquity, it is marked by the cross with small circles at the ends. The armlets were found together during the winter of 1848 "on the top of a steep bank which slopes down to the sea, among some loose earth, which was being dug to be carted away". It is fortunate that they escaped the melting pot, unlike the silver hoard discovered at Norrie's Law - most of which was illegally sold to silversmiths for reuse around 1819.