The word "colporteurage" was defined in the 10 October 1861 Fife Herald as "the spread of Bibles, and religious tracts and books, by means of hawking them". This system of distributing such materials began to be formally organised in Scotland around 1855, facilitated by bodies such as the Edinburgh Religious Tract Society and the Religious Tract and Book Society of Scotland. By 1861, there were 130 colporteurs throughout Scotland and eight of them were based in Fife.

​The colporteur was remunerated partly through the proceeds of his sales and partly through a subscription paid by the District in which he worked. The word colporteur itself is thought to originate from 18th-century French, combining "col" (neck) and "porter" (to carry) in relation to an itinerant peddler who carried books, etc. in a holder over their neck or shoulders. 

In 1864 the Largo District appointed its own colporteur and this was Robert Strang, the father of one-time Largo Station Master William Strang. The piece below from 7 May 1864 Dunfermline Saturday Press reports on his removal from Wellwood near Dunfermline, where he had been a miner, to Largo. Initially, he lived in Lundin Mill with his wife Mary and young son William. 
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When Robert's only son William found employment with the railway around 1872, the family moved to Temple Railway Cottage. Robert became a member of Largo School Board and Treasurer of the U.P. Church, during the time of Reverend David Malloch. After sixteen years as Largo's colporteur, Robert Strang retired, due to ill health. The 28 February 1880 Dunfermline Saturday Press informs us of a presentation held to mark his retirement, noting that prior to coming to Largo, Robert had worked for 26 years for colliery owner Thomas Spowart in Wellwood. 
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The 21 February 1880 Fife News below also covered this presentation. Note that, in addition to the work of distributing books and periodicals, Robert Strang would also read and pray with the sick and aged people as part of his mission as colporteur.
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The role of colporteur for Largo District continued for many years after the retiral of Robert Strang. The 1881 census tells us that Alexander Duffus fulfilled the role for a spell. A decade later in 1891, it was James Suttie who was the colporteur. The 14 June 1892 Fife News below had an advert for the dwelling house in which Suttie had lived until he left the area in 1892. 
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Above is an article from the 12 July 1900 Leven Advertiser and the local colportage society. It is interesting to see the widespread support for the Society by local landowners and by multiple Church denominations. At that time it was James Harris who held the position of Largo colporteur. He served on the Parish Council and remained in post until 1903. Briefly, a Mr Prentice filled the position, coming from Galashiels (see below from 29 May 1903 East of Fife Record), but within a few months he had in turn been superseded by Forfarshire-born  James Martin (see 17 Sept 1903 Leven Advertiser further below).
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James Martin was still colporteur for Largo at the time of the 1911 census. Then aged 53, he lived in Broomfield Buildings in Upper Largo with wife Annie and 4 of their eleven children. By 1924, there was a colporteur by the name of Rankine covering a much wider area - "from Largo to Auchtertool", according to the 11 November 1924 Leven Advertiser below. This suggests that the demand for such an occupation had waned - a trend that likely continued over time, as social, economic, and technological shifts rendered the traditional colporteurage model obsolete.
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The small, low building in the centre of the image above is 18 Main Street in Upper Largo. For many decades this was an inn or public house - known as Dall's Inn then later Cumming's Inn, The Inn or Auld Hoose. For many decades in the late 19th century into the early 20th century, James Cumming, was the proprietor. His life was an eventful one in which he combined the roles of publican and blacksmith. The map below dates to 1912 and shows both the smithy that he operated at the corner of Church Place and North Feus, and his public house (marked P.H.) on the south side of Main Street.

James Cumming was born in Largo around 1852 to stone mason William Cumming and his wife Sarah Meikle. When William died in 1865 at the age of 45, he left behind a widow and several children, some of whom were still infants. The previous year, William's stepfather, innkeeper James Dall had died and so the Cumming family took over the license for Dall's Inn - with widowed Sarah becoming the license holder and eldest daughter Eliza working alongside her.

Second eldest child, James, was away from home by time of the 1871 census, working as an apprentice mechanic in Milton of Balgonie. When Sarah then also died in 1872, the public house license in Upper Largo was transferred to Eliza, aged just 22. She also had four younger siblings aged between the ages of sixteen and nine to care for. In 1873, Eliza married a shepherd, Peter Robertson, at Largo Kirk and they went on to have two daughters, Helen and Sarah - one named after each grandmother.

Tragically, in 1877, Eliza also died, prompting her brother James (who had now lost his father, mother and oldest sibling) to return to Largo. He took over the public house license which had previously been held by his step-grandfather, his mother and his sister (see below from 18 October 1877 Fifeshire Journal). Younger sister Sarah now acted as housekeeper, within the household that was headed by James and also comprised younger brothers Robert (a joiner) and Alexander (a painter), as well as two young nieces, Helen and Sarah.

James would stay at the heart of the community in Kirkton of Largo for the remainder of his life, living at the inn, latterly known as Auld Hoose, and having the dual occupation of Publican and Blacksmith. As a master blacksmith, James was a regular entrant at the East of Fife Agricultural Show. He was awarded first prize in the Best Shod Farm Horse category most years between during the 1880s and 1890s. Reports of his prize-winning are shown below, from 21 April 1887 Fifeshire Journal and 20 April 1895 Fife News, respectively. He also was a frequent winner at Largo Horticultural Show for fruit and vegetable growing. By 1891, the household had reduced to James, his sister Sarah and just one of his nieces.
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​On 20 December 1895 James married Mary Brown in Colinsburgh. Their only son William, who later became a blacksmith like his father, was born in 1899.
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In 1897, the gas works site was put up for sale and James bought it at a knocked down price (see 17 Sept 1897 East of Fife Record below). The following year he erected new stables on the site and permitted the Largo Water District Committee to store tools there for a small rent. A few years later James moved his entire blacksmith business to new premises in this vicinity.
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Meanwhile the Cumming's Inn continued to operate and hold local functions such as the Largo Burns Club supper in 1912 (see 1 February 1912 Leven Advertiser item below).​
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​James Cumming died on 4 March 1919 at Auld House aged 67 years. The notice above appeared in the 22 March Fife News. His widow Mary had the public house certificate transferred into her name (see below from 19 April 1919 Fife News) and she continued as license holder at the inn until her death in 1926. Her son William subsequently had the license transferred to himself but in 1928 it was allowed to lapse when he decided that the family would finally leave the trade.

The piece below from the 10 August 1922 Leven Advertiser tells of the memorial  placed in memory of James Cumming at Newburn Cemetery some three years after his death.  
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A recent photograph of the memorial is shown below. The inscription reads:

In ever loving and affectionate remembrance of my beloved husband James Cumming.
The day will dawn when the Lord shall be mindful of his own.

Further below are a couple of more modern day photographs of the building that was so well known to James Cumming and that was once a long-standing public house that was run by at least six different members of the same family.

The Reverend William Neve Monteith was killed at Loos on 25 September 1915. Only months before, he had married Miss Muriel Cox at Largo Parish Church. Muriel was the eldest daughter of Benjamin C. Cox, the long-term tenant of Largo House. Monteith had been Parish Minister at Elie for seven years before the outbreak of war. He was born at Glencairn in Dumfriesshire on 22nd August 1878 - the second son of Reverend John Monteith and his wife Ellen Maria Neve. William took a BA at the Magdalen College Oxford before studying Theology at Glasgow. After a spell in Argentina, he served as assistant to the Reverend Dr Ernest Playfair (1871–1951) of St Andrews, before getting his own parish in Elie in 1907. 

In early September 1914 the St Andrews Presbytery granted him leave of absence for the duration of the war, he was one of the first ministers (if not the first) to enlist as a combatant. Below from 8 September 1914 Dundee Evening Telegraph, which reported how the minister had "laid aside his cassock and gone forth to do battle for his King and country in the uniform of a soldier". He did not join the army as a chaplain but responded to the call to arms. On the day he enlisted in the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry, he also proposed to Miss Cox. Letters sent between the pair after their engagement are held in Fife Archives. 
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William obtained a commission as a Lieutenant in the 6th Battalion Rifle Brigade on 22nd January 1915. Before going on active service, he married Muriel on 30th March 1915. ​The wedding was described in detail in the 1 April 1915 Leven Mail. On a gloriously sunny day, Largo Parish Church was bedecked with plants and flowers from the gardens and greenhouses of both Gilston House and Largo House. Among the display were "Great palms flanked the pulpit, which was garlanded with laurel leaves and white blossoms, while in front and from out the marble font reared stately lilies of the Nile." 
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Earlier in the day, friends and members of Elie Parish Church had gathered in their village to see off the bridegroom - flags flying from every house. Likewise villagers turned out en masse in Largo to catch a glimpse of the couple. The men of B Company, Highland Cyclist Battalion, who were stationed at Upper Largo, formed a guard of honour at the church door. After the ceremony the couple emerged through an arcade of bayonets.

Initially serving in the 6th (Reserve) battalion, William was transferred to the 2nd (Regular) after that battalion suffered heavy losses at Fromelles on the Aubers Ridge. He arrived in France at the end of May 1915. Lieutenant Monteith was killed in action on 25 September 1915 at the first day of the Battle of Loos. His brother, John, was killed in action at the same just a few days later, on 1 October. Another brother, Hugh, served with the R.A.M.C. and gained the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). William was mentioned in despatches posthumously by General Douglas Haig for his gallant and distinguished service in the field.

Take a moment to spot the differences between the two postcard images above of Largo Kirk.
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The major difference is the extension to the right of centre (beneath the spire in the image). This additional space between the chancel and the south transept was created to house a new vestry (to supersede the one at the entrance gate) and a staircase providing access to the Lundin gallery (the old internal staircase to this being removed). Note also that the windows have also been altered, to become more ornate. Wooden mullions were replaced with stone mullions and decorative stonework with an interlacing design introduced. These changes were part of much wider works to both interior and exterior in 1894-95. The older top image dates to just before these renovations and the lower image to soon afterwards. 

​The East of Fife Record piece below announced on 9 February 1894 that the "parish church here is shortly to undergo extensive alterations". The costs associated with the works would be met by Mr John Gilmour of Montrave. While the alternations took place, the congregation would meet in the Simpson Institute for morning services and the U.P. church in Lower Largo for evening services. The minister at this time was Reverend James Robert Burt.
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The 23 March 1894 East of Fife Record (above) provided details of the contractors appointed to carry out the work. Note that the mason work was carried out by a Glasgow firm, as was the joiner work. In both cases, their specialist elements would be completed in Glasgow and later transported along the Forth and Clyde Canal in lighters (barges) and then landed at Largo Pier. Some local tradesmen did get involved in the renovations as well. The slater work was done by Alexander Williamson and the plumber work by Robert Melville. 

Meanwhile, by the summer of 1894, the St Andrews Citizen reported that "a large majority of the Parish Church congregation are not attending the services in the Simpson Institute". The explanation was that they wanted to enable summer visitors to have the opportunity to attend these daytime services. Congregation members elected to attend the evening services in Lower Largo (see below). 
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Inside the Church, one of the areas most altered was the east-facing chancel. Previously, the chancel had housed the out-of-date heating apparatus, and was separated from the nave by a low round arch. Post-renovation, the entrance to the chancel was a tall, graceful Gothic arch featuring finely moulded pilasters. ​The chancel was also fitted up with choir stalls and a communion table, as seen in the photograph above captured shortly after renovations. At the east end of the chancel was a new stained glass window (shown below as it is today) which is dedicated to the service of praise. 
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Further new stained glass windows were added during the renovations, including a new rose window in memory of Sir Andrew Wood added to the north end of the Largo Gallery by representatives of the Wood family. At the same time, John Baxter of Gilston had a stained glass window installed, in memory of his wife Amy Constance Baxter (1853-1881), positioned to the right of the pulpit. 
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A new decorative open timber roof replaced the old ceiling and the fronts of the three galleries were done up in a similar intricate design. The old box-seats and high-backed pews were replaced with new pine pews with ledges and umbrella stands. A new pulpit (seen in detail below) was also created in corresponding design to the other joinery work (although this was replaced in 1965 with pulpit from the closed Newburn Parish Church). 
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The maps below show the difference in the footprint of the church before and after the alterations.
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Upon completion of the works, the re-opening of the Church was scheduled for Sunday 17 March 1895. The Parishioners were reported to be "in a state of high pleasurable excitement". On the big day "the whole parish was early astir", with many also joining from the surrounding district, according to the 23 March St Andrews Citizen. The Moderator of the General Assembly, Professor Robert Herbert Story, was in attendance. Now able to accommodate 700, every pew in the church was filled. Mr and Mrs Gilmour and their two sons were seated in the front row of the Lundin Gallery. Professor Story and Reverend Burt led the service, while the choir and organist Mr Alexander led the praise. 

The man pictured above had a leading role in the Disruption of 1843 and was for many years a high-profile figure in the Free Church of Scotland. ​Robert Smith Candlish was born in Edinburgh, the son of a medical teacher. He graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1823, following this with studies in divinity. In 1833, he was called to St George’s, a prominent pulpit in Edinburgh, while still in his twenties. Thereafter he established himself as a leading figure in the group who would, after the Disruption in 1843, become the Free Church of Scotland.

As a leader of the Free Church movement and a powerful orator, it was in the run up to the Disruption that Candlish made the journey from Edinburgh to Fife, to give a series of talks. He took the St George steamer to Largo - a route which ran all year round (with an additional evening run during the summer months). The notice below from the 12 October 1842 Scotsman provides details of the service.

However, on the day of Candlish's arrival in Largo, on 9 January 1843, conditions were challenging. A gale, coupled with a heavy sea and an unfavourable tide, meant that a small fllory boat had to be used to transfer passengers from the St George to Lundin Pier on the Drummochy side of the Keil Burn. The small boat had ten men in it and was backing into the small wooden jetty when a large wave swamped the small vessel and she went down. All on board, including Candlish were plunged into ten feet of cold water.
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Later, some dispute arose over precisely what role Reverend Brown played in the whole scenario. The letter below appeared in the 26 January 1843 Fifeshire Journal. This "observer" questions the extent of Brown's actions and states that it was in fact two carters (awaiting the opportunity to carry luggage) that saved Reverend Candlish, with Brown looking on calling "Will nobody save the godly man?".  Candlish recovered and was able to continue with his "tour of Church-agitation in the East Neuk" as planned, according to the 12 January Fifeshire Journal, having been "rescued from his perilious situation" from which he "speedily recovered on receiving warm appliances" and later "conveyed to the manse" in Upper Largo, his intended destination.

Candlish and Brown remained associated over their careers, and Reverend Candlish returned to Largo in 1862 to re-open the altered Largo Free Church, as the 21 August 1862 Fifeshire Journal piece below notes. This was the same year that Candlish became Principal of New College, while retaining his position as minister at St George's. As well as his pulpit ministry, he published many theological works during his lifetime. Robert Candlish died on 19 October 1873 at his home at 52 Melville Street, Edinburgh. He is buried at Old Calton Burial Ground.
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The last two posts have looked at the two ministers of the United Free Church in Upper Largo. Between the two of them, Rev. Robert Lundin Brown and Rev. William Bruce led the church across 74 years and were the only two clergymen to head up the church during its existence. The congregation was formed in 1843 as a result of the Disruption. A proportion of members of Largo Kirk struck out on their own, and finding ground to the west end of the main street, initially built a "hall of wood". The early church structure was soon replaced with something more substantial - a building which had three roofs, like the historical Tanfield Hall (the site in Edinburgh where the very first assembly of the Free Church of Scotland took place on 18 May 1843). The piece below from 21 August 1862 Fifeshire Journal reports upon the reopening of the church following alterations and repairs by Reverend Robert Candlish (a leading light in the Free Church - more of whom to follow in another post).
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The year 1879 brought a significant remodelling of the church. The building closed in May and reopened for worship in late October. The 31 October 1879 Daily Review below, provided detail of these works. The gables were raised to allow for a higher and better supported slated roof. A large window was added to the frontage (as seen in the photograph at the top of this post) and some sources suggest that the church's bell had the distinction of being the biggest in the Parish. The interior was also given an overhaul with several modern conveniences added. Much of the work was undertaken by local joiner Peter Broomfield. This time around the official re-opening was conducted by Reverend James Chalmers Burns, Moderator of the General Assembly at the time. Some two decades later, in 1899, a new organ was installed, with a liberal contribution from William Robinson Ketchen, manager of the National Bank, who was a member of the congregation.
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The death of Reverend William Bruce marked the beginning of a long vacancy, during which congregation were brought under the oversight of Reverend James Ewing of Lathones. Ewing left Lathones for Glasgow in 1923, where he worked for ten years before a further move to Dalkeith. [Ewing died in 1954 following a collapse in his vestry after a service (see 18 October 1954 Edinburgh Evening News piece below).]

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The funds and property of the congregation were left to the General Trustees of the United Free Church. A couple of months later, the 28 June 1924 Fifeshire Advertiser (above) noted that it was problematic to find an alternative use for the building. In fact the building lay empty for many years before an agreement was reached in September 1933 to sell it to David Ramage and the place was converted into a garage. The frontage was remodelled, so that the building had a less church-like appearance. It was only the rear aspect of the building which gave away its original use (and that remains the case to this day).

The Reverend William Bruce was minister of Largo United Free Church for 46 years, from 1871 until his death in 1917. The sketch of him above appeared in a biographical piece in the Dundee Evening Telegraph of 24 July 1899, at which time he was just over halfway through his time in Upper Largo. William Bruce was born in Aberdeen in 1845 to  blacksmith and chain maker William Bruce and his wife Hannah Black. The family lived close to the Aberdeen Harbour, at Links Street.

By the age of 15, William was a clerk for a ship broker, supporting his widowed mother. Around this time, in 1859, a religious revival swept across Scotland, originating in Aberdeen. This period of intense religious fervour saw a young William turn his thoughts to religion. In 1863 he gained a bursary and went to University to study classics and moral philosophy. Afterwards, he spent four years at Divinity Hall in Aberdeen studying theology, leaving there in March 1871. From there he went to the Free Church at Peterhead to assist the Reverend James Yuill.

In the summer of 1871, candidates were being heard each Sunday at the Free Church in Largo, seeking to find a successor to the then minister the Reverend Robert Lundin Brown. William Bruce preached in July and the congregational meeting that followed resolved to stop the search for candidates and give the call to Bruce. He was ordained in Largo on 16 November 1871 (see 24 November 1871 East of Fife Record below). On 28 November, William married confectioner's daughter Mary Frances Glegg in Old Machar, Aberdeen. The newlyweds settled in Upper Largo, where William was colleague to Lundin Brown for six years. Bruce took sole charge upon the death of Brown in 1877. 

William and Mary's first child, William Francis Bruce was born in 1875. He was followed by Hannah Black Bruce in 1876. Robert Glegg Bruce and Alexander Stewart Bruce in 1879, Mary Dalyell Haymes Bruce in 1881, Arthur Cromar George Black Bruce in 1884 (who died aged 7 weeks from whooping cough), George Black Bruce in 1885 (who died aged 3 from pneumonia), Helen McConnach Bruce in 1890 (who died aged 5 months from bronchitis) and Neil Bruce in 1893. It is interesting to note that at least one of the children was named after a member of the congregation of the United Free Church of Largo. Mary Dalyell Haymes was the niece of the Misses Rigg of Aithernie House and was a generous and respected member of the community. Mary was extremely active in the church, and in particular in teaching Sabbath School. Her father was a rector in the Church of England. 

At the time of the 1881 census, the Bruce family resided at Kirkton Free Church Manse on St Andrews Road (now a private home named Lyndhurst), with four children, plus a cook and a nurse. Once well-established as a minister, Bruce apparently received multiple invitations to move to another church. However, he could not be lured away from Largo. William Bruce was very popular with "untiring energy" and "zeal" and over the years, his congregation grew and its average age lowered.

The biographical piece in the Dundee Evening Telegraph in 1899 also spoke of Bruce's travels overseas. The extract below tells of time in France, Switzerland and Belgium. Also mentioned in the Telegraph was the mission hall set up in New Gilston as an offshoot of the Free Church over a number of years, with an evening service there every Sunday evening. Robert Black was a member of the Free Church and was at the time a farmer in New Gilston. This outreach mission was initially in New Gilston schoolhouse. However, when its use was withdrawn, due to opposition, another member of the Free Church - miner, John Shepherd -  built a cottage to use as a mission hall. He also supplied coals and light.

In 1896, Reverend Bruce's semi-jubilee (25 years) was celebrated. Thomas Nicoll, an elder and headmaster of Kirkton School, presented on behalf of the congregation a "handsome pulpit robe and cassock", while Miss Haymes of Aithernie presented a silver salver and silver tea and coffee service to Mrs Bruce. There were three Sunday Schools associated with the Free Church during Bruce's time - a small congregational one, one at the New Gilston mission and another at Lundin Mill with 100 scholars. Early on in his time at Largo, William Bruce also realised that it would be beneficial to have evening services in Lundin Links. Distinguished theologian Dr Robert Rainy (a summer visitor) provided invaluable assistance in setting this up for its first season. The "feeble, the aged, the young and summer visitors" were key beneficiaries of this.

By 1901, a 55-year-old William Bruce was still residing at the U.F. Manse in Upper Largo, with his wife Mary and three of their children, Hannah, Mary and Neil, as well as a general domestic servant. However, in 1906, William was widowed, when Mary died aged 60 from pneumonia. The piece below appeared in the 1 March Leven Advertiser. 
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In 1910, William remarried, to Agnes Crombie, in Rhu. The 1911 census finds William, Agnes and William's daughter Hannah (an Art Teacher), along with a servant living at the manse. By 1916, Reverend Bruce had applied to the Presbytery for a grant for 'Aged and Infirm Ministers', which also requested a grant for a colleague and successor. While a retiring allowance was awarded, a successor to William Bruce was never found. A long vacancy followed the death of William Bruce aged 71 on 25 January 1917 (which took place not long after he had a fall on icy streets). A scarcity of ministers prevented a replacement ever being found. The Free Church congregation were brought under the care of Reverend James Ewing of Lathones, until 1923 when he moved to Glasgow. Early in 1924 the Upper Largo United Free Church was dissolved.

During his decades in Upper Largo Reverend William Bruce was involved in the community in many ways. He was a member of Largo School Board, helped with the management of the Simpson Institute, was a member of Lundin Golf Club, the Bowling Club and the Curling Club. He was also an amateur horticulturalist and operated a fully equipped printing press from the manse, which saw much use for the printing of mission literature. His widow, Agnes, lived until 1947.

Robert studied at St Andrews University and was licensed by the Presbytery of Haddington in 1816. He was presented by Lt. Gen. James Durham to Largo Kirk. On 22 April 1821, according to the Largo Kirk Session minutes, "intimation was made from the pulpit of Largo Kirk by Revered Dr Thomas Laurie, minister of Newburn, that by order of the Presbytery of St Andrews a committee of their members would meet in this place on the 3rd day of May next for the purpose of moderating a call in favour of Mr Robert Brown preacher of the Gospel to be Assistant Minister in this Parish and successor to the Rev. Spence Oliphant who by infirmity is incapable of discharging that duty."

Brown was ordained on 28 June 1821. The following year, on 8 March, Spence Oliphant, who had been minister at Largo since 1777, died. Robert married Elizabeth Lundin, daughter of Christopher Lundin 9th of Auchtermairnie, in Kennoway on 15 June 1827. The notice below appeared in the 20 June 1827 Scotsman. 
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The pair went on to have the following children:

James Lundin Brown (1828-1872)
Richard Lundin Brown (1829- 1905)
Helen Lundin Brown  (1832-1880)
Robert Christopher Lundin Brown (1834-1876)
Emma Elizabeth Lundin Brown (1836-1878)
William Clephane Lundin Brown (1838-1891)
Arthur Brown (1840-1868)

​In 1837, while still known as Robert Brown, he authored the New Statistical Account for the Parish of Largo. Six years later he formed the Free Church in Largo. A site for the new church was found at the west end of Upper Largo's Main Street and a wooden structure was constructed. Later a manse was built for Brown on St Andrews Road, which is now known as Lyndhurst. In 1855, Robert adopted the Lundin, when his wife, Elizabeth inherited the Auchtermairnie Estate, upon the death of sister Euphemia. The latter's obituary from the 14 April 1855 Illustrated London News can be seen below. From then onwards he was known as Robert Lundin Brown.
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Robert Lundin Brown died on 9 Apr 1877. His widow Marie went on to remarry in 1882, to Donald Fergusson, the recently retired minister of the Free Church in Leven. The following obituary was written by the Reverend Walter Wood of Elie and published in The Free Church Monthly, June 1, 1877, p.15​:

Another of our Disruption ministers has passed away from us. Mr. Brown was descended from a long line of clerical ancestors, the last of whom was minister of Newbattle, in Mid-Lothian. He was born in 1792, ordained minister of Largo in 1821, cast in his lot with the Free Church of Scotland in 1843, and died in his eighty-fifth year, on the ninth day of April 1877. He took the name of Lundin in 1855, on the succession of his wife to the estate of Auchtermairnie. The survivors of his family, two sons and two daughters, along with his wife by a second marriage, watched by his sick-bed during the few days through which he survived a stroke of paralysis, and were much cheered by his humble yet confident hope of eternal life through Jesus Christ. Some memorials of his last hours have been put into our hands, but the space at our disposal will not permit us to insert them. We make room for one saying, which may cheer and strengthen those who know that a similar trial awaits them. “I have not,” he said, “the bright and luminous views I would like to have; but I am trusting on my Saviour, and I sometimes feel even more than that — I sometimes feel overpowered.”

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.

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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)).
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​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. 

The previous post looked at Newburn Parish Church, which was in active use from 1815 until January 1961. The church then closed and remained empty for a few years. In 1964, the Church of Scotland decided to sell the building and the advert below appeared in the 1 April 1964 Leven Mail. Viewings were arranged through the minister of the church at Upper Largo, Reverend James S. Paterson.

As the architect firm of L.A. Rolland and Partners of Leven embarked upon the project, the key challenge was to insert an intermediate floor without spoiling the external appearance of the building from the south (as seen in the photograph at the top of this post). The two tall arched south-facing windows once flanked the pulpit. In the end the intermediate floor was set back from the glass and the two south-facing doors were glazed to internal floor level. The main entrance became through the base of the tower, which acted as a vestibule.
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The picture below, (from the Canmore Collection - http://canmore.org.uk/collection/1636717) shows the building from the north, where some reconfiguration of windows was carried out. In fact the category B listing for the building states that "North elevation symmetry lost by insertion of 1 door and window".  
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The top image and both internal photographs featured in the booklet 'New Life for Old Churches', published in 1977 by HMSO. In fact a sketch of Kirk House by Roy Worskett was used as the cover drawing for this booklet (below). 
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