The above image featured on a postcard posted in Leven in 1910. It is thought to show a horticultural show held in the vicinity. One of the regular entrants in the shows run by the Leven Horticultural Society was James (Jimmie) Brown of Hatton Law, market gardener and owner of the fruit and flower shop on Emsdorf Street, Lundin Links. Over many years, his name featured in the list of prize winners in the local press. For example, in the late 1890s and early 1900s he won prizes in the following categories: pot plants, cut flowers, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, beets, peas, onions, potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, turnips, marrow, shallots, grapes, apples, gooseberries and redcurrants.

The list gives an insight to the types of produce that he would have sold from his mobile hut and later from his shop. There must have been a wonderful range of fresh, local, seasonal produce available to local people. James Brown came from a green-fingered family. His father was John Brown (1820-1909) who was born at Blindwells (just to the north of Largo House), son of Braidwood Clark and Andrew Brown (a ploughman). In 1841, John was working as a linen handloom weaver and living with his parents at Largo Home Farm, where his father was an agricultural labourer. 
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By 1851, John had moved to Lundin Mill, married Alison Kellock (of the Kellock family who had the saw mill at Hatton Law) and had four children. He was now a garden labourer. A decade later, the family, now with six children, were living in the Gardener's Cottage at Lathallan House (picture below) where John was the head gardener. The family returned to Largo the following year and James (Jimmie) was born in 1862. The family lived in 'the dip' at Largo Road, close to the Keilside bakery. John rented the nursery at Hatton Law from his mother-in-law Christian Kellock (and later from brother-in-law Robert Wood Kellock after her death).
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By 1881, John had been joined by his son James, working as the tenant of the nursery / market garden at Hatton Law (an area once known as Hunger-em-out). However, when Robert Kellock died in 1887, John Brown became owner of both the nursery at Hatton Law and one of the cottages there, known as 'Rosebank Cottage'. The family moved out there from Lundin Mill and by the time of the 1891 census, 70-year-old widower John Brown was living at Rosebank Cottage with daughters Isabella and Violet, granddaughter Violet Alice and son James. The same household was recorded in 1901. John Brown died in 1909 aged 89, after a long life working outside in the fresh air. The map below shows the close proximity of the various places where John Brown lived in his life - Blindwells (upper right), Largo Home Farm (centre right), Lundin Mill (at foot of map) and Hatton Law (upper left). He only left Largo Parish for a brief spell to work at Lathallan, near Largoward.

John Brown's son James continued the market garden and continued to exhibit his produce at horticultural shows. He was also on the committee of the East Fife Chrysanthemum Society, which also held shows over many years. His sister Violet, and his niece Alice , worked alongside him as fruiterers and shopkeepers. Below are a couple of examples of adverts placed in the Leven Advertiser for seasonal help with their business. Note that before the family occupied the Emsdorf Street shop, Violet Brown had a fruit outlet at Leven Links. Violet Brown, Alice's mother, died in 1931 aged 71.

As Jimmie got older, much of the produce for the Emsdorf Street shop was supplied by Peter Keay, gardener at Largo House (until his death in 1942). When Jimmie died in 1943, aged, 81, Alice was left to run the shop alone, 40 years after its 1903 opening. Locals recall that in the final years of the shop, which continued into the 1950s, there was only a small range of produce on offer. Below is the notice that Alice placed in the 9 June 1943 Leven Mail to acknowledge support that she received from the community at that time of her bereavement. Also below is the executry notice that appeared in the 23 June Leven Mail. Violet Alice Brown herself died in 1976, aged 88.
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The Ainslie map of 1775 shown above shows a place by the name of Hunger Himout to the north of Lundin Mill, where Little Pilmuir is now. This lost place name means 'starve him or them out' and has variations including Hunger-em-out. It's the latter that is used in the 24 November 1836 Fife Herald piece below about a pair of men who lived there at the time who were charged with assault. This article states that Hunger-em-out is Hattonlaw but the name does seem to have applied to whole area encompassing Hattonlaw and Little Pilmuir.

The unusual name does appear elsewhere in Fife and further afield within Scotland, including Orkney and Lanarkshire. Another example close by is Hunger emout in the Parish of Kettle shown on the 1775 map too (see further below). The book 'The Place-Names of Fife' by Simon Taylor (2008) explains that this was a "humorously self-deprecating name" which "refers either to poverty of the land or to the fact that it was not big enough to support its inhabitants". The name belongs to a well-defined genre of early modern Scots place names containing a verbal construction. Not dissimilar is the English market town name of Hungerford, which is derived from a Saxon name meaning "ford leading to poor land".
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Another reference to the term can be found in the 11 August 1858 North British Agriculturist below. This refers to "the hunger-him-out system of farming" which, in the case described, had reduced the land to worthless remains (caput mortuum in Latin). The suggestion seems to be that the land was depleted due to overuse and that soil fertility was not properly maintained. So perhaps at some point in history areas with this name had been exhausted by over use. Whatever the origins of the name in the Largo case, the Brown family certainly proved that the land could be made productive and that a good living could be made from it.

It is ironic that Largo's 'Hunger-em-out' was where the Brown family had their market garden for many decades. Jimmie Brown was a life-long market gardener, like his father before him and brought produce from Hatton Law to Lundin Links for decades. Before occupying the newly-built shop at the west end of Emsdorf Street from 1903, he sold his produce in the open air at Emsdorf Road. Esther Menzies recalls this as follows: "In the summer time, in a small clearing in the front of the trees, Jimmie Brown set up his hut and sold fruit and vegetables...[which were] green and crisp and were sold in fresh cabbage leaves instead of bags." After Jimmie died in 1943, while walking the road to Hunger-em-out, his niece Alice Brown continued to run the fruit and florist shop (see image at the foot of this post). 

Had you heard the name Hunger-em-out? How old do you think this name might be? When did it go out of use? Any thoughts on this interesting name welcome!
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Ploughing matches have been part of the rural scene in Scotland since the late eighteenth century. At these events ploughmen (or ploughwomen) each plough part of a field and the resulting furrows are judged for neatness and straightness. Since around 1800 the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland has encouraged these matches by offering awards at locally organised events. In Largo Parish, during the second half of the nineteenth century, the Largo District Ploughing Society arranged an annual ploughing match at which a representative from the H.A.S.S. attended and prizes were given.

Largo's society and annual competition originated early in 1846. That year many Largo agricultural folk attended a ploughing match at Winthank. Several Largo ploughmen competed - the winner being Thomas Lindsay of Teuchats. The judges were all Largo farmers. It was resolved on that day to "have an annual meeting for the improvement of ploughing" and the society was formed (see 19 Feb 1846 Fifeshire Journal piece below). 

The table further below shows the details of the annual ploughing matches that followed. The venue rotated around the local farms. Thomas Lindsay was a frequent winner in the early years. Later William Latto and Henry Dalrymple had multiple wins. The number of ploughs competing was typically more than twenty. The month in which the ploughing match was held varied, so some calendar years had two matches while others had none. The matches attracted many spectators despite the fact that often the weather conditions were unfavourable. Mrs Duff's Inn at Upper Largo became the post-match venue of choice, hosting the society's dinner almost every year.

As well as encouraging a competitive spirit among ploughmen, ploughing matches played an important role in developing the skill and technique of ploughing and even stimulated improvements in plough design. The matches usually took place on lea ground (that is open meadow, grass or arable land). The best part of the field is selected and an equal allocation of ground given to each competitor. A peg, bearing a number, is fixed in the ground at the end of each lot, which are as many as ploughs entered in competition. Numbers on slips of paper corresponding to those on the pegs, are drawn by the competing ploughmen, who take the lots as drawn. Plenty time is allowed to finish the ploughing of each lot. Speed is not as important as the quality of execution. Generally, the judges are brought in from outside the immediate locality, so that they can have no personal interest in the exhibition.  

The fact that the annual Largo event started in 1846 and continued for the immediately following decades had much to do with the arrival of Lilias Dundas Calderwood Durham at Largo House in late 1845. She supported the event by giving towards the annual prize money (this was one pound annually as a donation in the 1840s). From the start, and for many years, her overseer, Archibald Smail was the secretary to the society. The 13 November 1845 Northern Warder piece below tells of the "festive rejoicings" upon her arrival at her "patrimonial mansion" and the lighting of a large bonfire at the top of Largo Law to mark the occasion. As well as the main prizes, there was a junior section of the competition for those under 18 years of age.

The main image used on this post is of a ploughing match held locally. Thought to be at Buckthorns around 1910, the photograph shows how well-dressed the horses were. Prizes were often given for the appearance of the horses as well as for the skill of the ploughing. For example a prize might be awarded for best kept harness. Prizes for this tended to be of a practical nature - such as whips or leggings. The Largo District Ploughing Society eventually ceased - to be replaced with organisations that covered a wider geographical area - such as the East of Fife Ploughing Union and later the Fife Ploughing Society. The nature of the ploughing changed over time of course with the increasing mechanisation of farming. However, ploughing matches can still be seen up and down the country - often showcasing vintage machinery.

Known to most as Bert, Robert Band was a local joiner and building contractor remembered fondly by many. Over the decades, he worked on a huge range of local buildings around Largo and beyond. Based for many years under the viaduct, at the caravan park at Lower Largo, he was the developer of Seatoun Place. This two-part post will look at Robert's life - beginning with the early years in this first part, before moving on to look in more detail at some of the projects he completed as a self-employed joiner and contractor, and his later life, in part two.

​Robert was born on 10 October 1934, at his maternal grandparents, William and Isabella Beveridge's, small holding at Muirtonhills in the Parish of Auchterderran, Fife (a model of the small holding, made by Robert's son John, is shown below). His parents, Neil and Helen Band lived on the adjacent Pitcairn Farm where Neil was a cattleman and ploughman. Such an occupation meant that the family moved around various farms, following opportunities of work. In 1947, they arrived in Lundin Mill, where they resided in a tied cottage associated with Lundin Mill Farm, located in the long-demolished Paradise Row, off Mill Wynd.  

The image above shows Paradise Row, to the left of centre, behind the line of washing and in front of the higher building behind. It ​also shows the home to which the Band family moved the following year. Known as Dunkirk Cottages this building is in the centre of the photograph which the light coloured frontage facing towards 'Paradise Row'. Lundin Mill Farm House can be seen in the distance to the right of Dunkirk (directly above the horse). Robert attended Leven Secondary School in Mitchell Street, where he showed a flair for woodwork. On leaving school in 1948, aged 14, he began a joinery apprenticeship with Robert (Bob) Stout at Aberhill Joinery on Wellesley Road. During his apprenticeship Robert made hundreds of sliding sash windows, staircases, doors, etc and made many a trip down to Donaldson's Sawmill for timber (using only a two-wheeled hand cart). 

Upon completing his apprenticeship, Robert went straight into his National Service. He enlisted in 1955 with the 67th training regiment at Hadrian's Camp, Carlisle, where he completed his basic training, before passing out and joining the Life Guards. He was granted leave to marry Catherine Philp on 9 June 1955 at Largo Parish Church (see notice below from the 18 June 1955 Dundee Courier). Robert had assisted Catherine's parents, who owned the Largo Bay caravan site, to develop their site. He helped with alterations to the former Mill Cottage to create toilets, a shower block, site shop and office, as well as construction of the garage/workshop alongside this. The images further below show Robert in his uniform at Largo Bay Caravan Park, while on leave to be married (left) and Robert and Catherine as newly-weds in 1956 by the viaduct at Lower Largo (right). Their first home was a Travelmaster caravan on the Philps' caravan site, situated on the spot where the family would build their own home years later.
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Less than one month after marrying, Assault Trooper Robert Band (service number 2312506) was flown to Egypt, to be part of the military force defending the canal zone there. He spent his 21st birthday on the banks of the Suez Canal. A spell in Cyprus followed and, later, time at Combermere Barracks in Windsor where Robert qualified as a regimental cook. After serving 2 years and 22 days with the Life Guards, his military service came to an end. Despite being asked to become a professional soldier with the regiment, Robert was eager to return to his civilian life as a joiner. He resumed employment with Bob Stout as a foreman joiner in charge of the new local authority housing scheme at Muiredge, Buckhaven. Remaining on the army reserve list for four years, he was never recalled. Part two to follow....
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Looking at the empty and unused buildings of Largo Home Farm today, it's hard to imagine this as a bustling place of work and thriving community of residents. Yet for a couple of hundred years, this would have been a hive of activity and a home for estate employees and their families. It was the scene of births, deaths, marriages and all sorts of other occasions. Many of the residents were long term ones - living out decades of their lives there. Lots of children grew up on the farm and walked the short distance to Kirkton of Largo School for their education. Archives such as census records show the successive coachmen, foresters, game keepers, agricultural labourers, gardeners, dairy maids and others that lived on site. Examples of just a handful of these people are given below.

Eleven births were recorded in the register of births kept by midwife Margaret Bethune as taking place at either 'Largo Place' (the cottages at the south of the steading) or 'Eagle Gate Lodge' (the south lodge house) between 1853 and 1887. Three of those were the 11th, 12th and 13th children of John Sibbald and his wife.  The written record of child number 13 (a female born on 5 January 1872) is shown above. John Sibbald was a forester on the Largo estate. He was born in Largo in 1829. Several of his daughters worked at the Cardy Net Factory. In fact, his eldest daughter Maggie Campbell Sibbald was married to fisherman James Simpson by the Reverend David Malloch at Largo Place in 1872 - the same year as the birth of her youngest sister Janet shown above. A 14th child, William Bruce Sibbald, followed in 1875. 

William Bruce was also the name of the gamekeeper on the estate, who also resided at Largo Place at the time. It would appear that John Sibbald either named his youngest son after him or after the minister of the United Free Church in Upper Largo, who also shared the name. The birth of the first child of William Bruce the gamekeeper and his wife was also recorded in the register of Margaret Bethune - in 1875, the same year as the last of John Sibbald's children. Further Bruce children were also born at Largo Place, including twins (a boy and a girl) in 1884.

​Another family which saw several of their children born at the home farm was headed by Alexander Anderson. Alexander was initially a forester on the estate but became the 'Estate Overseer' by 1891 (see census entry below). The census extract below shows the four cottages of Largo Place listed beneath Largo House itself and the Coachman's House (unoccupied on the day of the census). The only residents of Largo House that day were the sewing maid and the laundry maid. Of the four cottages of Largo Place, one was unoccupied, one filled by the 'farm manager' and his large family, another was occupied by Anderson the overseer and the other by Robert Smith the gardener and his wife Annie.
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Robert Smith was a long serving gardener on Largo Estate who lived at Largo Place for decades. In 1886 he married Annie Greig Welsh, daughter of Lower Largo Postmaster Alexander Welsh. The pair were both extremely active in the Good Templars. Mr Smith was the 'Deputy Grand Chief Templar' of the Robinson Crusoe Lodge and Mrs Smith (pictured further below) was the 'Superintendent of the Juvenile Templars' at the time that the North East Fife Good Templar Guide of 1898 was published (see extract below). 
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Of the many events that took place at Largo Place, a couple of examples are given below. A Grand Floral Fete in 1899 was opened by architect of the Lundin Links Hotel, P.L. Henderson (advertised on the front page of the 17 August Leven Advertiser). In August of 1905 the Juvenile Templars were entertained at Largo House, assembling at Largo Place before marching to an estate field for games, tea and treats. See 17 August Leven Advertiser piece below. Various estate folks were present for the occasion, which surely took place thanks to the Smiths.  Robert Smith died at Largo Place in 1919. More on the Smiths and the Good Templars organisation to follow in the near future. 
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Leading on from the previous post, let's take a closer look at the layout and buildings of Largo Home Farm. The steading was arranged around a square courtyard with a byre at its centre. With some parts dating back to the late 18th century and with multiple alterations over the years, Largo Home Farm is a fine example of agricultural development through three centuries. Most of the buildings have served more than one function over time. Below is the detailed 1964 O.S. map of the farm, with numbering to show the main component buildings, plus a recent aerial view of the site. 

1. Building associated with the sheep dip
2. Horse mill (or horse gin)
3. West range of steading
4. Cart shed
5. Inner courtyard byre
6. East range of steading
7. Row of farm cottages
8. Farmhouse
​9. Sir Andrew Wood's Tower

Building 1 is a post-war structure that was clearly associated with the adjacent sheep dip. It is of brick construction and does not appear on earlier maps. Structure 2 is the horse mill or horse gin (short for horse engine house), which adjoins the north end of the west range of the steading. Horse gins were used on many farms to drive threshing mills. These generally consisted of a rotating wooden frame to which a horse was harnessed. As the horse pulled the frame round, it drove a shaft geared to the threshing mill next door. ​These took over from hand threshing from the 1780s. The engines were initially made of wood, and houses such as this one were built to protect the engine and the horses from the weather. This structure is typical of the area, with a polygonal roof (that originally would have been pantiled) supported on stone piers. The engine would have been removed when new technology took over in the late 18th century and the building would have been repurposed. Read more about the workings of a horse gin here and here. Below is the horse gin as it was in the mid 1970s. The roof has since collapsed.
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The horse-shoe shaped byre (5) can be seen below. The black and white photograph is from around 1975 while the colour one is present day. This unusually shaped single storey structure and seems to have contained a water pump. Its main purpose was to provide shelter for livestock, usually cows. Even in its dilapidated state, it is an attractive and characterful building with its pantiled roof, dark whin rubble walls and golden sandstone window dressings.  The 1854 O.S. map (further below) indicates that this was not always in its later horse shoe shape but earlier consisted of a north edge and a small square building in the south east corner. It was built-up into the horse shoe arrangement before 1893. 

The east range of the steading (6) is pictured above as it is today (with much of the roof collapsed) and as it was circa 1975. It had high arched entrances at either end and was clearly designed to accommodate large pieces of farm equipment. The row of farm cottages (7) are shown below at circa 1975 (before the preservation work was carried out on Wood's Tower), in 1989 and as they are now. ​These dwellings for farm workers were located to the south of the main steading, set back from the working area and closer to the gardens and to Largo House. The main farmhouse (8) was located further east. It is shown in the previous post. Coming in the next part - the people who lived and worked at Largo Home Farm.

Largo Home Farm was the farm associated with Largo House that now lies in a largely derelict state. Situated to the north west of Largo House, the Home Farm is adjacent to Sir Andrew Wood's Tower (seen to the left in the above aerial photograph). "Home farm" was the widely-used term used for the farm within an estate which provided produce for the estate owner. An estate may have had many farms within its boundaries, most of which would be rented out to tenant farmers. However, the home farm was managed as a source of food and resources for the 'big house'. It was also often where the estate horses were kept. The home farm would be close to the landowner's house, as in this case. The Largo estate owned around a dozen farms, including Lundin Mill, Buckthorns, Chesterstone, Pitcruvie and Bonnyton. The extent of the Home Farm (also referred to as Largo Mains) is shown in the centre of the 1866 map below.  

It can be assumed that Largo House has long had farm buildings of some sort to support its occupants. The oldest surviving building is the doocot that stands to the left of the access road to home farm. Doocot is the Scots name for a dovecot or pigeon house. These were used as nesting places for doves or pigeons and could contain hundreds of nesting boxes or ‘pigeon holes’. The birds were an important source of fresh meat in the days when it was a challenge to keep livestock over the winter. Their feathers and droppings were also utilised for pillows and fertiliser, respectively. Read more about Fife's doocots here. 

The Largo Home Farm Doocot dates to the late 17th century and, like many others in Fife, is of the 'lectern' style. Note the south facing mono-pitched roof (now collapsed), the crow-stepped gables (where pigeons could perch) and the 'rat course' external ledge to prevent rats climbing the walls to access to doocot to steal eggs. The condition of the doocot has deteriorated noticeably over the last few decades. Below are a pair of photos taken from the same spot - on the left is a 1989 view and on the right an image captured in 2020. In thirty years, vegetation has taken hold within the roofless structure (much like what has happened to Largo House itself). The 1989 photo also shows the roof of the horse mill in the background to the right of the doocot. The horse mill structure has now collapsed (more on that later). 

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Canmore describes the listed Farmhouse at Largo Home Farm (pictured below as it was in 1975) as 18th century with the following description:

"2 storey, 3 bay house, harled with painted ashlar dressings. Glazed central door and enlarged windows to ground floor. Original first floor glazing. Pantiled roof, straight skews with simply moulded skew putts to front and crowsteps to rear at north east gable. End stacks. Single storey wing to right, rubble with droved ashlar dressings and pantile roof. Modern addition at rear."

The farmhouse is located on the far right of the home farm group of buildings (see 1854 O.S. map further below), which also include a distinctive horseshoe-shaped byre, a row of farm cottages, a horse mill and other steading buildings. In part two - a photo tour of these buildings with further description of how they were once used.

In days gone by some of the smallest events found themselves being reported on the pages of the local newspaper. Examples of such stories have been shared here before but here are a few more. Above is from 13 June 1901 Leven Advertiser, covering the tale of some very early new potatoes no less.
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The above from 5 April 1873 Fifeshire Advertiser relays the tale of a servant girl that disturbed a sleeping fox.

Remarking upon the weather was another favourite of the local press in the past. In the 7 July 1909 Leven Advertiser, it was "a sharp peal of thunder" and torrential rain that merited reporting upon. Meanwhile, a mild winter and early spring earned mention below in the ​25 February 1851 Fifeshire Journal.

The two pieces below, from the Fifeshire Journals of 9 September 1847 and 16 August 1855 respectively, speak of harvest-time, with its heavy yields and favourable weather.
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​A winter's story of frost and "jolly curlers" graced the 29 December 1853 Fifeshire Journal.

​Back to Springtime and on 1 April 1852 the same newspaper comments below upon the early sighting of butterflies between Largo and Lundin Mill.

Finally, in slightly more recent times (13 Oct 1936 Leven Advertiser) a less gentle story below of graffiti on the Serpentine Walk - at odds with the usual peaceful country tales. I wonder what exactly was daubed on the trees?

One hundred and forty five years ago this week, the 19 February 1875 East of Fife Record round-up of Lundin Mill news begins with a piece about lambs. After a harsh winter, many "early bleaters" had put in appearance. There's also an insight into the weaving trade at the time and then an interesting note on how foxes cache food for later retrieval - in this case on the links. This tiny snapshots of local nature in the past are just lovely and so eloquently written.

Back in 1907 the Leven Advertiser (18 Sept) felt it newsworthy that Jimmie Brown the market gardener at Hatton Law and owner of the Emsdorf Fruit Shop had harvested some strawberries late in the season.
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​Weather was a regular topic of the local news round-ups of old. This one from 26 July 1901 East of Fife Record notes: "Refreshing showers of rain fell on Sunday evening and on Monday forenoon. Pastures and all kinds of crops were suffering much owing to the protracted drought."
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The above snippet combines weather and fruit and enthuses of the "genial spring" and "splendid show of early stuff". This is from the St Andrews Citizen of 27 April 1895. 

On 31 May 1901 the East of Fife Record remarked upon the Spring birds around Dumbarnie Links. 

I'm curious as to how the newspapers received these observations on local nature. Perhaps the Largo Field Naturalists' Society and other like-minded individuals made it their business to ensure that the local press were made aware of such events? Anyway, their attention to detail is appreciated.

Ebenezer Coutts was born on February 1744 in Tillicoultry to Robert Coutts and Elizabeth Thomson. Coutts came to Largo in the 1760s and on 20 December 1769 he married Magdalene Lundin, who was the seventh child of James Lundin and Magdalene Condie. The Lundins were living in Drummochy before Ebenezer Coutts arrived there and owned the salt works and associated collieries. It may have been that Coutts initially came to Largo to work for James Lundin. However, several years after arriving in Largo, Coutts became factor to the Earl of Leven.

This was the era of the 6th Earl of Leven, David Melville, shown in the images above. Note that this was still a time when men wore coats, waistcoats, breeches, stockings and buckled shoes (and wigs for formal occasions). The 6th Earl was born in Leven in 1722 and died in 1802 in Edinburgh. Among Ebenezer's duties as his factor were to continue the overseeing the salt works at Drummochy (where he also lived), paying and overseeing other estate workers, showing lands to let, managing sales of the produce of the estate (including sea marle, flax, salt and coal) and arranging shipping out of the 'Port of Drummochy'. He would also have collected proceeds from estate sales and kept accounts . At some point Coutts also become Bailie in Drummochy (i.e. a civilian officer who administers the law at a local level). This is mentioned in the excerpt below about his wife from the 'History of the Clan Lundy, Lundie, Lundin'. The record of their marriage is also shown below.

​In 1771 Ebenezer and Magdalene's first child Robert was born in Drummochy and was baptised on 30 August 3 days after his birth. He was named after his maternal grandfather Robert Condie. His uncle Robert Lundin, a 'Sailor in Drumochy', was present at the baptism (see baptism record below). Daughter Magdalene was born in 1733 (died 1819) and then Elizabeth in 1775 (died 1794). 

Living at Drum Lodge from around 1799 and possibly closer to Drummochy Harbour prior to that, Ebenezer was perfectly positioned for his role as Overseer for the Drummochie salt works. The advert below from Caledonian Mercury of 21 March 1774 shows him as contact for any Master Salter of good character looking for employment. Records were kept on the character of salters due to the temptation to illicitly draw off salt during the manufacturing process in order to sell on this highly valued and taxed commodity on the black market.

The adverts below from the 19 July 1775, 3 April 1776 and 12 June 1779 Caledonian Mercury detail the trade in 'Shell-Marle' which was used as a fertiliser and was "handled with more ease and less risk then limeshells". Soil fertility was an issue at this time and shell marle was recommended for overused and depleted soil. However, its prolonged use, without stable dung also being applied, was later found to push exhausted soil beyond repair, leading to the phrase "marl makes rich fathers and poor sons".

Ebenezer was also involved in 'flax raising' as can be seen from the list below of premiums charged to those involved in this industry across Scotland (12 Dec 1785 Caledonian Mercury). He is listed fourth from the top right along with three other Largo men. Also below is the list of those charged 'horse tax' in 1797, with Ebenezer Coutts appearing seventh on the list and as having one horse.

Ebenezer Coutts lived out the remainder of his life at Drum Lodge (pictured above). By the time of his death there on 17 December 1822, aged 78, he was a widower with no surviving children. His wife Magdalene had died in 1810. His son Robert had died before that in 1803 aged just 31. Robert became Reverend Robert Coutts, and was a minister in Brechin at the time of his death. Prior to becoming a minister, he had for a spell held the chair of Mathematics at St Andrews University. Latterly, Robert had suffered from consumption and came to Largo shortly before his death to visit his father and for a change of air but passed soon afterwards. A man of notable intellect, a book of his sermons was published posthumously and he was still being talked about 70 years later when the Brechin Advertiser (28 October and 18 November 1873) printed a two-part appreciation of his life (excerpt of which is shown below). 

A silhouette image of Robert appears in his book of sermons and is shown at the foot of this post. Silhouette or profile portraiture was the popular way to recreate an image of a person before the invention and widespread use of photography. Robert left behind a wife (Janet McCulloch, daughter of a Dairsie minister) and an infant son named Ebenezer. Six months after his death, his daughter Magdalene was born. Sadly his young son died in 1805, aged 3 years, at Dairsie Manse. His daughter survived into adulthood but died young, like her father, of consumption. A section from the sketch of Robert's life confirms that both root and branches of the Coutts family were now ended.