Lundin Mill Farmhouse (pictured above in the 1970s from the Canmore collection) shares a number of architectural features with nearby Fir Park Villas on Crescent Road. Castellated detail above the bay windows, and stone finials at the frontage apexes, are two of the notable shared features. The comparison photos below also show very similar chimney stacks and distinctive quoins (masonry blocks at the corners of walls). Fir Park Villas were built by 1875 were originally owned by local builder Archibald Muir White, who constructed them. Given the strong similarities in style, I suspect that White also built Lundin Mill Farmhouse. If anyone is able to confirm this - please leave a comment.

Inspection of old maps of Lundin Mill Farm shows that there was a forerunner to the present farmhouse. It was also known as Lundin Mill Farmhouse but it had a different layout and stood in a slightly different position. The annotated maps below show, on the left a 1912 site map and, on the right a 1866 equivalent. Both maps feature Broadlea and its associated stores (marked 1) and Ernest Cottage (marked 2) but the present day Lundin Mill Farm House (marked 3) is not present on the older map. So when was the newer farmhouse building constructed?

Census information for the dwelling reveals that, up until the 1881 census, the farmhouse was noted as having "5 rooms with windows" whereas, from 1891, the farmhouse was described as having 10 windows. This suggests that a new, larger farmhouse was constructed during the 1880s. This was during the tenancy of John Whyte (or White), whose family had run the farm for generations. The valuation rolls for the period confirms that the value of the farmhouse rose substantially between 1885 and 1895. So the new farmhouse likely dates to some time between 1885 and 1891.

Around 5-10 years after the building of the house, tenant farmer John White/Whyte had to retire due to ill health, breaking his 'tack' (tenancy). This turn of events (covered on 18 September 1896 by both the Dundee Courier and the East of Fife Record above) signalled the end of a long era of the Whytes farming this land. On 28 October 1896 a displenishing sale took place at Lundin Mill Farm - attracting a huge gathering, with farmers from far and wide in attendance (see 30 October 1896 Dundee Courier piece below). The farmhouse went on to be occupied by subsequent tenant farmers for several more decades.

Celebrating a Golden Wedding Anniversary is a landmark achievement. Back in the 1940s, to reach that milestone and have a parent present at the occasion was newsworthy. When Robert Imrie and his wife Isabella (nee Mitchell) marked 50 years of marriage, the above feature appeared in the 1 September 1945 Daily Record. Mrs Imrie's mother Helen Mitchell (nee Swan) appears with the golden couple in the photograph above.

In fact five generations of the family were represented at the event, including Isabella's sister, Margaret Honeyman (nee Mitchell) of Kennoway who was bridesmaid at the wedding. At the time of the celebration, Mr and Mrs Imrie had two daughters and five sons (one of whom lived in Canada). They also had fourteen grandchildren and one great grandchild. The couple, who lived at Watson Cottage on Mill Wynd, received many gifts and messages of best wishes, including a cablegram from Canada.

Robert Imrie was born in Strathmiglo and married Isabella in Kennoway on 30 August 1895. He had a long career in agriculture, becoming a farm grieve like his father George before him. He started out at Gateside, followed by a spell at Stanley in Perthshire, before completing the remainder of his working life in Fife. He worked at Hayston Farm near Balmullo and at Luthrie Bank, ahead of twenty years as grieve at Lundin Mill Farm (where he oversaw the other farm workers, when George Bell was the tenant farmer). The family lived in Broadlea Cottage on Cupar Road during that era.

Later, Robert spent thirteen years as farm grieve at Cassingray Farm, near Largoward, on the Kilconquhar Estate, working for Lady Lindsay. Above is an image of the farmhouse at South Cassingray where the family were based (image from the Canmore collection). Below is an advert for the lease of the farm in 1939, with Robert named as the grieve who would show round interested parties. It must have been soon after this point that Robert returned to Lundin Links, a place to which he obviously felt a strong connection. ​The Imries were members of Upper Largo Church for forty years and Robert had a spell on the District School Board.

The newspaper article at the top of this post describes Robert as "green keeper on the Lundin Ladies' Golf Course". This was late career shift brought about by the Second World War. Having returned to Lundin Links, where son Jimmie was green keeper at the Ladies' course, Robert was well placed to step into his son's shoes when Jimmie joined the Auxiliary Fire Service full time in 1941. At Jimmie's suggestion, Robert took over as greenkeeper while his own wife Christina acted as starter and looked after the clubhouse. Jimmie and Christina lived in the greenkeeper's cottage (the 1911 built cottage pictured above to the right of the club house).

Wartime had a significant impact upon the Ladies' course with much ground given up for agriculture. The War Cabinet instructed that portions of golf courses had to be leased to increase food production. By special arrangement, the Ladies Club gave up more than its quota (two thirds of its area) so that the main Lundin course could remain intact. The much reduced course comprised six holes with the added feature of some grazing sheep (which both supported food production and kept the grass short at at time when there was little fuel for green keeping).

​When Jimmie returned to post after the war, he set about the restoration of the course (shown below) including re-seeding and the re-laying out of the lost greens, tees and bunkers. As the book published for the club's centenary by Alan Elliot said of Jimmie Imrie:

"He was an excellent worker, conscientious and thorough. When it is realised that he put the course back from its wartime ploughing to its former state almost single-handed, it may give some idea of what he did. He worked with the minimum of equipment....a spade, a shovel, a barrow, a roller, an elderly tractor and mowers of great age: an awesome lot of effort. He achieved much in a remarkably short time after the war, and overall he provided the club with a course again when it mattered most."

In the years following the end of the war, all three of the family members featured in the photograph at the top of this post passed away. Helen Mitchell died in 1946 aged 94, Robert in 1947 aged 75 and Isabella in 1950 aged 70. Jimmie Imrie lived until 1985, reaching the age of 79. This remarkable and hard working family left their mark on the community in several ways over many years. Their descendants must be very proud of them.

The images above and below from the Canmore collection were captured in 1975 and show Broadlea and its associated stores (formerly a stable and byre). The top photograph shows the oldest part of the group of buildings in the foreground, the end closest to the bridge over the Cupar Road. The buildings once belonged to Largo Estate and were specifically associated with Lundin Mill Farm. The image below shows the farm worker's cottage which became know as Broadlea from the south showing its main entrance (which faced away from the main road).

Above is a 1960s colour image of the same properties, taken from the ninth green of Lundin Ladies Golf Course, with Broadlea in the centre background. The buildings can be seen again in the top right hand corner of the aerial image below. The buildings were demolished to make way for the Penrice Park housing development in the mid 1990s.
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The extract from an 1866 Estate Plan above shows the extent of Lundin Mill Farm. The Broadlea buildings are on the north edge of Lundin Mill village, close to the Mill Dam, conveniently located on the road north towards the upper parts of the farm. Broadlea cottage has the appearance of a circa 1800 dwelling, while the adjacent stable and byre appear significantly older. The imprecisely cut crowstepped gable of the byre, suggests authentic crowsteps of the pre-1750 era. The gable end can be seen in the Canmore image below taken from alongside the Cupar Road bridge. This old building was a characterful and distinctive landmark when approaching Lundin Links from Cupar direction.

The 1826 map below appears to show the Broadlea buildings, Earnest Cottage and Lundin Mill Farm House along with the corn mill (marked with a wheel like symbol). This mill is also marked on the 1775 Ainslie map of Fife.
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Broadlea was built to be a farm worker's cottage, likely circa 1800. Over its history, using census information, it would appear that Broadlea was home to many individuals and their families, including those occupied as field labourer, carter and dairyman. In 1901, carter David Morris lived at Broadlea with his wife and two children but in the warmer months the property was let to summer visitors. By September 1901 the Morris family were preparing to move out and the notice below from the 19 September Leven Advertiser provides an insight to some of their equipment, livestock and household effects.​

The 1911 census shows the row of buildings as three separate dwellings, Broadlea, its annex and the 'bothy'. Robert Imrie, farm grieve, now occupied the main cottage with his wife and six children. A 'lodger' occupied the small annex and a shepherd and ploughman lived in what was then described as the 'bothy' at the edge of the village. The above snippet from the 28 December 1911 Leven Advertiser reports that George Bell, tenant farmer at Lundin Mill, gave each farm servant a Christmas gift of a currant loaf and pound of tea.

​By the next census ten years later, in 1921, Robert Imrie was still at Broadlea and still employed as a farm grieve. The former byre was now referred to as 'Bell's Bothy'. A shepherd and three ploughman (aged 20, 16 and 16) lived in the bothy. Below is a report from the 8 December 1925 Leven Advertiser about the Imries departure from the farm (they later returned to live in Lundin Links). Farm workers continued to live at Broadlea for many more decades, including ploughman Sebastian Ramsay in the 1940s and the Osborne sisters in the 1960s. Below are the buildings as viewed from Cupar Road and a 1964 maps showing the three separate dwellings.
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The above postcard view is interesting because it features a pair of bridges over the Keil Burn, only one of which still remains today. The zoomed in annotated detail below shows that the bridge in the background (marked 1) is the one which still carries the Cupar Road over the Keil Burn, while the smaller bridge (2) in the foreground accommodates a farm track within Lundin Mill Farm, from the steading over the burn to the fields on the other side. The feature marked 3 is the former buildings on the Cupar Road, including the house known as Broadlea. The map from 1912 further below show the same three features and an arrow to indicate the direction in which the photograph was captured. Note that the bridge in the foreground has a slight curve to its top, while the Cupar Road bridge has a straight upper edge.
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Broadlea and the small bridge were lost when the Penrice Park housing development was built in the mid-1990s by Bett Brothers. Both of these features appear again in the slightly different postcard view below titled 'Largo Law from Ladies Golf Course'. Note the neatly constructed hay ricks to the far right of the image. The Lundin Mill Farm steading and mill complex were also demolished around 1995.
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Below are the two bridges close up for comparison - the top black and white image is the lost farm bridge while the lower image is the surviving Cupar Road bridge. They are not dissimilar in design, suggesting that they may have been constructed around the same time. The surviving bridge may have been enlarged and maintained more than once in its history.
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The side-by-side 1912 map and recent aerial photo show how the Penrice Park housing filled in the space between the Cupar Road/Largo Road and the Keil Burn.  Penrice Park was named after the Penrice family that were tenant farmers at Lundin Mill Farm and other local farms over many years. A further development of flats followed a few years later by Thomas Mitchell builders (in the south east corner of the newly developed area).

Above are a couple of photographs of the bridge on the Cupar Road to the north of Lundin Links and below is an advert for the ex-show house for sale in the 6 November 1997 Scotsman newspaper. Change is inevitable but it seems such a shame that only one of these historic bridges has survived.
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The above advert, from the 3 November 1948 Leven Mail, is for Largo Roses, which were grown at Kirkton Nurseries on the edge of Upper Largo beyond the cemetery. The 1940s aerial photo below shows the nurseries in the central rectangle, to the north of the cemetery and the school. The proprietor of Kirkton Nurseries was David Strathearn Abernethy. Born in 1900 in Dalkeith Parish, Midlothian, David was the son of David Alexander Abernethy an Inland Revenue Officer and Margaret Nisbet. By the time of the 1921 census, aged 20, David was already a 'nurseryman' working for Dickson & Co Nurserymen and living in Liberton. 

By 1923, David Abernethy had relocated to Largo and was owner occupier of 'greenhouse, office and land' at Chesterstone Farm. The nursery would continue to operate from this site for more than four decades, David living on site for much of this time. He would become known locally as an authority on roses, acting as judge at local flower shows such as the St Andrews Rose Show. 

Above is an advert from the 23 November 1935 Leven Mail. Note that David is a Fellow of the Royal Horticultural Society. Roses were hugely popular at this time, with most gardens featuring the "Queen of the Garden" amongst their displays. Being easy to grow, coming in many varieties and blooming long and lavishly, the rose was seen to provide a good return for its cost. Being able to visit a nursery to view roses in bloom and having the option to order a catalogue, made it easy for customers to confidently place an order. The nurseryman would give advice on the best varieties for a garden's situation and soil type. The Kirkton Nurseries would have had a wide range of varieties and its reputation grew quickly. Below are example adverts for the "widely known" Largo Roses from the early 1950s, available via Thomas Oswald, Florist and Fruiterer, Shorehead, Leven.

In the summer of 1955 there was a fire at the Nurseries - the 20 July Leven Mail reported on the incident below. The fire started on the roadside, close to the wooden house of Mr Smith who worked at Kirkton Nurseries. Fortunately, the blaze was noticed quickly and was extinguished by a unit from Methil Fire Brigade before it reached the house. The Smith family were unharmed but a bed of roses was destroyed. A discarded cigarette was presumed to have led to the fire.
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In Part One of this series, on the history of the Crusoe Hotel, the origins of the building as a granary in the 1820s were covered, as well as the establishment of an inn. Early innkeepers included George Duff and Alexander Selkirk but it seems probable that James Gilchrist was the innkeeper to introduce the 'Crusoe Hotel' name to the establishment in the early 1870s. In 1881, former farmer John Forrester began his long run as hotelkeeper. Born in Newburn in 1820, to William Forrester and Jane Hodge, John was a farmer until the age of 60.

He had just completed a seven year lease at Auchendownie Farm prior to taking over the Crusoe Hotel. Perhaps it's no coincidence that a former agriculturalist should take over an inn within a granary building that he would have known well. Hotel-keeping offered an alternative occupation for his later years, as well as employment for his wife and children (some of whom would continue in hospitality for the rest of their lives). A number of changes to the building took place during Forrester's tenure. Looking at the pair of photographs above, there are several differences.

The top image dates to circa 1880 and the lower one to closer to 1900. As demand for granary storage space declined, but the need for visitor accommodation rose, the hotel expanded into the attic floor of the seaward end of the building. New larger dormer windows were created, a new slate roof put on and new chimney pots added. The hotel exterior was freshly painted and its sign spruced up. The later image features the 1888-constructed fishermen's bothy set into the wall by the pier as well as the 1894 station building (elevated to the left). The chimneys of the circa 1890 Edina View can been seen just about the Hotel roof.

The shift in use of the building from granary, to hotel and other leisure pursuits, didn't end there. In 1890 a 'smoking concert' or 'smoker' took place in the granary loft. In aid of the Lundin Golf Club building fund, this event saw a "bevy of ladies" convert the space into "a beautiful apartment decorated with flags and bannerettes, floral devices and trophies of clubs and cleeks". Over 150 visitors and residenters were present. The Dundee Courier of 26 August elaborated further and included an accompanying sketch (below) of the scene at Largo pier:

"For the first time in its existence, Largo indulged one night last week in the luxury of a "smoking concert." ...The old Crusoe Hotel was gaily decorated with flags, and the interior...was very prettily set out with floral decorations, mottoes, and lanterns.....It is fully expected that the proceeds from the concert will free the clubhouse from debt."

Such was the success of the event that it evolved into the "Annual Festival of the Lundin Golf Club" running over a few days in what was now being referred to as the "Hall of the Crusoe Hotel Buildings". The 1891 festival involved not only a smoking concert in the granary but also a 'children's frolic' for 200 youngsters and a dance for adults. The song below, composed by a golf club member, was sung at the concert. Note the people mentioned in the song include architect and regular visitor Peter Lyle Henderson (who did go on to become Captain of the Lundin Golf Club) and William Hearsey Salmon of Homelands, who was Captain of the Lundin Ladies Golf Club in 1891. The 'good old Crusoe' is honoured in the final verse.

The following year, 1892, the Crusoe was decorated with "Moorish Temple decorations" for the Golf Club Festival. Each evening's entertainment saw the railway viaduct "illuminated by lime lights". Large flags were supplied by Mr Clapperton of Edinburgh. A new golfing song had been composed by club poet Robert Johnstone. Again there was a concert, a children's frolic and a golfers' dance. The new song for '92 includes reference to "Crusoe's charming hall" and the "jolly golfers". The final verse, printed in the 1 September 1892 Fifeshire Journal, was as follows:
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Now let all the wide world know
That the charms of Largo grow
Ev'ry year there are new "beauties" to behold; 
Since our Ladies Links were made
There is quite a grand parade
Of our charmers, who at Golf can ne'er grow old

By 1893, the hall in the Crusoe Building, was referred to as the "Band Hall" because the Largo Brass Band had taken a lease there. Other tenants of the granary portion of the building were Thomas Buttercase (Potato Merchant) and Gordon the Poulterer from Leven. For the smoking concert in the Band Hall, once again a new golfing song was composed. The lyrics are shown below and once again feature Peter Lyle Henderson and the old Crusoe.

The present-day Crusoe Hotel occupies the entirety of a building that was originally built as a granary in the 1820s. Constructed so that local landowners and farmers had a safe and secure place to safely store grain, close to transport links (i.e. the harbour), the granary originally comprised two levels. Storage facilities that protected produce from damp and vermin, as well as theft, went a long way to ensuring a good price could be obtained for crops. Granaries of a similar design were springing up along the Fife coast around this time, including at neighbouring Elie and Pittenweem. The images below show the similar style of the Elie structure (top) and the Largo granary. 

In 1846, George Duff became ill and eventually died of consumption (tuberculosis). His wife Ann, moved up to Kirkton of Largo to run the inn there, while the inn at Lower Largo harbour was advertised for let (see below from 30 April Fife Herald). It transpired that the man named in the advertisement, village grocer Alexander Selkirk, took over the lease of the eleven-apartment inn. He continued to rent the inn from the Largo Granary Company for many years. 
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Meetings of shareholders and tenants of the Largo Granary Company often took place in the inn (now sometimes referred to as 'Selkirk's Inn'). The 13 December 1855 Fifeshire Journal above details one such meeting. On this occasion, the focus was on the imminent arrival of the railway. The success of the East of Fife Railway was toasted at the event and those that had not already subscribed to the scheme were encouraged to do so. Note also the reference to the Crimean War and British allies France and Sardinia. The principal tenant at this time was Robert Hutchinson of Kirkcaldy. In 1830, at the age of 21, Robert Hutchison opened an account in the name of Robert Hutchison and Company and began trading in wheat, barley oats, flax, butter and flour. By 1856 the company would own all the land in East Kirkcaldy where the present flour mill now stands.

The arrival of the railway and the increasing popularity of Largo as a visitor destination would have further boosted the inn. In the 1860s and 1870s, David Russell of Silverburn, owner of Largo Mill, was a major tenant at the granary. He used the building to store imported seed for crushing, as well as oil and oilcake for export. At some point around this era the granary seems to have acquired a third storey in the form of an additional loft space.  

Alexander Selkirk died in 1867 aged 67 and the advert above for 'inn to let' dates to the 30 Jan 1868 Fifeshire Journal. Shortly after this, James Gilchrist is recorded as the innkeeper at the harbour. His mother was a Selkirk too. I strongly suspect that James could he have introduced the Crusoe name to the inn. The name first appears around the mid-1870s. It was in 1872 that James's brother Robert Gilchrist was involved in the creation of the Robinson Crusoe Lodge of the Independent Order of Good Templars. Clearly the family were keen to commemorate their Selkirk relative and make use of the well-known Crusoe name.

James Gilchrist died in 1873. His wife Margaret appears to have been in charge for a short while but in 1875 the tenant innkeeper was James Methven. The next innkeeper, John Forrester, had the inn for a much longer period. The next post in the series will pick back up by looking closely at his time in charge of the inn - now styled the Crusoe Hotel (see advert below from the 2 April 1875 East of Fife Record).
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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.