Largo Law is an eroded volcanic plug, 290 metres (953 feet) high. A walk to the summit and back will take between 60 and 90 minutes, from Upper Largo, depending upon how long you linger to enjoy the 360-degree views from the top. The starting point, shown below, is a gate between Upper Largo Cemetery and the Kirkton of Largo Primary School building. Next to the gate, there is a small car park and a noticeboard with some information about the hill.
​

From the gate (marked 1 below), a narrow grassy path stretches to the north east. The path rises, passing Chesterstone Farm Cottages (marked 2 below) before skirting around the farm yard of Chesterstone (marked 3). From there signs direct you to turn left and follow the steep path that rises straight up towards the Law. Chesterstone Farm has been around for centuries and is present on the 1775 Ainslie map.
​

Views in all directions can be enjoyed from the summit, including the whole of Largo Bay, the nearby islands of the Forth including Bass Rock and Isle of May, the East Lothian coast and inland towards New Gilston. Once you have had sufficient time to appreciate the vista or enjoy a picnic, you can return back to Upper Largo using the same route. 
​

Largo Law was once a 'beacon hill'.  For thousands of years, all over the world, hill tops have been used for keeping watch and for signalling warnings with fire.  Over time, beacon warning systems would have become more co-ordinated and controlled.  An iron fire basket or stone built turret would have been filled with combustible material ready to blaze up when ignited. Someone would have manned the site, watching for contiguous warning signals to be lit.  The Largo Law site may have been looking towards the Lomonds or Kellie Law for signals.  The word 'Lomond' means beacon or blaze of light.  Sometimes codes (eg one, two or three fires) may have been used to show the level of danger or the type of action required. 

​During the 19th century and into the 20th century, 'Beaconmania' hit the UK, with the slightest excuse being used to light fires on top of hills.  Royal birthdays, Jubilees, anniversaries or military victories all triggered beacon lighting celebrations. Examples of such occasions, where a bonfire was lit at Largo Law include: 

• 1842 - Visit of Queen Victoria to Scotland (many coastal bonfires were lit as she sailed up the Firth of Forth)
• 1863 - Royal Wedding of the future King Edward VII (then Prince of Wales) and Queen Alexandra
• 1887 - Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee
• 1897 - Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee
• 1902 - Coronation of Edward VII
• 1911 - Coronation of George V
• 1935  - Silver Jubilee of King George V 
• 1953 - Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II

The top of the Law has also been the scene of Easter morning services and the objective of the annual 'Law Race' but mostly the hill attracts walkers eager to enjoy the view. The view has changed in some respects since the groups of well-dressed visitors toiled up its slopes to be met with rows of stooks (crops stood up in sheaves) and fishing boats laden with herring, as the 31 August 1848 Fife Herald below describes.
​

The above postcard image features a topsail schooner at Largo Harbour at low tide. It's unclear which particular trading vessel is featured but there's a good chance that she was a "tattie boat". The potato trade had been long established at Largo and other East Fife ports by the time this image was captured in the early years of the 1900s. Despite the opening of the railway half a century before, the shipment of potatoes by sea was still generally the choice by local merchants, as the piece below from the 26 January 1899 Leven Advertiser states. It tended to be primarily the higher value produce, such as livestock, that were transported by rail at this time.

Robert Gold of Leven, John Bell of Stenton near St Monans and Thomas Buttercase of Largo are all named above as "the principal shippers" from East of Fife ports. Buttercase was a potato merchant who lived in Upper Largo and rented space within the granary at Largo Harbour in the 1890s. Harbours such as Largo. Leven, Anstruther, Elie, Pittenweem, St Monans, Crail and Kingsbarns are all frequently referenced in the newspaper archives as handling potato shipments. The shipment of potatoes was of course seasonal - from late autumn, right through the winter, into spring. The vessels involved typically included schooners (like the one pictured above) as well as smacks, ketches and brigs. Most would only carry around 100 tons or less at a time. 

​In 1885, the 14 February Fife News described how at Largo "the shipment of potatoes to English ports is being carried out to a pretty large extent". The previous week two vessels had "cleared out" - one for Middlesbrough and the other for London, each with about a hundred tons. A third was "busy loading" and a "look out was being kept for a fourth". The report below from the 3 April 1888 Shields Daily Gazette describes how the schooner Wide Awake of Goole got into difficulty in heavy weather off the Farne Islands, after picking up a load of potatoes from Largo heading for Plymouth.
​

The potato cargoes leaving Largo around this time were largely bound for England. The small piece above from 22 December 1894 St Andrews Citizen tells of the schooner Sweet Home heading from Largo for the "English markets". Below is a longer snippet from the 1 April 1897 Leven Advertiser, which describes the arrival of two vessels that "had come up on the previous night to load potatoes", chartered by Robert Gold of Leven. Mr Gold was a potato merchant who lived in Leven, before moving into one of the newly-built semi-detached villas of Victoria Road in Lundin Links in 1903.

The article eludes to the fact that Largo harbour was not as busy as it used to be with potato exports, stating "in former years larger quantities have been exported". It also notes that several nearby harbours were busy as well with the potato boats. Further information given tells us that the potato trade once was to the north but now was with the south of England and sometimes France. The markets fluctuated and at the time prices were relatively low.

The 31 March 1898 Leven Advertiser snippet above names the smack Dryden as a vessel involved in the potato trade. On this particular visit to Largo she was "neaped" - that is she missed the tide and had to stay in port until the spring tides brought enough water into the harbour to float her out. The potato trade out of Largo took a hit in the following (1898/99) season when the harbour was damaged in winter storms. The piece below from 1 Dec 1898, under the heading "harbour jottings", describes how the harbour was in need of repair and had become dangerous, bringing an early end to that winter's potato export activity.

The 20 April 1899 piece below from the same newspaper provides an update from later in the season. It tells of how "Largo's calamity has been Leven's opportunity" bringing the latter a record season of potato shipments. Robert Gold continued to be the main exporter with his loads heading for the English markets.

Potato shipments eventually resumed from Largo and continued (likely at reduced frequency) into the 1910s. The 22 February 1911 Leven Advertiser (above) tells of a mishap experienced by the schooner Mandy Ann of Goole. Carrying a cargo of potatoes destined for Portsmouth the vessel had only just left the mouth of the Keil under charge of a tug when she swung round onto rocks. The potatoes were saved and the boat repaired locally at Largo. The piece below from the 21 March 1912 Leven Advertiser notes that the German vessel Hermann arrived to collect 145 tons of potatoes bound for Portsmouth. 

The start of World War One in 1914 disrupted the potato trade, with shipments from Largo coming to a halt. The book "The Forth at War" by William F Hendrie describes how...

"The declaration of war in August 1914 had an immediate effect on shipping on the Forth, as the Admiralty swiftly imposed restrictions. Two armed naval inspection vessels took up position off Inchkeith, and captain of merchant vessels were instructed that they must report to them upon their arrival in the firth, which must be during the hours of daylight....There were in any case, far fewer shipping movements than normal". 

The fear of mines and torpedo attacks must have played a large part in the reduction of shipping movements. The regular potato shipments out of Largo were never re-established. 
​

Pictured above is the receipt book for the rents, water rates and feu duties paid to Lundin Estate from Martinmas 1881 to 1883. The receipt stubs provide details of the individuals who made payments. Among them are the following:
​

• Builder Archibald Muir White for water rates for three houses on Crescent Road (Firpark 1 and 2 and Elphinstone).
• Misses Rigg for the water rates of Aithernie House (now the Old Manor Hotel).
• Miss Mary Dalyell Haymes of Aithernie House rent of the "Old School House", which was the old Emsdorf School, at the corner of Emsdorf Road and Crescent Road where she ran her Sabbath School.
• Colonel Alaric Robertson's widow for the water rates of Murree Lodge on Crescent Road.
• Andrew Greig Anderson for the rent of Lundin Salmon Fishing Station for year 1883 (payable at Whitsun).
• Robinson Crusoe Lodge of Good Templars water rates for the Good Templar Hall in Lundin Mill.
• Henry Petheram for the feu duty and water rates for Haworth on Leven Road.
• ​North British Railway £5 feu duty for half a year.
• Rent of the Quarry at Carlhurlie.
• Rents for the farms of Bankhead, Blacketyside, Nether Pratis and Annfield (below are notices of Lundin Estate farms for let from the Fifeshire Journal around the same time).

Note that Martinmas (11 November) was traditionally the day when contracts and leases began and ended, when rent was due and when staff were hired. Along with Candlemas (2 February), Whitsunday (15 May) and Lammas (1 August), Martinmas was one of the Scottish quarter days in the legal year.
​

Mr Mudie, mentioned in the notice above was the factor for Lundin and Montrave estates at the time. Theodore Eulenstein Mudie, was born in Nelson Street, Dundee in 1857, the son of a merchant's clerk. Interestingly, he was named after a neighbour of the family in Nelson Street - German microbiologist and talented musician Theodore Eulenstein. Mudie began his two decades as estate factor in the early 1880s and lived at Greenside House. He emigrated to Canada in 1905 with his wife and family and sought to establish a 160 acre homestead. He became Principal Assistant to the city engineer of Brandon, Manitoba in 1906 but became ill shortly afterwards and died in 1909 aged 52.

The stationery used by the Lundin Estate at the time came from A. & D  Padon - Stationers and Account Book Manufacturers. Their premises at 13 St Andrew's Square, Edinburgh, is pictured above (from the Canmore Collection). Their account books, rent receipt books, etc. often featured classic marbling patterns such as the examples at the start and end of this post. To achieve the effect, paints are floated on water and swirled or combed before paper or card is laid on top. Marbling reached the peak of its popularity during the nineteenth century before increased mechanisation and availability of cheaper materials resulted in its decline. Read more about the technique here and here. Further peeks into these records from the Lundin Estate to follow at a future date.
​

Letham Glen at Scoonie roundabout is named after John Letham, the retired farmer who gifted money to Leven Town Council in 1925 to help secure the park for the community. His gift of £1000 was invested so that the interest could be put towards the annual feu-duty. John Letham was born at Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire in 1863. His father, also John, was an arable farmer (as was his grandfather and great-grandfather, both also named John Letham). His mother was Margaret Ballantine. In his teens, John began working alongside his father at Lairs Farm, becoming at least a fourth generation farmer. John's father died in 1882, aged 52 and he, his mother Margaret and his younger brother Andrew continued in farming, moving to nearby Gill Farm (two miles north of Lesmahagow) by the time of the 1891 census. 

However, a decade later John Letham broke with family tradition and left Lanarkshire for Fife. In 1892 Lahill Mains near Largo was advertised to let. John took on the lease and moved to Newburn Parish with his mother and siblings, joining the East of Fife Agricultural Society soon afterwards. Tragically, in 1894, his brother Andrew died at Lahill (also known as Lawhill) aged just 28 from appendicitis and was buried at Newburn Old Church. John continued to farm at Lahill for five further years before a new opportunity presented itself.​

As a dairy farmer at Balgrummo, just a couple of miles north of Leven, John made frequently trips past the wooded den known locally as Spinkie Den delivering milk. He began to cherish the hope that one day the town would possess the natural beauty spot for the enjoyment of the community. The 1911, census records John and William Letham still as joint tenants at Balgrummo, with Margaret and Mary Ann living in the same household. Sadly, in 1916, John lost another brother when William died aged 36. Now in his fifties, John decided to retire from farming and by 1920 had moved into Fernbank on Drummochy Road, Lower Largo. In census of 1921 John was recorded at Fernbank with his mother Margaret, sister Mary Ann and a servant. 

John had never married or had children but was devoted to his mother and siblings, as well as to the agricultural community. He took an interest in wider public affairs and still maintained his personal vision for Spinkie Den. He kept abreast of developments as Leven Town Council negotiated for some years with Robert Maitland Christie to secure the beauty spot for the people of Leven. In 1924 he made a gift of £500 to the Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution and also a gift of £1000 to the Wemyss Memorial Hospital.

Finally, the opportunity came for John to enable the Council's purchase of the Den. He made a gift of £1000 which was to be invested to contribute long-term to the annual feu-duty for the site. So grateful were the Town Council that ex-Bailie Barron proposed that the name of Spinkie Den be changed to Letham Glen - the name by which the public park still goes to this day (see 9 July 1925 Dundee Courier item below). The advertisement further below for a concert by the Merrymakers is one of the first examples of the new name in use (from 18 August 1925 Leven Advertiser).
​

In 1926, John Letham's mother, Margaret, died at Fernbank aged 85. He continued to live there with his sister Mary Ann. His support of Letham Glen continued beyond his initial gift and in 1930 he gave a further £600 towards the cost of the stone entrance gates and railings, pictured above. These were given a category C listing in 1999 and are described as follows:

TRIUMPHAL ARCH: keystoned, moulded arch and cornice giving way to deep frieze inscribed '19' 'LETHAM GLEN' '25'. 2-leaf decorative metalwork gates.
E GATEPIERS: square section gate piers with deep cornice and flat coping. 2-leaf decorative metalwork gates.

Although dated 1925, the year that the den was acquired for the town, the arch and gates were not constructed until 1930 as part of the gradual enhancements of the park, under Leven Town Council. The cost of the entrance gates was £550 and this was fully covered by a cheque from John Letham for £600 (the excess amount being used for plants and shrubs).

The retired John Letham also continued to be involved in agricultural matters and in 1939 was made an honorary life member of the East of Fife Agricultural Society, at their AGM, after 47 years as a member. In 1946 John lost his sister Mary Ann who died aged 77 at Fernbank. John died there three years later on 17 March 1949. John Letham was buried at Newburn Old Churchyard, with three of his siblings. The inscription on their headstone, pictured below, reads:

In memory of Andrew Letham, Lahill Mains Died 17th Dec 1894 aged 28 years
William Letham, Balgrummo, Scoonie Died 9th February 1916 aged 36 years
Mary Jane Letham Died 26th July 1947 aged 77 years
John Letham Died 17th March 1949 aged 85 years
Both of Fernbank, Lower Largo

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.
​

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.
​

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.
​

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.
​

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.
​

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.
​

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.
​

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.
​

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:
​
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.