The fishing boat pictured above is the Fortunatus of Largo. This 39-feet vessel belonged to William Davidson Hutton. The image dates to before the fisherman's bothy was built on the pier in 1888. A man can be seen on board in the centre of the boat and there is a huddle of several men on the pier behind the boat. Note also the planks of wood propped up against the wall and what look like wooden crates stacked up to the right. This could well be a scene of the preparations for a fishing trip.
​

In 1880 the Fortunatus experienced a tragic event when crew member William Kidd was lost overboard while bound for the herring fishing in Aberdeen. Kidd had been hauling in a rope when the handle he was holding came loose causing him to be thrown into the water. The 1 July Fifeshire Journal report below tells of how attempts to save him proved unsuccessful. William had been married for 3 years to Agnes Smith and they had a two-year-old son Alexander and a younger child, of only three weeks old, named William.
​

While the above newspaper report notes the registration of the Fortunatus as KY 1513, other records have it registered as KY 1848. Either the newspaper report is incorrect or there were in fact two boats with the same name both owned by William Hutton, with one perhaps replacing the other. The Fortunatus was one of the fleet of larger Largo fishing boats that made the long trips up north and down south to Yarmouth each year. The 13 July 1893 Fifeshire Journal below reports on its herring fishing trip to Peterhead and Aberdeen, along with the Osprey, Ocean Bride, Sultan, Annie Johnston, Largo Bay, British Queen and Forget-Me-Not. William Hutton was also joint owner, with James Kidd, of the Jane and Minnie, which was built in 1886. James Kidd was the elder brother of the William Kidd mentioned above, who died in 1880 after falling from the Fortunatus.

The name 'Fortunatus' is the Latin for happy, lucky, rich, blessed - an appropriate choice of name for the unpredictable life of the fisherman. William Davidson Hutton was born in 1851 and was one of the more fortunate fishermen, leading a long life. He married Margaret Guthrie in 1874. They had eleven children and celebrated their Golden Wedding in 1924 (see 30 September Leven Advertiser piece below). William died five years later in 1929, at 5 Defoe Place, aged 78. William was a member of Largo Parish Council and the School Board, as well as President of the Largo Harbour Committee.
​

The detail of the Erskine Beveridge image above shows the fishing boat Jane and Minnie, registration KY 400, berthed at Largo Harbour in the 1880s while a travelling fair sets up on the pier. She was built at Millar's yard in St Monans for James Kidd and William Hutton of Largo. At 55 feet in length, she would have exceeded the previous largest boat at Largo - the Ocean Bride - by three and a half feet. Pictured soon after her 1886 completion and before the work to install toilet facilities on the pier in 1888, this image dates to that short window of time between the two events. The East of Fife Record of 19 March 1886 below reports on the launch of the Jane and Minnie.

The boat was named after the youngest daughters (at the time) of each owner. James Kidd had a daughter called Jane (born 1883) and William Hutton had a daughter called Wilhelmina (born 1885). James would go on to have another daughter in 1889, also named Wilhelmina - a name generally shortened to Minnie. Naming boats after family members was fairly common practice and, where ownership was joint, a name from each owner's family could be combined.

James Kidd was born in Largo around 1848 and married Lucy Duncan in 1870. William Davidson Hutton was born in Largo in 1851. He married Margaret Guthrie on 18 September 1874. They had eleven children. Sadly, Minnie (born just before the boat's completion) died aged four and a half in 1890 during an outbreak of measles in the village. William had other boats, such as Fortunatus and Welcome (more on them to come in future posts).

Just a couple of weeks after the launch of the Jane and Minnie, she was the last boat to see fellow Largo fishing boat The Brothers shortly before the latter was lost with all hands about 50 miles east of May Isle. The following year, one of the boat's crew "had a narrow escape from drowning" having fallen overboard while up North for the summer herring fishing. The 15 July 1887 East of Fife Record below reported the incident.

Like other large Largo-based fishing boats of the time, the Jane and Minnie followed the seasonal fishing trips of the Lammas drave up north and the Winter herrin' trip south. The 1890 13 November Fifeshire Journal provided an update on the trip south to Yarmouth, where the Jane and Minnie and the Ocean Bride were caught in a storm. The former lost eighteen nets, while the latter came close to losing two men. The two boats had left Largo on 28 September, so this had happened around six weeks into their expedition.

In 1897, the 2 September Dundee Courier (below) noted the return of Largo's fishing fleet home, after a disappointing summer drave. Six boats from a fleet of seven had returned at this point from Aberdeen, including David Ballingall's Forget-Me-Not and Thomas Lawrie's Sultan. This period was really the final few years of Largo having a fleet of large fishing vessels. By 1901, the Ocean Bride was the only one still operating. The death of James Kidd in April 1901 aged 53 years likely hastened the end for the Jane and Minnie. James was survived by his widow, four daughters and two sons. William Hutton passed away in 1929 at the age of 78. He was a member of the Largo Parish Council and the School Board and was actively involved in the Harbour Committee up until his death. He was survived by his widow and grown up family.

In the image above you can see the central hatch is open. Crew members would stand on boards in the hold to haul the fish-laden nets through the hatches. In challenging sea conditions this could be a risky procedure. When similar boat, the Brothers of Largo, was lost in 1886, it was concluded that she had been swamped by a heavy sea while her hatches were off and the crew were hauling their lines. The wider image below shows the full height of the Ocean Bride, dominating the mid-1880s Erskine Beveridge photograph.

William and Robert Gillies were the owners of the Ocean Bride. Born about 1845, they were twins and the brothers of both Samuel Gillies (skipper of the ill-fated Brothers) and of David Gillies (owner of the Violet). Their parents were fisherman John Gillies and his wife Grace Sharp. They are not to be confused with another pair of brothers also named William and Robert Gillies, who built the Semiquaver yacht. The namesakes were in fact cousins. Their respective fathers were brothers John and James Gillies, two of the sons of David Gillies (1782-1846) and Catherine Selkirk or Selcraig (1779-1862). Catherine was the great-grand-niece of Alexander Selkirk of Robinson Crusoe fame and was, until her death, keeper of many of his artefacts.

Ocean Bride owners William and Robert were life-long fishermen. In 1869, William married Margaret Methven, daughter of Lundin Mill stone mason Andrew Methven. They were married by Reverend David Malloch and went on to have twelve children. Robert married Mary Scott, who had been a housemaid at Lahill House, in 1877. The twin brothers were aged around 37 years old when they had Ocean Bride built. Four years later the incident described below took place at St Monans (2 April 1886 East of Fife Record). 

The vessel was regularly mentioned in the local press over the years, as it took part in the regular annual fishing events such as the Lammas Drave (which took place through late July, August and early September) and the Winter Herrin'. While offering the hope of rich reward, these trips could be risky and variable in terms of success. In 1889 for example, the Ocean Bride and the Osprey had to return to Largo from Shetland when their herring fishing was scuppered by waters "swarming with dog fish which cut the nets to pieces". The two boats were refitted before heading up to Aberdeen to join other Largo crews. Later the same year, the Ocean Bride made a trip to Yarmouth where a very successful fishing was had.

​In 1890 the trip to Yarmouth yielded some very heavy catches but some proved so large that Ocean Bride had to cut away several of her nets.  Worse came later in the same trip when two of her crew were washed overboard. They were recovered "with much difficulty" (see 13 November Fifeshire Journal below). Folks back home in Largo would eagerly await news from such trips, which came via letter or telegraph. The fish would not be brought back to Largo of course. Catches were sold at markets close to the fishing grounds and the money brought back home to the fishermen's' families.
​

In 1897, the worst kind of news came. Robert Gillies had lost his life on 17 August, drowned in the North Sea, 38 miles off Aberdeen, when he was accidentally knocked overboard by the tiller. The article from 26 August Leven Advertiser details the circumstances of the accident, which happened when "a nasty sea was running". The impact of his loss back in Largo can only be imagined. His wife Mary was left with five children. And twin brother William was devastated to lose his twin, having been "inseparable from infancy" and "seldom seen the one without the other". 

The short piece below from 28 August 1897 Fife Free Press notes the arrival of the Ocean Bride back into Largo with the remainder of the crew. This was a gloomy occasion which raised questions about the safety of the tiller on such a boat.
​

However, the Ocean Bride would continue to operate under surviving brother William Gillies. In fact, within a few years, it was only only large deep sea fishing boat left in Largo. From upwards of twenty large boats in 1875, the Ocean Bride was the last one remaining 25 years later. The 12 September 1901 Leven Advertiser describes how she fared at the Lammas drave. By this time, other local fishermen were sailing with St Monans boats. This had become the new pattern - Largo fishermen, who no longer had a share in a boat, were carried by other East Fife fishing-boats as "half-dealsmen". This was the term used for men from another town who had no share in a boat and were paid a weekly wage to be part of the crew. 

In 1902, Ocean Bride was described as "the sole survivor of Largo's fleet" and the only locally owned craft due to take part in the Lammas drave. The 19 June Leven Advertiser noted that "Skipper Gillies is busy fitting her out and by the first of next month the Ocean Bride will be heading for Aberdeen". The piece continued "Largo is gradually losing touch with the great fishings of the year....Even the yawl crews are fewer this summer than heretofore, only three or four small boats plying the lines". Ocean Bride features in the postcard image below, in the foreground. The sail partially down, she appears to be in the process of either being loaded or unloaded. 

The Leven Advertiser of 30 August 1906 reported a successful drave for Skipper Gillies and the half dealsmen on St Monans and Cellardyke boats, who were also doing well and would "have a handsome share to lift at the final parting".  However, the following year the same newspaper on 11 September 1907 described the Ocean Bride's return to Largo, after seven weeks work at Aberdeen at the summer drave, as having only modest returns. 

It is always exciting to find a photograph featuring a Largo-based boat with a clear name or registration number. It provides an opportunity for further research both of the boat and of the owner. The boat seen front and centre of the image above shows KY 289 tied up at Largo pier circa 1900. This half-ton, 23 feet long vessel belonged to David Gillies and was named Violet. For a time boats under 15 tons burden were marked with their registration numbers first, followed by the letter code of their port of registry, hence the marking 289 KY. KY of course denotes Kirkcaldy.
​​

The postcard image above shows Violet hauled up onto the sands at the Temple, her name clearly legible on the right. There are three men and a boy inside the boat and an older man standing proudly in front of it. It would seem likely that the man standing is boat owner David Gillies and the others are members of his family. This David Gillies was not the net manufacturer of the same name but the fisherman known as "Fisher Davie". He lived between 1836 and 1923 and resided in the Crusoe Buildings.  The same boat is in the same place in the photograph below, with a wider view of the Temple in the background. 

David Gillies was son of fisherman John Gillies and his wife Grace Sharp. David married Mary Simpson (daughter of shoemaker Alexander Simpson) in 1858. They had six children (five sons and a daughter). David was the brother of Samuel Gillies, who lost his life, along with six other Largo men when the Brothers fishing boat was caught in a squall about 50 miles east of the May Isle in 1886. It was David who registered the death of Samuel, as well as the deaths of Samuel's sons John and Alexander. ​
​

The Violet was still on the list of boats based at Largo in 1914, when David Gillies would have been aged around 78 years. The full list of Largo's registered boats in 1914 is below, the Violet being the smallest vessel among those listed. Violet is pictured further below in the harbour at Lower Largo with the tide back. David Gillies died in 1923 aged 87 years.
​

The Forget-Me-Not was a 48.5 feet fishing boat owned by David Ballingall with the registration KY 2011. In the above photograph, it is shown returning into Largo Harbour in the days when wooden fenders were in place as a protective measure against collisions against the main pier structure. The highest fending on the pier are what were known as “branders”. These were put in place to protect the paddle steamers from damage by the stonework of the Pier.

By their very nature, the most important and vulnerable parts of a paddle steamer are the two sets of paddle wheels. When lying alongside, the whole weight of a paddle steamer is being taken along the paddle box, the only part of the vessel actually touching the harbour wall. As such, the branders ensured that the paddle wheels were always well away from the stonework of the Pier which, in the case of Largo Pier, was very uneven. The branders were of such a height that the paddles were still protected when lying alongside at high water, spring tides.

Seven years later, on 9 February 1889 there was a close call when the Forget-Me-Not got into difficulty at the entrance to the new harbour at Dunbar. The Dundee Courier of 11 February below describes how the vessel hit the rocks and began to sink before being blown into the harbour mouth. Fortunately, the crew were rescued and the stricken boat moved to safety. 
​

The story continues in the 22 February Fifeshire Advertiser (below). The boat was refloated and towed by a Leith tug to Pittenweem. Back at Fulton's boat yard, where she had been built seven years previously, the Forget-Me-Not was extensively repaired. This came at considerable cost to David Ballingall, as the boat was not insured at the time of the incident.
​

After repairs were completed, the Forget-Me-Not was back in business and able to once again join other Largo vessels at the herring fishing. The piece below from the 13 July 1893 Fifeshire Journal reports that she joined Thomas Lawrie's 'Sultan' and other local boats on a trip up to Peterhead and Aberdeen.
​

The Forget-Me-Not has been captured on camera more than once and even featured prominently on a Largo postcard (below). In the this image, a large crowd, including several women and children, has gathered on the pier end. Could this have been family gathering to see off the crew as they departed on one of their longer and further flung fishing engagements?  

Thomas Lawrie was born around 1853 to James Lawrie and Isabella Sime. The 1861 census records the family, headed by James aged 34 who was described as a 'Seaman (Merchant Service)', with wife and five children including Thomas aged 7. Four years later, in December 1865, James was sailing from New Brunswick Canada back to the Clyde on board the Alfaretta of Miramichi with a cargo of timber, on what was turn out to be an ill-fated voyage.

On Christmas Day, James along with another man, were lost off the topsailyard of the brand new 627 ton vessel. Experiencing heavy gales from early on in their journey, which began on 2 December, a "heavy gale capsized the ship on her beam ends" late on Christmas Eve and all were left clinging to the hull. After two hours, the ship righted and it was apparent that two were missing. The survivors suffered from exposure, thirst and hunger before being picked up on 2 January by the Peerless. The Alfaretta was ultimately found wrecked some way off the island of Barra.

The article below from the 4 January Glasgow Herald reported the loss of James Lawrie (although incorrectly named the vessel). James had been born in Wemyss Parish around 1827 to William Lawrie and Sophia Neish before the family moved to Largo, where James married Isabella Sime.

​
So by the time of the 1871 census, James's widow Isabella was head of the family household and was described as a washerwoman. Thomas, now 17 years old, was already a fisherman and was living with his mother and two younger siblings. Thomas was married in 1877 to Isabella Clunie (daughter of fisherman John Clunie) and in 1881 census they had two children - James (2) and Isabella (4 months) and were living in Drummochie. 

In 1891, another tragedy at sea hit the Lawrie family when Thomas's brother David died. He fell overboard the steamer British Queen while returning from the Elbe. The Fifeshire Journal of 29 January below described the event. In the census of the same year, Thomas and his wife continued to live in Largo, now with five children (John, Mary and Maggie having been born since the previous census).
​

In 1893, Thomas and Isabella's sixth child, David was born. Sadly they lost their 14-year-old daughter Mary in 1901 from tuberculosis. The 1901 census shows four children at home, including son James, a line fisherman and son John, an apprentice golf club maker. Ten years later, the family were at Main Street Lower Largo with the two youngest children still at home and Thomas aged 58 described as a line fisherman. In 1912 Thomas's mother Isabella Sime died aged 87 years.

1934 saw the death of Thomas's wife Isabella Clunie aged 84 at their home Westerlea, Defoe Place in Lower Largo. Thomas remained active and as he reached 70 years active involvement in fishing, attracted the attention of the newspapers. He appeared in the 13 November 1934 Leven Advertiser under the headline "Largo's Ever-Youthful Fishermen: Aged 82 and Still at Work". The piece (extract below) tells of how, although Thomas no longer made the trips to Yarmouth and other deep-sea fishing grounds, he made a daily appearance at Largo Harbour to help the younger fishermen ready their boats and nets.
​

The piece goes on to describe how Thomas once had two boats of his own. One of those was the Sultan (incorrectly noted as the Saughton in the above newspaper report) which was at one time the largest boat in Largo. At 45 feet long Thomas had the Sultan (registration KY 240) for 32 years before it moved on to Leith. As well as the loss of his father and brother at sea, Thomas had acutely felt the loss of his fellow Largo fishermen when the Brothers went down in 1886. He explained that his own narrowest escape had taken place when he and six mates were caught in a sudden storm at Yarmouth and "had to work like grim death to keep their course". Mr Lawrie's seven decades in fishing had seen the peak days of fishing at Largo when 20 boats left the harbour for Yarmouth to a staged decline until no boats made the journey any more. The feature ended with the words "the baldies may have gone from Largo but Skipper Tom Lawrie is still there, hale and hearty."
​

The above image (from the Dundee Courier of 21 May 1935) shows Thomas with some drying fishing gear by the old salt girnel or net house on the Drummochy side of Largo harbour. Thomas lived until the ripe old age of 98. He passed away on 22 January 1951 at Westerlea. At the time he was Largo's oldest inhabitant. The Leven Mail of 31 January reported that his death was deeply regretted by fisher folk all around the East Neuk and that he was "well-known and respected by everyone for miles around". Always a familiar figure around the pier, Thomas loved to talk about the old days and was the only man in the village to remember the building of the railway viaduct. He was survived by two sons and two daughters.
​

The above photograph is part of Historic Environment Scotland's Canmore collection but was originally part of a private collection. It's dated as circa 1890, which tallies with what we can see in the image. Firstly, the image was certainly captured after 1888, as the stone-built "W.C. for the benefit of sailors and fishers" can be seen on the right hand edge below the lamp.  Another clue to the date is the registration 'KY 478' on the sail of the fishing boat on the right. This vessel was sold to Messrs G.R. and W. Jamieson of Shetland in 1901 (see 18 May Shetland Times below) so the image was taken prior to that date.

In the background, under the right hand arch of the viaduct is the old wooden footbridge over the Keil Burn. Different versions of this footbridge existed up until 1914. The photographer has clearly waited for a train to pass over the viaduct before committing to the picture. The engine is a pleasingly old-looking one - reminiscent of a toy train to modern eyes. There a lot of people in the scene, including a group of men taking a rest on the right, a young girl heading for the end of the pier and several men (and possibly boys) congregating around one of the fishing boats. It's not too hard to imagine the smells and sounds that would have accompanied this sight. It's another image that I would love to be able to step right in to!

The postcard scene above, from the Valentine's series, has much going on within it worth comment. It can be dated to between 1911 (when the flat roof was created on the seaward end of the Crusoe Hotel) and 1914 (when the postcard was sent). A huge Union Jack flag can be seen flying from the hotel's flag pole. The tide is fairly high and there are fifteen boats within shot - a mixture of working vessels and pleasure craft. A couple of rowing boats appear to be setting off via the channel between the pier and the Lundies (the rocks to the right of the pier). 

Below we can see a woman in what is probably the uniform of a domestic servant or nanny - black dress, white apron and white lacy cap. Whether she is in charge of the boy to the right is unclear. The road surface is rough and uneven, and the obstacles in the shape of mooring posts, ropes and baskets are many. Cart wheel tracks can just about be made out rounding the corner past the Railway Inn onto Main Street.
​

​The other area of zoomed in detail below shows the structure and surface of the pier in good detail. There are several mooring posts and some evidence of fishing gear. People including a boy plus a dog are enjoying watching the hubbub of the harbour. Also notable are the long wooden poles and laddered 'A' frame structures piled up against the harbour W.C. wall. Perhaps someone can comment on how these would have been used?  

All in all, I love this atmospheric scene and only wish I could step back in time and walk through it - taking in the sights, sounds and smells!

The above pair of images show the east end of The Temple circa 1900 (above) and 2019 (below). The scene is largely unchanged - bar the alterations to a number of the buildings and the lack of boats at this end of the beach these days. However, evidence does remain to this day of the use of the sandy gap between the rocks by fishermen. Below is a close up of an old mooring ring (in foreground).

Maps of this area show the narrow but useful gap between rock strata in line with the end of The Temple - showing why boats were once a common feature here. 
​

​The houses in the centre above, with the red roofs can be dated to 1857. The building named 'Seabrae' has the inscription shown below. 

This interesting series of paintings of Largo Harbour, signed by David Martin, feature the Crusoe Hotel (and adjacent granary) looking quite different. The landward side of the building is a storey lower than in later times and has a simple and functional appearance. When first built in 1824 the granary building consisted of only two storeys (see advert below from the Fife Herald of 7 October that year). The seaward (inn) end of the building was likely built around the same time - which was also around the time to the establishment of the steam packet services.

Featuring typical granary architecture, with small rectangular windows and a cart opening at ground level, the interior of this part of the building would have been similar to the image below of Dunbar's granary and store. It's easy to imagine the low beamed rooms with their stone walls filled with sacks of grain and other agricultural produce. 
​

By the mid-1850s, the focus was on the imminent arrival of the railway. In December 1855, the shareholders and tenants of the Largo Granary Company had a dinner in Selkirk's Hotel (i.e. the Crusoe Hotel - the proprietor at the time was named Alexander Selkirk). The principal tenant of the granary then was Robert Hutchison 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 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.

The arrival of the railway and the increasing popularity of Largo as a visitor destination saw the area prosper and at some point the granary acquired a third storey - a 'loft' added to the existing 'granary' and 'cellar and stables' . It is unclear what point in time the paintings above represent but certainly the landward end of the building had acquired a third storey by the early 1870s.

The photograph below dates to 1885 and the day of the unveiling of the Crusoe Statue. The outline of the old lower gable end can be made out in the weathered gable wall on the right hand side of the image. Standing on the far right is Sam Gillies, skipper of 'The Brothers' which was lost only a few months after this photo was taken. The Largo Granary Company seems to have wound up around the turn of the century and by 1905 hotel keeper Thomas Lumsden owned the entire building - although part of the old granary building had an interesting use at that time.....more of that to follow.
​