Serpentine Villa is located on the Temple at Lower Largo, at the point where a small road branches up to the beginning of the Serpentine walk to Upper Largo. The architect plans for the dwelling were drawn up in December 1876 by James Gillespie of St Andrews, for Captain David Watson. David Watson (1851-1939) was a ship master, like his father before him, Captain John Thompson Watson (1828-1892). Both men were Largo born and had long seafaring careers with the Empire Line of London (a topic that will be returned to in the future).

Watsons had lived at the Temple for some time and it seems likely that Serpentine Villa would have been built upon the site of an earlier cottage. It was constructed adjacent to 'Bombay Lodge', a dwelling that had been built several years earlier for another globe-trotter, civil engineer Thomas Craigie Glover. The year before commissioning the architect plans, David Watson had married Elizabeth Clark Philp (daughter of Benjamin Philp, commission agent and grain merchant who lived in Drummochy House). The couple were based in Anstruther while Serpentine Villa was built and finally moved into their Largo home circa 1880, in between the births of two of their sons. As David was usually on lengthy voyages, upon which his wife and family would sometimes accompany him, their Largo home was often occupied by friends and relatives. The 3 September 1891 Fifeshire Journal's list of 'summer visitors' below gives one example of this.

Census information shows that in 1881, Serpentine Villa was unoccupied. A decade later in 1891, Elsie Philp was living there with a servant and her nephews David and James Watson (ages 9 and 6). These were the two youngest of the four sons of Captain Watson. Elsie was one Elizabeth's maiden sisters. In 1901, the house was again unoccupied. Then by 1911, David, Elizabeth and two adult sons, David (now a banker) and James (a solicitor), were living at Serpentine Villa. David senior was described as "retired ship master" but in fact he did return to work for a spell during the First World War, before retiring for good. The newly available census data, for 1921, lists only David and Elizabeth at Serpentine Villa, with David being noted as "Shipmaster (Retired)". 

David Watson enjoyed his retirement years at Serpentine Villa. He played golf and was an elder of Largo Parish Church. He died at home on 19 December 1939 aged 88. His widow, Elizabeth Watson (nee Philp) remained there until her death in 1946 aged 97 and then the house was put up for sale. The advert below from 18 December 1946 Leven Mail states that the house would be "easily convertible into two flats or suitable for boarding house". The house was indeed flatted and had since been extended (see photograph above).
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Below we can see the original north elevation of the house as newly built. The rear of the house can be seen at the far left of the black and white image further below. At the foot of this post is an annotated image of the west end of the Temple, naming all the dwellings, from Temple Green to Serpentine Villa.  The Temple started with Burnside Cottages (the characterful white-washed buildings which were demolished in the late 1960s), then continued with the terraced row comprising Homelea, Thistle Cottage and Kincraig. The next dwellings were Temple Cottage (now Arndilly), Bay Cottage, Bombay Lodge (later Fernielaw Cottage and now Seascape) and finally Serpentine Villa - a building which has witnessed many changes in the past century and a half.
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Margaret Baird Paxton was born on 17 February 1902 at Drum Lodge, shortly after her parents and elder sister Jessie had returned to Scotland from Texas, where her father was a rancher. Two years later her younger sister, Isabel, was born and in 1907, the fourth sibling, Emily, completed the family. The Paxtons bought their long-term home, named Homelands, in 1908. As a young teenager, during the First World War, Margaret would have been involved in the Red Cross Work Party which was based in her home and co-ordinated by her mother. The piece below, from the 17 September 1914 Leven Advertiser, tells of an early consignment of gifts from the local group. By the end of the war, over 12,000 garments had been supplied by the work parties in Largo.

The Paxtons were involved in many charitable activities and supported several improvements to the district. For example, Mr and Mrs Paxton provided and equipped a hut to act as a social club for ex-servicemen in 1920 and funded a pitching and putting course at Lundin Golf Club in 1923. The Paxton ladies frequently ran stalls at fetes for various causes. The Royal National Lifeboat Institute was a cause that they supported regularly. Margaret was a frequent cast member in the productions of the Lundin Links Amateur Dramatics Group and was active in Largo S.W.R.I. One cause that was especially close to Margaret's heart, however, was the Girl Guiding movement. She was captain of Largo Girl Guides for many years, going by the name "Eagle Owl", and was for a spell Girl Guiding's 'Camp Secretary' for the whole of Scotland.

In 1926, Margaret's parents gifted the community a cottage for the residence of the Largo and Newburn District Nurse. The cottage stands behind the Parish war memorial (in a location chosen because it was as close as possible to the centre of the nurse's district). Robert Paxton passed away in October 1926 before the building was completed, so Mrs Paxton and her three daughters saw the project through to completion. 

When the District Nurse's Cottage opened in March 1927, the Leven Advertiser (12 March) noted the sunny southern outlook towards the Bass Rock, the telephone which was installed "so as to facilitate communication with doctors and patients" and the way in which the nurse's rooms had "been furnished with a completeness and comfort which leaves nothing to be desired." The report continued "the forethought and care which Mrs Paxton and the Misses Paxton have lavished on the cottage are evidence of how much it has been a labour of love to them". Two small gardens were laid out - one for the nurse and the other for the caretaker. The nurse's garden was tended by the Largo Girl Guides, under Margaret's direction.
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Margaret was very close to her sisters, so when elder sister Jessie set up a pioneering nursery school in Methil in 1935, Margaret supported her. Having gained experience in the nursery, Margaret was inspired to take action to meet another great need - for residential accommodation for children. She set about planning a children's home. Such a home would be for those requiring full-time care, perhaps because their parents were ill or because they had been rendered temporarily homeless. 

Margaret enlisted the help of a large committee to support her plan and in due course an Executive Committee (see above) was set up to administer the business of the home. Upper Largo's Dr William Eggeling acted as honorary medical officer. A large dwelling close to Homelands had become vacant, called Aithernie House (today known as the Old Manor Hotel). This was owned by Silverburn's Sir David Russell. Aithernie had four public rooms (all facing south), ten bedrooms, three bathrooms, electric light, modern central heating and a wash house with laundry. The map below shows how close Aithernie was to Homelands. 
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In December 1936, Margaret wrote to Sir David Russell to say that she was "very anxious to start a children's home in Largo" as "there is no place in Fife to which necessitous children may be sent and there is a very great need for such a home". She stressed that she had "come across some very deserving cases recently". ​The initial plan was to accommodate up to 36 children. The first year's expenses were covered by friends of the Paxtons, and the hope was that wider public support would be secured once the home was up and running and could demonstrate its worth. 

In turn David Russell wrote to his lawyer enclosing the letter from Margaret Paxton. In it he emphasised that he had known the Paxtons for many years and found them to be reliable. He also referenced Jessie's good work with the Methil Nursery. He closed by saying that with regard to the proposition "he was inclined to consider it favourably". Soon afterwards, all was signed and sealed. The 11 September 1937 St Andrews Citizen below tells of the imminent opening of Fife Children's Home. 
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Six months after opening, there were twenty children in residence between the ages of 2 and 11, along with six staff (Miss Paxton, her assistant, a cook and three nurses). Margaret and her assistant Miss M. Scrymgeour Wedderburn were voluntary workers. Below are descriptions of some 'typical cases' at that time. 
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Above is a photograph of some of the early residents of the children's home. Meals were taken outdoors, when possible, to get the benefit of fresh air and sunshine. The benches and tables were no doubt hand-made by local people and the children's bibs hand-made too. One of the glasshouses in the Aithernie garden can be seen. The grounds would have been carefully nurtured over many decades and at one time would have produced a great variety of produce.
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The piece above is from 19 February 1938 Fife Free Press. The work of both Jessie and Margaret Paxton was innovative and was followed with great interest. Of course, in the 1939, the outbreak of war brought new pressures on both ventures. At Fife Children's Home there were new reasons for children requiring assistance, as fathers were called up to join the armed services. One example was a widower with six children who went to serve in the Navy on a minesweeper. Three of his children went to stay with grandparents, while three came to reside at Aithernie. Two refugees from Austria, aged 2 and 4 also came to the home. Their fees were paid by two members of the home's committee.

In July 1940 another brochure was created to highlight the work of the home in the hope that further support would be forthcoming from farther afield. Below is an extract from this brochure. While daily life had continued much as before, gas mask drills and air raid precautions were now required. 
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1941 proved to be a difficult year for Margaret. The headline above, from 6 August Leven Mail, reports on the Annual Meeting of the committee. The clear message was that the home may have to close if not better supported. In the October of the same year Margaret's mother, Margaret, died at Homelands aged 78. Unsurprisingly, all those circumstances combined, took their toll on Margaret's health and in 1942 she had to spend some time in a nursing home to recuperate.

The sixth AGM for Fife Children's Home took place in 1942. The health of Miss Paxton was referenced, as were the direct and indirect impacts of the war. Ongoing challenges included food rationing, meeting blackout requirements and air raid precautions, staffing shortages and financial issues. While day nurseries were eligible for a war-time grant, the home was not. Yet somehow the home continued to function.

However, early in 1943 the home had to close for a six-month period. This had come about because Margaret had suffered a breakdown, having had do the cooking and attend the children at night, on top of her usual role as superintendent, due to staff shortages. In July 1943, Fife County Council made a grant of £100 to Aithernie Home and it was able to reopen. At the seventh annual meeting a few weeks later, Margaret expressed her regret at the circumstances which had necessitated the closing of the home. Now, however, the home was full up and had a long waiting list. Thirty-eight cases had been dealt with during the year, nearly all being the children of service men. The health of the children had been good and they had been vaccinated against diphtheria. 

​At the eighth annual meeting of the subscribers to Fife Children's Home in 1944 it was once again noted that Miss Paxton's health had not been so good. It was likely that Margaret continued to be overworked and was unable to give herself the time she really needed to rest and recover from earlier ill health. There had also been "very serious staffing issues". Above is an advert from 1944 for a cook for the home. Nevertheless, splendid work had been done with a considerable number of children benefitting from a stay. The war was still ongoing and sadly two key committee members had died during that year - ex-Provost Barron of Leven and Mrs Rowand of St Andrews. 

The ninth annual meeting took place in 1945. In the summary of the year, it was noted that several valuable subscribers had been lost by death and that staffing difficulties persisted. There were a few vacancies on the General Committee. Seventy children had been cared for over the year, with the waiting list remaining long. The "absence of so many men overseas had produced a very serious social problem" and many mothers found themselves having to work. The clipping below from the 12 September 1945 Leven Mail shows some of the year's highlights. An insight into the support given by local people was also given when Margaret described a "constant supply of vegetables" from Mrs Fleming and the "many friends who darn and re-foot socks and make and mend the clothes" as well as knitting, sending food and holding fundraising events.

Above is a 'then and now' comparison of the corner of Hillhead Street and Emsdorf Crescent in Lundin Links. The top image features the former shop, as it was in the 1940s, during the tenure of James Terris Turbayne. He was proprietor from 1920 into the 1950s. The ground floor was in fact two shops - the grocer to the right, and the fruit and confectionery shop to the left, each with its own entrance. Previously, the corner shop had been David Lindsay's grocery and the smaller shop had been the chemist belonging to Peter Cowie.

The black and white postcard image is entitled "St Helen, Lundin Links", as this is the name of the home above the shops. The upstairs dwelling was built above a pre-existing single-storey shop during David Lindsay's time. Helen was the name of the mother of David's wife, Isabella Horne. The Lindsays also had a daughter named Helen (known as Nelly) who died in 1901 aged 12. A further dwelling behind the shop was named Nellfield.

The building set back to the right of the shop was likely the original stable and cart shed connected with the business, at a time when grocery deliveries were fulfilled by horse and cart. By the Turbaynes time, the shift to motor vans had taken place and one can be seen in the 1940s image. The advert for Turbayne's below states "orders called for and delivered daily by motor van".

Round to the right of the front door to the grocer shop is an external sign for the Woodburn Laundry (for which Turbayne was an agent). Above is an advert for the same from 30 March 1935 St Andrews Courier. This facility was in St Andrews and boasted "open-air drying - right on sea front". Below is a photo of the actual laundry, adjacent to the Lifeboat Station at St Andrews (image courtesy of University of St Andrews, Special Collections). 

Close inspection of the Turbayne postcard photograph shows that there is a person tucked in at the left side of the motor van and that a selection of wines and spirits are on display in the shop window facing the van. The crates and boxes stacked up outside the shop may have just been taken out of the van, ready to restock the shop shelves. The person doing the unloading appears to be hiding from the photographer.
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The two adverts below illustrate the range of wines and spirits that were stocked by James Turbayne once he had secured his license in Lundin Links. He also stocked soft drinks such as the aerated waters produced by Leven based Christopher Adamson.

The previous post covered the life of Largo-born Alexander Ballingall, who spent most of his working life as an acclaimed artist in Edinburgh. Alexander and his elder brother engraver William Ballingall were well-known for their artistic accomplishments. However, these were not the only creative members of the family. John Ballingall their younger brother was also an accomplished painter, although art was not his main occupation. John worked in Largo as a cork cutter. The above artwork entitled "Entering Port" is an example of his work. It features Largo Harbour and Pier and several fishing boats. Like his brother Alexander, John frequently opted to portray marine and fishing scenes.

John was born in 1859, the ninth of the ten children of weaver and amateur astronomer William Ballingall senior and his wife Jane (Jean) Wilson. While the majority of his siblings moved away to Edinburgh for work, John remained in Lower Largo. At the time of the 1881 census, John was a journeyman cork cutter (perhaps having learned the trade from one of the other local cork cutters in Largo such as Edward Johnston or John Edmonson Miller) and the only of the siblings living at home with his parents. As a cork cutter, he likely had close ties with both the fishing community and the net factory.

In 1883, John married Annie McIntosh in Edinburgh and she joined him in Largo. The first of their eight children, William, was born the following year but he sadly died aged just two and a half. By the time of the 1891 census, there were four children in the household and John's occupation was described as 'cork manufacturer'. At this time, the family were living in part of Goodsir House. 
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Although John had probably always painted, it was during the 1890s that John's artwork received more attention. Several of his known paintings date to this decade - for example the work "Sailing Boats at Moonrise" above is clearly dated 1894.
It was also in 1894 that John featured in the newspapers when a message in a bottle he had set off on the sea at Largo on 22 November 1893 washed up five weeks later in Norway. Mid-November 1893 had brought the worst storms for many a year to the east coast and loss of life had been great (well over 200 persons). John had reflected upon the disaster with his young sons and had decided to send off a letter, along with his card and instructions for the finder. He was also moved to offer a watercolour painting with proceeds donated to the Lifeboat Institution, who had saved many lives during the storm. Full details are below, from the 20 January 1894 St Andrews Citizen. Note that the bottle has been corked and wrapped in cork. 
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John's role as an artist must have flourished, as the notice below from the 7 January 1897 Leven Advertiser below tells of the exciting news that he had moved to "new and commodious premises opposite the U.P. Church" where there was a large exhibition room for his oil and water-colour paintings. This premises was at Forthview Place in the part which would later become the Leven Reform Co-operative Society shop. In 1898 he also had a seascape displayed at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh.

On 14 July 1971, under the headline "Face-lift at Granary", the East Fife Mail reported on the restoration of the former salt girnel/granary/net store building at Cellar Brae. The photograph above shows the work underway, at the stage when the roof was being replaced but the sea wall had yet to be heightened. Below are a few images taken in the mid-1970s, just a few years after completion. The conversion into a "seaside cottage" was carried out for "Mr John Gilmour, elder son of the Conservative M.P. for East Fife, Sir John Gilmour, Bt". Then aged 26, Mr Gilmour and his wife first decided to restore the granary in 1969 when they "noticed that it was literally falling to pieces and decided that we had to preserve it".  

In explaining the former uses of the building, Mr Gilmour said "in the past the Cellar Brae granary has been put to a variety of uses. At first it was of course a place where local grain was stored before being shipped across the Forth to Leith but that trade died out over a hundred years ago." He continued "for many years it was used by local fishermen as a storehouse for their nets and lobster pots but at one time it even housed a joiner's business." It's interesting that the real original use of the building as a salt girnel had at this point apparently been forgotten.

The building in fact had mixed use for long periods of time. Note that local joiner Alec Tait had workshop space within the granary building from around 1920 into the 1960s, his father David Tait having had the workshop there before him from the early 1890s. This overlapped with use as a granary and then a net store. It was the building's affinity with the village's fishing industry that Mr Gilmour was keen to maintain. At the time of the newspaper piece he was contemplating a suitable name for the finished dwelling. "Perhaps we will call it the 'Net House'. I think that would be an appropriate name for the cottage".  And so it came to pass that the house was given that name, when the restoration work was completed in 1972 - the name which it still goes by today. 

In 1984 the building was given a category B listing, in recognition of its architectural and historical interest. A great example of a mid-eighteenth century structure in a local style and with a varied past use, its listing description is given as:
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2 storey, boulder rubble with large sandstone lintels to ground floor, and low buttresses to long sides. South elevation has arched door near centre with stugged ashlar dressings and deep flanking buttresses, 2 windows left and 3 right; 3 small, first floor windows, window over door, raised through eaves with catslide roof, large modern studio window with gabled head. Glazed doors in east gable. North elevation irregular fenestration, 6 ground and 4 1st floor window. Pantiled roof with slate easing course, skews and 2 stacks. Curved boulder rubble wall to south remains of west pier, probably 18th century, with steps down to water, and low bastion enclosing circle of setts at site of horsemill.

The image below shows the setts at the site of a horse mill between the building and the sea wall. The date of this feature is unclear but likely aligns to the years when the site was used as a granary.
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The photographs above show the west-facing gable end pre- and post-conversion. The high window suggests the earlier presence of a forestair to an entrance at the upper level. The extent of the heightening of the sea wall can also be seen in the post-restoration image.  The conversion to a private dwelling was carried out by Leven architect firm L.A. Rolland and Partners and the project won a Civic Trust heritage award. The design by David Pirie sought to maintain the original character and tradition of this imposing structure. 

Described as a "derelict stone bothy" which had been neglected for years, one specific requirement of the restoration was that the external walls were left unharled. Commenting in the 25 June 1975 East Fife Mail, Mr Rolland noted that "five years ago people didn't do nearly so much of this type of restoration but people are now more aware of the value of such properties". He continued "there is more of this work done in Fife than other places, not only because of conservation societies, but because there are some very nice buildings in this part of Fife". The restoration was certainly a great outcome for this significant Largo building.
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Cellar Brae or Cellar Braes is the promontory to the west of Lower Largo Harbour. The map above, which is dated 1843, is one of the few to clearly name the area. Below is a comparison of that map with a recent aerial view of the site. The general layout and many of the buildings remain the same, although some buildings have been lost. The large building closest to the sea has survived and is one of Largo's oldest. Now known as The Net House, pictured further below, this building began life as a salt girnel (store-house) for the adjacent salt works at Drummochy. Dating back to the 1740s, the girnel was a secure building where salt was drained and stored - an essential component of any salt works. Salt was an extremely valuable commodity at this time and a good quality, robust building was needed for secure storage. So, it is thanks to the original function and importance of the building that it has been able to stand the test of time.

With the decline of the salt industry locally in the late 18th century, the building's function had to evolve. For a time, it was used as a granary (separate from the granary on the other side of the harbour, now part of the Crusoe Hotel). The 1932 Largo Village Book states that historically "grain was stored for shipping" at Cellar Braes. However, by the late 19th century, and for many decades, the building and surrounding ground was used to store fishing gear and to dry nets (hence the building's present name of The Net House). There are a few images below that feature nets hung out to dry all around the area.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, salmon stake nets ran out to sea in front of the Net House (see image below). Throughout that time, valuation rolls show that the Cellar building and Lundin Salmon Fishings were owned by Lundin Estate. These facilities were tenanted initially by Andrew Greig Anderson, Edinburgh fishmonger, in the late 19th century and then by  Joseph Johnston and Sons Limited of Montrose (a long-established salmon fishing business with interests the length of the east coast) in the early decades of the 20th century.
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By the mid-1930s, Cellar Braes began to change into more of a recreational space. The Largo Parish Community Council rented the area and organised for benches and a shelter to be put in place for the comfort of those enjoying the views across the harbour. The old path which used to run around the seaward side of the Net House was re-routed to the landward side of the building.  The old path route with its unguarded sea wall was not without its risks, as the ​9 April 1935 Leven Advertiser piece below demonstrates. The man who fell over the edge onto the rocks was staying at 'Westhaven' - a house opposite Cellar Brae (see map further below). In the early 1970s, the now semi-derelict net house building was restored and converted into a private dwelling. The sea wall was heightened for safety.
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As well as being the site of private homes, the Cellar Braes of today continues to offer benches, views and space to relax. The former shelter (seen on map and image above) is long gone but a patch of concrete indicates where this once was.  This multi-functional corner of the village has a rich history. Featured in artworks and offering a fine viewing space for events at the harbour, it continues to be a characterful part of the Largo landscape.

A bleaching green is an open outdoor space, upon which cloth was spread to dry and by whitened by sunlight. They were especially common in areas where textiles were produced. Linen weaving became the major industry in rural Scotland from the 1750s and in the Largo villages, linen hand loom weaving became a common occupation. The above image shows the bleaching green at the Temple (now a car park). The image shows a small amount of cloth spread out to dry in the corner of the green. The Old Statistical Account (1792) for Largo Parish describes weaving as "the principal manufacture" with "linen and checks" being most common. According to the book "Flax and Linen in Fife through the Centuries' by P.K. Livingstone, linen was "a fabric of plain weave, made from the stem fibres of flax" and check was "a pattern of cross lines forming small squares, as in a chess board". Some flax was grown locally but most was imported. 

Note that the above states that "almost every weaver, and a good number of others, have their bleaching ground, where they prepare linen". Hand looms weavers worked at home, in a room or outbuilding containing a large loom. Some may have used their own outside space for bleaching but others made use of communal bleaching greens. These common greens were leased to the feuars of surrounding properties under long-term arrangements. The linen manufacturing process involved many stages and was not complete until the cloth had spent time outdoors to bleach.

According to the 1932 'Largo Village Book', "up to 1850 there was a loom in every house in Lower Largo, Drummochy and Lundin, and much linen was made." In fact weaving was not limited to those places but also took place in Kirkton of Largo, along at the Temple and of course at Emsdorf. It may even be that the village of Emsdorf was feued from 1802 with weaving in mind. The majority of houses built there had deliberately low ceilings so that loom heads could be fixed to them yet could be easily reached by the weaver. 'Linen HLW' was by far the predominant occupation in Lundinmill (particularly around Emsdorf) in the 1841 census (see example page below).
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Some of the known communal bleaching greens around the Parish are shown on the map below. These are: 

1. Pump Green in Emsdorf
2. Green to the West of Drum Lodge (close to Joiner's Workshop)
3. Temple Green
4. The foot of the Serpentine (known as Tam's Den)
5. The Grove - Upper Largo

All of those of close to a water source - either a burn or a well or water pump, as the linen was sprinkled with water during the bleaching process.
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Woven linen was naturally a tan colour, so bleaching was essential. The linens were laid out on grass for several days. The cloth became whiter by the day until reaching an optimum level of whiteness. It was a slow process but one that was effective and did not result in any weakening of the fabric. However, having the product of your labours lying outdoors came with some risks. High winds, wandering animals and thieving hands could all be a problem.

The newspaper archives are full of reports of thefts from bleaching greens. A couple of examples are shown below. The story from Crail is from the 2 September 1824 Fife Herald and tells of the theft of a "web of cloth" (the web is the result of weaving the weft threads over warp threads) from the village bleaching green, the two women involved being "drummed through the town" as a punishment. The same newspaper on 20 October 1831 cautions readers in Cupar of a series of thefts from bleaching greens there. In 1839, two men were jailed for 40 days for stealing clothes from a bleaching green in St Monance.

The 'Largo Village Book' tells of how owners of the bleaching linen at Tam's Den near the Serpentine in Largo used to "sit on the banks all night in summer to see that no one stole the cloth". No doubt this type of supervision of the wares was a fairly common practice. 

The bleaching green in Emsdorf was known then as 'Pump Green', owing to the water pump sited there. The green covered a much larger area than the remnant left today would suggest.  As Esther Menzies wrote in her 1974 memoires, the green there was... 

"surrounded by a high stone wall following the line of the posts and chain there at present but protruding in an arc for several yards at the south end.  There was a gap of about four yards with an iron pump with a turning knob....The washing was laid out to bleach in the curved end and we did not play on the green if the washing was there.  At other times it was a playground.  The grass patch beyond was near oblong.  It was crossed by paths - one leading round by the curved wall to Emsdorf Place Houses, another at the east edge in front of their doors and another from Woodlands Road cutting through to meet the one passing alongside the Pump Green wall and leading up to the HIllhead."

One of the Emsdorf Place houses was for many decades named 'Green House' owing to its position adjacent to the green but the name was lost as the former use of the space faded from collective memories. Handloom weaving also vanished from the villages as power loom factories took over the manufacture of textiles. The bleaching of clothes became an indoor process thanks to the development of bleaching powders. However, traces of former bleaching greens and surviving weavers cottages still contribute to the character of the villages in Largo and many other towns and villages. Below is an evocative photograph of a green in Pittenweem being well-used in days gone-by.  If you know of other bleaching greens around Largo Parish, please leave a comment.
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On 18 August 1874 a marriage took place at Largo House between Robert Rintoul and Margaret Jack Jeffrey. Robert was the Glasgow-born proprietor of Lahill House (pictured above) and Margaret the daughter of John Jeffrey the Kirkcaldy linen manufacturer. The Jeffreys had taken the tenancy of Largo House in 1872 and had become well-known in the Largo area. After their marriage, Robert and Margaret settled at Lahill and in 1878 their daughter Leonora Jeffrey Rintoul was born. She would go on to become a pioneering ornithologist along with her great friend Evelyn Baxter. Two years later, on 30 March 1880, another daughter, Jane Helen (known as Jean) was born at Lahill. 

The 1881 census recorded the household at Lahill Mansion House. Robert was described as a "Proprietor farming 726 acres of which 706 are arable, employing 15 men, 14 women and 2 boys". In addition to Robert, Margaret and their two young daughters, the household included a cook, house maid, table maid and nurse. There was also a visitor - cousin of Margaret, Charles Maxton, a linen manufacturer. Other staff were living in the Lahill Coachman's House and Lodge House. Two years later, in 1883, a son was born - Andrew Jeffrey Rintoul. Robert Rintoul (who had been the very first Captain of Lundin Golf Club when it was first founded in 1868, having learned golf on Dubbieside links) died on 26 January 1887 just before his son's fourth birthday. 
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Growing up Leonora and Jean were educated privately and had the opportunity to travel on the continent. At home, they were often mentioned in the papers as "the Misses Rintoul" when attending social occasions. Jean also featured in newspaper reports for her pianoforte solos and theatrical performances. On example above is from the 29 June 1899 Leven Advertiser in relation to a fund-raising event in Kirkcaldy. Perhaps it was at such an event that Jean met her future husband.

On 4 August 1910, Jean married Captain Thomas Kershaw Gaskell of the 89th Punjabis at Upper Largo Parish Church. She was 30 years old and he was 39. Reverend Duncan Macmichael and Reverend James Robert Burt (Macmichael's predecessor) officiated. Sister Leonora was a witness. The 6 August Fifeshire Advertiser described the wedding as "fully choral" and noted that there was "a large and fashionable assemblage" at this "pretty wedding".

Thomas Kershaw Gaskell was born on 1 October 1870 in Portsea, Portsmouth, one of 8 children. His father, also Thomas, was in the army and this required the family to move frequently, including a spell in Cupar in the late 1870s when young Thomas was still a boy. So he had a connection to Fife from an early age. Thomas junior served as Lieutenant in the Suffolk Artillery Militia from 1890 and was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Royal Fusiliers on 19 October 1892. He was promoted Lieutenant in the Indian Staff Corps on 12 January 1896, whilst serving with the 29th Burma Infantry. He was made a Captain with the 89th Punjabis on 19 October 1901. He was still a Captain at the time of his marriage.

Now widowed, Jean continued her active life in the Largo community and beyond. The newspaper archives record her opening fetes, hosting social events, assisting in the Girls Guildry, being involved in church events, presiding over the East of Fife group of the W.R.I., being part of the wartime work parties making provisions for the troops, acting on the Kirkton of Largo school management committee and continuing to entertain by playing the piano. In some of these endeavours she was joined by her sister Leonora Rintoul and friend Evelyn Baxter, both of whom were also extremely prominent in the W.R.I..

Another of Jean's interests was the newly-created Scotland's Gardens Scheme (a scheme which continues today). She acted as organiser of the scheme for Fife in 1930s and 1940s. Gardens were opened to the public in order to raise money for the Nursing Association.  Jean was able to arrange for gardens at houses such as Lahill, Strathairly and Cambo to be open to visitors. The notice below from the 10 April 1937 St Andrews Citizen notes an opening of the Lahill gardens - often timed to show the daffodils at their best each year.

In 1940, Jean bought Grove Cottage in Upper Largo, which was adjacent to both her sister's home, Balsusney, and the home of Evelyn Baxter, The Grove. The three properties can be seen in the map below. 
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In February 1943 Jean Gaskell was co-opted as a member for Largo and Newburn of the Anstruther District Council. The same year she was Secretary of the Wings for Victory committee for Largo. A few years later she funded the building of a hut within the grounds of the manse at Newburn Church to be used as a community hall. Groups using the hall included the Newburn Women's Guild and the Newburn Men's Club. 

In the weeks immediately prior to her death she conducted the opening ceremony of the Robinson Crusoe Social Club's Sale of Work in the Club House at Mill Wynd (see 11 Feb 1948 notice below from Leven Advertiser). She also attended a meeting of the local housing committee and made a recommendation which resulted in the naming of Durham Crescent (see 10 January 1948 Courier below). The Housing Supervisor had suggested the name Crusoe Crescent but Mrs Gaskell thought the Crusoe name was already overused and made her alternative suggestion.

When Jean Gaskell died on 27 March 1948 at St Margaret's  just days before her 68th birthday, the official record of her death described her as a 'housewife' but there was so much more to this talented, independent, community-spirited lady. Aside from the pursuits mentioned above, there were no doubt many other strands to her activities. Unfortunately, I have been unable to unearth a photograph of Mrs Gaskell so far - if anyone has a photo of her, please do get in touch.

The previous post looked at the life of General James Durham (1754-1840) and noted that one of the changes he made to Largo House was the addition of a coat of arms on the tympanum above the central upper windows. 'Coat of arms' is the popular term for what is more accurately a 'full heraldic achievement'. This post attempts to 'read' the heraldic achievement displayed on Largo House and understand the significance of the various elements of it. The component parts of the full heraldic achievement, including the shield, supporters, crest, and mottoes, will be described. 

Heraldic visual designs have been used by families, places and organisations for centuries to symbolise their identity. The origins of such designs date back to medieval times when a warrior dressed in a full suit of armour including a helmet would have been entirely anonymous without some visible symbol to identify him. His shield provided a large flat surface upon which to display a pictorial means of identification. A family's arms can evolve through the generations to reflect lines of descent, adoption, alliance, etc. General Durham registered his own coat of arms in 1792 and it carried variations from the arms of his Durham predecessors. It must have been after the death of his father in 1808 that he had his own arms mounted on the frontage of Largo House. Below is an annotated image of it as it appears on the tympanum of Largo House (which being stonework does not reflect colour aspect of the arms).

Below is a representation (from a medal) of General Durham's father's coat of arms. Its shield bears only the Durham and Rutherford quarters. This medal, which was awarded to James Durham for archery around 1752, is held at St Andrews University Special Collections and can be viewed on-line in detail here. General Durham's younger brother Philip Charles Henderson Durham had his own coat of arms registered in 1818. The full heraldic achievement featured the same shield layout as his father's (i.e. the one on the medal below) but had different elements added that were more personal to him. More on that some other time. 

​Despite all the variations in the Durham arms over the centuries, it is the arms of General James Durham (1754-1840) that has been displayed in Largo for around two centuries and can still be seen (albeit obscured by trees) on the tympanum of the ruins of Largo House. As it is difficult to view the ruins today, here is a link to a short drone film over the Largo House ruins from the Vintage Lundin Links and Largo YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/IS6jlq8dPAc

James Durham was born in Edinburgh in January 1754 - son of James Durham (1732-1808) and Anne Calderwood (1734-1797). He is pictured above in a painting by George Watson (1767-1837). James had four younger siblings - Thomas, Philip, William and Margaret. He entered the army aged fifteen in 1769, joining the Second Dragoon Guards as a Coronet The extract below from the 22 February 1840 Naval and Military Gazette charts his army career from that point, until he obtained the rank of General in 1830. Notably, in 1794 Durham raised the Fife Fencibles, an early military force based in Fife. With them he served chiefly in Ireland. ​

​Durham married Elizabeth, daughter of Colonel Sheldon of Flitwick, Bedfordshire in 1779. It was in 1808, upon the death of his father, that a fifty-four-year-old James Durham inherited the Largo Estate. Now at a less active stage in his military service, he resided almost constantly at Largo and was involved in many practical improvements to the estate. He also set about making improvements to Largo House itself. In 1815 he had the stable block built to designs by Alexander Leslie and James Leslie.

After the death of his wife Elizabeth in 1826, James married for a second time in 1827 to Margaret, eldest daughter of Colonel John Anstruther Thomson of Charlton. The pair made significant additions to Largo House in 1831 by extending extensively to the rear of the building and adding the conservatory to the west. Another significant, if smaller scale, change made during General Durham's era was the addition of a coat of arms to the tympanum on the frontage of Largo House (more on that in the next post).

Durham had a great interest in antiquities and was responsible for the restoration of Largo's Pictish Stone within the grounds of Largo House, the saving of a portion of the Norrie's Law Silver Hoard and the placing of a plaque on Sir Andrew Wood's Tower in 1832. In 1837, he had a cannon brought to Largo from the sunken HMS Royal George following salvage work on the wreck. The loss of the ship had been the worst naval disaster in British home waters since the Mary Rose, 237 years beforehand. James's brother Philip was one of four lieutenants saved from the Royal George. The cannon, which had lain for over half a century (since 1782) on the seabed, was brought to Largo House where it was displayed right in front of the house, drawing much interest.  Durham also owned an original manuscript of John Lamont's Diary which went missing from his library around 1830 (see 25 March Fife Herald entry from that year below). This 17th century diary contained much every day information about the Lundin family of Lundin. Lamont's brother Allan was factor and chaplain to the family. 
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Among the other roles carried out by James Durham was a stint as Captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club in St Andrews. He fulfilled the role of Convener for the County of Fife for a spell right up until his death. General James Durham is pictured below in his later years. He died at Largo House 6 February 1840 at the age of 86. Having left no heir, he was succeeded in the estate of Largo by his nephew Thomas Durham Calderwood of Polton. James Durham's second wife Margaret died at 44 Moray Place, Edinburgh in 1847. Both James and Margaret were interred in the family vault at Largo Kirk. James was arguably the last custodian of Largo House who truly cared for the building and had a strong personal connection to it, given that he spent his childhood years there and that it was his father who had it built. He certainly invested heavily in caring for and extending the house and adorning it with meaningful artefacts. Perhaps the story of the decline of the mansion really began with the death of General Durham in 1840.