Category: Houses

Hope you will like the view

14/11/2025

The sender of this 1903 postcard hoped that Miss Allan would like the view of Drummochy. On the reverse, the writer continued...

Got home all right and found Father and Mother well. Raining cats and dogs. Hope it will fair before morning.

There's certainly lots to like about the view and many details worth highlighting, many of which are long gone. The fishing nets out drying on tall posts, next to the Net House, are marked (1). Feature (2) is the lost buildings of Cellar Brae of which only traces remain today. Detail (3) is a short section of stone wall situated at the turn in Drummochy Road (shown in more detail further below), which presumably acted to control to flow of road users at a blind corner.

At point (4) you can see the tracks in the sand where carts crossed the burn, alongside a couple of mooring posts. (5) is a gate - a partial barrier to slow movement towards the footbridge at (6). Detail (7) is a very productive looking garden full of a growing crop, while (8) are washing lines and posts. Note that these rear gardens, sitting at a much lower level than Woodlands Road (9) above, would have been cut short when the viaduct (10) was constructed in the 1850s. In the circa 1900 image the viaduct was less than 50 years old. Now it has been out of use for longer than that.

It's incredible to think that these streets were once completely devoid of motor vehicles. How much quieter and slower the pace of life must have been. It's also interesting to see how patches of land once put to practical and productive use growing food or drying laundry are now used for more leisurely pursuits, such as storage of pleasure boats or benches and summer houses to sit out in. The image below shows a mid-point in that transition, where the nets are still being dried but use of outdoor spaces for relaxation has increased. The wooden footbridge has been replaced by the road bridge and the days of the railway are numbered.

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Benjamin Connell Cox (1854-1924)

31/10/2025

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Benjamin Connell Cox was born in Clifden, Galway, Ireland in 1854. The son of a surgeon, Benjamin had a twin brother named Joshua John Cox. A couple of years after the birth of the twins, the family moved to Scotland - initially settling in Edinburgh before moving to Innerleithen in the Borders. By 1871, Joshua was studying medicine, while Benjamin had become an apprentice at a woollen mill. A decade later, Benjamin was in Selkirk, employed as a commercial traveller for George Roberts and Co. of Forrest Mill. In 1888 he married Harriet Kate McDowell in Birkenhead, Cheshire and they went on to have four children: Muriel (1890), Elsie (1891), Winifred (1894) and John (1900).

The family lived at Mauldsheugh in Selkirk and over the years, Benjamin worked his way up within Roberts and Co. to become a director of the firm. He was one of the principal shareholders when the firm became a limited company in 1892. The business went on to prosper, becoming a leader in the Scottish woollen industry by the early 1900s. In 1903, Cox retired as managing director (see Southern Reporter piece below from 5 February 1903).

The Cox family relocated to Fife, residing initially at St Andrews. However, by May 1904, they had secured the lease of Largo House, and of the shootings on Largo Law (see St Andrews Citizen of 28 May above). They quickly became prominent in their new community. The piece below from the 17 August 1905 Leven Advertiser describes how a group of Juvenile Templars were entertained by Mr and Mrs Cox. The family appeared to have been supporters of the temperance movement. In a 1907, when seeking a groom to work at Largo House, the advert noted that "abstainer preferred".

Benjamin Cox gave talks locally as well, such as the example above on the subject of pond life, illustrated with lantern slides. He had joined the Parish Council by 1908 and held a variety of roles within it over the years that followed. When Largo Miniature Rifle Club was formed on 1 December 1908, Benjamin became Honorary President. The following year, he was elected Captain of Lundin Golf Club (see 18 August Leven Advertiser below). The year 1909 was also when the Cox family collected their new Daimler car.

Cox's tenure as Captain was an eventful one at Lundin Golf Club. The Club's new 18 hole course was completed later in 1909 and on 29 November he had the honour of driving the first ball, using a ‘Dreadnought’ club donated by Sir John Gilmour. Cox presented the Club with a silver cup to mark the occasion (see 1 Dec 1909 Leven Advertiser snippet below). He also presided at opening of Lundin Ladies new course in April 1910. The photograph further below of Cox seated was taken during his spell as Golf Club Captain.

In the census of 1911, which was taken on 2 April, Mr and Mrs Cox and their two eldest children Muriel and Elsie, were away in London - residing at the recently-completed Berner's Hotel on Berners Street just off Oxford Street. Younger daughter Winifred (Freda) was at school in St Andrews, while son John was at Ardvreck boarding school in Crieff. This stay in London likely marked the period between the end of their lease of Largo House and their move to Gilston House. Shortly afterwards it was reported (in 29 April 1911 Fifeshire Advertiser item below) that the family had taken up a lease of Gilston House, between Upper Largo and Largoward.

The advert below from three years earlier in Country Life magazine, describes Gilston House in detail. At the time, the house had 14 bedrooms, 5 public rooms, extensive well-stocked gardens, stables, tennis courts and access to large shooting grounds. The Cox family remained there for around eight years before making a return to Largo House in 1919. During the First World War, Benjamin acted as Chief Special Constable for one of the Fife districts. He was also a member of the Appeal Tribunal for Fife under the Military Service Acts and of the County War Pensions Committee.

Once the family were back at Largo House, youngest daughter Freda Cox started the 1st Largo Girl Guide Company in October 1920. She acted as the Captain of the Guides until 1924. The 1921 census, records Benjamin, Harriet and Elsie at Largo House along with seven servants (see details below).

As well as a stint on the Parish Council, Benjamin became a member of Fife County Council. His involvement lasted for nine years, including a spell as Convener of the County Finance Committee. However, in December 1922 he retired from those duties owing to poor health. Early in 1923, his twin brother Joshua John Cox O.B.E. died on a visit to Largo House (see below from 27 January Fifeshire Advertiser).

Benjamin himself passed away on 17 March 1924 at Largo House aged 70 years. The 22 March 1924 Dundee Courier piece below details the "large company of mourners" that followed the hearse from the service in Largo House to the cemetery. Further below is an image of the headstone, which is shared with his wife Harriet, who lived until 1956 and to the age of 93 years.

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Motor Car at Largo House

24/10/2025

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The photograph above, which was also published as a postcard, features a striking looking motor car waiting at the entrance of Largo House. The image also features a couple sitting on a bench and another person on the entrance stairs. However, it is the car which particularly catches the eye and back on 18 September 1974, the East Fife Mail posed the question - what was the type and date of the vintage vehicle?

The answer was quickly forthcoming from Miss Elizabeth Tavendale Sime of North Feus, Upper Largo. The car belonged to long-term tenant of Largo House, Benjamin Connell Cox and it was a Daimler purchased in 1909. Her father, Charles Sime (a joiner by trade who worked for Cox) had accompanied Mr Cox's chauffeur to England to collect the vehicle. The image below shows the same convertible Daimler in more detail - chauffeur at the wheel and multiple female passengers on board (perhaps the ladies of the Cox family). The Daimler was the motor car brand of choice of the royal family at the time and was advertised as "the motor triumph of the Edwardian era". It was a car that was well-matched to the grandeur of Largo House. Further below is an advert for a very similar model of Daimler.

Benjamin Cox, along with his wife and four children, then ranging in age from 3 to 13, took up residence in Largo House in the summer of 1904 (see 24 June East of Fife Record piece below). The tweed and woollen manufacturer from Selkirk, had retired to St Andrews prior to taking up the tenancy of Largo House, where the family remained until 1911. Benjamin was Captain of Lundin Golf Club 1909-11. The family moved to Gilston House in 1911 before returning to Largo House in 1919, where Benjamin died in 1924. The chauffeur for the Cox family was George Bell.

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Servants at Largo House

17/10/2025

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The previous post considered the interior of Largo House as a newly constructed Georgian mansion house, focussing on the "upstairs" richly-furnished public rooms. However, the "below stairs", more functional parts of the house are also interesting to consider. Servants in various roles would have worked over the decades in spaces such as the kitchen, scullery, cellar, pantry, washing house, laundry and stables. Historical tax records, recently published online, list the names of thousands of domestic servants across 18th century Scotland, including those that worked at Largo House for James Durham Esquire.

In Scotland, taxes on male servants were assessed between 1777 and 1798, and taxes on female servants between 1785 and 1792. Throughout all of that time period James Durham (1754-1840) was the owner of Largo House. Shown above is the earliest example of one of his servant tax returns - detailing the male servants at Largo House in 1777. The list comprised three individuals: James Brouster (house servant), Thomas Taitt (coachman) and Thomas Anderson (gardener). Taxes were levied on wealthy households that employed "non-essential servants", such domestic help. Roles considered "essential", such as farm labourers and factory workers, were exempt from this tax.

Over the whole period that these taxes applied (1777 to 1798), James Durham had servants in the following roles at Largo House:

Housekeeper
Cook
Cook's Maid
Laundry Maid
Chambermaid
House Servant
Butler
Coachman
Footman
Chaise Driver
Gamekeeper
Gardener

The total number of servants, and the roles listed, varied a little from year to year. There was of course a clear male/female division of roles, with the females covering the roles of housekeeper, cook, cook's maid, laundry maid and chambermaid, while male servants carried out the roles of butler, coachman, footman, gamekeeper and gardener.

Thomas Bardwell, butler at Woodton Hall, Norfolk in 1774

The butler was the head of the male domestic staff, whose responsibilities included overseeing the wine cellar, managing the silver and other tableware, and supervising the footmen and other male servants. The butler would also be in charge of setting the table and serving meals. He would tend to welcome guests and be the point of communication between the master of the house and the staff. Supporting the butler would be the footman - performing a wide range of duties from attending doors to serving meals, and from shifting heavy items to running all manner of errands.

The housekeeper was in charge of the house as a whole, ensuring its appearance was always as expected. Other female servants and kitchen staff would report to her. This included the laundry maid who was responsible for washing, drying and ironing fine linen for family and guests, as well as the servants’ linen. Laundry would have been a long and laborious process, involving boiling water over a coal or wood fired stove, using wash boards and dolly tubs. Cast iron irons would also have been heated on a stove.

The Scullery Maid; Jean-Baptiste Simeon Chardin; Hunterian Art Gallery, University of Glasgow

A few examples of long-serving staff at Largo House during this period included:

Alexander Norval (or Norvil) - Footman from 1791 until his death in 1797. The record of his burial at Largo is shown above.

George Stein - Gardener between 1786 and 1798

Margaret (Peggy) Lawson - who progressed from Cook's Maid to Cook between 1785 and 1791

James Millar - initially described as a "chaise-driver" but later "coachman" between 1787 and 1795

Thomas Keay - Butler between 1795 and 1797

If you had an ancestor that worked among the domestic staff at Largo House, please leave a comment.

Gamekeeper and Cook by David Wilkie; Bradford Museums and Galleries

Read more about the life of a Georgian servant here: www.nts.org.uk/stories/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-servant

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Largo House Interior

10/10/2025

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The grand exterior of Largo House, now sadly obscured by vegetation, is familiar to many, from both images and from memory. The interior of this now ruinous mansion house however remains more mysterious. Photographs taken inside the house while still occupied appear to be non-existent. It's intriguing to imagine how the inside might have appeared when the house was first completed back in the 18th century. So, what can be pieced together from looking at similar grand homes of that era and from the few fragments of Largo House-specific information that survive?

A typical Scottish Georgian mansion featured distinct "upstairs" and "below stairs" areas. The upstairs public rooms were richly decorated and furnished - suitable for aristocratic living and for elegant social functions. Conversely, the areas inhabited by hard-working domestic staff were simple and practical. Rooms such as the drawing room, dining room and bedrooms were designed with a focus on symmetry, light, space and comfort. A sense of the floor plan of the original core of Largo House is provided by the drone photograph below. Note the central stair hall surrounded by many chimney flues.

Surviving records suggest a colourful and luxurious interior existed when Largo House was new. One room, described as the "low red room" was "partly hung with arras". Arras is a tapestry hung as a wall decoration, usually with a rich and complex stitched design. The term is derived from the French city of Arras, which was a major centre of tapestry production in the 14th and 15th centuries. There was a "blue room" where the bed was hung with "blue turk hangings" (turk being a type of fabric used in upholstery at the time), as well as a "green room". There was a "mid room" and a "high mid room" (which, unusually for the time, was hung with tartan at the foot of the bed).

Accounts dating to 1766, from Young and Trotter, the Edinburgh upholsterer and carpeting merchant, detail that Largo House was supplied with "blue and orange carpeting", as well as "window curtains of cherry" with "yellow tassels". The Drawing Room was furnished with "blue silk damask chairs". Damask is a reversible, woven fabric that features a distinct pattern created by a special weave. Named after the city of Damascus, where it was produced in the Middle Ages, damask was originally made from silk. Used for upholstery, curtains, and table linens, its pattern features a contrast between matte and shiny yarns.

There were also references to a "bed hung with red cambrot" and an "easie chair covered with yellow silk". A "large fine staircase lantern" was also ordered for the house from Young and Trotter. The image collages above and below are designed to evoke a sense of what the interior of Largo House might have looked like during the late 18th century - incorporating some of the known objects, colours and textures.

The advert below for Largo House furnisher Young and Trotter appeared in the 22 November 1750 Caledonian Mercury. Based at the Luckenbooths on the High Street Edinburgh, the firm was established in the 1740s by Thomas Trotter and Robert Young. The sign above their shop, and the eye catcher in the advert below, featured a pelican bleeding from the breast to feed her young.

Another supplier of interiors to Largo House was William Hamilton, the Edinburgh upholsterer and cabinet maker. James Durham commissioned furniture from him in 1769/70 - including a large mahogany bedstead. Hamilton was a competitor to Young and Trotter, although eventually the two firms combined. While still operating under his own name, William Hamilton is known to have executed commissions for the Duke of Argyll (1758-61), Lord Milton (1764-5), Sir James Clerk (1770-2) and Balfour Ramsay (1768-9), as well as James Durham of Largo (1769-70).

It is also well-documented that architect John Adam (brother of Robert Adam) supplied a chimney piece for Largo House. The specification on the account (which was dated May 1759), was "statuary marble" (that is marble of exceptional quality - literally meaning suitable for statues). Further details of the piece specified "ogee moulding" (a decorative trim with an S-shaped profile which features a concave curve that flows into a convex curve) and "dentils" (small, tooth-like rectangular blocks arranged in a repeating pattern).

No doubt there would have been many paintings on the walls, including family portraits and pieces by favourite Scottish artists. These would have been added to over the years that the Durham family inhabited Largo House, which was up until 1868, when the Largo estate was sold to William Johnson of Lathrisk. If you have further information on the interior of Largo House in its heyday please do get in touch or leave a comment.

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Silversmith Workshop

26/9/2025

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Did you know that the first custom-designed silversmith studio in Scotland was built in Lundin Links at Mill Wynd back in 1973? This blog will tell the story of how that came about and the man behind it. Alistair Norman Grant, pictured below, was born on 18 November 1943 in Forres, Moray. After school, he attended Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen, where he studied under silversmithing lecturer David Hodge, who Norman later credited with fostering his "interest in nature in its many forms as a source of designs". Leaving in 1966 with a D.A. in Silversmithing, initially Norman took a teacher training course in Dundee, followed by a teaching job at Auchmuty High School in Glenrothes. Continuing to make jewellery in his spare time, in 1967 he started his own business, from his garden shed.

Image above from 1 March 1969 Scottish Field

Early in 1968 a house named Largo Lea was advertised for sale in Lundin Links. Accessed from Emsdorf Street and backing onto Hillhead Lane this 1907-built semi-detached dwelling was adjacent to its mirror-image Highclere. The "large basement" and and proximity to the sea must have been especially attractive for Norman, who bought the house, set up home there with his wife and young daughter and created a workshop in the basement. In fact, the seller and previous occupant of the house had been another artist - James Hardie, a painter and poet.

Largo Lea was renamed Silverwells and from the house Norman ran a summer school programme from the workshop each July, from 1969 for seven years, which attracted students from around the world. The advert above appeared in the Scotsman newspaper of 3 May 1969 and the one below in the same newspaper on 13 February 1973. The latter notes that Norman appeared on a BBC1 programme called Scope that same week (a monthly BBC Scotland arts TV series that began in 1970).

In an interview in 1969 for Scottish Field Norman explained "enamelling really is my first love. I'd be perfectly happy to concentrate entirely on this but obviously to produce a wide range I must include pieces which are wholly silver with some half silver and half enamel." Silver was preferred to gold as its white light qualities showed through the enamels better that the yellow hue of gold. Having always lived near the coast, many of Norman's jewellery designs reflected the natural shapes and details seen by the sea, as well as in the wider natural environment - from flowers and petals, to seed heads and microscopic plant cell structures, from seaweed and driftwood to fish and waves.

The piece above appeared in the 16 October 1970 Dundee Courier. In this article Norman jokes about being destined to be a silversmith because his initials were AG - silver's symbol in the periodic table. He also talks about his efforts to establish his fledgling company, having to work seven days a week and having more requests than he could cope with. In the early 1970s interest in contemporary jewellery was flourishing and Norman's work in great demand. He took on two apprentices - Don Beaton and Robin Mackie. Soon he was in need of larger premises for the team to work in.

Norman's father had retired to Lundin links and it was upon a plot that he owned (which had previously had garages on it) that a new workshop was built. Working closely with a local architect on the design, Norman ensured that the new workshop was perfectly suited to the needs of his business. Being located where it was on Mill Wynd, it was handily located close to Silverwells - a couple of minutes walk away.

In the planning for around a year, the workshop was completed in April 1973 and became Scotland's first custom-built silversmith workshop. The premises had a practical and efficient split-level design. This comprised an upper gallery level which incorporated an office, and a showroom. From there, visitors could browse designs, while also viewing members of the team at work below in the workshop, which had large south-facing windows. The new facility cost £8,000.

The above item from the 18 July 1973 East Fife Mail an early silver and enamel design made in the Mill Wynd workshop, which was taken down to London to go on display at the Design Centre. The new workshop and growing business went from strength to strength - employing 15 people by 1975. The following year, 1976, saw the founding of 'Dust Jewellery' - a joint venture between Norman Grant and John Flegg. In 1977, the firm designed and made the silver match box from which came the match that Queen Elizabeth II lit the first of a nationwide chain of 102 beacons to mark her Silver Jubilee.

'Dust' combined the traditional skills of the silversmith with new technology and a new range of titanium pieces was developed. The firm's workspace expanded into the buildings across the street and elsewhere in the village. As the above insert states "the colours on the titanium are achieved by causing an electric current to pass through the metal creating an illusion as changeable as a peacock's feather or as subtle as the iridescence from oil on water".

In the early 1980s, Norman Grant left to work for DeBeers, however, Dust Jewellery continued. The 6 September 1986 Dundee Courier item above reported on their imminent move to a new 10,000 square feet factory on the Eastfield Industrial Estate in Glenrothes. Meanwhile, the workshop in Lundin Links was taken over by Genesis Creations where dragon egg ornaments were produced by Carol Lynn Penny from May 1988. More on that in the next blog.

Catalogue images above and further images below courtesy of Terence Maguire.

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Andrew Baird, Butcher and Carter

4/7/2025

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The pair of images of Largo Kirk and Church Place above show that, while the appearance of the area is little changed in over a century, the way that this space is used has altered quite significantly. The green in front of the church was once a hub of village life, with its communal water pump and drying green. Theses features stand out in the foreground of the 1890s photograph, captured by Lady Henrietta Gilmour of Montrave, one of Scotland's earliest women photographers. Her photographic collection is now held by St Andrews University and the image is courtesy of University of St Andrews Libraries and Museums.

The buildings of Church Place were not just dwellings, as they are today. There are signs clearly legible on two of the buildings in the older photograph. One advertises A. Baird Butcher Carriages for Hire, and another A. Wilson Plumber, Tinsmith and Ironmonger. A number of buildings in the vicinity contained businesses (and smelly, noisy ones at that). The engraving below, drawn by James Stewart and engraved by Joseph Swan for the ‘History of the County of Fife’, by John Leighton 1840, also gives an impression of a bustling area where people carried out their occupations as well as lived. The village green hosted cattle, sheep, chickens and ducks.

One of the enterprises featured in the 1890s photograph was Andrew Baird's butcher (and carriages for hire). Andrew was born around 1848, as he is noted as aged 3 in the 1851 census. He was the illegitimate son of John Baird (a Methil based flax dresser) and Elspeth Keddie, who was likely employed in the same flax works. By the time of the 1861 census, Andrew was working in the mill, alongside his mother and brother. In 1871 he had changed both occupation and residence, and was an agricultural labourer, based at Balgrummo Farm near Scoonie.

As an agricultural labourer, Andrew would have moved from farm to farm. Eventually he met Margaret Lawson, with whom he had a child in 1873 in Leuchars. The pair went on the marry in 1876 (and eventually had a further thirteen children). By 1881, Andrew and Margaret had settled in Kirkton of Largo, where Andrew was working as a carter. The family, with four children at the time, lived on Main Street close to McGregor the butcher.

A few years later, in the mid-1880s the opportunity to move into the butcher trade arose, when another Kirkton butcher, David Simpson, moved to Lundin Mill's Hillhead Street. Andrew Baird took over Simpson's vacated premises at Church Place and was recorded there at the 1891 census along with his wife and nine children. Perhaps Andrew had learned some relevant skills from his time working on farms. However, his time as a butcher (or flesher) was not always smooth running. The piece below from 22 December 1888 Fife News tells us that Baird was prosecuted for the foul state of his pig styes.

The following year he was charged with possession of a dog without a license (see 24 May 1889 East of Fife Record below). Further below the 20 August 1890 Commercial Gazette recorded that Andrew Baird was in front of the debt recovery court.

In 1894, the butcher premises in Church Place, consisting of a shop, house, stable, byre, etc., was put up for sale (see 1 September 1894 St Andrews Citizen below). This was the same year that Andrew and Margaret Baird's twin infant daughters Elsie and Oona died, aged nine months, from croup, within days of one another. The Baird family relocated to Lundin Mill, at a time when the village was on the cusp of expansion. The 1901 census finds the family living at 3 Rossini Place, just off Emsdorf Street, very close to the newly completed Lundin Links Hotel and the Lundin Links shops. Andrew was working as a carting contractor, assisted by his 13 year old son Andrew. Margaret and three of their younger children completed the household. Andrew rented a stable on Hillhead Street from the widow of butcher David Simpson (whose premises he had taken on a decade beforehand).

After a lengthy period of illness, Andrew died at Rossini Place on 12 March 1907. His widow, Margaret continued to live at Rossini Place. In the 1911 census she lived there with three of her sons, Andrew (who was a coal miner), John (a colliery pony-driver below ground) and Thomas (shop assistant at a licensed grocer), as well as a 9 year old grandson, also named Andrew. Below is the family headstone, which Andrew shares with his wife Margaret Lawson (who died in 1923) and their two daughters who died in infancy - twins Elsie and Oona.

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John Pearson Douglas Ferrier (1884-1917)

20/6/2025

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John Pearson Douglas Ferrier was born on 25 July 1884 at James Street, in the Pilrig are of Edinburgh, to James Douglas Ferrier, a commercial traveller and grocer's son, and Janet Ferrier (nee Middlemass). Janet, who had two older daughters, had been widowed when her first husband died of tuberculosis. By 1891, the family had moved to from James Street to nearby Montgomery Street. James had become a Grocer's Assistant and the family appear to have been living above the shop. John Ferrier attended Leith Walk Public School (pictured below). The map further below shows the proximity of those locations:

1. James Street
2. Biscuit Factory (for which James may have acted as a commercial traveller)
3. Montgomery Street
4. Leith Walk Public School

Interestingly, just a few doors down from the Ferriers (who were at 111 Montgomery Street) lived Largo-born artist Alexander Ballingall at number 99. By the time of 1901 census James had his own Grocer's shop and the family had moved to live at the opposite side of the street, still very close to Ballingall, who surely must have frequented their shop. In the household there were James, Janet and John, plus Janet's daughter from her first marriage and her three children, who were visiting. A 16-year-old John Ferrier was working as an Apprentice Clerk. However, at this point the family were on the brink of relocation to Largo - a place to which they had no obvious connection. Could it have been Alexander Ballingall that put Largo on their radar?

James Ferrier set up as a grocer and provision merchant in Upper Largo next to Robert Melville the plumber, Peter Cowie's chemist and Thomas Black's shoe and boot warehouse in the part of Main Street shown above. John acted as his assistant. The 1911 census finds James, Janet and John (now aged 26) living at Crichton Place. The building that housed their shop can be seen in the far left of the old postcard image above. Demolished long ago, only the old ridge line of the roof remains today.

James Ferrier's business must have been successful, as the advert above appeared in the 6 June 1912 Leven Advertiser. James "removed to new and commodious premises at the west end Upper Largo". The notice stated that he had been in business in the village for eleven years at this point. The photograph below shows the two different shop premises - the new one in the foreground, next door to the United Free Church and his original shop close to the junction with St Andrews Road. The newer shop building, west of the entrance to North Feus, was also demolished long ago.

Two years later, in 1914, the First World War broke out. John Ferrier was attested under the Derby scheme. and called up in October 1916. He became a Private (No. 267309) with 1/6th (Territorial) Battalion The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders). He served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from June 1917. Sadly, John was killed in action near Ypres on 16 September 1917, while preparing for the British offensive on the 20th of the month. He was 33 years old. The piece below was published in the 27 September Leven Advertiser. The notice of death further below was published in the 29 September St Andrews Citizen.

John was buried at New Irish Farm Cemetery near Ypres. At the time of his death, Major C.H. Maxwell wrote to his parents "I have heard how uncomplainingly your son stuck out the hardships of the trenches, and also how bravely you have done your part...He was an honour to the regiment and has died in the tartan." A comrade also wrote saying that the whole company looked on him as the one who would help in any trouble, and added that whenever any difficulty or trouble arose it was always "Let's tell Ferrier".

John Pearson Douglas Ferrier is one of the 51 men who fell in the First World War named on Largo War Memorial. His name can be seen fourth from top in the photograph above and is noted as D. Ferrier (suggesting that he was actually known by his middle name Douglas). His mother, Janet Ferrier, died the following year aged 74, on 11 December 1918, at home on Upper Largo's Main Street. James Ferrier lived until 16 September 1923. When he died aged 77 at North Feus, the official informant of his death was his friend the joiner Agnew Broomfield.

The Victory Medal belonging to Private J.P.D. Ferrier is pictured below. The medal shows the winged figure of victory on one side and the words THE GREAT WAR FOR CIVILISATION 1914-1919 surrounded by a laurel wreath on the other. The medal is bronze, circular and 36 millimetres (1.4 in) in diameter. The recipient's name, rank, service number and unit were impressed on the edge of the medal. This particular medal was issued in 1921, so would have been sent to James Ferrier, John's father and next to kin, his mother having already passed away. Where it has been during the century since James's death is a mystery but its resurfacing now has allowed the story of one of Largo's lost to be retold.

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Rena Williamson Robertson Stewart (1923-2023)

6/6/2025

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On 22 July 1913, bank clerk Thomas Robertson Stewart married Andrewina Williamson at Coventry Cottage, Drummochy, the bride's family home. Andrewina's father was master slater and plasterer, Alexander Williamson. Thomas was son of long-serving head teacher of Lundin Mill Primary School, David Milne Stewart.

The couple set up home at Carnbaan on Leven Road, Lundin Links - the semi-detached villa second from right in the image below. Their daughter Isabella Welch Robertson Stewart was born on 28 April 1914 (3 months before the outbreak of World War One) at Carnbaan. Nine years later, on 17 February 1923, a second daughter was born in the same house - Rena Williamson Robertson Stewart, pictured above. Rena was named after her mother, who went by that name, rather than the formal Andrewina.

Carnbaan would remain the family home for decades. With the nine-hole Lundin Ladies golf course over the back garden wall, the Montrave Hall next door and the tennis courts and bowling green just a stone's throw away, the house was ideally placed for the Stewart family, who were very active within their community. Thomas Stewart was organist and choirmaster at Largo Parish Church for many years, as well as Session Clerk and Treasurer. He, and his father David before him, served a combined 66 years in the role of Session Clerk at Largo Parish Church. The plaque below can be seen on the wall inside the Church.

Thomas was also Treasurer and Secretary of Lundin Bowling Club for an extended period of time, having been both a founder member of the club and its first champion. A love of music, dance and Scots heritage was passed on to daughters Isobel and Rena. Local newspaper archives contain many references to musical performances by the family, such as an example where an 11-year-old Rena danced the Highland Fling, as well as other dances, at a school concert in the Montrave Hall, with musical accompaniment from her father. Isobel and Rena attended Lundin Mill Primary School, where the paternal grandfather they had never met had been headmaster for 37 years.

Singing, dancing and playing the piano featured throughout Rena's life. The piece below from 19 February 1941 Leven Mail describes how Thomas, Isobel, Rena and others put on a musical evening at the British Linen Bank House in Leven. Their mother had organised the event which successfully raised sufficient funding to purchase both a stirrup pump (for fire safety) and a first-aid box. Despite going on to live most of her life in England, Rena enthusiastically continued her Scottish Country Dancing - teaching it until the age of ninety!

As well as having musical ability, Rena excelled academically. The above extract from 22 July 1939 Fife Free Press marks the successful attainment of her leaving certificate from Buckhaven High School. In fact, she also gained the Dux award at secondary school, as she had already done at primary school. Rena went on to study French and German at St Andrews University. The 30 June 1943 Leven Mail described how she was "capped" M.A. at the Younger Hall graduation.

After graduation, which was of course during the Second World War, Rena, and her friend Agnes Gardner, decided to sign up for war service - joining the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). After undergoing training, Rena arrived at Bletchley Park, early in 1944, where she was put to work processing German messages. So began a period of Rena's life that has only been revealed in detail recently, due to security restrictions and Rena's modest nature. Her language skills later saw her be tasked with translating Hitler's will and eventually joining the BBC World Service (and going on to be its first senior female editor). For those intriguing aspects of Rena's life, far beyond her Lundin Links origins, it is necessary to read the newly-published and richly-illustrated book shown below "The Story of Rena Stewart - Bletchley Park Girl, Translator of Hitler's Will and BBC Pioneer", by Victoria Walsh, published by Pen and Sword.

Although Rena had a full life down south, she often visited her parents and sister, Isobel Maclennan (nee Stewart) who had studied at Edinburgh University and had gone into teaching prior to marriage (in 1949) and motherhood. Thomas Stewart died in 1962 aged 79 years, and his wife in 1974, aged 88. Both were buried at Largo Cemetery alongside the parents of Thomas and other family members. The family headstone is shown below.

Rena herself lived to be 100 years old and celebrated her very special birthday surrounded by family and friends. When Rena died on 11 November 2023 (Armistice Day), a truly remarkable life came to a close - a life with its foundations firmly established in Lundin Links and Largo, where both the Stewarts and the Williamsons left a lasting mark. She was laid to rest with her parents at Largo Cemetery.

NOTE:

Author of Rena Stewart's biography, Victoria Walsh, will be giving a talk at Lundin Golf Club on Thursday 10 July. Tickets are £3 from the club bar (cash only), which includes a glass of Prosecco. Doors open at 6.30, and the talk (followed by questions and answers) will start at 7pm, lasting around 45 minutes. Copies of the book will available afterwards.

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Birth Announcement Postcard

16/5/2025

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The above postcard is postmarked Leven 28 August 1912 and was addressed to Mrs William Wallace, 116 Easter Road, Edinburgh. The sender was Maggie of 2 Seagate, Leven and her message was as follows:

Dear Aunt, A little brother arrived here on Monday morning, both mother and baby are keeping well. Maggie

On the front of the postcard was a faded image taken from the Links at Leven, looking towards Lundin Links and Largo. More interesting is the large "BB" written in blue pencil over the message side of the card. Was this code for Baby Boy? Could this have been something added by the postal service - an annotation to indicate a special message? If you know anything of this practice, please comment.

Postcards specially designed for birth announcements did exist at the time. Some examples are shown below. Most of them consisted of imagery such as cabbage patches, storks and chimneys!

Who was this "little brother" and who was Maggie? The birth record below provides the answer. John McLean MacDonald was born at 2 Seagate, Leven on Monday 26 August 1912. His parents were Hector MacDonald, a dock labourer, and Isabella Doig. His elder sister Margaret Balfour MacDonald was born in 1898, so was aged around 14 at the time of his birth. The family (with five children) still lived at 2 Seagate at the time of the 1921 census. Baby John lived to the age of 84, passing away in 1996 in Leven.

The annotated image below picks out some recognisable features from the postcard image:

1. Aithernie House (Old Manor Hotel)
2. Lundin Links Station
3. Elmwood and Ravenswood
4. Lundin Golf Club House