Mid-19th Century Drummochy

The Scotland's Places website gives the following description for Drummochy (captured c 1850):

"Drummochy is an inhabited place in the parish of Largo. It was erected a burgh of barony in favour of Walter Lundy by James V on the 22nd of May 1540."

So by the mid-19th century, Drummochy was already a long-established village.  

It's situation in the sheltered Largo Bay, adjacent to the junction of the Keil Burn and the Firth of Forth, on a slightly elevated position, would of course have made it an attractive place to settle. The words at the top of the post are taken from the 1826 'A Topographical Dictionary of the United Kingdom'. This shows that by then Drummochy had not only left behind the old salt industry but that the works and associated harbour had totally vanished. The flax-spinning mill, although on the opposite side of the burn, seemed to be considered part of Drummochy.

The photograph below shows where the old 18th century harbour would have been (marked '1') and highlights the heart of old Drummochy (2). The Scotland's Places transcription goes on to say that c1850 there were around 20 houses in Drummochy, occupied by fishermen and weavers as well as "one public house but no shops or public buildings".

Many of the residents of this tiny village circa 1850 were linen hand loom weavers or employees of the flax spinning mill. Some specific residents - marked on the map below - were:

John Brown (Plot 1 on map below) - gardener
William Balfour (Plot 2) - weaver
Alexander Watson (Plot 3) - tailor
Walter Guthrie (Plot 4) - sailor and innkeeper

Walter Guthrie is a particularly interesting individual. Born in 1807, by 1824 he is mentioned in the Fife Herald's shipping movements as coming in and out of Kirkcaldy harbour on the packet 'Elizabeth and Isabella'. A packet ship was one that regularly carried freight or passengers. In 1836 he is mentioned in the 24 November Fife Herald as being master of the packet 'Elizabeth and Isabella' with mentions of a trip to Leven for tar and another trip to Leith for 3 or 4 days.  In 1841, he was described as 'Pilot Spirit Dealer' - meaning both someone who guides vessels along the coast and the local innkeeper.  In 1851 his occupation in the census was 'sailor' and in 1861 'Seaman - Merchant Service' (again this was to do with the movement of goods). In 1871 he was 'Harbour Master and Vintner'. He died in 1876 aged 68 and was described as a vintner at that time. His parents were Henry Guthrie (a ship carpenter) and Betsy Lundie or Lundin (her parents were Robert Lundin and Helen Briggs) - all part of the clan Lundy/Lundie/Lundin and thus linked to the Walter Lundy noted at the start of this post!