The black and white image above (from the book 'Seatoun of Largo' by Ivy Jardine) shows Thomas Jardine and his 'soor milk cairt' outside 32 Emsdorf Street (a more recent image of the same spot is also shown). The Jardine family moved to Largo from neighbouring Scoonie Parish in the early 1910s and sold milk, butter and eggs locally until the mid-1970s. Some of the time they seem to have been based at Largo Place and other times the family rented a house with stables and outbuildings on the north side of Largo Road next to the Police Station. This house was latterly named 'Kilrenny', which presumably was due to a connection with the Kilrenny Dairy near Anstruther.
As the 'Largo Village Book' of 1932 states, many Largo farmers sold their milk to co-operative societies in West Fife. However, some farmers that had carts chose to supply the villages. Among them was Thomas Jardine (above) and Willie Arthur of Hillhouse Farm pictured below (image also from 'Seatoun of Largo'). According to the book, Arthur would blow a whistle to alert villagers to his arrival. When folks came out with their jugs, he would check they were cool enough and, if they were deemed to be too warm, he would send them away to the rinse the jugs out with cold water.
As the 'Largo Village Book' of 1932 states, many Largo farmers sold their milk to co-operative societies in West Fife. However, some farmers that had carts chose to supply the villages. Among them was Thomas Jardine (above) and Willie Arthur of Hillhouse Farm pictured below (image also from 'Seatoun of Largo'). According to the book, Arthur would blow a whistle to alert villagers to his arrival. When folks came out with their jugs, he would check they were cool enough and, if they were deemed to be too warm, he would send them away to the rinse the jugs out with cold water.
Over time, the rules around the sale of milk would change and practices had to alter accordingly. From as early as the 1880s, it had been identified that milk could be a source of tuberculosis. However, it took many years for policies to be put in place to tackle this risk. A growing effort to improve the quality and safety of milk eventually led to the tuberculin testing of milk by the 1930s and a grading system. The newspaper item below from the 22 September 1934 St Andrews Citizen describes the East of Fife as "fortunate" to have locally produced graded milk. It also tells us that it was at this time that Kilrenny Dairy obtained a license to sell T.T. milk. If interested, you can read more about milk consumption and tuberculosis in Britain here.
Kilrenny Dairy supplied milk widely across the East of Fife and supplied school milk for many years. Following the School Milk Act, passed in 1946, children were entitled to a third of a pint of milk a day. Many will remember school milk in bottles like the one below from Kilrenny Dairy. This zebra crossing design reads "REMEMBER - LOOK RIGHT, LOOK LEFT, BEFORE YOU CROSS. SAFETY FIRST!" Thus the milk bottles supplied both nutrition and road safety advice.
Notice that the milk bottle in the photograph below still refers to "T.T. milk" (i.e. milk that had been tuberculin tested).
The category of T.T. milk was abolished in 1964 - placing the date of the bottle shown somewhere between the 1930s and 1960s (though I would guess 1950s). I remember milk still in bottles of this design in the 1970s, although with red rather than black printing and no mention of "T.T.". If you recall this milk bottle design (or other designs, especially from Kilrenny), please leave a comment.
Kilrenny Dairy did have a Largo outpost, renting the stable block at Largo House for a spell. The advert below from the 24 June 1950 Fife Advertiser highlights that customers in Largo and Lundin Links can obtain their milk supplies from the Depot, Largo Road, Lundin Links (from Mr William Jack). Further below is a notice from 13 January 1954 Leven Mail which mentions Kilrenny Dairy vans serving Lundin Links, Lower Largo and Upper Largo.
RSS Feed
