The beginnings of the school on Crescent Road have been covered here before but not the teachers that taught there in its early days. The first teacher at the newly built Lundin Mill School appears to have been James Millar. Born in Midlothian, he was in his early twenties when he took up his post at the school in 1858 and by the following year he married a local lass and started a family. By 1863, James and Isabella Millar had three children and shortly after the birth of the third, they moved to Edrom in the Berwickshire when James had a brief spell teaching there. In September 1864 he moved to take up the mastership of Selkirk Burgh School. He remained there for 26 years before retiring in 1890 and emigrating to California, where he died in 1907.
James Millar's replacement at Lundin Mill around 1863 had been Isaac Nevin. Isaac spent around 2-3 years at Lundin Mill before moving on to St Monans where he was school master for 42 years. A well-known and active member of the St Monans community, he died in 1911.
Around 1865 or 1866, Thomas Sime replaced Isaac Nevin at Lundin Mill School. Thomas Sime was born in Kingsbarns in 1844 to James Sime and Margaret Jamieson. James was an agricultural labourer turned coal miner - the family moved to Durie Broom, Scoonie due to this change of work. In 1851, Thomas and his three siblings were school children there. Another move followed as James became manager of an ironstone mine outside St Andrews. The 1861 census finds the family in Strathkinness with father and eldest son ironstone mining while second son Thomas was a 'pupil teacher' aged 17.
While teaching at Lundin Mill, on 20 September 1866, Thomas married Isabella Middleton at Park Place, Stirling. She was a farmer's daughter from Edzell. Sadly, the couple lost babies at birth in both 1867 and 1868 and this perhaps was a factor in their relocation to Kilconquhar in 1868. Thomas Sime replaced Peter Proudfoot as school master there. Proudfoot himself had moved to Leuchars, where he would teach for over thirty years. A pioneer of golf at Elie, Proudfoot apparently helped old Tom Morris to lay out the course there. Proudfoot died at Burnbrae, Largo in 1907, where he had been residing with a daughter.
James Millar's replacement at Lundin Mill around 1863 had been Isaac Nevin. Isaac spent around 2-3 years at Lundin Mill before moving on to St Monans where he was school master for 42 years. A well-known and active member of the St Monans community, he died in 1911.
Around 1865 or 1866, Thomas Sime replaced Isaac Nevin at Lundin Mill School. Thomas Sime was born in Kingsbarns in 1844 to James Sime and Margaret Jamieson. James was an agricultural labourer turned coal miner - the family moved to Durie Broom, Scoonie due to this change of work. In 1851, Thomas and his three siblings were school children there. Another move followed as James became manager of an ironstone mine outside St Andrews. The 1861 census finds the family in Strathkinness with father and eldest son ironstone mining while second son Thomas was a 'pupil teacher' aged 17.
While teaching at Lundin Mill, on 20 September 1866, Thomas married Isabella Middleton at Park Place, Stirling. She was a farmer's daughter from Edzell. Sadly, the couple lost babies at birth in both 1867 and 1868 and this perhaps was a factor in their relocation to Kilconquhar in 1868. Thomas Sime replaced Peter Proudfoot as school master there. Proudfoot himself had moved to Leuchars, where he would teach for over thirty years. A pioneer of golf at Elie, Proudfoot apparently helped old Tom Morris to lay out the course there. Proudfoot died at Burnbrae, Largo in 1907, where he had been residing with a daughter.
Thomas Sime remained at Kilconquhar from 1868 until his death. He and his wife had a further seven children. Thomas was a keen golfer and a regular at Elie and St Andrews. He died suddenly at the age of 54 on 5 February 1898. The cause of death was recorded as "(Supposed) disease of the heart". Meanwhile, at Lundin Mill School, in 1868, Thomas Sime's successor had been David Stewart, who held the post for thirty seven years. So after a decade of school masters that stayed for a relatively short time, the school finally got its first long-term teacher.
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