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FIFE
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FIFE , an eastern See also:county of See also:Scotland, bounded N. by the See also:Firth of See also:Tay, E. by the See also:North See also:Sea, S. by the Firth of Forth, and W. by the shires of See also:Perth, Kinross and See also:Clackmannan. The Isle of May, Inchkeith, Inchcolm, Inchgarvie and the islet of Oxcar belong to the See also:shire. It has an See also:area of 322,844, acres or 504 sq. m. Its See also:coast-See also:line measure Io8 m. The See also:Lomond Hills to the S. and S.W. of See also:Falkland, of which See also:West Lomond is 1713 ft. high and See also:East Lomond 1471 ft., Saline See also: Motray Water finds its source in the See also:parish of Kilmany, a few See also:miles W. by N. of See also:Cupar, makes a bold sweep towards the north-east, and then, taking a southerly turn, enters the See also:head-waters of St See also:Andrews See also:Bay, after a course of 12 m. The See also:principal lochs are Loch Fitty, Loch Gelly, Loch Glow and Loch Lindores; they are small but afford some See also:sport for trout, See also:perch and See also:pike. " Fresh-water mussels " occur in Loch Fitty. There are no glens, and the only large valley is the fertile Stratheden, which supplies See also:part of the See also:title of the combined baronies of Stratheden (created 1836) and See also: The true Coal See also:Measures See also:lie in the See also:district around See also:Dysart and Leven, East See also:Wemyss and Kinglassie, and they are separated from the coal-bearing Carboniferous Limestone series by the sandstones and conglomerates of the Millstone Grit. Fourteen seams of coal are found in the Dysart Coal Measures, associated with sandstones, shales and See also:clay ironstones. Fife is remarkably See also:rich in evidences of former volcanic activity. Besides the Old Red Sandstone volcanic rocks previously mentioned, there are many beds of contemporaneous basaltic lavas and tuffs in the Carboniferous rocks; Saline Hill and Knock Hill were the sites of vents, which at that See also:time threw out ashes; these interbedded rocks are well exposed on the See also:shore between Burntisland and See also:Seafield See also:Tower. There were also many intrusive sheets of See also:dolerite and See also:basalt forced into the lower Carboniferous rocks, and these now See also:play an important part in the scenery of the county. They See also:form the summits of the Lomond Hills and Benarty, and they may be followed from Cult Hill by the Cleish Hills to Blairadam ; and again near Dunfermline, Burntisland, Torryburn, Auchtertool and St Andrews. Later, in See also:Permian times, eastern Fife was the seat of further volcanic See also:action, and See also:great See also:numbers of " necks " or vents See also:pierce the Carboniferous rocks; Largo See also:Law is a striking example. In one of these necks on the shore at Kincraig Point is a See also:fine example of columnar basalt ; the " See also:Rock and Spindle " near St Andrews is another. Last of all in See also:Tertiary times, east and west rifts in the Old Red Sandstone were filled by basalt dikes. Glacial deposits, ridges of See also:gravel and sand, See also:boulder clay, &c., brought from the N. W., See also:cover much of the older rocks, and traces of old raised beaches are found See also:round the coast and in the Howe of Fife. In the 25-ft. See also:beach in the East Neuk of Fife is an See also:island sea-cliff with small caves. See also:Climate and See also:Agriculture.—Since the higher hills all lie in the west, most of the county is exposed to the full force of the east winds from the North Sea, which often, See also:save in the more sheltered areas, check the progress of vegetation. At an See also:elevation of 500 or 600 ft. above the sea harvests are three or four See also:weeks later than in the valleys and low-lying coast-See also:land. The climate, on the whole, is mild, proximity to the sea qualifying the See also:heat in summer and the See also:cold in See also:winter. The See also:average See also:annual rainfall is 31 in., rather less in the East Neuk district and around St Andrews, somewhat more as the hills are approached, See also:late summer and autumn being the wet See also:season. The average temperature for See also:January is 38° F., for See also:July 59.5°, and for the See also:year 47.6°. Four-fifths of the See also:total area is under cultivation, and though the acreage under See also:grain is smaller than it was, the yield of each See also:crop is still extraordinarily good, oats, See also:barley, See also:wheat being the See also:order of acreage. Of the See also:green crops most See also:attention is given to turnips. Potatoes also do well. The acreage under permanent pasture and See also:wood is very considerable. See also:Cattle are mainly kept for feeding purposes, and See also:dairy farming, though attracting more See also:notice, has never been followed more than to See also:supply See also:local markets. See also:Sheep-farming, however, is on the increase, and the raising of horses, especially See also:farm horses, is an important pursuit. They are strong, active and See also:hardy, with a large admixture, or purely, of Clydesdale See also:blood. The ponies, hunters and See also:carriage horses so bred are highly esteemed. The See also:strain of pigs has been improved by the introduction of Berkshires. North of the Eden the See also:soil, though generally thin, is fertile, but the sandy See also:waste of Tents See also:Moor is beyond redemption. From St Andrews southwards all along the coast the land is very productive. That adjacent to the East Neuk consists chiefly of clay and rich See also:loam. From Leven to Inverkeithing it varies from a See also:light sand to a rich clayey loam. Excepting Stratheden and Strathleven, which are mostly rich, fertile loam, the interior is principally cold and stiff clay or thin loam with strong clayey subsoil. Part of the Howe of Fife is light and shingly and covered with heather. Some small See also:peat mosses still exist, and near Lochgelly there is a See also:tract of waste, partly See also:moss and partly See also:heath. The See also:character of the farm management may be judged by its results. The best methods are pursued, and houses, steadings and cottages are all in good order, commodious and comfortable. Rabbits, See also:hares, pheasants and partridges are See also:common in certain districts; See also:roe See also:deer are occasion-ally seen; See also:wild geese, ducks and See also:teal haunt the lochs; See also:pigeon-houses are fairly numerous; and See also:grouse and See also:blackcock are plentiful on the Lomond See also:moors. The shire is well suited for See also:fox-See also:hunting, and there are packs in both the eastern and the western See also:division of Fife.
See also:Mining.—Next to See also:Lanarkshire, Fife is the largest coal-producing county in Scotland. The coal-See also: Other See also:Industries.—The See also:staple manufacture is See also:linen, ranging from the finest damasks to the coarsest ducks and sackings. Its chief seats are at Kirkcaldyand Dunfermline,but it is carried on at many of the inland towns and villages, especially those situated near the Eden and Leven, on the banks of which rivers, as well as at Kirkcaldy, Dunfermline and See also:Ceres, are found the See also:bleaching-greens. Kirkcaldy is famous for its oil-See also:cloth and linoleum. Most of the leading towns possess breweries and tanneries, and the largest distilleries are at See also:Cameron See also:Bridge and Burntisland. Woollen cloth is made to a small extent in several towns, and fishing-See also:net at Kirkcaldy, Largo and West Wemyss. See also:Paper is manufactured at Guardbridge, Markinch and See also:Leslie; earthen-See also:ware at Kirkcaldy; See also:tobacco at Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy; See also:engineering See also:works and See also:iron foundries are found at Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline; and See also:shipbuilding is carried on at See also:Kinghorn, Dysart, Burntisland, Inverkeithing and Tayport. From Inverkeithing all the way round the coast to See also:Newburgh there are harbours at different points. They are mostly of moderate dimensions, the principal See also:port being Kirkcaldy. The largest salmon See also:fisheries are conducted at Newburgh and the chief seat of the See also:herring See also:fishery is See also:Anstruther, but most of the coast towns take some part in the fishing either off the shore, or at stations farther north, or in the deep sea. Communications.—The North See also:British railway possesses a See also:monopoly in the shire. From the Forth Bridge the See also:main line follows the coast as far as Dysart and then turns northwards to Ladybank, where it diverges to the north-east for Cupar and the Tay Bridge, From See also:Thornton Junction a See also:branch runs to Dunfermline and another to Methil, and here begins also the coast line for Leven, Crail and St Andrews which touches the main line again at Leuchars Junction; at Markinch a branch runs to Leslie; at Ladybank there are branches to Mawcarse Junction, and to Newburgh and Perth; and at Leuchars Junction a See also:loop line runs to Tayport and See also:Newport, joining the main at Wormit. From the Forth Bridge the See also:system also connects, via Dunfermline, with See also:Alloa and See also:Stirling in the W. and with Kinross and Perth in the N. From Dunfermline there is a branch to See also: With the arrival of the missionaries—especially St Serf, St See also:Kenneth, St Rule, St See also:Adrian, St See also:Moran and St Fillanand See also:conversion of the Picts went on apace. Interesting memorials of these devout missionaries exist in the numerous coast caves between Dysart and St Andrews and in the crosses and sculptured stones, some doubtless of pre-See also:Christian origin, to be seen at various places. The word Fife, according to See also:Skene, seems to be identical with the See also:Jutland Fibh (pronounced Fife) meaning " See also:forest," and was probably first used by the See also:Frisians to describe the country behind the coasts of the Forth and Tay, where Frisian tribes are supposed to have settled at the See also:close of the 4th See also:century. The next See also:immigration was Danish, which left lasting traces in many See also:place-names (such as the frequent use of law for hill). An See also:ancient-division of the Kingdom into Fife and Fothrif survived for a See also:period for ecclesiastical purposes. The line of demarcation ran from Leven to the east of Cults, thence to the west of Collessie and thence to the east of Auchtermuchty. To the east of this line See also:lay Fife proper. In 1426 the first shire of Kinross was formed, consisting of Kinross and Orwell, and was enlarged to its See also:present dimensions by the transference from Fife of the parishes of Portmoak, Cleish and Tulliebole. Although the county has lain outside of the main stream of Scottish history, its records are far from dull or unimportant. During the reigns of the earlier Stuarts, Dunfermline, Falkland and St Andrews were often the See also:scene of See also:solemn pageantry and romantic episodes. Out of the seventy royal burghs in Scotland no fewer than eighteen are situated in the shire. However, notwithstanding the marked preference of the Stuarts, the Kingdom did not hesitate to play the leading part in the momentous dramas of the See also:Reformation and the See also:Covenant, and by the ,8th century the See also:people had ceased to regard the old royal line with any but sentimental interest, and the Jacobite risings of 1715 and 1745 evoked only the most lukewarm support. See See also:Sir See also:Robert See also:Sibbald, History of the Sheriffdoms of Fife and Kinross; Rev. J. W. See also: Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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