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Fife

Fife (/ff/ FYFE, Scottish English[fɐi̯f]; Scottish Gaelic: Fìobha, IPA: [fiːvə]; Scots: Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i.e. the historic counties of Perthshire and Kinross-shire) and Clackmannanshire. By custom it is widely held to have been one of the major Pictish kingdoms, known as Fib, and is still commonly known as the Kingdom of Fife within Scotland. A person from Fife is known as a Fifer. In older documents the county was very occasionally known by the anglicisation Fifeshire.

Fife
Fìobha
Coordinates: 56°15′00″N 3°12′00″W / 56.25000°N 3.20000°W / 56.25000; -3.20000Coordinates: 56°15′00″N 3°12′00″W / 56.25000°N 3.20000°W / 56.25000; -3.20000
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Country Scotland
Lieutenancy areaFife
Admin HQGlenrothes
(formerly Cupar)[1]
Government
 • BodyFife Council
 • ControlLab (council NOC|Minority Administration)
 • MPs
 • MSPs
Area
 • Total512 sq mi (1,325 km2)
 • RankRanked 13th
Population
 (2021)
 • Total371,910
 • RankRanked 3rd
 • Density730/sq mi (280/km2)
DemonymFifer
ONS codeS12000015
ISO 3166 codeGB-FIF
Websitewww.fife.gov.uk

Fife is Scotland's third largest local authority area by population. It has a resident population of just under 367,000, over a third of whom live in the three principal settlements, Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes.

The historic town of St Andrews is located on the northeast coast of Fife. It is well known for the University of St Andrews, the most ancient university of Scotland and one of the oldest universities in the world. From the 15th century it was the metropolis of the former Archdiocese of St Andrews, St Andrews Cathedral having been the seat of the most senior bishop of Scotland since the 10th century. St Andrews is also renowned as the home of golf.

History

Fife, bounded to the north by the Firth of Tay and to the south by the Firth of Forth, is a natural peninsula whose political boundaries have changed little over the ages. The Pictish king list and De Situ Albanie documents of the Poppleton manuscript mention the division of the Pictish realm or Albany into seven sub-kingdoms, one being Fife.[2]: 70–72  The earliest known reference to the common epithet The Kingdom of Fife dates from only 1678, in a proposition that the term derives from the quasi-regal privileges of the Earl of Fife.[2]: 132  The notion of a kingdom may derive from a misinterpretation of an extract from Wyntoun.[2]: 133  The name is recorded as Fib in A.D. 1150 and Fif in 1165. It was often associated with Fothriff.

The hill-fort of Clatchard Craig, near Newburgh, was occupied as an important Pictish stronghold between the sixth and eighth centuries AD.[3][4]

Fife was an important royal and political centre from the reign of King Malcolm III onwards, as the leaders of Scotland gradually moved southwards away from their ancient strongholds around Scone. Malcolm had his principal home in Dunfermline and his wife Margaret was the main benefactor of Dunfermline Abbey. The Abbey replaced Iona as the final resting place of Scotland's royal elite, with Robert I amongst those to be buried there.[5]

The Earl of Fife was until the 15th century considered the principal peer of the Scottish realm, and reserved the right of crowning the nation's monarchs, reflecting the prestige of the area.

A new royal palace was gradually constructed at Falkland, formerly the stronghold of Clan MacDuff, and was used by successive monarchs of the House of Stuart, who favoured Fife for its rich hunting grounds.[6]

King James VI of Scotland described Fife, in Middle Scots, as a: "beggar's mantle fringed wi gowd"[7] the golden fringe being the coast and its chain of little ports with their thriving fishing fleets and rich trading links with the Low Countries. Wool, linen, coal and salt were all traded. Salt pans heated by local coal were historically a feature of the Fife coast. The distinctive red clay pan tiles seen on many old buildings in Fife arrived as ballast on trading boats and replaced the previously thatched roofs.

In 1598, King James VI employed a group of 11 men from Fife, who became known as the Fife adventurers, to colonise the Isle of Lewis in an attempt to begin the "civilisation" and de-gaelicisation of the region.[8] This endeavour lasted until 1609 when the colonists, having been opposed by the native population, were bought out by Kenneth Mackenzie, the clan chief of the Mackenzies.[8]

Fife became a centre of heavy industry in the 19th century. Coal had been mined in the area since at least the 12th century, but the number of pits increased ten-fold as demand for coal grew in the Victorian period. Previously rural villages such as Cowdenbeath rapidly swelled into towns as thousands moved to Fife to find work in its mines. The opening of the Forth and Tay rail bridges linked Fife with Dundee and Edinburgh and allowed the rapid transport of goods. Modern ports were constructed at Methil, Burntisland and Rosyth. Kirkcaldy became the world centre for the production of linoleum. Postwar Fife saw the development of Scotland's second new town, Glenrothes. Originally to provide housing for miners at a new coal mine, the town eventually attracted a high number of modern Silicon Glen companies to the region.[9][10][11][12] Fife Council and Fife Constabulary also centre their operations in Glenrothes.

 
County Buildings, Cupar, the former headquarters of Fife County Council

The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 established a uniform system of county councils in Scotland and realigned the boundaries of many of Scotland's counties. Subsequently, Fife County Council was created in 1890. Fife County Council was based at County Buildings in Catherine Street in Cupar.[13]

From 1975 to 1996 Fife was a local government region, divided into three districts: Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy and North-East Fife. In 1996 the district councils were abolished and Fife Regional Council became a unitary authority known as Fife Council. Fife is one of the six local authorities in the city region of Edinburgh and southeast Scotland.

There was a parliamentary constituency of Fife in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom until 1885 and the Fife constituency in the Parliament of Scotland until the Acts of Union 1707.

There are numerous notable historical buildings in Fife, some of which are managed by the National Trust for Scotland or Historic Scotland. They include Dunfermline Abbey (the last resting place of Scottish royalty), the palace in Culross, Ravenscraig Castle in Kirkcaldy, Dysart Harbour area, Balgonie Castle near Coaltown of Balgonie, Falkland Palace (hunting palace of the Scottish Kings), Kellie Castle near Pittenweem, Hill of Tarvit (a historical house), St. Andrews Castle, St. Andrews Cathedral and St. Rule's Tower.

Governance

 
Fife House, seat of Fife Council

Fife is represented by five constituency members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) and four members of the United Kingdom parliament (MPs) who are sent to Holyrood and the British Parliament respectively. Following the 2015 general election, all four of the MPs constituencies were held by the Scottish National Party.[14] In the 2017 general election, Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath was regained by Labour.[15] At the same election, the seat of North East Fife became the closest seat in the country with the SNP holding a majority of 2 over the Liberal Democrats.[16] Three of the Scottish Parliament constituencies are held by the Scottish National Party: Cowdenbeath, Dunfermline and Mid Fife and Glenrothes. One is held by the Scottish Liberal Democrats: North East Fife.[17]

Fife Council's administrative headquarters and Police Scotland's P Division (formerly Fife Constabulary) are based in Glenrothes. The Council meetings take place in Fife House (formerly known as Glenrothes House) in the town centre. The west wing of the building was built by the Glenrothes Development Corporation (GDC) as their offices in 1969, which was later used as the headquarters of Fife Regional Council.[18] The former administrative seat was Cupar.[1] Since the last Scottish election in 2012, Fife Council has been run as a minority by the Labour party, with a total of 35 seats, with support of Tory and independent councillors. Alex Rowley was elected leader of Fife Council but demitted office following his election as an MSP. David Ross succeeded as leader in February 2014. The SNP and the other parties form the opposition.

Geography

 
Fifeshire & Kinross-shire Civil Parish map,[19] with parishes outlined in red

Fife is a peninsula in eastern Scotland bordered on the north by the Firth of Tay, on the east by the North Sea and by the Firth of Forth to the south. The route to the west is partially blocked by the mass of the Ochil Hills. Almost all road traffic into and out of Fife has to pass over one of four bridges, south on the Forth Road Bridge (public transport and cyclists only) and Queensferry Crossing, west on the Kincardine Bridge or north-east via the Tay Road Bridge, the exception being traffic headed north on the M90. Tolls were abolished on the Tay Road Bridge and Forth Road Bridge on 11 February 2008.

There are extinct volcanic features, such as the Lomond Hills which rise above rolling farmland, and Largo Law, a volcanic plug in the east. At 522 metres (1,713 ft), the West Lomond is the highest point in Fife. The coast has fine but small harbours, from the industrial docks in Burntisland and Rosyth to the fishing villages of the East Neuk such as Anstruther and Pittenweem. The large area of flat land to the north of the Lomond Hills, through which the River Eden flows, is known as the Howe of Fife.

 
Looking across the farmland of North East Fife to the distant Lomond Hills

North of the Lomond Hills can be found villages and small towns in a primarily agricultural landscape. The areas in the south and west of Fife, including the towns of Dunfermline, Glenrothes, Kirkcaldy and the Levenmouth region are lightly industrial and more densely populated. The only areas which could claim to be heavily industrial are Rosyth, around the naval dockyard and perhaps the Mossmorran Natural Gas Liquids fractionation plant on the outskirts of Cowdenbeath.

The east corner of Fife, along the string of villages between Earlsferry and Kingsbarns, and along with their hinterland, is known as the East Neuk (corner, or projecting point of land) of Fife;[20] small settlements around sheltered harbours, with distinctive vernacular "Dutch" or corbie (crow) stepped gabled and stone-built architecture. The area has amongst the highest concentration of second homes and holiday lets in Scotland.[21][22][23][24] The fishing industry, on which the coastal East Neuk settlements were built, has declined in recent years with the main fishing fleet now operating from Pittenweem and the harbour in Anstruther being used as a marina for pleasure craft.

There are several islands located off the coast of Fife, such as the Isle of May, Inchkeith and Inchcolm. The former Preston Island south of Valleyfield is no longer an island following land reclamation work.

Settlements

Cupar took over as county town from Crail in the early 13th century. Glenrothes is now the administrative centre, after the decision to locate the headquarters of the newly established Fife Regional Council there in 1975. Fife's three major towns are Kirkcaldy, Dunfermline (awarded city status in 2022) and Glenrothes. According to the 2012 estimate, Dunfermline is the largest settlement by population,[25] followed by Kirkcaldy then Glenrothes. The next most sizeable towns by population are St Andrews, Cowdenbeath, Rosyth, Methil and Dalgety Bay. The rest of Fife includes smaller towns such as Inverkeithing, Kincardine, Anstruther, Lochgelly, Burntisland, Leven, Newburgh, Tayport and Cupar, and villages such as Springfield, Kinglassie, Kinghorn, Elie, Auchtertool, Crossgates, Ballingry and Auchtermuchty.

The county was formerly divided into parishes, often but not always based on a town or village:

Culture

 
Scottish Lowlands farm. Detail from Slezer's Prospect of Dunfermline, 1693
 
A closer view of the Lomond Hills, seen from Auchtermuchty

Fife contains 4,961 listed buildings and 48 conservation areas.[27] Domestic sites of importance include Falkland Palace, Kellie Castle, Dunfermline Palace, St Andrews Castle, Culross Palace and Kirkcaldy's Ravenscraig Castle. Fife also has a number of ecclesiastical sites of historical interest. St Andrews Cathedral was home to the powerful Archbishopric of St Andrews, and later became a centre of the Scottish Reformation, while Dunfermline Abbey was the last resting place of a number of Scottish kings. Balmerino and Culross abbeys were both founded in the 13th century by the Cistercians, while a century before Lindores Abbey was founded by the Tironensians outside Newburgh; all were highly important sites.

The Stanza Poetry Festival, East Neuk Festival, and Pittenweem Arts Festival are events of national cultural importance. Smaller festivals like the Cupar Arts Festival also take place. The Byre Theatre in St Andrews and Adam Smith Theatre in Kirkcaldy are both highly regarded as touring venues, the latter also being the base of the grand opera company Fife Opera. The Byre has re-opened in Autumn, 2014[28] following its going into administration in 2012.[29]

Notable Fifers

Sports

St Andrews in Fife is the home of golf, and the headquarters of The R&A, the governing body of the sport throughout the world, aside from the United States and Mexico. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, from which it was devolved in 2004, is the world's oldest golf club.

Fife has four football clubs that play in the Scottish Professional Football League: Dunfermline Athletic, East Fife (based in Methil), Kelty Hearts, and Raith Rovers (based in Kirkcaldy); Cowdenbeath played at this level between 1905 and 2022 but are now members of the Lowland Football League. Fifteen clubs compete in the East of Scotland League while one plays in the SJFA East Region.

Fife Flyers (based in Kirkcaldy) are the UK's oldest ice hockey club and play in Britain's top flight, the Elite Ice Hockey League.

Fife is also home to eight rugby union clubs. Howe of Fife (based in Cupar), and Kirkcaldy play in Scottish Rugby's national leagues while Dunfermline, Rosyth Sharks, Glenrothes, Madras, Waid Academy (based in Anstruther) compete in the Caledonia regional leagues. University of St Andrews – the oldest rugby club in Fife – play in the British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) system.

Kingdom Kangaroos are Fife's only Australian Rules Football team, with training held in Rosyth and Kirkcaldy.

Aberdour Shinty Club have two men's teams, two women's teams and multiple youth squads.

Fife also has two competitive basketball teams; Dunfermline Reign, who play out of St Columba's High School in Dunfermline and compete across a number of national SBC competitions, and Fife Steel, a Kirkcaldy-based team, operating a number of age groups, with a Senior men's and an under 19's team currently playing in Division 3 of the Lothian Men's Basketball League.

Fife is the location of several of the nation's motorsport venues: Knockhill Racing Circuit, Scotland's national motorsport venue and the only FIA-graded venue in the country; Cowdenbeath Racewall, a stock car oval racing venue; Lochgelly Raceway, a venue containing the Driftland drifting course and a 1/4 mile oval; and Crail Raceway, a venue located on a former military aerodrome containing a 1/4 mile drag strip and a karting circuit, operated by the East of Scotland Kart Club.

Media

Locally published newspapers include the Fife Free Press in Kirkcaldy; the Dunfermline Press in Dunfermline; the Glenrothes Gazette in Glenrothes, the East Fife Mail in Leven, the Fife Herald in Cupar / Howe of Fife and the St Andrews Citizen in St Andrews. DC Thomson publishes Fife and West Fife editions of the Dundee Courier & Advertiser,[30] and the Counties Edition of the Evening Telegraph is sold in Fife.

The only Fife-based radio station is Kingdom FM. There is also a community radio station that broadcasts each evening and is run solely by youths, called Fife Youth Radio. Other local radio stations, Tay FM, Tay 2 and Edinburgh's Forth 1 and Forth 2, broadcast to the northern and southern parts of the region respectively.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Complete Atlas of the British Isles. Reader's Digest. 1965. p. 218.
  2. ^ a b c Taylor, Simon; Gilbert Márkus (2012). The Place-Names of Fife, Volume 5. Donington, Lincs.: Shaun Tyas. ISBN 9781907730085.
  3. ^ "The site record for Clatchard Craig at RCAHMS". Canmore.rcahms.gov.uk.
  4. ^ "Excavation Summary by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland" (PDF).
  5. ^ "Dunfermline Abbey (SM90116)". portal.historicenvironment.scot. Dunfermline has high significance as the chosen burial place of the Canmore dynasty of Scottish kings. It took on the role of Royal Mausoleum after the loss of Iona to the kingdom of Norway. Kings and Queens believed to lie buried beneath the abbey church include Queen Margaret and King Malcolm III, David I, and Robert I. The site is unparalleled in Scotland as a royal burial place, serving this role for over 250 years. After 1371, the Stewart dynasty chose to be buried elsewhere.
  6. ^ "FALKLAND PALACE (GDL00176)". portal.historicenvironment.scot. Falkland Palace was used as a home where the Stuarts could relax, play tennis, practise archery and hunt deer, wild boar, and ride out hawking in the Forest of Falkland.
  7. ^ Crofton, Ian (5 November 2012). A Dictionary of Scottish Phrase and Fable. ISBN 9780857906373.
  8. ^ a b Keay, John & Julia (1994). Collins Encyclopedia of Scotland. HarperCollins. p. 370. ISBN 978-0-00-255082-6.
  9. ^ "Glenrothes And Markinch Visitor Guide - Accommodation, Things To Do & More". www.visitscotland.com.
  10. ^ Brown, Kate. "Rothes Colliery: When the ill-fated Glenrothes coal mine was blasted into rubble".
  11. ^ "Glenrothes at 70 - scandal, art and royalty". www.fifetoday.co.uk. 5 July 2018.
  12. ^ The Professional Engineer in Society. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. 1989. ISBN 9781853025013.
  13. ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "County Buildings and former Court House, excluding 4-storey offices and police station adjoining to rear and single storey block to east, St Catherine Street, Cupar (LB24160)". Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  14. ^ "MPs of Fife". Parliament UK. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  15. ^ "Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath parliamentary constituency – Election 2017". BBC News.
  16. ^ "Fife North East parliamentary constituency – Election 2017". BBC News.
  17. ^ "Scotland Election 2016". BBC News.
  18. ^ Ferguson A History of Glenrothes p.91.
  19. ^ "The Imperial gazetteer of Scotland; or, Dictionary of Scottish topography". 21 July 2010. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  20. ^ "Fife Place-name Data :: The East Neuk". Fife-placenames.glasgow.ac.uk. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  21. ^ Evans, Anna; Graham, Eddy; Rae, Alasdair; Robertson, Douglas; Serpa, Regina (October 2019). "Research into the impact of short-term lets on communities across Scotland" (PDF). Scottish Government. The Indigo House Group in association with IBP Strategy and Research.
  22. ^ "Why the East Neuk has lasting appeal | Bricks & Mortar". The Times. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  23. ^ "Visitors stay away but second home owners remain in East Neuk villages".
  24. ^ "Empty and second homes causing housing crisis". The Scotsman. 6 June 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  25. ^ (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 October 2014.
  26. ^ "Fife Place-name Data :: Parish: Ferry-Port-on-Craig". fife-placenames.glasgow.ac.uk.
  27. ^ "Fife's listed buildings". Historic Scotland. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
  28. ^ "Byre Theatre to reopen after University of St Andrews agree rescue package". Herald Scotland.
  29. ^ "Byre Theatre in St Andrews board 'deeply regrets' closure". BBC News. 26 January 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  30. ^ Foundry, The Theme (25 October 2013). "The Courier | British Newspapers Online".

External links

  • Fife at Curlie
  • Knowfife Dataset
  • Fife Council


fife, this, article, about, area, scotland, musical, instrument, instrument, other, uses, disambiguation, shire, redirects, here, other, uses, shire, disambiguation, fyfe, scottish, english, fɐi, scottish, gaelic, fìobha, fiːvə, scots, council, area, historic,. This article is about the area in Scotland For the musical instrument see Fife instrument For other uses see Fife disambiguation Fifeshire redirects here For other uses see Fifeshire disambiguation Fife f aɪ f FYFE Scottish English fɐi f Scottish Gaelic Fiobha IPA fiːve Scots Fife is a council area historic county registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross i e the historic counties of Perthshire and Kinross shire and Clackmannanshire By custom it is widely held to have been one of the major Pictish kingdoms known as Fib and is still commonly known as the Kingdom of Fife within Scotland A person from Fife is known as a Fifer In older documents the county was very occasionally known by the anglicisation Fifeshire Fife FiobhaCoat of armsCouncil logoCoordinates 56 15 00 N 3 12 00 W 56 25000 N 3 20000 W 56 25000 3 20000 Coordinates 56 15 00 N 3 12 00 W 56 25000 N 3 20000 W 56 25000 3 20000Sovereign state United KingdomCountry ScotlandLieutenancy areaFifeAdmin HQGlenrothes formerly Cupar 1 Government BodyFife Council ControlLab council NOC Minority Administration MPsDouglas ChapmanWendy ChamberlainPeter GrantNeale Hanvey MSPsAnnabelle EwingJenny GilruthWillie RennieShirley Anne SomervilleDavid TorranceArea Total512 sq mi 1 325 km2 RankRanked 13thPopulation 2021 Total371 910 RankRanked 3rd Density730 sq mi 280 km2 DemonymFiferONS codeS12000015ISO 3166 codeGB FIFWebsitewww wbr fife wbr gov wbr ukFife is Scotland s third largest local authority area by population It has a resident population of just under 367 000 over a third of whom live in the three principal settlements Dunfermline Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes The historic town of St Andrews is located on the northeast coast of Fife It is well known for the University of St Andrews the most ancient university of Scotland and one of the oldest universities in the world From the 15th century it was the metropolis of the former Archdiocese of St Andrews St Andrews Cathedral having been the seat of the most senior bishop of Scotland since the 10th century St Andrews is also renowned as the home of golf Contents 1 History 2 Governance 3 Geography 4 Settlements 5 Culture 6 Notable Fifers 7 Sports 8 Media 9 See also 10 References 11 External linksHistory EditFife bounded to the north by the Firth of Tay and to the south by the Firth of Forth is a natural peninsula whose political boundaries have changed little over the ages The Pictish king list and De Situ Albanie documents of the Poppleton manuscript mention the division of the Pictish realm or Albany into seven sub kingdoms one being Fife 2 70 72 The earliest known reference to the common epithet The Kingdom of Fife dates from only 1678 in a proposition that the term derives from the quasi regal privileges of the Earl of Fife 2 132 The notion of a kingdom may derive from a misinterpretation of an extract from Wyntoun 2 133 The name is recorded as Fib in A D 1150 and Fif in 1165 It was often associated with Fothriff The hill fort of Clatchard Craig near Newburgh was occupied as an important Pictish stronghold between the sixth and eighth centuries AD 3 4 Fife was an important royal and political centre from the reign of King Malcolm III onwards as the leaders of Scotland gradually moved southwards away from their ancient strongholds around Scone Malcolm had his principal home in Dunfermline and his wife Margaret was the main benefactor of Dunfermline Abbey The Abbey replaced Iona as the final resting place of Scotland s royal elite with Robert I amongst those to be buried there 5 The Earl of Fife was until the 15th century considered the principal peer of the Scottish realm and reserved the right of crowning the nation s monarchs reflecting the prestige of the area A new royal palace was gradually constructed at Falkland formerly the stronghold of Clan MacDuff and was used by successive monarchs of the House of Stuart who favoured Fife for its rich hunting grounds 6 King James VI of Scotland described Fife in Middle Scots as a beggar s mantle fringed wi gowd 7 the golden fringe being the coast and its chain of little ports with their thriving fishing fleets and rich trading links with the Low Countries Wool linen coal and salt were all traded Salt pans heated by local coal were historically a feature of the Fife coast The distinctive red clay pan tiles seen on many old buildings in Fife arrived as ballast on trading boats and replaced the previously thatched roofs In 1598 King James VI employed a group of 11 men from Fife who became known as the Fife adventurers to colonise the Isle of Lewis in an attempt to begin the civilisation and de gaelicisation of the region 8 This endeavour lasted until 1609 when the colonists having been opposed by the native population were bought out by Kenneth Mackenzie the clan chief of the Mackenzies 8 Fife became a centre of heavy industry in the 19th century Coal had been mined in the area since at least the 12th century but the number of pits increased ten fold as demand for coal grew in the Victorian period Previously rural villages such as Cowdenbeath rapidly swelled into towns as thousands moved to Fife to find work in its mines The opening of the Forth and Tay rail bridges linked Fife with Dundee and Edinburgh and allowed the rapid transport of goods Modern ports were constructed at Methil Burntisland and Rosyth Kirkcaldy became the world centre for the production of linoleum Postwar Fife saw the development of Scotland s second new town Glenrothes Originally to provide housing for miners at a new coal mine the town eventually attracted a high number of modern Silicon Glen companies to the region 9 10 11 12 Fife Council and Fife Constabulary also centre their operations in Glenrothes County Buildings Cupar the former headquarters of Fife County Council The Local Government Scotland Act 1889 established a uniform system of county councils in Scotland and realigned the boundaries of many of Scotland s counties Subsequently Fife County Council was created in 1890 Fife County Council was based at County Buildings in Catherine Street in Cupar 13 From 1975 to 1996 Fife was a local government region divided into three districts Dunfermline Kirkcaldy and North East Fife In 1996 the district councils were abolished and Fife Regional Council became a unitary authority known as Fife Council Fife is one of the six local authorities in the city region of Edinburgh and southeast Scotland There was a parliamentary constituency of Fife in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom until 1885 and the Fife constituency in the Parliament of Scotland until the Acts of Union 1707 There are numerous notable historical buildings in Fife some of which are managed by the National Trust for Scotland or Historic Scotland They include Dunfermline Abbey the last resting place of Scottish royalty the palace in Culross Ravenscraig Castle in Kirkcaldy Dysart Harbour area Balgonie Castle near Coaltown of Balgonie Falkland Palace hunting palace of the Scottish Kings Kellie Castle near Pittenweem Hill of Tarvit a historical house St Andrews Castle St Andrews Cathedral and St Rule s Tower Governance Edit Fife House seat of Fife Council Fife is represented by five constituency members of the Scottish Parliament MSPs and four members of the United Kingdom parliament MPs who are sent to Holyrood and the British Parliament respectively Following the 2015 general election all four of the MPs constituencies were held by the Scottish National Party 14 In the 2017 general election Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath was regained by Labour 15 At the same election the seat of North East Fife became the closest seat in the country with the SNP holding a majority of 2 over the Liberal Democrats 16 Three of the Scottish Parliament constituencies are held by the Scottish National Party Cowdenbeath Dunfermline and Mid Fife and Glenrothes One is held by the Scottish Liberal Democrats North East Fife 17 Fife Council s administrative headquarters and Police Scotland s P Division formerly Fife Constabulary are based in Glenrothes The Council meetings take place in Fife House formerly known as Glenrothes House in the town centre The west wing of the building was built by the Glenrothes Development Corporation GDC as their offices in 1969 which was later used as the headquarters of Fife Regional Council 18 The former administrative seat was Cupar 1 Since the last Scottish election in 2012 Fife Council has been run as a minority by the Labour party with a total of 35 seats with support of Tory and independent councillors Alex Rowley was elected leader of Fife Council but demitted office following his election as an MSP David Ross succeeded as leader in February 2014 The SNP and the other parties form the opposition Geography Edit Fifeshire amp Kinross shire Civil Parish map 19 with parishes outlined in red Fife is a peninsula in eastern Scotland bordered on the north by the Firth of Tay on the east by the North Sea and by the Firth of Forth to the south The route to the west is partially blocked by the mass of the Ochil Hills Almost all road traffic into and out of Fife has to pass over one of four bridges south on the Forth Road Bridge public transport and cyclists only and Queensferry Crossing west on the Kincardine Bridge or north east via the Tay Road Bridge the exception being traffic headed north on the M90 Tolls were abolished on the Tay Road Bridge and Forth Road Bridge on 11 February 2008 There are extinct volcanic features such as the Lomond Hills which rise above rolling farmland and Largo Law a volcanic plug in the east At 522 metres 1 713 ft the West Lomond is the highest point in Fife The coast has fine but small harbours from the industrial docks in Burntisland and Rosyth to the fishing villages of the East Neuk such as Anstruther and Pittenweem The large area of flat land to the north of the Lomond Hills through which the River Eden flows is known as the Howe of Fife Looking across the farmland of North East Fife to the distant Lomond Hills North of the Lomond Hills can be found villages and small towns in a primarily agricultural landscape The areas in the south and west of Fife including the towns of Dunfermline Glenrothes Kirkcaldy and the Levenmouth region are lightly industrial and more densely populated The only areas which could claim to be heavily industrial are Rosyth around the naval dockyard and perhaps the Mossmorran Natural Gas Liquids fractionation plant on the outskirts of Cowdenbeath The east corner of Fife along the string of villages between Earlsferry and Kingsbarns and along with their hinterland is known as the East Neuk corner or projecting point of land of Fife 20 small settlements around sheltered harbours with distinctive vernacular Dutch or corbie crow stepped gabled and stone built architecture The area has amongst the highest concentration of second homes and holiday lets in Scotland 21 22 23 24 The fishing industry on which the coastal East Neuk settlements were built has declined in recent years with the main fishing fleet now operating from Pittenweem and the harbour in Anstruther being used as a marina for pleasure craft There are several islands located off the coast of Fife such as the Isle of May Inchkeith and Inchcolm The former Preston Island south of Valleyfield is no longer an island following land reclamation work Settlements EditCupar took over as county town from Crail in the early 13th century Glenrothes is now the administrative centre after the decision to locate the headquarters of the newly established Fife Regional Council there in 1975 Fife s three major towns are Kirkcaldy Dunfermline awarded city status in 2022 and Glenrothes According to the 2012 estimate Dunfermline is the largest settlement by population 25 followed by Kirkcaldy then Glenrothes The next most sizeable towns by population are St Andrews Cowdenbeath Rosyth Methil and Dalgety Bay The rest of Fife includes smaller towns such as Inverkeithing Kincardine Anstruther Lochgelly Burntisland Leven Newburgh Tayport and Cupar and villages such as Springfield Kinglassie Kinghorn Elie Auchtertool Crossgates Ballingry and Auchtermuchty The county was formerly divided into parishes often but not always based on a town or village Abbotshall Abdie Aberdour Anstruther Easter Anstruther Wester Arngask to Perthshire in 1891 Auchterderran Auchtermuchty Auchtertool Ballingry Balmerino Beath Buckhaven Burntisland Cameron Carnbee Carnock Cellardyke Ceres Collessie Cowdenbeath Crail Creich Crossgates Culross to Fife from Perthshire 1891 Cults Cupar Dairsie Dalgety Dunbog Dunfermline Dunino Dysart Elie Falkland Ferry Port on Craig 26 Flisk Forgan Freuchie Glenrothes Inverkeithing Kelty Kemback Kennoway Kilconquhar Kilmany Kilrenny Kinghorn Kinglassie Kingsbarns Kingskettle Kirkcaldy Ladybank Largo Leslie Leuchars Leven Lochgelly Logie Lumphinnans Markinch Methil Monimail Moonzie Newburgh Newburn Pitlessie Pittenweem Rosyth Saline Scoonie St Andrews amp St Leonards St Monance and Abercrombie Strathmiglo Thornton Torryburn Wellwood Wemyss WormitCulture Edit Falkland Palace Scottish Lowlands farm Detail from Slezer s Prospect of Dunfermline 1693 A closer view of the Lomond Hills seen from Auchtermuchty Fife contains 4 961 listed buildings and 48 conservation areas 27 Domestic sites of importance include Falkland Palace Kellie Castle Dunfermline Palace St Andrews Castle Culross Palace and Kirkcaldy s Ravenscraig Castle Fife also has a number of ecclesiastical sites of historical interest St Andrews Cathedral was home to the powerful Archbishopric of St Andrews and later became a centre of the Scottish Reformation while Dunfermline Abbey was the last resting place of a number of Scottish kings Balmerino and Culross abbeys were both founded in the 13th century by the Cistercians while a century before Lindores Abbey was founded by the Tironensians outside Newburgh all were highly important sites The Stanza Poetry Festival East Neuk Festival and Pittenweem Arts Festival are events of national cultural importance Smaller festivals like the Cupar Arts Festival also take place The Byre Theatre in St Andrews and Adam Smith Theatre in Kirkcaldy are both highly regarded as touring venues the latter also being the base of the grand opera company Fife Opera The Byre has re opened in Autumn 2014 28 following its going into administration in 2012 29 Notable Fifers EditRobert Adam architect Stuart Adamson musician Big Country The Skids Robert Hope Moncrieff Aitken Lieutenant in the 13th Bengal Native Infantry awarded the Victoria Cross William Allan classicist at the University of Oxford Ian Anderson musician frontman of Jethro Tull Iain Banks writer Lady Anne Barnard travel writer artist and socialite of the period Andrew Whyte Barclay physician Lumleian lecturer and Harveian orator Jim Baxter footballer David Bethune Archbishop of St Andrews George Bethune MSP for Kilrenny James Bethune Archbishop of St Andrews James Bethune Archbishop of Glasgow Janet Bethune noblewoman Mary Bethune attendant of Mary Queen of Scots Elizabeth Bethune mistress of King James V of Scotland Guy Berryman bassist from the band Coldplay Sir James Black pharmacologist and nobel prize winner Sir Ernley Blackwell lawyer and civil servant Edith Bowman BBC Radio 1 6 DJ Caroline Brazier librarian Gordon Brown former British Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer and former MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath Scott Brown Scotland and Celtic F C footballer Gregory Burke playwright Kenn Burke ballet dancer Andrew Carnegie industrialist and philanthropist Henry Chisholm steel industry executive Jim Clark two times Formula One World Drivers Champion James Clephan Lieutenant on board HMS Spartiate during the Battle of Trafalgar Archibald Constable publisher bookseller and stationer Kenneth Cranham actor King Creosote musician Lawrence Daly General Secretary of the NUM David Danskin principal founding member of Arsenal FC James Dewar judge Barbara Dickson singer and actress Thomas Millie Dow artist a member of the Glasgow School Peter Dumbreck racing driver and 1998 Macau Grand Prix winner Philip Charles Durham sailor and captain of HMS Defiance at Trafalgar Marjorie Fleming child writer and poet Sir Sandford Fleming engineer who proposed worldwide standard time zones engineered on the Intercolonial Railway and the Canadian Pacific Railway Valentine Fleming member of parliament and father of the author Ian Fleming John Forbes named the city of Pittsburgh Chris Fusaro rugby player Thomas Lomar Gray engineer noted for his pioneering work in seismology Martin Grehan footballer Samuel Greig Russian admiral and Father of the Russian Navy Thomas Hardy minister of religion Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Edinburgh University Alexander Henderson theologian and an important ecclesiastical statesman Shirley Henderson actressPeter Horne rugby player Bob Howie and Dave Howie rugby players Ninian Imrie army officer and geologist Danny Inglis darts player Richard Jobson filmmaker television presenter musician The Skids Peter Johnstone Celtic FC footballer Henrietta Keddie novelist who wrote under the pseudonym Sarah Tytler Deborah Knox Olympic gold medallist in curling Craig Levein Scottish former professional footballer and manager Jackie Leven singer songwriter Wallace Lindsay classical scholar palaeographer Professor of Humanity at St Andrews University Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie 16th century writer Anne Macaulay musicologist archaeologist author and lecturer Douglas Mackinnon director Val McDermid writer Ken McNaught footballer Aston Villa F C centre back 1982 European Cup Winner Willie McNaught footballer Raith Rovers F C defender Old Tom Morris greenskeeper St Andrews Links and 4 times champion of The Open Championship Tom Nairn political theorist of nationalism Rab Noakes singer songwriter record producer Aileen Paterson author illustrator John Philip missionary in South Africa David Pitcairn physician John Pitcairn British Marine officer killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill William Pitcairn physician Ian Rankin writer Craig and Charlie Reid singer songwriters of The Proclaimers David Rollo rugby player Craig Russell British author writer Dougray Scott actor John Scrimgeour of Myres Master of Work for royal buildings for James V and Mary Queen of Scots Alexander Selkirk seafarer and inspiration for Robinson Crusoe Jimmy Shand accordion player Daniel Sloss comedian Adam Smith philosopher and economist Jordan Smith actor Mary Fairfax Somerville science writer and polymath Catherine Steele plant biochemist David Steel former Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament and leader of the Liberal party and MSP for Lothian and MP for Tweeddale Ettrick and Lauderdale Ian Stewart co founder of the Rolling Stones Lawrence Storione miner and anarchist organiser Sir John Struthers first Regius Professor of Anatomy at the University of Aberdeen John McDouall Stuart explorer of Australia s interior Michaela Tabb first female snooker referee to appear at the Crucible William Tennant scholar and poet John Thomson Celtic F C and Scotland goalkeeper KT Tunstall musician Jack Vettriano artist William Montgomery Watt historian Emeritus Professor in Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Edinburgh Sir David Wilkie painter Alexander Wilson surgeon type founder astronomer mathematician and meteorologist James Wilson signer of US Declaration of Independence appointed by George Washington to first Supreme Court Jocky Wilson darts player James Yorkston musician Douglas Young poet scholar translator and leader of the Scottish National PartySports EditSt Andrews in Fife is the home of golf and the headquarters of The R amp A the governing body of the sport throughout the world aside from the United States and Mexico The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews from which it was devolved in 2004 is the world s oldest golf club Fife has four football clubs that play in the Scottish Professional Football League Dunfermline Athletic East Fife based in Methil Kelty Hearts and Raith Rovers based in Kirkcaldy Cowdenbeath played at this level between 1905 and 2022 but are now members of the Lowland Football League Fifteen clubs compete in the East of Scotland League while one plays in the SJFA East Region Fife Flyers based in Kirkcaldy are the UK s oldest ice hockey club and play in Britain s top flight the Elite Ice Hockey League Fife is also home to eight rugby union clubs Howe of Fife based in Cupar and Kirkcaldy play in Scottish Rugby s national leagues while Dunfermline Rosyth Sharks Glenrothes Madras Waid Academy based in Anstruther compete in the Caledonia regional leagues University of St Andrews the oldest rugby club in Fife play in the British Universities amp Colleges Sport BUCS system Kingdom Kangaroos are Fife s only Australian Rules Football team with training held in Rosyth and Kirkcaldy Aberdour Shinty Club have two men s teams two women s teams and multiple youth squads Fife also has two competitive basketball teams Dunfermline Reign who play out of St Columba s High School in Dunfermline and compete across a number of national SBC competitions and Fife Steel a Kirkcaldy based team operating a number of age groups with a Senior men s and an under 19 s team currently playing in Division 3 of the Lothian Men s Basketball League Fife is the location of several of the nation s motorsport venues Knockhill Racing Circuit Scotland s national motorsport venue and the only FIA graded venue in the country Cowdenbeath Racewall a stock car oval racing venue Lochgelly Raceway a venue containing the Driftland drifting course and a 1 4 mile oval and Crail Raceway a venue located on a former military aerodrome containing a 1 4 mile drag strip and a karting circuit operated by the East of Scotland Kart Club Media EditLocally published newspapers include the Fife Free Press in Kirkcaldy the Dunfermline Press in Dunfermline the Glenrothes Gazette in Glenrothes the East Fife Mail in Leven the Fife Herald in Cupar Howe of Fife and the St Andrews Citizen in St Andrews DC Thomson publishes Fife and West Fife editions of the Dundee Courier amp Advertiser 30 and the Counties Edition of the Evening Telegraph is sold in Fife The only Fife based radio station is Kingdom FM There is also a community radio station that broadcasts each evening and is run solely by youths called Fife Youth Radio Other local radio stations Tay FM Tay 2 and Edinburgh s Forth 1 and Forth 2 broadcast to the northern and southern parts of the region respectively See also EditAbbeys and priories in Scotland Castles in Scotland Duke of Fife Earl of Fife Fire and Rescue Authority Scotland Historic houses in Scotland Kingdom Housing Association List of places in Fife Museums in ScotlandReferences Edit a b Complete Atlas of the British Isles Reader s Digest 1965 p 218 a b c Taylor Simon Gilbert Markus 2012 The Place Names of Fife Volume 5 Donington Lincs Shaun Tyas ISBN 9781907730085 The site record for Clatchard Craig at RCAHMS Canmore rcahms gov uk Excavation Summary by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland PDF Dunfermline Abbey SM90116 portal historicenvironment scot Dunfermline has high significance as the chosen burial place of the Canmore dynasty of Scottish kings It took on the role of Royal Mausoleum after the loss of Iona to the kingdom of Norway Kings and Queens believed to lie buried beneath the abbey church include Queen Margaret and King Malcolm III David I and Robert I The site is unparalleled in Scotland as a royal burial place serving this role for over 250 years After 1371 the Stewart dynasty chose to be buried elsewhere FALKLAND PALACE GDL00176 portal historicenvironment scot Falkland Palace was used as a home where the Stuarts could relax play tennis practise archery and hunt deer wild boar and ride out hawking in the Forest of Falkland Crofton Ian 5 November 2012 A Dictionary of Scottish Phrase and Fable ISBN 9780857906373 a b Keay John amp Julia 1994 Collins Encyclopedia of Scotland HarperCollins p 370 ISBN 978 0 00 255082 6 Glenrothes And Markinch Visitor Guide Accommodation Things To Do amp More www visitscotland com Brown Kate Rothes Colliery When the ill fated Glenrothes coal mine was blasted into rubble Glenrothes at 70 scandal art and royalty www fifetoday co uk 5 July 2018 The Professional Engineer in Society Jessica Kingsley Publishers 1989 ISBN 9781853025013 Historic Environment Scotland County Buildings and former Court House excluding 4 storey offices and police station adjoining to rear and single storey block to east St Catherine Street Cupar LB24160 Retrieved 18 July 2021 MPs of Fife Parliament UK Retrieved 1 August 2015 Kirkcaldy amp Cowdenbeath parliamentary constituency Election 2017 BBC News Fife North East parliamentary constituency Election 2017 BBC News Scotland Election 2016 BBC News Ferguson A History of Glenrothes p 91 The Imperial gazetteer of Scotland or Dictionary of Scottish topography 21 July 2010 Retrieved 14 April 2020 Fife Place name Data The East Neuk Fife placenames glasgow ac uk Retrieved 16 April 2020 Evans Anna Graham Eddy Rae Alasdair Robertson Douglas Serpa Regina October 2019 Research into the impact of short term lets on communities across Scotland PDF Scottish Government The Indigo House Group in association with IBP Strategy and Research Why the East Neuk has lasting appeal Bricks amp Mortar The Times 5 May 2017 Retrieved 14 April 2020 Visitors stay away but second home owners remain in East Neuk villages Empty and second homes causing housing crisis The Scotsman 6 June 2018 Retrieved 14 April 2020 Mid 2012 population estimates of settlements PDF Archived from the original PDF on 27 October 2014 Fife Place name Data Parish Ferry Port on Craig fife placenames glasgow ac uk Fife s listed buildings Historic Scotland Retrieved 25 August 2009 Byre Theatre to reopen after University of St Andrews agree rescue package Herald Scotland Byre Theatre in St Andrews board deeply regrets closure BBC News 26 January 2013 Retrieved 21 October 2013 Foundry The Theme 25 October 2013 The Courier British Newspapers Online Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica article Fife Scotland Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fife Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Fife External links EditFife at Curlie Knowfife Dataset Fife Council Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Fife amp oldid 1141795423, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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