Anstruther Easter

The Murray Library, Anstruther holds copies of the East Fife Observer newspaper from 1914-1967.

Anstruther is also the home of the Scottish Fisheries Museum which has both static and floating displays telling the history of this industry and its traditions.

The ScotlandsPlaces website lets users search across national databases by geographical location. It includes, amongst other material,

• catalogue entries for maps and plans held by the National Records of Scotland, Edinburgh; some maps and plans can be viewed
• photos and details of historical buildings and archaeological sites recorded by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, Edinburgh
• 17th and 18th century tax rolls
• Ordnance Survey [place] Name Books
• an opportunity to transcribe thousands of historic documents

A very good description is to be found in the relevant chapter in History of the County of Fife: From the Earliest Period to the Present Time by John M Leighton, published 1840, online at Google Books.

Old Anstruther (Stenlake Publishing) contains many photographs and full descriptions.

Anstruther Easter Churchyard, School Green, Anstruther (grid ref. NO 566037, GPS: 56.223728 -2.700322):

• The pre-1855 monumental inscriptions for Anstruther Easter Churchyard (St Aidan's) are listed in "Fifeshire Monumental Inscriptions (pre-1855) vol. 1 South east parishes" by John Fowler Mitchell & Sheila Mitchell, published by the Scottish Genealogy Society. ISBN 0901061948
• Some stones are recorded in Graveyard Monuments in East, North and Central Fife, John di Folco, published in Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 1969-70, vol. 102, pages 205-236, which deals largely with stones dated pre-1707. It can be downloaded from ARCHway.
• The Lair Registers for 1836 - 1854 have been published in the Fife Family History Society Journal, vol. 8, no. 3 (April 1966). They are also available on the Records pages of Fife Family History Society's website.
• A Churchyard register, 1855-1879, is amongst the Anstruther Easter Kirk Session papers (CH2/625) held by the Special Collections Dept. of St Andrews University Library.
• The current lair registers (dating from 1836) are administered by Fife Council, Bereavement Services East, County Buildings, St Catherine Street, Cupar, KY15 4TA. Tel. 01334 659336. Fax 01334 412896.
• A CD with photographs of the stones and transcriptions is available from Scottish Monumental Inscriptions or from The Parish Chest.
• War graves can be seen at the Scottish Wargraves Project and war memorials can be seen at the Scottish War Memorials Project.

Parish / district reference number for 1841 - 1901 censuses: 402. See also Civil Registration.

The 1841 and 1851 returns can be searched on theFreeCEN website.

The 1851 census has been indexed by the Tay Valley Family History Society.

The 1861 census has been indexed and can be downloaded here

Some census records on microfilm may be consulted in LDS Family Search Centres around the world.

LDS Library Film Numbers:

	1841	1851	1861	1871	1881	1891
Anstruther Easter	1042699	1042252	103825	103986	203516	208746

(Data provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)

Further information on the main Fife page.

In addition to the parish church other churches included an Associate Burgher Church, a United Presbyterian Church and a Free Church.

The Old Statistical Account (written in the 1790s) does not mention any dissenters from the Established Church.

The New Statistical Account (written in 1837) gives this information:

• 3 Dissenting meeting houses in the parish: Burgher, Independent and Baptist
• Families connected with them, living in the parish, - 33

The 1865 Ecclesiastical Directory lists the parish churches of Anstruther Wester and Easter, the Free Church, the United Presbyterian Church, the Evangelical Union Church and the Baptist Church.

Information and pictures of the churches at the Scottish Churches website.

Details of church history:

• Anstruther Easter Kirk Session:

A church was first built within the district of Anstruther Easter in 1634 and a number of years later in 1641 the parish of Anstruther Easter was disjoined from that of Kilrenny and erected as a separate parish. In 1961 Anstruther Wester and Anstruther Easter were united together to form the session of Anstruther St Adrian's, and a further union followed in 1973 between Anstruther St Adrian's and Anstruther Chalmer's Memorial, under the name of Anstruther. The kirk session sits within the Presbytery of St Andrews.

• Anstruther St Adrian's Kirk Session:

In 1961 the charge of Anstruther St Adrian's was formed by the union of Anstruther Wester and Anstruther Easter, and a further union followed in 1973 between Anstruther St Adrian's and Anstruther Chalmer's Memorial, under the name of Anstruther. The kirk session sits within the Presbytery of St Andrews.

• Anstruther Associate Burger and United Associate Church:

Anstruther Associate Burgher congregation was first established in 1818 at the request of a group who named themselves 'Managers of the Associate Society of Anstruther' and who expressed a wish in that year to the Presbytery of Perth that they be formed into a congregation and be supplied with a minister. In 1820 the Synod granted the congregation £20 to assist in the erection of a place of worship, and in the following year a church was erected, which was later replaced by a new building in 1852. The first minister of the congregation, John Thom, was ordained in 1825. The church became part of the United Presbyterian Church in 1847. Following the union of the United Presbyterian Church and the Free Church of Scotland in 1900, the charge became Anstruther Erskine, United Free Church and in 1904 the congregation of Anstruther Erskine was united to that of Anstruther Chalmers Memorial, after which time the Anstruther Erskine church was sold.

• Anstruther Free Church (later became Chalmers Memorial, United Free Church):

In 1843, at the time of the Disruption, the minister of Anstruther Easter adhered to the Free Church and established the congregation of Anstruther Free Church. A church to house the congregation was opened in 1844 and later replaced by a new building erected in 1858, which in turn was also superseded by a new construction in 1891. At the 1900 union of the Free Church and the United Presbyterians, Anstruther Free Church, which sat within the Presbytery of St Andrews, became Anstruther Chalmers Memorial, United Free Church.

• Chalmers Memorial United Free Church:

Following the union of the United Presbyterian Church and the Free Church of Scotland in 1900, Anstruther Free Church, which sat within the Presbytery of St Andrews, became Anstruther Chalmers Memorial, United Free Church and in 1904 the congregation of Anstruther Erskine was united to that of Chalmers Memorial, after which time the Anstruther Erskine church was sold. Following the 1929 union of the Church of Scotland and the United Free Church, Anstruther Chalmers Memorial U.F. became Anstruther Chalmers Memorial, Church of Scotland and in 1973 a union was established with the charge of Anstruther St Adrian's, under the name of Anstruther.

Data provided by the  Scottish Archive Network (SCAN)

The Parish Church (Established Church, Church of Scotland):

The original Old Parish Registers (of baptisms / births, proclamations / marriages, and deaths / burials) of the Church of Scotland, which cover the years up to 1854, are held in the National Records of Scotland in Edinburgh, and they can all be consulted there at the National Records of Scotland. The baptisms / births, proclamations / marriages and deaths / burials indexes can be searched at the ScotlandsPeople website. Copies of the register entries may be purchased.

Parish reference number: 402

The Old Parish Registers (OPRs) span the following dates (although there are gaps within these ranges):

Anstruther Easter OPR	Births / baptisms	Proclamations / marriages	Deaths / burials / mortcloths
402/1	1641-1699	1641-1697
402/2	1699-1796	1699-1795	1746-1798
402/3	1796-1819	1796-1819
402/4	1820-1854	1820-1854	1833-1846
Register of Neglected Entries

(Data supplied by the National Records of Scotland)

 

The Detailed List of the Old Parochial Registers of Scotland, published 1872, provides this information about the content of the OPRs, including the gaps within them:

B.  and M. intermixed till May 1643. Separate Records of B. June 1643 - Dec. 1649. Blank Dec. 1649 - Jan. 1657, after which B. and M. are again intermixed till 1670. Blank June 1670 - July 1672. Separate Record of B. from July 1672. Only six entries July 1681 - Aug. 1684. Entries 1736 - 1773 tabulated. Exc. June 1643 - Dec. 1649, Mothers' names not recorded in B. till Jan. 1670, and sometimes omitted after that date.
M.  blank March 1654 - Jan. 1657, May 1670 - April 1678, March 1681 - Oct. 1684, and July 1690 - Nov. 1691. One entry May 1696 - Oct. 1698. Blank Dec. 1718 - July 1720, Jan. 1724 - Oct. 1725, and Aug. 1795 - Oct. 1796. No entry 1810. Duplicate of Record 1796 - 1824. After 1773, fact of Marriage rarely added to the entry of Contract or Proclamation.
D.  Deaths and Burials till June 1779, then Deaths only. Blank (exc. one entry for 1829) Sept. 1798 - 1833.

Copies of the registers on microfilm may be consulted in some local libraries and at LDS Family Search Centres around the world. The indexes to baptisms / births and proclamations / marriages can also be searched on the LDS Family Search website or on the IGI on microfiche in local libraries.

LDS Library Film Numbers:

1040145

Baptisms, 1641-1854; Marriages, 1678-1827, 1796-1854, 1844-1847; Burials, 1746-1798, 1833-1854; Neglected entries.

(Data provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)

Deaths / burials are listed on Fife Family History Society's  Pre-1855 Fife Deaths CD.

Lists of Male Heads of Families, circa 1834, gathered as a result of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland's 1834 Veto Act have been transcribed for some parishes by Old Scottish Genealogy and Family History.

Further information on the main Fife page.

Kirk Session records are held at the Special Collections Dept. of St Andrews University Library, with digital copies at the National Records of Scotland, Edinburgh. Some Kirk Session material is to be found in the OPR records (402/1).

Heritors' Records - none known.

At the Special Collections Dept. of St Andrews University Library, with digital copies of the earlier volumes at the National Records of Scotland, Edinburgh:

• CH2/625
  Anstruther Easter Kirk Session
  Minutes and accounts, 1654-1710; Minutes, 1717-1961; Accounts, 1796-1822, 1825-1828 and 1831-1903; Weekly collections, 1851-1869 and 1895-1962; Seat letting cash book, 1834-1934; Proclamations, 1855-1972; Baptisms, 1855-1961; Rental book of kirk session's lands of Anstruther Easter, 1780-1807; Churchyard register, 1855-1879; Admiral Black's bequest fund minutes and accounts, 1853-1892; Communion roll, 1841-1845, 1872-1880 and 1897-1960; Cash book, 1717-1725; Extracts from Kilrenny session minutes, 1713-1842; Inventory of documents and property, 1920-1951; Miscellaneous documents.

At the Special Collections Dept. of St Andrews University Library:

• CH2/1539
  Anstruther St Adrian's Kirk Session
  Communion roll, 1961-1973; Minutes, 1961-1972; Congregational board minutes, 1965-1972; Property register, 1956; Baptismal register, 1961-1972.

Included in the Old Parochial Registers on microfilm and at the National Records of Scotland, Edinburgh but not online:

• 402/1
  Anstruther Easter Kirk Session
  Minutes, 1641-1654.

Other Churches:

At the Special Collections Dept. of St Andrews University Library:

• CH3/1559
  Anstruther Associate Burger and United Associate Church
  Session minutes, 1833-1881; Manager's minutes, 1818-1904; Communion roll, 1852-1881.

• CH3/1560
  Anstruther Free Church (later became Chalmers Memorial, United Free Church)
  Minutes, 1843-1871; Session minutes, 1843-1857 and 1871-1909; Deacon's Court minutes, 1844-1901; Communion roll, 1857-1900; Baptismal roll, 1843-1847; Plans, 1888-1936.

  A transcript of the following baptisms has been published by the Fife Family History Society Baptismal Registers No. 1 and is also available on CD and on the Records pages of their website.

  Anstruther Free Church	Births and baptisms
  CH3/1560	1843-1847

• CH3/1561
  Chalmers Memorial United Free Church
  Session minutes, 1909-1972; Deacon's and manager's minutes, 1901-1972; Communion roll, 1902-1973; Communion roll, removals and deaths, 1967-1972; Baptismal roll, 1914-1972; Proclamations, 1932-1972; Williamson benefaction book, 1893-1911; Property register, 1956.

The Anstruther Easter page of the LDS Family Search Research Wiki has more information about church history and records.

Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths began in Scotland on 1st January 1855. Full information on the main Fife page.

Registration districts covering this parish:

Registration districts did not necessarily coincide exactly with parishes. In the 20th century especially, there were frequent changes in registration districts. Anstruther Easter registration district includes part of Kilrenny parish.

There is a useful Anstruther website here.

Surrounding parishes: Kilrenny, Anstruther Wester.

• Geograph
• Flickr

The parish entry in Pigot's National Commercial Directory for the whole of Scotland, 1837, is online at Google Books.

Westwood's Parochial Directory for the Counties of Fife and Kinross for 1862 and 1866 are online at Google Books. On the Records pages of the Fife Family History Society website there is a transcription of the 1862 edition.

Several old gazetteers are available. They all contain descriptions of the parish and many are also worth searching for entries of places within the parish.

• David Webster's Topographical Dictionary of Scotland, published 1819, online at Google Books.
• Fullarton's Topographical, Statistical and Historical Gazetteer of Scotland, published 1842, online at Google Books.
• Samuel Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of Scotland, published 1846, online at British History Online.
• Barbieri's Descriptive and Historical Gazetteer of the Counties of Fife, Kinross and Clackmannan, published 1857, is at Google Books.
• Frances Groome's Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (1882-4) and John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887), are on A Vision of Britain (click on "Historical places and writing").
• Frances Groome's Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland(1892-6) on Electric Scotland

• Ask for a calculation of the distance from Anstruther Easter to another place.

A Vision of Britain provides historical descriptions, population & housing statistics, historic boundaries and maps.

Details of historic buildings and archaeological sites in this parish held by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, Edinburgh, are catalogued at ScotlandsPlaces. In the results, click RCAHMS. Unfortunately, not all entries have digital images.

At the National Records of Scotland, Edinburgh:

• VR3
  Valuation Rolls: Anstruther Easter Burgh
  1855-1930; the Roll from 1930 is included in the Valuation Roll for the County of Fife

• VR101
  Valuation Rolls: Fife
  1855-1975; covers the part of the parish outwith the Burgh

• GD1/140
  Feuduty book, lands of Anstruther Easter
  Book recording the feuduty payable to Sir John Anstruther and his son, John, for a tenement of land in Anstruther Easter, 1698-1777.

Historic maps:

• On-line maps:
  • National Library of Scotland map collection - main page
  • For 17th, 18th and early 19th century maps, see the National Library of Scotland map collection.
  • Using the geo-referenced maps at the National Library of Scotland allows historic maps to be viewed on top of a modern map or satellite view
  • Ordnance Survey 6-inch, 1st edition (1855) Fife sheet 27 at the National Library of Scotland (for the best images), or at OldMaps or British History online.
  • Ordnance Survey 6-inch editions of 1896, 1921 and 1938 at OldMaps
  • Ordnance Survey 25-inch editions of 1895 and 1914 at OldMaps
  • Town plan of Anstruther dated 1832 (Great Reform Act plan & report) at the National Library of Scotland
  • A Vision of Britain has the Ordnance Survey 1-inch, 1st edition (1850s) and the Ordnance Survey 1-inch, Popular edition (1920s) - both showing parish & burgh boundaries; Land Utilisation mapping (1930s); and more.
  • Ordnance Survey 1-inch, 1st edition (1857) sheet 41; 2nd edition (1899) sheet 41; and 3rd edition (1906) sheet 41 at the National Library of Scotland.
  • Ordnance Survey 1-inch, Popular edition (1927) sheet 64 at the National Library of Scotland.
  • Ordnance Survey 1-inch, 7th series (1950s-1960s) sheet 56 at the National Library of Scotland.
• Paper maps:
  • The National Library of Scotland sells paper and digital copies of their maps (select "Enquiries & copies").
  • The Caledonian Maps Victorian Ordnance Survey Map Series sheet 41 (reprint of the 1899 1-inch maps).
  • OldMaps sell paper copies of all their on-line maps.
  • Ordnance Survey 1-inch, 7th series (1950s-1960s) sheet 56
  • The best collection of large scale local and estate maps and plans is held by the National Records of Scotland, Edinburgh. The RCAHMS also has some plans. They are catalogued on the ScotlandsPlaces website. N.B. Only a few maps and plans are available as digital images.

Present-day maps:

• On-line maps:
  • National Library of Scotland map collection - main page
  • Streetmap
  • Ordnance Survey maps
• Paper maps:
  • Ordnance Survey Landranger (scale 1:50000 - about 1 inch to 1 mile) sheet 59 - St Andrews
  • Ordnance Survey Explorer (larger scale 1:25000 - about 2 and a half inches to 1 mile) sheet 371 - St Andrews and East Fife

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference NO571039 (Lat/Lon: 56.225765, -2.693731), Anstruther Easter which are provided by:

• OpenStreetMap
• Google Maps
• StreetMap (Current Ordnance Survey maps)
• Bing (was Multimap)
• Old Maps Online
• National Library of Scotland (Old Ordnance Survey maps)
• Vision of Britain (Click "Historical units & statistics" for administrative areas.)
• Magic (Geographic information) (Click + on map if it doesn't show)
• GeoHack (Links to on-line maps and location specific services.)

• All places within the same township/parish shown on an Openstreetmap map.
• Nearby townships/parishes shown on an Openstreetmap map.
• Nearby places shown on an Openstreetmap map.

War graves can be seen at the Scottish Wargraves Project and war memorials can be seen at the Scottish War Memorials Project.

Andrew Campbell has produced Fife Deaths from Newspapers 1822-1854 - a compilation of deaths recorded in local newspapers. Copies of this index are held by the Fife libraries and the Family History Societies.

Fife Deaths Abroad 1855-1900 - a compilation of overseas deaths recorded in Fife newspapers - has been produced by Andrew Campbell of Fife Family History Society. The Society have re-published it in their Publications Series, 26.

Directory of Seafarers - the East Neuk of Fife1580-1800 and The Shipping of Anstruther and the East Neuk of Fife by David Dobson can be obtained from the Tay Valley Family History Society.

The parish is included in Andrew Campbell's compilation of Fife Shopkeepers and Traders 1820-1870 taken from newspapers and directories. It is available in most Fife reference libraries, in the libraries of the family history societies, and at the Manuscript Department of the Special Collections Department of St Andrews University Library. It is also available as Fife Traders and Shopkeepers on CD from Fife Family History Society.

There is a series of articles about many Fife family businesses in Fife Family History Society's Journal, New Series 9.

The relief of paupers after 1845 was carried out by theParochial Board and later by the Parish Council. Their records are at the Fife Council Archive Centre. See Public Records below.

There is a page with census statistics from 1755 to 1961 here.

See also A Vision of Britain and Histpop for population statistics.

Probate records are 'Confirmations' in Scotland.

Prior to 1824, wills, testaments & inventories of residents of Anstruther Easter may be found in either the St Andrews Commissariot (CC20) or the Edinburgh Commissariot (CC8) records. From 1824, commissary business has been conducted by the Sheriff Court of Fife at Cupar (SC20).

Indexes and finding aids are given on the main Fife page.

Local sources worth searching for deeds include St Andrews Commissary Court and Cupar Sheriff Court.

Parochial Boards and their successors, Parish Councils, administered many local functions including poor relief.

At the Fife Council Archive Centre, Kirkcaldy:

• FCC/6/3
  Anstruther Easter Parochial Board / Parish Council
  Minute books, 1845-1930.

School Board records and / or school logbooks are held at the Fife Council Archive Centre. Anstruther Easter records:

At the Fife Council Archive Centre, Kirkcaldy:

• Waid Academy
  Log books, 1921-1946.

• Anstruther Easter School Board
  Minutes, 1873-1917.

• Anstruther Easter and Wester Joint School Board and Joint Technical School Board
  Minutes, 1912-1919.

• Anstruther School Management Committee
  Minutes, 1944-1949.

Entries less than 50 years old may contain sensitive personal information and are not on open access. If you are a former pupil you are entitled to see your own entry. Please contact the Archivist for further details.

Education statistics for Fife schools in 1891-2 list the following board schools in the parish:

"Statistical accounts" giving fascinating insights into the local topography and history, social and economic conditions, and even the daily lives of people, were written by the parish ministers in the 1790s and the 1840s. For more information see the main Fife pages

• The 'Old' Statistical Account is at The Statistical Accounts of Scotland and Google Books.
• The 'New' Statistical Account is also at The Statistical Accounts of Scotland and Google Books.

The hearth tax, clock & watch tax, male servants tax, female servants tax, and farm horse tax are all on ScotlandsPlaces.

At the National Records of Scotland, Edinburgh:

• E326
  Assessed Taxes Schedules 1748-1802
  Anstruther Easter Royal Burgh

See also the Early Taxation Records page.

Towns were usually referred to as Burghs in Scotland.

Under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929 (19 &20 Geo. V, c.25) , the Fife royal burghs of Anstruther Easter and Anstruther Wester and the burgh of Kilrenny were amalgamated to create the United Burghs of Kilrenny, Anstruther Easter and Anstruther Wester. The Kilrenny, Anstruther Easter and Anstruther Wester Town Council was abolished in 1975.

At the National Records of Scotland, Edinburgh:

• B/3
  Anstruther Easter and Wester and Kilrenny Burgh Records
  Burgh records, 1775-1953.

At the Special Collections Dept. of St Andrews University Library:

• B/3
  Anstruther Easter, Anstruther Wester & Kilrenny burgh records
  Anstruther Easter: Town council minutes, 1691-1749, 1753-1929; Court book, 1726-1731; Police commissioners minutes, 1841-1893; New Town Hall accounts, 1870-1872.
  United burgh: Town council minutes, 1929-1974; Charities' committee minutes and journal, 1944-1974; Assessment roll, 1974-1975; Abstracts of accounts, undated; Miscellaneous documents, undated.
  Admiralty Court book, East Fife, 1738-1775; Anstruther Sea Box Society minutes, 1838-1943; Unidentified solicitor's business ledgers, 1924-1939, 1943-1946.

At the Fife Council Archive Centre, Kirkcaldy:

• B/An
  United Burghs of Kilrenny, Anstruther Easter and Anstruther Wester records
  Town council minutes, 1970-1975; correspondence files, 1933-1964; Dean of Guild court register of plans 1901-1949, and petitions, 1953-1963; Anstruther Joint Licensing Court records, 1912-1975 (with gaps); Anstruther Union Harbour Commission minutes, 1860-1975; correspondence, etc relating to housing and slum clearance, 1926-1963.

At the Special Collections Dept. of St Andrews University Library:

• B/10
  Crail burgh records
  Papers relating to elections of Member of Parliament for Crail, Kilrenny, Anstruther Easter and Wester and Pittenweem