President: Alistair Hugh

Vice President:  Robin McAlpine

Immediate Past President: Bill Brown

Raith Probus Secretary: Allan Morton

Contact E Mail : RaithProbusSec@gmail.com

The Club meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 10:30am.  We meet at Pathhead Parish Church Hall, 33 Harriet Street, Kirkcaldy KY1 2AG.

FUTURE TALKS:  

If any club member has had a particularly interesting career or has a hobby and wishes to share by giving a talk, please contact any committee member.

Raith Probus Club
Meeting Number 992
Pathhead Church 18th August 2026
President Alistair Hugh opened the meeting at 10:30hrs.
Introduction to Speaker:
Speaker: Arthur Lloyd
Topic: “History of Aberdour”
Vote of Thanks: Douglas Hamill
Previous minutes, matters arising – The president has contacted the treasurer of
Cowdenbeath Probus Club to invite their members to consider joining our club, however
many of their members have already moved to other clubs in the area as their club disbanded
in May. Thanks to Bob Terras for suggesting we reach out to members of any clubs in similar
circumstances.
REPORTS
Membership: Bob Taylor
Reported the attendance numbers of 41 members present, 6 apologies and 0 guests.
IT: Jim Neilson
Nothing to report.
Recorder: Bob Terras
Nothing to report.
Probus Website: Bob Terras
There have been some technical difficulties recently including with slow performance. I am
still in communication with the support person to improve the situation. I still recommend
visiting the websites of other clubs to see what they are doing.
Treasurer: Charlie Low
Collecting Membership fees, please pay promptly.
Welfare: Tom Reilly
I paid a visit to Ian Gunn on Wednesday the 5th August at his home in Kinghorn. Ian has
missed recent meetings due to ongoing medical issues. Ian joined Raith Probus in 2001 and
is a past President of the club which he joined after a distinguished career with Canada Life
after leaving Oxford University and completing his national service with the Royal Leicester’s
in the mid 1950’s. The bulk of Ian’s working life was with Canada Life which started with Ian
travelling to Toronto on the Empress of Britain where he worked for a year. On the return
journey Ian met a young lady from Edinburgh named Alison who became Ian’s wife six
months later. Ian spent much of his time regularly flying between London and Canada
followed by long drives from London to Edinburgh in his position of Investment manager
and the last 5 years as general manager which resulted in Ian suffering from deep vein
thrombosis which laid Ian low for some time. With retirement beckoning it was time for Ian
and family to settle in Fife. Ian is well supported by his daughters and son. Sadly Alison
passed away in early 2009. Ian is unsure if he will be able to return to the club due to ill
health. I am sure we all wish Ian and family all the best for the future.
I usually stand here and talk about ailments illnesses and injuries suffered by our members.
Today it’s my turn. At the end of last month I received a letter from Victoria Hospital
Urology department telling me I had an appointment at 8:30 on the 12th of August. My wife
Lesley asked me if I had read the letter thoroughly, I said I had read the first page of five she
said read all pages. After reading it I found Urology Urodynamics includes the insertion of all
essential lines which includes inserting a catheter into the bladder which has a probe on the
end and another catheter into the rectum. I will save you from further details as it’s getting
close to lunch time and as further details are covered by the data protection act. The moral
of the story is read every page of hospital letters. And listen to your wife as she is always
right.
Secretary: Allan Morton
Nothing to report.
Vice-President: Robin McAlpine, 1000th Meeting Sub-Committee (15th Dec)
Recently Bob Terras and I visited the Fife Council Archives at Bankfoot, the former Amazon
building. They had around eight boxes of artifacts from Raith Probus Club. Many minutes of
meetings were found including the very first meeting. We found that a very meticulous job
had been done with the folders of minutes. For each meeting there was also an associated
insert sheet, printed on glossy photographic paper, which included a photo of the speaker, an
outline on who they were and what they spoke about. There were also many cuttings from
the Fife Free Press and photos of many members, some of whom still attend to this day.
Finally we found a VHS tape of a 1999 visit to the Royal Yacht Britianna. We have converted
this to a more modern format and plan to show it at the celebratory meeting later this year
along with some of the photos and extracts from the minutes.
STANDING ORDER REPORTS
Speakers: Charlie Low
Last slot of the year still to be filled.
Social: Peter Shields
Tickets have all been distributed for the bus holiday.
There will not be any tickets available for us for the KAOS performances on Saturday 21st
November, therefore please book tickets by yourself, possibly from ticket returns (available
from 31st August), as we are unable to get a group booking.
Calendar of Events:
Wednesday 23rd
September
Coffee Morning at Weavers, 10am, price £4.50
Friday 25th Sep –
Monday 28th Sep
Coach holiday based in Strathpeffer (One day to Skye, one day to
Inverness)
Contact Peter Shields
Friday 9th Oct Annual Dinner
Menus now available for payment in September
Contact Ragnar Ingebrigtsen
Wednesday 18th
November
Coffee Morning at Weavers, 10am, price £4.50
Saturday 21st Nov Matinee performance from KAOS of “The Hunchback of Notre
Dame” at 2.30pm – tickets to be bought individually by members
CONVENERS REPORTS
Cycling: John Chalmers (not present)
Nothing to report.
Further information: John Chalmers.
Gardening: Ron Steedman
Next meeting will be on 20th August at Kirkcaldy Golf Club, 10am.
Further information: Ron Steedman.
Golf: Robin McAlpine
The result of the recent Scoonie competition (13th August), the last of the Peebles Stableford
rounds, is now available and the winner was John Fairfull.
The Heales trophy was also won by John Fairfull, becoming the new championship golfer for
the year.
Next meeting is on 10th September at Thornton Golf Club where we play the Texas Scramble
for the Brunton Trophy.
Further information: Robin McAlpine.
Lottery: Charlie Low
No numbers up.
Photography: Allister Todd
Hoping for the cooler weather to entice more members to get out photographing.
Next meeting – Thursday 27th August 10am. Kirkcaldy Golf Club, where we will try to arrange
a competition.
Further information: Allister Todd.
Snooker: Malcolm Walker
Nothing to report.
Styx Snooker Club.
Every Friday: 11.00 to 13.00.
Further information: Malcolm Walker.
Walkers: Ken Campbell
Date of Walk :- Tuesday 25th August.
Destination :- Lade Braes – St. Andrews.
Travel details. :- Transport (1). – 9.39am train from Kirkcaldy Train Station.
or. 9.48am train from Markinch Train Station.
Transport (2). – Bus from Leuchars Train Station to St. Andrews Bus Station.
Length of Walk :- 3 miles. ( approx. 1½ hours ).
Terrain :- All flat & easy walkingRefreshments :- Molly Malones Pub.

Return journey 13.55pm train from Leuchars
Could I please ask that those intending to join this ‘Walk’ give me their names to avoid any
unwarranted delays or missing anyone out on the trip, also ensure you have your Fife Travel
Pass.
SPEAKER
The speaker was introduced by Jack Lowther and was Arthur Lloyd on the topic of “History of
Aberdour”.
Arthur is well known to us from previous talks and today he is going to talk to us about his
native Aberdour.
James I of Scotland was born in Dunfermline in 1394. Let’s go back in time to 1123 when
Aberdour is two separate villages with the Dour Burn in between.
On the east side of the burn is Aberdour Castle, dating from around 1123. The east side of
Aberdour was controlled by the castle and included the old town.
The west side was controlled by the Church via the monks from the Abbey on Inchcolm Island.
The monks themselves being controlled by the Bishops of Dunkeld.
James I had eight children including a daughter who was a deaf mute, Joan Stewart. She went
to France to get married but no-one would take her. Eventually James Douglas, who became
Lord Aberdour, married her in 1459 to become the 1st Earl of Morton.
 Inchcolm Abbey
The first occupant of the castle around 1123 was de Mortimer, who gives his name to
Mortimer’s Deep, a deep channel close to the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The castle
changed hands a few times over the years but in the 1300s the castle was occupied by a family
called the Sewards. They supported the English at the Battle of Bannockburn so were not
popular with Robert the Bruce. When Robert won the battle he threw the Sewards out of the
castle and gave it, and its lands, to his nephew Thomas Randolf, Earl of Moray. He lived there
a few years but became tired of it so passed it on to William Douglas, a well known soldier at
the time. The Douglas’s took over the castle in the 1400s. James Douglas then married Joan
Stewart to become the Earl of Morton. So east Aberdour was controlled by the Earls of
Morton (the current Earl is the 22nd). They control the area to this day including the nearby
tenant farmers.
In 1688 a fire caused much damage to the castle. A second fire in 1715 was caused by
government troops stationed there due to the Jacobite Rising. Despite plans to restore the
castle, in 1725 the Morton’s bought an adjacent property, Aberdour House, and the castle
ceased to be a residence.
The east range was however repaired, and was used for various purposes including a school
room, a barracks, and a masonic hall.
On the other side of town, Wester Aberdour was still under control of the Abbey. In 1560 the
reformation caused the demise of Inchcolm Abbey. The Bishops of Dunkeld were looking for
someone to look after the Abbey and they selected James Stewart, 1st Lord Doune from
Doune Castle. He was put in charge of the island and the lands between Dalgety Bay and
Aberdour.
James had a son, also called James, who became the 1st Earl of Moray via marriage. Therefore
we had the Earls of Morton on the east side of town and the Earls of Moray on the west. The
Moray’s eventually gave up their lands which became the town of Dalgety Bay.

King Charles I had a friend called William Stewart Mains, who was rewarded by the King with
some of the land from the Moray’s, the lands of Cuttlehill and the lands of Seaside, basically
the main street and down to the harbour. William Stewart Mains built Aberdour House near
the castle. However he lost all his money so he sold the house to the Wemyss family. They
were heavily into salt production using salt pans on the east coast of Fife. There were many
salt pans at the time due to the salt tax. The Wemyss family took over all the lands of Cuttlehill
and Seaside to build new salt pans down by the harbour.
After the fire in the castle the Morton’s bought the lands next to the castle in Cuttlehill and
Seaside including Aberdour House, the Wemyss family ensuring they retained the salt pans.
Aberdour House, built in the early 1600s, is still there and has now been converted into flats.
An extension was built and is dated 1672, a year after the Wemyss family moved in. The front
door is a Gibbs Door with a surround, named after the architect from Aberdeen.
By the 1760s, the mother of the current Earl wanted to make changes to move all her
neighbours further away from the house. The house was too close to the main road and a row
of eight cottages. So she decided to knock all the houses down and move everybody out. She
did this and moved them down nearer the harbour. She was also concerned about people
travelling past the house to the Church so she took the roof off the Church and built another
one in the west of the town. Finally she built a new road in 1800 so that anyone travelling
along it would be further from her house.
The new town was developed in the early 1800s, the first building in 1803 being a Manse. The
aim was to keep people away from the big house. The new houses were built nearer the
harbour. Unlike most east coast villages in Fife, Aberdour did not originally have houses near
the harbour.
One cottage was left untouched out of the eight cottages which were demolished. This
cottage is still there today beside the new entrance to the castle. This is an archway which
was moved from east Aberdour when the railway was built and once marked the position of
a well.
The new road comprised a new three arch bridge which is still there but has been built over
with the burn diverted through it and a new embankment made for the railway so it can no
longer be seen.
The centre of Aberdour now has a well-known clock, built in 1910 and moved to its current
location in 1920 near the castle entrance due to a WWI memorial being built on its original
location. It honours local physician Dr. Robert Spence for nearly 40 years of service.
When water supplies were first installed into the town, common water fountains were used
where people could collect water. One such fountain was situated next to the clock with its
associated gutter in the road. After the clock was moved near the castle, and the removal of
the fountains, there now only remains a gutter in the road which was nearly covered over by
the council but has been retained due to my protests!

The new road comprised a new three arch bridge which is still there but has been built over
with the burn diverted through it and a new embankment made for the railway so it can no
longer be seen.
The centre of Aberdour now has a well-known clock, built in 1910 and moved to its current
location in 1920 near the castle entrance due to a WWI memorial being built on its original
location. It honours local physician Dr. Robert Spence for nearly 40 years of service.
When water supplies were first installed into the town, common water fountains were used
where people could collect water. One such fountain was situated next to the clock with its
associated gutter in the road. After the clock was moved near the castle, and the removal of
the fountains, there now only remains a gutter in the road which was nearly covered over by
the council but has been retained due to my protests!
Figure 4 – Aberdour Clock
Travelling along the High Street, one building has a plaque on its side showing a book symbol
and “Mr IF, 1739”. This showed the house of a reader who could read documents to people,
many of whom could not read at the time.
Looking at a photograph of the High Street 100 years ago it is very similar to that of today. A
Church with a spire can be seen which was an original free church built in the 1840s, later
taken over by the Church of Scotland. It was knocked down in the 1960s.
On Shore Road there is now a community centre which was once an imposing Temperance
Hotel, where you slept in a hammock (marketed as an arial bed), and included Kinnaird’s tea
gardens.
Also in the picture you can see a pole with a sign similar to the St. Andrews cross. This
indicated that you could buy petrol at the Chemist shop showing the sign. These signs were

erected by the Royal Scottish Automobile Club as there were no garages in the early years of
motoring. The Chemist shop is still there today.
Other signs that you can see show “FEP Co”, the Fife Electric Power Company. They had eight
signs around the village indicating where the high voltage cables are joined below ground.
Water came to the village around 1879, gas came in 1914 and electricity in 1923. You can still
see one bracket from the old oil lamps on the side of a house which were used before
electricity arrived.
Stinky Alley was at the foot of the high street where the human waste was collected from
buckets before toilets were in use.
There are some marriage stones around the High Street above the front doors of some of the
buildings. These showed the initials of the husband and wife as in those days women did not
take on the husbands surname, which was an English tradition.
Greig’s Hotel has changed since first built as the Bell Hotel, a coaching Inn. Now called the
Woodside with a carved head of Mr Greig on the wall, who shot himself in 1892 after an
unhappy life.

Also  you can see a pole with a sign similar to the St. Andrews cross. This
indicated that you could buy petrol at the Chemist shop showing the sign. These signs were erected by the Royal Scottish Automobile Club as there were no garages in the early years of
motoring. The Chemist shop is still there today.
Other signs that you can see show “FEP Co”, the Fife Electric Power Company. They had eight
signs around the village indicating where the high voltage cables are joined below ground.
Water came to the village around 1879, gas came in 1914 and electricity in 1923. You can still
see one bracket from the old oil lamps on the side of a house which were used before
electricity arrived.
Stinky Alley was at the foot of the high street where the human waste was collected from
buckets before toilets were in use.
There are some marriage stones around the High Street above the front doors of some of the
buildings. These showed the initials of the husband and wife as in those days women did not
take on the husbands surname, which was an English tradition.
Greig’s Hotel has changed since first built as the Bell Hotel, a coaching Inn. Now called the
Woodside with a carved head of Mr Greig on the wall, who shot himself in 1892 after an
unhappy life.
Figure 5 – Carved Head of Greig
Opposite the hotel are the 1870 lodge and gates which led to the Donibristle estate. The gates
were later removed for access to a new a housing estate. The lodge and gates can still be seen
in their original state in the Moray Estate up north in the county of Moray, a direct copy .
.Nearer the coast, new houses were built in 1909 with balconies in the new Scottish Seaside
Style, including a new children’s play park.
Going down Shore Road, there is a large house called Whitehall, built by Dr White from
Dunfermline in 1859. He was a prime mover is getting sewage pipes installed in the village in
1880.
There were originally diving boards down at Black Sands beach. These were removed by the
council in the 1970s due to Health and Safety but some metal remains can still be seen. There
were also excursions available by boat to Inchcolm Island.
There is a strange double road leading off the foot of Shore Road. A new road had to be built
to support some new houses as access via the existing road to the salt pans was denied. The
salt pans lasted until the 1790s, the area now replaced by a large house built in 1817 which
had its own flagstaff and battery.
There also used to be a boat house on boat house rocks as seen in some old pictures. The

boat house no longer exists.

The harbour was built in four stages with the first being built by the Earl of Morton in the
1500s. Mary, Queen of Scots put the 4th Earl in charge of the harbour as she was worried
about suspicious crafts coming to Forth and Tay ports. It was extended twice in the 1700s and
then again in the 1800s to support larger vessels.
Questions
How was the salt dried? There were fires lit underneath the pans to evaporate the water, but
they were not allowed to be lit on Sundays as it was a Church day. This meant all the fires had
to be restarted on Monday mornings.
The Vote of Thanks was given by Douglas Hamill who compared how good this talk was
compared to history lessons he had at school. The quote from Francis Bacon “Histories make
men wise” came to mind during this enlightening address which surely has made us all wiser
men today. I have always enjoyed passing through Aberdour with its award winning station
gardens and impressive presence of the castle whether on the train or on a double decker
bus on a school trip to the Silver Sands. When King James VI of Scotland coined the phrase
describing the Fife coast as “beggars mantle fringed with gold”, it is not unreasonable to
describe Aberdour and its history as one of the most prominent gold nuggets in the fringe.
We give our grateful thanks, best wishes and appreciation to Arthur for this talk.
NEXT MEETING
Date: 1st September 2026
Speaker: Anna Tizzard
Topic: “Highs and lows of a paralympic athlete”
Vote of Thanks: Cap Fowles
AOCB:
The next Committee Meeting will be on Wednesday 21st October at 10am and be held at
Pathhead Church Hall.
The meeting closed at 11:42hrs.
Allan Morton
Secretary

 

18th August 2026 Curry Club

 

Falkland Walk

 

Bill Brown Dumfries Gardens

 2017                                                   2026