Auchtertool
Encyclopedia
Auchtertool is a small village in Fife
, Scotland
. It is 4 miles west of Kirkcaldy
. The name is from the Gaelic uachdar, meaning upland or heights above the Tiel burn (from Gaelic tuil meaning torrent). The Tiel Burn flows a few hundred yards south of the kirk and village, which was formerly known as Milton of Auchtertool. The parish belonged to the diocese
of Dunkeld
, having been gifted to Bishop Gregory by King David I in the twelfth century. Soon after, the church was given to the Priory
of Inchcolm
. The village was founded as a burgh of barony
in 1617.
The kirk was largely reconstructed in 1833. It has two battlemented porches on the south side and an octagonal birdcage bellcote on the west gable. The north aisle
was added in 1905-6. The graveyard contains 17th century table stones; one commemorates David Martin, minister of Auchtertool who died in 1636. It is carved with a relief
of the minister in knee breeches and gown with his feet on a skull. The Tudor style manse
was built in 1812. The 19th century Distillery is partly demolished. Auchtertool House is a large early 19th century villa.
Halyards Palace
formerly stood north-west of the main village. Supposed originally to have been a hunting seat of Malcolm Canmore, it was the residence of the Bishops of Dunkeld
until 1539. King James V visited the palace after his defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss
in late November 1542. According to John Knox
, when the lady of the house tried to comfort the king, he announced that he would be dead in fifteen days. Later, his servant asked where James would spend Christmas. "He answerit, with at disdainfull Smirk, I cannot tell, chuse ye the Plaice; but this I can tell you, or [by] Yulle-Day ye will be Maisterless, and the Realme without a King." The King returned to Falkland
where he learnt of the birth of his daughter Mary on 8 December. He died on 14 December. The palace was mostly demolished in 1847; some remains can be found on farmland north-west of the village centre.
At the time of the first Jacobite Rebellion the rebel Earl of Mar
was in Perth
when he heard that a loyalist ship loaded with arms had dropped anchor at Burntisland
. He set out to capture it, advancing 500 highland soldiers into Auchtertool to be held in reserve. The men ran amok, plundering the village, including the manse.
Tradition maintains that a funeral attended by the writer Walter Scott
was held at the kirk and solemnised according to the Roman Catholic rite. This illegal ceremony took place at dead of night to avoid detection by the Protestant authorities. Legend has it that the funeral procession can be seen on an August night heading towards the kirk from Halyards Palace.
Alexander Boswell was mortally wounded in a duel in Auchtertool in 1822. He died in nearby Balmuto House. The duel was one of the last in Scotland.
Auchtertool's only school is Auchtertool Primary School. High school pupils travel to Balwearie High School
in Kirkcaldy
.
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is 4 miles west of Kirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. The town lies on a shallow bay on the northern shore of the Firth of Forth; SSE of Glenrothes, ENE of Dunfermline, WSW of Dundee and NNE of Edinburgh...
. The name is from the Gaelic uachdar, meaning upland or heights above the Tiel burn (from Gaelic tuil meaning torrent). The Tiel Burn flows a few hundred yards south of the kirk and village, which was formerly known as Milton of Auchtertool. The parish belonged to the diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of Dunkeld
Dunkeld
Dunkeld is a small town in Strathtay, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is about 15 miles north of Perth on the eastern side of the A9 road into the Scottish Highlands and on the opposite side of the Tay from the Victorian village of Birnam. Dunkeld and Birnam share a railway station, on the...
, having been gifted to Bishop Gregory by King David I in the twelfth century. Soon after, the church was given to the Priory
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
of Inchcolm
Inchcolm
Inchcolm is an island in the Firth of Forth in Scotland. Repeatedly attacked by English raiders during the Wars of Scottish Independence, it was fortified during both World Wars to defend nearby Edinburgh...
. The village was founded as a burgh of barony
Burgh of barony
A burgh of barony is a type of Scottish town .They were distinct from royal burghs as the title was granted to a tenant-in-chief, a landowner who held his estates directly from the crown....
in 1617.
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
was added in 1905-6. The graveyard contains 17th century table stones; one commemorates David Martin, minister of Auchtertool who died in 1636. It is carved with a relief
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
of the minister in knee breeches and gown with his feet on a skull. The Tudor style manse
Manse
A manse is a house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister, usually used in the context of a Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist or United Church...
was built in 1812. The 19th century Distillery is partly demolished. Auchtertool House is a large early 19th century villa.
Halyards Palace
Halyards Palace
Located to the north-west of the village of Auchtertool, the Palace of Halyards is reputed to have been a hunting seat of Malcolm Canmore...
formerly stood north-west of the main village. Supposed originally to have been a hunting seat of Malcolm Canmore, it was the residence of the Bishops of Dunkeld
Dunkeld
Dunkeld is a small town in Strathtay, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is about 15 miles north of Perth on the eastern side of the A9 road into the Scottish Highlands and on the opposite side of the Tay from the Victorian village of Birnam. Dunkeld and Birnam share a railway station, on the...
until 1539. King James V visited the palace after his defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss
Battle of Solway Moss
The Battle of Solway Moss took place on Solway Moss near the River Esk on the English side of the Anglo-Scottish Border in November 1542 between forces from England and Scotland.-Background:...
in late November 1542. According to John Knox
John Knox
John Knox was a Scottish clergyman and a leader of the Protestant Reformation who brought reformation to the church in Scotland. He was educated at the University of St Andrews or possibly the University of Glasgow and was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1536...
, when the lady of the house tried to comfort the king, he announced that he would be dead in fifteen days. Later, his servant asked where James would spend Christmas. "He answerit, with at disdainfull Smirk, I cannot tell, chuse ye the Plaice; but this I can tell you, or [by] Yulle-Day ye will be Maisterless, and the Realme without a King." The King returned to Falkland
Falkland
-Places:*Falkland, British Columbia, Canada*Falkland, Nova Scotia, Canada*Falkland Ridge, Nova Scotia, Canada*Falkland, Newbury, a ward of Newbury, Berkshire, England.*Falkland, Fife, a burgh in Fife, Scotland....
where he learnt of the birth of his daughter Mary on 8 December. He died on 14 December. The palace was mostly demolished in 1847; some remains can be found on farmland north-west of the village centre.
At the time of the first Jacobite Rebellion the rebel Earl of Mar
Earl of Mar
The Mormaer or Earl of Mar is a title that has been created seven times, all in the Peerage of Scotland. The first creation of the earldom was originally the provincial ruler of the province of Mar in north-eastern Scotland...
was in Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
when he heard that a loyalist ship loaded with arms had dropped anchor at Burntisland
Burntisland
Burntisland is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland on the Firth of Forth. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town has a population of 5,940....
. He set out to capture it, advancing 500 highland soldiers into Auchtertool to be held in reserve. The men ran amok, plundering the village, including the manse.
Tradition maintains that a funeral attended by the writer Walter Scott
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
was held at the kirk and solemnised according to the Roman Catholic rite. This illegal ceremony took place at dead of night to avoid detection by the Protestant authorities. Legend has it that the funeral procession can be seen on an August night heading towards the kirk from Halyards Palace.
Alexander Boswell was mortally wounded in a duel in Auchtertool in 1822. He died in nearby Balmuto House. The duel was one of the last in Scotland.
Auchtertool's only school is Auchtertool Primary School. High school pupils travel to Balwearie High School
Balwearie High School
Balwearie High School is a non-denominational comprehensive secondary school at the west end of Kirkcaldy in Scotland. Balwearie serves around 1750 pupils aged from 12 to 18 and includes a Department of Additional Support for children with Additional Support Needs.-Rector:The school opened in 1964...
in Kirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. The town lies on a shallow bay on the northern shore of the Firth of Forth; SSE of Glenrothes, ENE of Dunfermline, WSW of Dundee and NNE of Edinburgh...
.
External links
- Village web site
- Auchtertool Kirk - parish church
- Extract from The Whisky Distilleries of the United KingdomThe Whisky Distilleries of the United KingdomThe Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom is a book originally published in 1887. It was the result of a two year tour of Scotland, Ireland and England by Alfred Barnard, in which he visited an incredible 162 whisky distilleries....
by Alfred BarnardAlfred BarnardAlfred Barnard was a British brewing and distilling historian.-Life and work:According to the limited family records available, Barnard was born in 1837 into a Baptist family in Thaxted, a rural village in Essex, England. His was one of eight children. His father was a draper and grocer.In 1859,...
, regarding the former distilleryDistillationDistillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in volatilities of components in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction....
.