Electricity comes to Cairneyhill

DUNDEE COURIER THURSDAY 8 DECEMBER 1949

GOOD-BYE PARAFFIN LAMPS

Mrs George Reid, of Cook’s Buildings, Main Street, Cairneyhill, one of the many housewives who have had electricity installed in their homes, knits by the light of her new lamp.

Mrs George Reid

Electric lights burned in the village of Cairneyhill, near Dunfermline, yesterday for the first time.

The switch-on of the current by 80-year-old Mrs Archibald Penman was the successful end to years of petitioning by villagers who have lived nearly all their lives by the light of paraffin lamps and gas.

‘I was born 50 years too soon,’ said Mrs Penman at the switch-on ceremony at the sub-station of the South-East Electricity Board in Main Street.

She envied the young wives of to-day who had the opportunity of labour-saving gadgets in their homes.

Electricity has already been led to 19 houses in the village, but soon 60 will have the opportunity of getting power.

Mr Penman was the first to put his name to a petition urging the installation of electricity, and his was one of the first houses to be fitted.

It was a big change for the old couple to go home after the ceremony to a brightly lit home. They have lived in Cairneyhill for 36 years.

Present at the ceremony were Mr C H A Collyns, sub-area electricity manager, and Mr J W Moule, commercial officer. Mrs Penman was presented with an electric iron by 15-year-old Steve Carty, youngest apprentice on the scheme.

Mr Collyns said the installation was also a result of an application by agricultural and horticultural organisations for soil heating.

Drunk driver in Cairneyhill Main Street

DUNDEE EVENING TELEGRAPH TUESDAY 15 OCTOBER 1935

DUNFERMLINE MOTORIST ON DRINK CHARGE – PEOPLE TAKE STARTING HANDLE AS PRECAUTION

Robert Swan Pearson, wireless salesman, 32 Bruce Street, Dunfermline, was fined £2 and disqualified from holding a license for twelve months at Dunfermline Sheriff Court today.

He admitted that, on October 14, in Main Street, Cairneyhill, he attempted to drive a motor car while under the influence of drink to such an extent as to be incapable of having proper control of the vehicle.

Mr W Irvine, procurator fiscal-depute, said accused was seen in the street in Cairneyhill staggering round his car. He got into the car and people in the vicinity dragged him out.

They moved the car round to a close and took away the starting handle to keep him from starting it.

Breach of the peace at village institute

DUNDEE EVENING TELEGRAPH MONDAY 27 DECEMBER 1937

FIFE MAN ON BREACH CHARGE

Thomas Lamont, apprentice joiner, Main Street, Cairneyhill, was admonished at Dunfermline Sheriff Court today for having committed a breach of the peace on 16th December in Cairneyhill village institute, Main Street, Cairneyhill.

Mr A Mitchell, solicitor, on accused’s behalf, said accused, who was a member of the institute, turned up about a quarter to ten and found the door locked. He began to push it. The caretaker came out and asked what the noise was about.

They started an argument as to whether the caretaker was entitled to shut the door. The caretaker proceeded to try to throw him out and there was a breach of the peace.

Mr R J Waugh, procurator fiscal, said the caretaker’s statement was that accused adopted a threatening attitude.

Flower nursery pioneer dead

DUNDEE COURIER 31 MARCH 1941

FLOWER NURSERY PIONEER DEAD

A prominent Scottish nurseryman and seedsman, Mr James McDonald, Cairneyhill Nurseries, near Dunfermline, died at his home on Saturday. He was 68.

A native of Glasgow, he was a pioneer of the nursery business. In 1888 he went to Cairneyhill and began gardening with his grandfather. Later he took a lease of the Pleasance, and subsequently developed a wholesale nursery business which became known over a wide area.

Mr McDonald serves for a time on the Carnock Parish Council and also held office as chairman of Cairneyhill Welfare Institute.

He is survived by Mrs McDonald, four sons (two of whom are associated in the business), and two daughters.

Obituary of Reverend William Forbes

DUNDEE COURIER, THURSDAY 3 JUNE 1943

47 YEARS’ MINISTRY IN FIFE
DEATH OF REV. W FORBES, CAIRNEYHILL CHURCH

A well-known Fife minister, Rev William Forbes, Cairneyhill Church of Scotland, who was joint clerk of Dunfermline and Kinross Presbytery, died in a Dunfermline nursing home yesterday at the age of 79.

He had been in failing health for some time and recently applied for a colleague and successor.

Mr Forbes, who was a native of Aberdeen, was ordained and inducted to the charge of Cairneyhill Church in 1895, and when he intimated his intention of retiring he had completed a ministry of over 47 years.

Joint clerk of the former United Free Church Presbytery of Dunfermline and Kinross, he was appointed to a similar office in the new Presbytery after the union of the Churches in 1929.

Interested in education, he served on the old School Board of Carnock, and when the school boards were superseded he was elected a member of Fife Education Authority.

He was a Justice of Peace for the county.

Mr Forbes is survived by three sons. His wife predeceased him three years ago.

Cairneyhill Valuation Roll 1865

Dear blog reader

Welcome to the second part in a series, a list of the people, with occupation where known, who were connected with Cairneyhill in 1865.

In 1865, there were 65 people listed with 27 occupations included, 22 weavers, 1 smithy, 1 joiner, 2 wrights and 1 Church minister.

This compares with 66 people listed in 1855 with 4 occupations included, 3 weavers and 1 blacksmith.

Hopefully those of you with ancestors from Cairneyhill will find this list useful.

************************

Robert Anderson
Mrs Henry Arnott
James Bauld [Bald?}, loomshop
David Bell
Andrew Blair, loomshop
George Bowie
John Bruce, loomshop
James Calderwood
John Calderwood
John Clark
Robert Cose
Francis Crombie
Janet Cuddie or Manclark, loomshop
David Cunningham, loomshop
Henry Deas
John Downie, loomshop
William Drysdale
John Duncanson, smithy
Agnes Duncanson
Mrs Thomas Duncanson
Francis Duncanson, loomshop
Archibald Duncanson
William Duncanson
Thomas Duncanson
William Erskine
Robert Erskine, wright’s shop
William Finlayson
Henry Fotheringham
John Gilmour, loomshop
Miss Anne Hempseed
Alexander Hodge, loomshop
Isabella Hodge, loomshop
Thomas Hodge
Mrs William Hodge, loomshop
Mrs Robert Howieson
Robert Kirk Esquire
John May
Peter Mitchell
Reverend John More, manse
James Morris, loomshop
Alexander Morris
William Morris, loomshop
Robert Paterson
George Paterson, loomshop
Mrs Catherine Paton, loomshop
Widow Philp
Robert Philp, loomshop
Henry Reid, loomshop
Thomas Reid, loomshop
John Reid, loomshop
Mary Rennie
Charles Robertson, joiner’s shop
James Smeaton
William Spottiswood
James Thomson
John Thomson
Miss Isabella Thomson
William Tod
Alexander Walls, wright’s shop
Margaret Wightman
Thomas Wilson, loomshop
Mrs Isabel Wilson, loomshop
William Wilson, loomshop
George Young
Alexander Young

Builder killed by collapsing wall

Dear blog reader

The family concerned in this article is a family that is still in Cairneyhill decades afterwards.

*****************

DUNDEE EVENING TELEGRAPH FRIDAY 28 AUGUST 1931

BURIED BY COLLAPSE OF WALL – BUILDER KILLED NEAR DUNFERMLINE

Buried by the collapse of a wall William Templeman (69), a master builder, who resided at Cairneyhill, near Dunfermline, was instantaneously killed while at work at Cults Farm, Saline.

Part of the farm steading is being taken down and rebuilt, and Templeman, with the assistance of two labourers was demolishing an old wall. The wall had been partly undermined, when it suddenly collapsed, and Templeman was buried by the debris.

Labourers and farm workers speedily extricated him, but he was found to be dead, having received a fracture of the skull.

The labourers, John Wilson, Main Street, Cairneyhill, and David Smith, Culross, escaped injury.

Burning a Preacher’s Effigy

EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS

SATURDAY 29 SEPTEMBER 1888

At Dunfermline Sheriff Court yesterday afternoon, William Erskine, labourer, and three young lads were charged – before Sheriff Gillespie – with creating a disturbance in Cairneyhill village on the night of the 7th inst. [current] by burning an effigy opposite the house of Mr William McAulay, preacher, the effigy being intended to represent Mr McAulay.

Mr McAulay, an old man of 74 years, deponed that his house was surrounded by an excited mob, and that in addition to the burning of the effigy a large quantity of stones and bricks was thrown at his door and windows, he being afraid to venture outside, as there were loud calls of ‘Come out, McAulay, ye b-! and we will do for ye’.

Many witnesses were called, but all gave their evidence with great reluctance; and one of them named James White, a farmer at Muirkirk, Cairneyhill, was rebuked by the Sheriff, and sentenced to the forfeiture of his witness fee. The Sheriff said it was clear that there had been a great disturbance, and that it was most discreditable to the people of Cairneyhill that they give their evidence so unwillingly in such a serious case.

The ringleader in the affair evidently was Erskine, and he would sentence him to pay a fine of £1, or 10 days’ imprisonment.

Sir Robert Anstruther, County Election 1868

Dear blog reader

Sir Robert Anstruther, 5th Baronet, was a Scottish Liberal Party politician who was the MP for Fife between 1864 and 1880 and the MP for St Andrews from 1885 until his death in 1886. He was also the Lord Lieutenant of Fife from 1864 to 1886.

There was a county election in 1868 and below is the account of Sir Robert’s 1868 hustings meeting in Cairneyhill.

I find such reports a fascinating indication of constituents’ concerns in years gone by.

Jacqueline

***************

This is Sir Robert Anstruther:

*********

FIFE HERALD

THURSDAY 13 AUGUST 1868

FIFE COUNTY ELECTION

SIR ROBERT ANSTRUTHER AT CAIRNEYHILL

On Friday night Sir Robert Anstruther addressed two meetings, one at Crossgates, presided over by Mr Henderson of Fordell, and another at Cairneyhill.

At the Cairneyhill meeting there was a large attendance, and Mr Beveridge, Crombie, presided.

In introducing Sir Robert, the chairman referred to the opposition in the field from a quarter different from what they expected. He did not know whether Mr Kinnear was a Radical, a Whig, or a Tory, but he supposed he was a Liberal in many things.

Sir Robert having addressed the meeting, going over the same topics as in his other speeches, the chairman remarked that, as an elector, he was highly pleased with, and had every confidence in, their number. He had seen a large number of Cairneyhill voters, and he had not met with one who did not consider their member a thorough gentleman. (Applause).

Mr Paterson, among other questions, asked Sir Robert how he voted in the divisions to substitute, as proposed by Mr Mill, the word ‘person’, instead of ‘man’, in the franchise clause of the Reform Bill.

Sir Robert stated that he was two minutes late for that division, but had he been present he would have voted in favour of Mr Mill’s proposal for the insertion of the word ‘persons’. He explained that it would only be spinsters or widows who would have the right to vote; and he did not see why any intelligent woman who possessed property, and having a stake in the interests of the country, should not be equally qualified with themselves to vote. (Applause).

After some questions similar to those asked at former meetings, Mr Todd, Bankhead, said Sir Robert had given his opinions in a clear and explicit manner, and he had not hesitation in again proposing him as a fit and proper person to represent Fife. (Applause).

Mr Lawrie, Crossford, seconded the motion, which was unanimously adopted.

The proceedings then terminated.