Anstruther Wester is a small parish on the south coast of Fife. It is bounded on the south by the Firth of Forth, along which it extends for about ½ mile, on the east by Anstruther Easter, on the north by Carnbee and Kilrenny, and on the west by Pittenweem. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Anstruther Wester
PRE-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
POST-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
The church of Anstruther Wester was dedicated to St Ethernan. It belonged to the Priory of Pittenweem. Two fairs were held in this parish, that of Our Lady in Lentron and St Nicholas's fair in December. The Isle of May forms part of the parish. In it stand the ruins of St Adrian's Priory. There was on the Isle an early Celtic monastery of small size. David I converted it into a Benedictine Priory, and later Alexander III changed that into an Augustinian foundation. (1928: Fasti Ecclesiæ Scoticanæ, by Hew Scott, D. D.)
Includes ministers, licentiates, assistants, readers, and clerks.
(1928: Fasti Ecclesiæ Scoticanæ, by Hew Scott, D. D.)
Parish registers turned over to the Registrar-General, as a result of the Registration of Births, Deaths, and Marriages (Scotland) Act of 1854. The letters B. D. and M. indicate Births (or Baptisms), Deaths (or Burials), and Marriages (or Proclamations of Banns) respectively. Numbers indicate separate volumes or books. Note: These records are by no means complete or without damage; consult the Detailed List of the Old Parochial Registers of Scotland (1872) to learn more about the condition of the records.
| OPR and RD Numbers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date Range | Name | Number | Type |
| 1549-1854 | Anstruther Wester | 403 | OPR |
| 1855-1930 | Anstruther Wester | 403 | RD |
| 2009 | Fife, East Neuk | 414 | RD |
| 2026 | Fife Council; Royal Burgh of Kilrenny, Anstruther and Cellardyke Community Council | ||
(2009: Parishes and Registration Districts of Scotland - Old and New, National Records of Scotland)
Local community councils (2026) are provided as a potential source of additional information for settlements within the original boundaries of the parish. (Source)
Statistics from informal and official censuses
Brodie, Cuthbert, Elder, Millar, Peebles, Robb, Robertson, Smith, Thomson, Wilson
Note: Names appearing in research materials, other than censuses. Simple names (First name, surname only) have been omitted unless they appear associated with large properties. All women's names, and men's names with occupations, military ranks, or peerage titles are included.
By the Reverend Mr James Forrester.
"The total inhabitants is 370, of whom 200 are males and 170 are females. There are 324 inhabitants in the burgh, 35 in the country. Of these there are 36 mariners, 9 carpenters and wrights, 15 weavers with journeymen and apprentices, 4 shoemakers, 3 tailors, 1 baker, 2 brewers, 1 dyer, 1 miller, 1 smith, 4 farmers, 1 mason, 4 day labourers, 5 land labourers, 1 gardener, 1 milliner, 7 shopkeepers, 3 ale-sellers, the brewers included. All the inhabitants are of the Established Church, except one man and his wife, who attend the Relief Congregation at Pittenweem; and they are all natives of Scotland, except one English woman."
(This section contains excerpts, at times restructured or paraphrased, from an article appearing in Statistical Account of Scotland, Sir John Sinclair, 1791-1799)
Primary Sources:
Statistical Account of Scotland (1791-1799), Volume 3, p. 77
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 9, Section I, p. 611
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
