Ordnance Survey large scale Scottish town plans, 1847-1895
The
ancient university town of St Andrews is located on the north-east coast of
Fife, next to 'the German Ocean' (now called the North Sea). Named after its
ruined cathedral and Scotland's patron saint, St Andrews was, up until the
Reformation, the ecclesiastical capital of Scotland. Before it became a
Christian centre during the reign of a Pictish king in the ninth century, the
town was known as Mucros, which means
'wood or promontory of the pigs' (there is still a section of the town called
Boarhills). If local legend is to believed, it was St Regulus, or St Rule, who
brought the ancient relics (i.e. his bones) of Saint Andrew back to Scotland
from Greece in AD 345. This explains why the town was known in Gaelic as baile reuil, which means the 'town of Rule'.
The
town was first granted a royal charter by David I of Scotland in, or around,
1140. St Andrews also enjoys prestige for being the 'home of golf', with
written golfing records dating back to as early as 1552. The town's population
in the census of 1801 was 3,263, increasing to 4,462 in 1831.
Trade and Industry
The
main industry in St Andrews at the time of this survey was the weaving of
linen, which was then taken to factories in Dundee and Newburgh for completion.
The making of golf balls and golf clubs was also a major industry, although the
golf ball industry was extinct by 1857. An extensive steam saw-mill was located
close to the harbour, while several large flour mills were owned by an
incorporation of bakers. A grain market was held every Monday, while fairs took
place on festival dates throughout the year. There were also weekly markets for
poultry, dairy produce and vegetables. The railway line to 'the Metropolis of
Golfing' opened in 1852, with the station located in the western part of the
town.
Although
the port of St Andrews suffered a decline following its heyday during the
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the harbour enjoyed a revival of trade
during the early nineteenth century. The harbour at St Andrews was also the
first in Scotland to have a lifeboat station, which opened in 1800. The East
Neuk region of Fife is located to the south-east of St Andrews, and this
collection of ancient fishing villages provided the town with a diverse range
of sea produce. The town's rural hinterland, meanwhile, provided St Andrews
with grain, potatoes and other produce from the farms of Fife.
Religious Life
As
the centre of Scottish religious life, St Andrews witnessed many important
events during the Reformation. Indeed, the Martyrs' Monument is located close
to the Royal and Ancient Clubhouse. It was from one of the windows in the
twelfth-century castle that Cardinal David Beaton was thrown to his death by a
group of Fife lairds, in a revenge attack for the public burning of the
Protestant preacher, George Wishart.
Although
the twelfth-century Abbey had previously suffered damage from fire, storms and
English armies, its eventual destruction was carried out by a congregational
mob. This rabble descended upon the Abbey in a collective fit of frenzy in June
1559, following a fiery sermon by John Knox, and destroyed everything that they
considered to be 'popery'.
Education
Long
renowned as a centre of religious and classical learning, Scotland's first university
was established here by Bishop Wardlaw in 1411. The University of St Andrews
has a rich history and alumni, with the curricular emphasis very much on the
classics. One of the university's most famous graduates was Edward Jenner, who
pioneered the smallpox vaccination. Turning attention to the education of
children, Madras College, located in South Street (beside the West Port), was
built on land gifted to the school by the famous educationalist, Rev. Dr.
Andrew Bell, in 1832.
Groome,
Francis H. (ed.), 1894-5. The Ordnance
Gazetteer of Scotland; a survey of Scottish topography, statistical,
biographical, and historical, 2nd ed., (London: William Mackenzie)
Mackay,
George, 2000. Scottish Place Names
(New Lanark: Lomond)
Smith,
Robert, 2001. The Making of Scotland: a
comprehensive guide to the growth of its cities, towns and villages (Edinburgh:
Canongate)
Wilson,
Rev. John Marius (ed.), 1857. The
Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland or Dictionary of Scottish Topography (Edinburgh:
A. Fullarton & Co.)