LARGO, a parish, in the district of St-Andrew's,
county of Fife; containing, with the villages of Drumochy.
New Gilston, Kirkton, Lundinmiil, Temple, and
Woodside, 2751 inhabitants, of whom 423 are in the
village of Largo, 3 miles (E. N. E.) from Leveu. The
barony of Largo was given by James III. to Sir Andrew
Wood, a distinguished naval officer, in recompense for
his eminent services; and the grant was confirmed by
James IV. It afterwards became the property of the
family of Gibson, of Durie, from whom it was purchased
in 1663 by Sir Alexander Durham, lyon king-at-arms,
whose descendant is the present proprietor. The estate
of Lundin, which formerly included the greater part of
the parish, belonged to the Lundins from the time of
David I. till the reign of William the Lion, King of
Scotland, when it passed, by marriage with the heiress
of that family, into the possession of Robert, the king's
son. Subsequently, by marriage with another heiress,
it became the property of John Drummond, second son
of the Earl of Perth; and on the attainder of that family
in 1745, it came to Lady Willoughby D'Eresby,
from whom it passed to the family of Erskine, and
thence to Capt. Erskine Wemyss, of Wemyss Castle, its
present owner. The parish, which is situated on the
bay of Largo, is about six miles in length from north to
south, and three miles in breadth; and is bounded on the
north by the parish of Ceres, on the south by the bay, on
the east by the pari sh of Newburn, and on the west by Scoonie.
Its surface is agreeably diversified with hills and
undulating valleys. The principal hill. Largo Law, rises
in a conical form to an elevation of nearly 1 000 feet above
the level of the sea, terminating in a double apex, and
sloping gradually on the eastern side: to the west of its
base is a deep valley, extending two miles in length,
called Keil's Glen. Towards the shore the surface is flat;
but the scenery generally, which is enriched by thriving
plantations, abounds with interesting and romantic features.
In this parish the soil is various, but fertile, consisting
in the northern parts of a rich black loam, and in the
southern of loam, intermixed with lighter lands, and in
some places with a friable day. The whole number of
acres is 6820, of which fiOOO are arable, nearly 300 in
pasture, and 500 in woods and plantations. The system
of agriculture is in an improved state, and the crops are
favourable and abundant. Considerable attention has
been paid to draining and inclosing the lands, and nearly
all the waste has been brought into a state of profitable
cultivation. In general the farm buildings are substantial
and commodious, and roofed either with slate or
tiles. The cattle are of the Fifeshire breed, with sometimes
a cross of the Teeswater; the rearing of horses,
also, principally for agricultural purposes, is much attended
to, and several from Yorkshire have been introduced
with a view to the improvement of the breed. A
few sheep are fed for home use, of the Leicestershire
breed; and great numbers of hogs, chiefly the Chinese,
are fattened for the neighbouring markets, where they
find a ready sale. The plantations consist mainly of
Scotch fir and larch, which thrive well; in those of
more recent formation are oak, ash, elm, beech, and
plane. The oak attains to a luxuriant growth, and in
the grounds of Lundin House is a grove of lime-trees of
very stately size; the planes in the demesne of Largo
House are of singular beauty, and many of the elms are
of large dimensions. The substratum is chiefly limestone
of a grey colour, and sandstone of a reddish colour;
the limestone is found in strata fifteen feet in thickness,
and is quarried for building purposes and for burning
into lime. Freestone of good quality is quarried, but
not extensively, as the stone lies at a great depth,
and the expense of working it is scarcely remunerated
by the produce. Coal is also found in the parish, and
is chiefly worked for the lime-kilns; it occurs in seams
about eighty feet thick, but is very sparingly used, as
coal of a much better quality is obtained from Wemyss
at only a moderate increase of price. The annual value
of real property in the parish is £10,815. Among the
principal seats is Largo: the ancient mansion, of which
a circular tower is still remaining, was inhabited by Sir
Andrew Wood; the present structure, erected in 1/50,
is spacious and in a handsome style, situated in grounds
embellished with fine plantations, and commanding an
extensive and diversified prospect over the surrounding
country. Lundin, the property of Capt. Erskine Wemyss,
is a modern edifice, from the centre of which
rises a square tower of great antiquity, the only existing
portion of the residence of the Lundin family; it is
beautifully situated, and the demesne comprises some
venerable and stately timber. There are a few other
handsome houses of proprietors of land in the parish,
which, from their situation and the plantations around
them, contribute to enrich the scenery.
A salmon-fishery in Largo bay, after being carried on
for some years with very indilferent success, producing
not more than £130 per annum, was totally discontinued;
but it has been revived, under better management,
and is now pursued to advantage. The spinning
of flax is carried on in the parish, affording employment
to nearly 100 persons, for which purpose there are two
mills driven by water, and one of them also by steam.
Largo port or harbour has a limited coasting-trade, and
three small vessels belong to it; a steam-boat sails twice
a day during summer, and once a day during winter,
between this place and Newhaven. The harbour, which
is formed at the influx of the river Kiel into the Firth
of Forth, is incommodious; but its improvement might
be effected at a comparatively trifling expense, and would
contribute greatly to restore the trade of the place, which
was formerly far from being inconsiderable in the exportation
of coal, salt, iron, and the produce of the quarries,
to Holland, and the importation of timber from Norway.
A subscription library, containing more than 500 vo-
lumes, is well supported; and a savings' bank has been
opened, in which the various .sums deposited, chiefly by
labourers, amount to a large sum. Facility of intercourse
with the neighbouring market towns is maintained
by turnpike-roads kept in excellent repair, and
the parish generally is improving. A post-office is established
under Leven.
For ECCLESIASTICAL purposcs, the parish is within
the limits of the presbytery of St. Andrew's and synod
of Fife. The stipend of the incumljent is £^53: the
manse, built in 1770, and in 1823 greatly enlarged and
improved, is a handsome and comfortable residence;
and the glebe comprises five acres of good land, valued
at £20 per annum, to which may be added £1 1 paid in
lieu of " foggage". Largo church was erected near the
site of a more ancient structure in 1817, and enlarged
in 3 826; it is a neat edifice with a spire, and is adapted
for 836 persons. There are places of worship for members
of the Free Church, the United Presbyterian
Church, and Baptists. The parochial school is well
conducted; the master has a salary of £34, with a
house, and the fees average about £30 per annum, including
£7. 15., the bequest of the late James Kettle,
Esq., for teaching four children. There are three other
schools in the parish, the masters of two of which receive,
in addition to the fees, a salary of £5, paid by the
heritors. An hospital was founded by John Wood, Esq.,
a descendant of Sir Andrew Wood, who bequeathed
£68,418 Scots in trust for its erection and endowment,
for thirteen indigent persons of the name of Wood, a
chaplain, a porter, and a gardener; the chaplain to have
a stipend of £17 sterling per annum. The building was
erected in 1667, and rebuilt in 1830 in a handsome and
substantial style, at an expense of £2000. It contains
two apartments each for sixteen inmates, who receive
£15 per annum paid monthly, and a .supply of vegetables;
there is a large hall in which they assemble for
prayer morning and evening, and above the hall is a
room where the patrons of the hospital meet for the
transaction of business connected with the institution.
The hospital is under the patronage of the Earl of
Wemyss, and the lairds of Largo, Lundin, and Balfour,
with the minister of the parish, and the members of the
Kirk Session, for the time being. There are also under
the management of the Kirk Session, the interest of
£100 bequeathed by Mrs. Wood for the benefit of orphans;
of £600 bequeathed by Mr. Kettle, one-half for
the instruction of four poor children, and the remainder
to be given in sums of £2 each to persons not on the
parish list; and the interest of £500 for distribution
among widows of the name of Jameson who have children
under sixteen years of age, in sums of £5 per annum
each. This last fund, for want of applicants, has
accumulated to £1100. On the banks of the river Kiel
are the venerable ruins of the ancient castle of Balcruvie,
the residence of the Crawford family; and to the
south and east of Lundin House are three stones of
rude triangular form, supposed to be either of Roman
origin, or the gravestones of some Danish chiefs who
fell here in battle with the forces of Banquo and Macbeth.
Two pieces of similar stone were discovered on
the Largo estate, at the distance of a mile from each
other, which, when united, formed an antique carved
cross. On an eminence to the north have been found
silver coins of the earlier Roman emperors j and at BalL
housie have been discovered three urns containing ashes,
and near them some stone coffins, and the bones of an
infant. The late Sir John Leshe, professor of mathematics
in the university of Edinburgh, and author of
The Progress of Mathematics in the Eighteenth Century,
was a native of this parish.