PATHHEAD, a town, in the parish of Dysart,
district of Kirkcaldy, county of Fife; embracing
Hawkley-Muir, St. Clairtown, and Dunnikier; and containing
about 5000 inhabitants. This place, which stands
on the shores of the Firth of Forth, is bounded on the
north-east by Easter and Wester Gallaton; it is contiguous
to Kirkcaldy on the south-west, and is distant
about three-quarters of a mile from Dysart, the village
that gives name to the parish. As there are three
places known by the name of Pathhead, and confusion
often arises in the post-office arrangements, it has been
contemplated to change the name of this town into
either Dunraven or Dunniclair. The old mansion-house
of Dunnikier, at the head of the Path, close to Kirkcaldy,
forms an interesting object, and is in a good state of
repair. But what attracts the stranger is the old castle
of Ravenscraig, built on a bold projecting rock on the
shore: there is not a more picturesque ruin on the
whole coast of Fife, and it has for many years been a
favourite subject with Scottish painters. This castle
was given by James HI. to William St. Clair, Earl of
Orkney, when he resigned the title of Orkney: at present
it is in the possession of the Earl of Rosslyn. It
has not been occupied, since it was made a temporary
domicile by a party of soldiers during the usurpation of Cromwell.
The chief part of the population are sailors and
weavers. During the continental war, as many as
thirty persons in the course of one week left to join the
navy: few returned, but a sprinkling of the men who
served in the battles of the Nile and Trafalgar yet remain.
Still, the majority are weavers; and in order to
evince the trade, the manufacturers some years ago met,
and after calculation came to the conclusion that the
trade in ticks, linens, and dowlas, and other lighter
fabrics that are sent to the colonies, involved an expenditure
of not less than £108,000 per annum. Great
facility of communication is afforded by the Edinburgh,
Perth, and Dundee railway. The Original Seceders
have long had a place of worship here, and there is an
unendowed chapel in connexion with the Established
Church, having a massive tower which forms a pleasing
object in the landscape. A Free church has been built
since the Disruption of 1843; it has a pavilion roof,
and is seated for S30 persons. There are two unendowed
schools, at both of which the attendance is good;
also the Philps Institution, where 150 children are educated
free of expense, with books and clothes provided
gratis in addition.