Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

DUNFERMLINE (Gaelic, " the fort on th...

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V08, Page 679 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

See also:

DUNFERMLINE (Gaelic, " the fort on the crooked linn ")  , a royal, municipal and See also:police See also:burgh of Fifeshire, See also:Scotland . Pop . (1891) 22,157; (1901) 25,250 . It is situated on high ground 3 M. from the See also:shore of the See also:Firth of Forth, with two stations on the See also:North See also:British railway—See also:Lower See also:Dunfermline 164 m., and Upper Dunfermline 194 M . N.W. of See also:Edinburgh, via the Forth See also:Bridge . The See also:town is intersected from north to See also:south by Pittencrieff Glen, a deep, picturesque and tortuous See also:ravine, from which the town derives its name and at the bottom of which flows Lyne See also:Burn . The See also:history of Dunfermline goes back to a remote See also:period, for the See also:early See also:Celtic monks known as See also:Culdees had an See also:establishment here; but its fame and prosperity date from the See also:marriage of See also:Malcolm Canmore and his See also:queen See also:Margaret, which was solemnized in the town in 1070 . The See also:king then lived in a See also:tower on a See also:mound surrounded on three sides by the glen . A fragment of this See also:castle still exists in Pittencrieff See also:Park, a little See also:west of the later See also:palace . Under the See also:influence of Queen Margaret in 1075 the See also:foundations were laid of the See also:Benedictine priory, which was raised to the See also:rank of an See also:abbey by See also:David I . See also:Robert See also:Bruce gave the town its See also:charter in 1322, though in his See also:Fife: Pictorial and See also:Historical (ii . 223), A .

H . See also:

Millar contends that till the confirming charter of See also:James VI . (1588) all burghal privileges were granted by the abbots . In the 18th See also:century Dunfermline impressed See also:Daniel See also:Defoe as showing the " full perfection of decay," but it is now one of the most prosperous towns in Scotland . Its See also:staple See also:industry is the manufacture of table See also:linen . The See also:weaving of See also:damask was introduced in 1718 by James See also:Blake, who had learned the See also:secret of the See also:process in the workshops at Drumsheugh near Edinburgh, to which he gained admittance by feigning See also:idiocy; and since that date the linen See also:trade has advanced by leaps and See also:bounds, much of the success being due to the beautiful designs produced by the manufacturers . Among other See also:industries that have largely contributed to the welfare of the town are See also:dyeing and See also:bleaching, See also:brass and See also:iron See also:founding, tanning, See also:machine-making, See also:brewing and distilling, milling, rope-making and the making of See also:soap and candles,while the collieries in the immediate vicinity are numerous and flourishing . The town is well supplied with public buildings . Besides the New Abbey See also:church, the See also:United See also:Free church in Queen See also:Anne See also:Street founded by See also:Ralph See also:Erskine, and the See also:Gillespie church, named after See also:Thomas Gillespie (1708-1774), another See also:leader of the See also:Secession See also:movement, possess some historical importance . Erskine is commemorated by a statue in front of his church and a See also:sarcophagus over his See also:grave in the abbey See also:churchyard; Gillespie by a See also:marble tablet on the See also:wall above his resting-See also:place within the abbey . The See also:Corporation buildings, a blend of the Scots Baronial and See also:French See also:Gothic styles, contain busts of several Scottish sovereigns a statue of Robert See also:Burns, and See also:Sir See also:Noel See also:Paton's See also:painting of the " Spirit of See also:Religion." Other structures are the See also:County buildings, the Public, St Margaret's, See also:Music and See also:Carnegie halls, the last in the Tudor See also:style, Carnegie public See also:baths, high school (founded in 156o), school of See also:science and See also:art, and two hospitals . Several distinguished men have been associated with Dunfermline .

Robert See also:

Henryson (1430-1506), the poet, was See also:long one of its schoolmasters . See also:John See also:Row (1568-1646), the Church historian, held the living of Carnock, 3 M. to the E., and David See also:Ferguson (d . 1598) who made the first collection of Scottish See also:proverbs (not published till 1641), was See also:parish See also:minister; Robert See also:Gilfillan (1798-1850), the poet, and Sir See also:Joseph Noel Paton (1821-1901), painter and poet—whose See also:father was a designer of patterns for the damask trade—were all See also:born here . See also:Andrew Carnegie (b . 1837), however, is in a sense the most celebrated of all her sons, as he is certainly her greatest benefactor . He gave to his See also:birth-place the free library and public baths, and, in 1903, the See also:estate of Pittencrieff Park and Glen, See also:rich in historical associations as well as natural See also:charm, together with bonds yielding £25,000 a See also:year, in See also:trust for the See also:maintenance of the park, the support of a See also:theatre for the See also:production of plays of the highest merit, the periodical exhibitions of See also:works of art and science, the promotion of See also:horticulture among the working classes and the encouragement of technical See also:education in the See also:district . The town is governed by a See also:provost, bailies and See also:council, and, with See also:Stirling, See also:Culross, See also:Inverkeithing and See also:Queensferry (the Stirling See also:group), combines in returning a member to See also:parliament . Dunfermline Abbey is one of the most important remains in Scotland . Excepting See also:Iona it has received more of See also:Caledonia's royal dead than any other place in the See also:kingdom . Within its precincts were buried Queen Margaret and Malcolm Canmore; their sons See also:Edgar and See also:Alexander I., with his queen; David I. and See also:DUNGARPUR 6"9 his two queens; Malcolm IV.; Alexander III., with his first wife and their sons David and Alexander; Robert Bruce, with his queen See also:Elizabeth and their daughter See also:Matilda; and Annabella See also:Drummond, wife of Robert III. and See also:mother of James I . Bruce's See also:heart rests in See also:Melrose, but his bones See also:lie in Dunfermline Abbey, where (after the See also:discovery of the See also:skeleton in 1818) they were reinterred with fitting pomp below the See also:pulpit of the New church . In 1891 the pulpit was moved back and a monumental brass inserted in the See also:floor to indicate the royal vault .

The See also:

tomb of St Margaret and Malcolm, within the ruined walls of the See also:Lady See also:chapel, was restored and enclosed by command of Queen See also:Victoria . During the See also:winter of 1303 the See also:court of See also:Edward I. was held in the abbey, and on his departure next year most of the buildings were burned . When the Reformers attacked the abbey church in See also:March 156o, they spared the See also:nave, which served as the parish church till the 19th century, and now forms the See also:vestibule of the New church . This edifice, in the Perpendicular style, opened for public See also:worship in 1821, occupies the site of the See also:ancient See also:chancel and transepts, though differing in style and proportions from the See also:original structure . The old See also:building was a See also:fine example of See also:simple and massive See also:Norman, as the nave testifies, and has a beautiful See also:doorway in its west front . Another rich Norman doorway was exposed in the south wall in 1903, when masons were cutting a site for the memorial to the soldiers who had fallen in the South See also:African See also:War . A new site was found for this See also:monument in See also:order that the ancient and beautiful entrance might be preserved . The See also:venerable structure is maintained by the commissioners of See also:woods and forests, and private munificence has provided several stained-See also:glass windows . Of the monastery there still remains the south wall of the See also:refectory, with a fine window . The palace, a favourite See also:residence of many of the See also:kings, occupying a picturesque position near the ravine, was of considerable See also:size, judging from the south-west wall, which is all that is See also:left of it . Here James IV., James V. and James VI. spent much of their See also:time, and within its walls were born three of James VI.'s See also:childrenSee also:Charles I., Robert and Elizabeth . After Charles I. was crowned he paid a See also:short visit to his birthplace, but the last royal See also:tenant of the palace was Charles II., who occupied it just before the See also:battle of Pitreavie (loth of See also:July 165o), which took place 3 M. to the south-west, and here also he signed the See also:National See also:League and See also:Covenant .

See A . H . Millar's Fife: Pictorial and Historical (2 vols., 1895) and See also:

Sheriff ./Eneas See also:Mackay's History of Fife and Kinross (1896f) .

End of Article: DUNFERMLINE (Gaelic, " the fort on the crooked linn ")
[back]
DUNES
[next]
1ST EARL OF ALEXANDER SETON DUNFERMLINE

Additional information and Comments

The Gaidhlig spelling for Dunfermline is " Dun Pharlain" pronounced " doon-far-lane"
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click and select "copy." Paste it into a website, email, or other HTML document.