Tour Scotland 4K short Spring travel video clip of a windy afternoon by Chalmers Lighthouse and Outer Harbour on ancestry, genealogy, family history visit to the coast of Anstruther, East Neuk of Fife, Britain, United Kingdom. Lighthouse at end of the West pier was built in 1880 to commemorate Dr Thomas Chalmers, born 1780, died 1847, founder of the Free Church. He was born in this fishing village and, at the age of eleven, he was entered as a student at St Andrews, where he devoted himself almost exclusively to mathematics. In January 1799 he was licensed as a preacher of the Gospel by the St Andrews presbytery. In May 1803, after attending further courses of lectures in The University of Edinburgh, and acting as assistant to the professor of mathematics at St Andrews, he was ordained as minister of Kilmany, about 9 miles from the university town, where he continued to lecture. Although I now live in Perthshire, I was raised in Anstruther and Cellardyke. Anstruther was created a burgh in 1541 with the right to build a harbour, and thirty years later when it was erected into a Burgh of Barony and John Anstruther of Anstruther was authorised by King James VI to build a harbour for fishing and trading vessels. Anstruther Wester received a royal charter in 1587. Eleven years later a Spanish ship which had been part of the Armada was wrecked off shore but its sailors were given a warm reception from the townsfolk and helped to return to their native land. The town continued to grow throughout the 17th and 18th centuries with increasing emphasis on fishing and trading. The town continued to grow throughout the 17th and 18th centuries with increasing emphasis on fishing and trading. Trade was vital to Scotland at this period to secure a much wider range of goods than would otherwise have been available. Ships from Anstruther and other East Neuk ports regularly sailed to ports in the Baltic such as Danzig (Gdansk) and to the Low countries where there were sizeable communities of Scots. At one time the settlement had an anti pirate squad, it was also a lucrative picking ground for the Press Gangs of the Royal Navy. Anstruther Captains were famed for their seafaring skills in the 19th Century a number were actively involved in trade across the oceans, several in particular played a major role in the China tea trade. Anstruther was the capital of the herring fishing industry in Scotland during the winter months up until WWII when the herring shoals deserted the surrounding waters. Today there is little evidence of fishing within the harbour which has given way to leisure craft. Anstruthers main industry today is tourism. Clan Anstruther is a Scottish clan that originated from the town of Anstruther, which was adopted as a familial name. King Alexander I of Scotland granted the lands of Anstruther to William de Candela in the early 12th century. There are a number of suggested origins for William but research points to the Normans in Italy. It is known that King William I of England sought assistance from William, Count of Candela, who sent his son. It is likely that this son was William de Candela, who received the grant of land from Alexander. William de Candela's son, also William, was a benefactor to the monks of Balmerino Abbey. The site now occupied by the Scottish Fisheries Museum in Anstruther was a gift from William. The next generation of the family, Henry, no longer styled himself, de Candela, being described as Henricus de Aynstrother dominus ejusdem in a charter confirming grants of land to Balmerino Abbey. Henry Anstruther accompanied Louis IX of France to the crusades and swore fealty to King Edward I of England in 1292 and again in 1296. In 1483, Andrew Anstruther of Anstruther confirmed the right to a barony and fought against the English at the Battle of Flodden in 1513 during the Anglo Scottish Wars. Andrew Anstruther married Christina Sandilands who was descended from Princess Jean or Joanna, daughter of Robert II of Scotland. His second son, David, fought at the Battle of Pavia in 1520 in the service of Francis I of France in the French Scots Regiment. This line ended with the death of the last Baron d'Anstrude in 1928. Andrew's great great grandson, Sir James Anstruther was chosen as companion to young James VI of Scotland, who appointed him Hereditary Grand Carver, a title still held by the head of the family today. In 1595 he became Master of the Household. William, the elder son of Sir James Anstruther, accompanied Sir James to London, England, following the Union of the Crowns in 1603 where he was made a Knight of the Order of the Bath. The Fife Coastal Walking Path goes through Anstruther and Cellardyke and runs from the Forth Estuary in the south, to the Tay Estuary in the north and stretches for 117 miles. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day. Find things to see and do in Scotland where you are always welcome.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
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