Crail

The name Crail was recorded in 1148 as Cherel and in 1153 as Karel.{{cite web |last1=Taylor |first1=Simon |title=Crail |url=https://fife-placenames.glasgow.ac.uk/placename/?id=1892 |website=Fife Place-name Data |access-date=10 September 2019}} The first element is the Pictish *cair (cf. Welsh caer) meaning "fort", though this word seems to have been borrowed into Gaelic. The second element may be either Gaelic ail, "rocks", or more problematically Pictish *al; no certain instance of this word exists in P-Celtic. However, if the generic element were Pictish, then this is likely of the specific.

The site on which the parish church is built appears to have religious associations that pre-date the parish church's foundation in early medieval times, as evidenced by an 8th-century cross-slab preserved in the church.{{cite web |title=Crail: Overview |url=http://www.scottish-places.info/towns/townfirst71.html |website=Gazetteer for Scotland |access-date=12 December 2018}} The parish church was itself dedicated (in the 13th-century) to the early holy man St. Maelrubha of Applecross in Wester Ross.

Crail Castle was an occasional residence of David I of Scotland during the 12th century but subsequently fell into ruin.{{Canmore|num=70949 |desc=Crail Castle |access-date=12 April 2022}}

Crail became a royal burgh in 1178 during the reign of King William the Lion.Scottish Seaside Towns, Brian Edwards {{ISBN|0-563-20452-4}} Robert the Bruce granted permission to hold markets on a Sunday.

Mary of Guise, afterward consort of James V, landed in Crail in June 1538 after a severe storm, and was hospitably entertained in the ancient mansion of Balcomie Castle, whence, accompanied by the king, she proceeded to St. Andrew's.{{sfn|Lewis|1851|loc=[https://archive.org/details/topographicaldic01lewi/page/235/mode/2up 235]}}

John Knox, visiting Crail on his way to St Andrews in 1559, was moved to deliver a sermon in Crail Parish Church. Afterwards, protesters went through the church and forcefully removed images which were put in place by previous generations but were now considered ideologically unsound.{{sfn|Wood|1887|loc=[https://archive.org/details/eastneukoffifeit00wood/page/48/mode/2up 48]}} In August 1583, many of the inhabitants of Crail attacked nearby Wormiston House, which belonged to Sir John Anstruther. They filled up newly made ponds and ditches, and destroyed a plantation of ash trees. They were vexed at Anstruther because his new ditches had been built on land they claimed to belong to them as common land. The Privy Council of Scotland ordered them to rebuild the dykes.{{sfn|Masson|1880}}

In 2017, the Community Council was granted the Letters Patent to the Crail Shield and Coat of Arms.{{sfn|Conolly|1869|loc=[https://archive.org/details/fifianaormemoria00cono/page/105/mode/2up pg263]}} This was lost when the Royal Burgh of Crail Council was abolished in 1976.

File:Crail Tolbooth, Fife Scotland.JPG (on the left)]]

The most notable building in the town is the parish church, situated in the Marketgate – from the mid-13th century St Maelrubha's, in later medieval times St Mary's, but now, as part of the Church of Scotland's ministry, known just as Crail Parish Church. It was founded in the second half of the 12th century.{{Historic Environment Scotland|num= LB23244|desc= Crail Parish Church|access-date=22 January 2022}} From early in its history, it belonged to the Cistercian Nunnery of St Clare in Haddington, East Lothian, and remained the Nunnery's possession until the Reformation.{{sfn|Scott|1925|loc=[https://archive.org/details/fastiecclesiaesc05scot/page/190/mode/2up pg191]}} The kirkyard also includes a war memorial gateway of 1921.{{cite book |last1=Gifford |first1=John |title=Fife |date=2003 |publisher=Penguin |location=London |isbn=9780300096736 |pages=134–137}}

Crail Tolbooth is near the juncture of Tolbooth Wynd and the Marketgate. It stands on its own at the edge of the large marketplace with its Mercat cross in the centre of the town. This is where the Sunday markets were once held. (The former marketplace is now used as a car park.) The tolbooth has a characteristic tower dating from about 1600 and a European-style roof, similar to buildings in Holland. The weathervane on the spire is in the form of a smoked haddock (known locally as a Crail Capon) rather than the traditional cockerel form.

The Crail Museum and Heritage Centre, largely staffed by volunteers and open every day in summer, is sited in a neighbouring building, also of historical interest, at the top of Tolbooth Wynd. It houses temporary exhibitions and has a permanent exhibition on RNAS Crail.{{cite web|url=https://www.crailmuseum.uk/|title=Crail Museum|access-date=2 January 2022}}

The Golf Hotel, on High Street, is Category A listed, dating to the 18th century or earlier.{{Historic Environment Scotland|num= LB23290|desc= The Golf Hotel 4 High Street|access-date=22 January 2022}}

In 1610, the eastern pier was described as "new foundit" (newly built); however, by 1707 it was called "old and ruinous", requiring rebuilding.

The west pier was rebuilt in 1828 by Robert Stevenson. This work incorporated the crane on the southwest corner which lifts timbers into slots to seal the inner harbour.{{Cite web|url=http://www.engineering-timelines.com/who/Stevenson_R/stevensonRobert12.asp|title=Engineering Timelines - Robert Stevenson|website=www.engineering-timelines.com}}

The structure of the inner walls of the harbour features a highly unusual vertical coursing of the stones.

• Andrew Duncan, minister exiled for opposing the policies of James VI ( c.1560–1626)
• James Sharp, became Archbishop of St Andrews (1618–1679)
• James Oswald (1710–1769), composer
• William Dickson, footballer (1866–1910)
• Oswald Wynd, author (1913–1998)
• Joan Clarke, cryptanalyst and former fiancée of Alan Turing (1917–1996)
• King Creosote, singer-songwriter (1967–){{Cite web|url=https://thequietus.com/articles/15813-king-creosote-interview-from-scotland-with-love|title=Kenny's Loggin' The Past: King Creosote's Scots' History Soundtrack|website=www.thequietus.com}}

On the beach beside the harbour, there are fossilised trees related to Horsetails, dating back to the Carboniferous geological period.

The Crail Golfing Society, formed in 1766, is the seventh-oldest in the world. Their oldest course, Balcomie, was formally laid out by Tom Morris Sr. in 1894, but competitions had been played there since the 1850s.

Stagecoach East Scotland's bus service 95 from Leven to St Andrews via Pittenweem and Anstruther is the only bus service which serves Crail.[https://bustimes.org/localities/crail Bus list] The hourly service runs every day.[https://tiscon-maps-stagecoachbus.s3.amazonaws.com/Timetables/East%20Scotland/Fife/ESCOT_Special_Fife_95_395.pdf Bus timetable]

Image:The unusual stonework at Crail Harbour.jpg|The unusual stonework at Crail Harbour

Image:Scotland Fife Crail 20070725 0117.jpg|Crail Harbour

Image:Scotland Fife Crail 20070725 0119a.jpg|House near the harbour

Image:Crail harbour.jpg|Crail Harbour

Image:Scotland Fife Crail 20070725 0136.jpg|Viewing the harbour from above

Image:Crail Harbour, Fife, Scotland.JPG|Boats in Crail Harbour

;Citations

{{reflist |colwidth=30em}}

;Sources

{{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}

• {{cite book |last=Bell |first=Andrew |title=The Statistical Account of Scotland |volume=9|date=1793 |publisher=Edinburgh : Printed and sold by William Creech; and also sold by J. Donaldson, and A. Guthrie, Edinburgh; T. Cadell, J. Stockdale, J. Debrett, and J. Sewel, London; Dunlop and Wilson, Glasgow; Angus and Son, Aberdeen |pages=[https://archive.org/details/statisticalacco07sincgoog/page/n445/mode/2up 439]–458 |url=https://archive.org/details/statisticalacco07sincgoog}}
• {{cite web |title=Crail |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/scotland/ |website=City Population |access-date=15 August 2020|ref={{harvid|CP}}}}
• {{cite book |last1=Conolly |first1=Matthew Forster |title=Fifiana, or, Memorials of the east of Fife |date=1869 |publisher=John Tweed |location=Glasgow |url=https://archive.org/details/fifianaormemoria00cono/page/104/mode/2up}}
• {{cite book |last=Groome |first=Francis, Hindes |title=Ordnance gazetteer of Scotland : a survey of Scottish topography, statistical, biographical, and historical|volume=2 |date=1882 |publisher=T.C. Jack |pages=[https://archive.org/details/ordnancegazettee02groo/page/298/mode/2up 299]-300|location=Edinburgh |article=Crail|url=https://archive.org/details/ordnancegazettee02groo |author-link=Francis Hindes Groome}}
• {{cite book |last1=Lewis |first1=Samuel |title=A topographical dictionary of Scotland, comprising the several counties, islands, cities, burgh and market towns, parishes, and principal villages, with historical and statistical descriptions: embellished with engravings of the seals and arms of the different burghs and universities |article=Crail|date=1851 |publisher=S. Lewis and co. |location=London |pages=[https://archive.org/details/topographicaldic01lewi/page/234/mode/2up 235]-236 |volume=1 |url=https://archive.org/details/topographicaldic01lewi |author-link=Samuel Lewis (publisher)}}
• {{cite journal |title=The register of the Privy Council of Scotland (1578-1585) |date=1880 |publisher=Edinburgh: H.M. General Register House |page=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.35112103825214&view=1up&seq=726&size=125 p616] |series=3 |volume=4 |editor-last=Masson|editor-first=David |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.35112103825685;view=1up;seq=123 |editor-link=David Masson}}
• {{cite book |last=Merson |first=William |title=The New Statistical Account of Scotland |volume=9|date=1845 |publisher=William Blackwood and Sons |location=Edinburgh and London |pages=[https://archive.org/details/b21365805_0009/page/940/mode/2up 941]–969 |url=https://archive.org/details/b21365805_0009}}
• {{cite book |last1=Rogers |first1=Charles |title=Register of the Collegiate Church of Crail |date=1877 |publisher=Grampian Club |location=London |url=https://archive.org/details/registerofcolleg00gram/page/n5/mode/2up}}
• {{cite book |last1=Scott |first1=Hew |title=Fasti ecclesiae scoticanae; the succession of ministers in the Church of Scotland from the reformation |date=1925 |publisher=Oliver and Boyd |location=Edinburgh |pages=[https://archive.org/details/fastiecclesiaesc05scot/page/190/mode/2up 191]-195 |volume=5 |url=https://archive.org/details/fastiecclesiaesc05scot |author-link=Hew Scott}}
• {{cite book |last1=Wood |first1=Walter |editor1-last=Brown |editor1-first=J. Wood |title=The East Neuk of Fife: its history and antiquities |date=1887 |publisher=D. Douglas |location=Edinburgh |url=https://archive.org/details/eastneukoffifeit00wood/page/n13/mode/2up}}

{{refend}}

{{Commons category|Crail}}

• [http://www.crailcc.com/ The Royal Burgh of Crail and District Community Council]

{{Authority control}}

Category:Towns in Fife

Category:Royal burghs

Category:Parishes in Fife