By George Robertson, FSAScot. At the end of my article on Thomas Henry Tuckett, I made an appeal for assistance in identifying the stone masons’ marks on Rumbling Bridge and, at last, a part answer has been provided. The information was provided by Andrew Medley, who contacted Dunfermline Historical Society.  His friend Davy Guild, whilst recording the gravestones in Saline Old Kirk yard, noticed one of the stones was inscribed with a masons’ mark which was identical to the mark between the first set of initials, LM, on the Rumbling Bridge stone.  Andrew pointed out that he and Davy are involved, as volunteers, with archaeologist Moira Greig, in recording the masons’ marks in Dunfermline Abbey. Davy also had personal knowledge of the mason’s marks on Rumbling Bridge which made it possible for him to make the connection between the Saline gravestone, and the stone on Rumbling Bridge. The Saline gravestone marked the burial place of Lewis Mercer, and his wife Margaret Scott.  Examination of the Saline census returns for 1841, 1851 and 1861 showed that Lewis, born in 1807, was the eldest of three brothers, the others being Lawrence, born 1811, and David Mercer, born 1816.  The brothers were all stone masons, and all born in Saline. Since the first set of initials and masons’ mark on the Rumbling Bridge stone have now been identified as those of Lewis Mercer, it is my opinion the second and third initials, LM and DM, and masons’ marks, must be those of his brothers Lawrence…
How to Behave in Church
Jean Barclay has been searching through the archives and has discovered an interesting article written in the 19th Century. Proper decorum to be observed in the Church especially during Divine Service by David Birrell (Notes by Jean Barclay) It is not my intention to occupy much of your time on this important subject, but I honestly trust that the few observations I intend making will be listened to with attention, hopeful at the same time it may prove profitable to one and all of us. I would in the first place draw your attention to the practice of some members of the Congregation being always rather late in making their appearance in the Church – I am however very glad in being able to say that this is by no means a general practice in the Free Abbey, indeed I may say far less than in many Churches I have visited, but I would at same time beg of those who are occasionally the last in making their appearance that in future (especially those on the right hand side of the Pulpit) they would use their best endeavours to come one minute or two earlier than they have been accustomed to heretofore – indeed on some days I have noticed our Worthy Minister wending his way with some difficulty from his room to the Pulpit, so much so that I have been thinking it would be a vast improvement to have our friend Robert Marshall (probably the beadle) to walk before in place of after the Minister. I shall now proceed to notice what I may justly call a nuisance that is continued almost…
A Seafaring Adventure
 “The Jessie Thoms of Limekilns and the May Queen: A Seafaring Adventure” by Jean Barclay The content of the Dunfermline Monthly Advertiser was generally fairly routine, but in September 1858, the editor published a communication he had received from Lerwick, Shetland, which was out of the ordinary, a tale of daring on the high seas. The ship involved in this adventure was the Jessie Thoms and the crew of nine consisted of Captain John Monro, the master, his father, Andrew, the owner, as `super-cargo – and six men and a boy. The Limekilns sailors were no strangers to long distances and on this voyage the Jessie Thoms was sailing from Archangel in Russia to Liverpool (1). Brig ‘Jessie Thoms’ of Limekilns (Captain JohnMonro) Entering The Harbour of Malta, 1854from `Limekilns and Passagium Regimae’ Edinburgh1929 According to John Monro, at 4 am on Sunday September 5th, when the Jessie Thoms lay between the islands of Faroe and Foula, he was on deck when he spotted through a glass a ship about four miles away, with a signal of distress flying halfway down from the peak and apparently drifting. They immediately made sail and bore down on the ship, noticing as they came near another vessel coming from the west which passed round the stern of the stricken ship and went on its way, rendering no assistance. Receiving no reply when they hailed the drifting ship, John Monro with three men and the boy launched a boat and boarded her.  They found the ship…
Thomas Henry Tuckett and the puzzle of the Inscribed Stone
This article was inspired by an inscribed stone on the side of the road bridge at Rumbling Glen. George Robertson was intrigued and his investigation has resulted in a brief biography of the man those name is recorded there, “Thomas Tuckett and the Puzzle of the Inscribed Stone”. This interesting article also gives us an insight into the life of a successful professional in the mid 19th Century and of how the roads were maintained in those days.
A Dunfermline Bluestocking
In “A Dunfermline Bluestocking”, Jean Barclay presents a short biography of a Victorian pioneer in women’s education. Jane Duncanson was a primary school teacher who passed the LLA Diploma from St Andrews University.