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...

Peter Chalmers, minister and antiquary

The Dunfermline Historical Society recently received a portrait photograph of the Reverend Peter Chalmers, a minister of the Abbey Church, a local historian and an influential figure in Dunfermline life in the 19th Century. Jean Barclay has researched his life and in...

The Poor School

The Life and Times of the Poor School of Dunfermline by Dr Jean Barclay The Charity or Free School was established in Dunfermline in 1797 by the Society for Promoting Religious Knowledge among the Poor with the backing of the Town Council and soon became known as the...

Ye Murderer of Her Owne Childe

The Execution of Janet Mitchell – The Murderer of Her Owne Childe by Dr. Jean Barclay In 1709 Janet Mitchell, who was about 28 years old and worked as a servant maid for John Watt in Sunnyside, Saline, was tried in Dunfermline and hanged for the murder of her...

The Dunfermline Seducer

Tales from the Kirk Session by Dr. Jean Barclay One of the strange stories in the 18th century Kirk Session Minutes of Dunfermline is that of a Dunfermline widower and a married woman from Crieff. It demonstrates how different Kirk Sessions worked together. When a...