Largoward
| Largoward | |
| Fife | |
|---|---|
 Largoward Church | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NO469076 |
| Location: | 56°15’28"N, 2°51’29"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 419 |
| Post town: | Leven |
| Postcode: | KY9 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Fife |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
North East Fife |
Largoward is a village in eastern Fife, lying on the road from Leven to St Andrews in the Riggin o Fife, four and a half miles north-east of Lower Largo and six and a half miles south-west of St Andrews.
The population of the village and the adjacent settlements was recorded as 419 by the 2011 Census.
This is an agricultural and former mining village, one of the three main villages of the civil parish of Kilconquhar, along with Colinsburgh and the village of Kilconquhar.[1] Coal must have been worked for a considerable length of time in the district, as it is recorded that coal was driven annually from Falfield, just north-west of the village, to Falkland Palace for the use of King James VI.[2]
The name of the village probably means 'Largo's field',[3][4] Largo parish and Largo Law being just west of the village. The name Largoward is recorded from the 18th century, 'Ward' or 'waird' being a Scots word meaning an enclosed piece of land, chiefly for pasture. Although in the parish of Kilconquhar, it appears to have had a connection with the parish or barony of Largo as regards tenure.[5] The word ward appears in the neighbouring placenames of Balcarres Ward (Kilconquhar parish), West Ward and Knights Ward (Carnbee parish).[5]
Church
Until 1835 the church for Largoward was the parish church at Kilconquhar, about five miles away. Because of this distance, the present church building in Largoward was erected as a chapel of ease in 1835.[6] Following a petition presented in July 1857, under the New Parishes (Scotland) Act, 1844, Largoward was made a parish, for ecclesiastical purposes only, in 1860.[7]
References
- ↑ Third Statistical Account of Scotland; volume on Fife, by Alexander Smith, Publ. 1952. Article on Kilconquhar
- ↑ The New Statistical Account of Scotland by the Ministers of the Respective Parishes, Vol. IX Fife-Kinross. Publ. William Blackwood & Sons, Edinburgh, 1845; article on Kilconquhar
- ↑ According to Rev Dr Donald MacEwan, former minister of Largoward - see Web site of Largoward and St Monans Church of Scotland Parish Churches www.stmonanslargowardkirk.org retrieved May 2016
- ↑ "Fife Place-name Data :: Largoward". https://fife-placenames.glasgow.ac.uk/placename/?id=2052.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Glasgow University web site fife-placenames.glasgow.ac.uk/placename/?id=2052 retrieved May 2016
- ↑ Web site of Largoward and St Monans Church of Scotland Parish Churches www.stmonanslargowardkirk.org retrieved May 2016
- ↑ Edinburgh Gazette, 10 July 1857, p.625
