This week, like the skeilie Flag webmaster Alastair McIntyre, we visit
the Fife burgh of St Monans. Alastair is staying in the town for a few
weeks - very handy for bar lunches with Marilyn and Peter Wright!
St Monans is perhaps the most typical fishing village in the East Neuk,
huddled against the sea wall right on the shoreline. The burgh was
originally called Inverin, meaning the village at the mouth of the
Inverin burn. St Monans took its present name from the presence of a
shrine said to contain the relics of St Monan, the Irish missionary
companion of St Adain. The shrine, which became known for its healing
powers, attracted pilgrims and a settlement grew up around it to provide
shelter, food and souvenirs. A wounded David II, King of Scots, visited
the shrine in 1362, His wounds healed, and as a mark of his gratitude he
built a church, now a distinctive landmark on the shore west of the
village. The Auld Kirk of St Monans became ruinous after the Reformation,
but was reroofed in 1646 to become the town's parish church. Further
restoration was carried out between 1826-8 under the supervision of
architect William Burn and the interior was restored in 1955. In the
clifftop graveyard skull-and- crossbones- decorated mariners' graves are
regularly washed by salt sea-spray. In death as in life the St Monans
people can say, in the words of their burgh motto, Mare Vivimus ( We
live by the Sea).
Beyond the church stand the ruins of Newark Castle, built by the
Sandilands family and bought by General Sir David Leslie in 1649. He led
an army of Covenanters who fought for the freedom of the Scottish Kirk
and defeated the Marquis of Montrose and troops loyal to Charles I at
Philiphaugh, near Selkirk, in 1645. The Scottish Covenanting army, under
Leslie's command, changed sides and supported Charles II against the
English Parliamentary army under Oliver Cromwell, but were defeated at
Dunbar in 1650. In spite of this defeat the Scottish army invaded
England but were defeated at Worcester in 1651, and Sir David Leslie was
taken prisoner. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London, but on the
restoration of Charles II, Leslie was released and given the title of
Lord Newark. In the 19th century, the architect Sir Robert Lorimer
developed a scheme to restore Newark Castle for Sir William Burrell, the
wealthy Glasgow shipping merchant. If the plan had gone ahead, the
Burrell Collection might have ended up in St Monans, instead of Glasgow!
Beside the Castle stands a 16th century beehive-shaped doocot, which
supplied the lairds with fresh meat during the winter.
As we have seen from the burgh's motto the sea has always been important
to St Monans, and boats have been fishing out of the town since it was
founded. The original pier, on the site of the present pier, was a very
simple one, thought to have been built by Baron Newark in the mid 15th
century and improved in the early 16th century. In the 18th century, St
Monans boats were catching haddock and cod to sell locally and in
Edinburgh, and herring for export. To better accommodate larger boats, a
new harbour was built, paid for by the local fishermen in 1865, who
could then afford to extend it westwards in 1877-79.St Monans' other
industry was boat-building, with the first company in the burgh, James
Miller & Sons Ltd, established in 1779. Although the boatyard closed
in 1992, boat-building has been revived on a smaller scale under the
Miller name.
Evidence of another industry can be seen on the Pittenweem side of the
burgh. A restored windmill is a reminder of the short-lived salt
industry in St Monans. Sir John Anstruther and Robert Fall set up Newark
Coal and Salt Company and, in 1771, began extracting low-grade coal at
nearby Coal Farm. The windmill was used to evaporate sea water in iron
pans along the shore. The salt produced was transported along a wooden,
horse-drawn waggon-way to Pittenweem harbour for export. The settling
tank and channel can still be seen while recent excavations have
revealed the remains of the nine pan-houses. Salt production was
abandoned by 1823.
In SNP circles, no mention of St Monans can be made without invoking
memories of the late Provost James M Braid. A stalwart local councillor
from his return to St Monans, after war-time service in the RAF, James M
Braid along with fellow Fife SNP colleague Dr James C Lees, in
conjunction with SNP National Organiser Ian MacDonald, was responsible
for the massive increase in the ranks of the National Party during the
1960s. He was also responsible for organising massive turn-outs of some
20,000 at the annual SNP Bannockburn Day Rally. He fully deserves his
place amongst the list of those who served the National Cause well,
although the importance of his role in the Party's upsurge appears to be
lost on historians of the National Party.
As fishing has played a major part in the life of St Monans over the
centuries, this week's recipe has to be fish based and Cheesy Yoghurt
Topped Haddock is just the ticket.
Cheesy Yoghurt Topped Haddock
Ingredients : 1 1/2 lb (750 g) fresh or frozen haddock fillets,
defrosted; 1/2 pint (300 ml) unsweetened natural yoghurt; 1 teaspoon dry
mustard; freshly ground black pepper; 6 oz (175 g) Edam cheese, grated;
parsley sprigs, to garnish
Place the haddock in a lightly greased shallow baking dish. Mix together
the yoghurt, mustard, pepper and 4 oz (100 g) of the cheese.Spread over
the fish. Bake in a moderate oven (180 deg C, 350 deg F, Gas Mark 4) for
20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese. Return to
the oven for about 10 minutes until cheese melts. Garnish with sprigs of
parsley.
