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A
great many years have elapsed since the writer
began to collect materials for the ANNALS OF DUNFERMLINE,
his native city. His object was to
arrange events and notanda in chronological order, as he was convinced
that a much clearer conception of the rise and progress of a town would be
obtained under such an arrangement, than by the method usually adopted in
compiling such works.
The writer never had the slightest
idea of publishing his notanda. They were written for his own private use
for reference. On showing them to a number of his archaeological and other
friends, they
expressed perhaps a too favourable
opinion of their contents, and strongly urged him to pass them through the
press. For some years he refused to do so, but their continued
solicitations overcame his opposition, and he resolved to prepare his
collection for publication.
The materials composing the
ANNALS have been collected chiefly from
original sources—from the Chartularies of Scottish Abbeys and religious
houses—from the early and modern "Histories of Scotland"—from various
scarce topographical and similar works—from the manuscript Records of the
Burgh, the Guildry, the Regality, and the Parish—from Charters in the
Burgh Charter Chest—from the Journals of several of the Incorporated
Trades of the Burgh—from Title-Deeds of old houses—from old and modem
Magazines and Newspapers, and from letters written by old inhabitants. A
list of the works consulted by the writer for the ANNALS will be found at
the end of the Addenda.
It is not to be expected
that a work, consisting of such a large mass of heterogeneous materials,
drawn from such a variety of sources, which are in many instances
conflicting, can be entirely free from slips of the pen. The ANNALS would
require to go, like other similar works, through several editions to get
the Errata cleared away, and the Omissa filled in. It is to
be hoped, however, that any errata that may be discovered will be found
unimportant.
Now that the work is in
type, it will be seen that the ANNALS commence with the year 1069—the
earliest authentic date referring to Dunfermline; and that they come down
to the end of the year 1878—thus extending over the wide space of about
809 years. Between the first date and the middle of the sixteenth century
many blank spaces will be observed, in several instances there are
considerable stretches of time without any recorded fact. Such gaps could
not be bridged over for want of authentic details. After the middle of the
sixteenth century, incidents, notanda, etc., occur for yearly entries,
and, as time flows on nearer to our day, they increase in such numbers
that many of the later dates will be found charged with numerous and
varied details. To the general reader many of the notanda may appear to be
of little importance, but, by the natives of "the old grey city" and the
western district of Fife, they will, it is hoped, be appreciated. To
readers who wish for further and fuller information regarding any of the
entries, ample references are given, naming the work, the volume, and the
page from which they were extracted, also the Appendix and the Addenda at
the end of the work contain full particulars of many interesting events,
etc., referred to in the Annals, which will be useful to the reader.
Numerous engravings, many of them never before
published, embellish the ANNALS as illustrations of "Dunfermline in the
olden time." To local readers, it is to be hoped, they will be
interesting; and, to the outside public who are strangers to the locality,
they will be serviceable as "graphic helps" to the letter-press
descriptions in the text. It may be mentioned here, that during the
progress of the work through the press, Mr. Tweed, our publisher, resolved
to increase the number of illustrations. He has, therefore at considerable
expense added ten engavings to the original list, viz., four Sculptured
Stones at pp. 266, 297, 301 and 437; View of the Palace Ruins, p.
408; Rev. Ralph Erskine’s Kirk, p. 438; the Antiburgher Kirk, p. 521; the
Guildhall, p. 577, View of the City of Dunfermline, p. 1, and the
Frontispiece.
Many of the kind friends
who rendered the writer assistance when the ANNALS were commenced have
long since passed away. Their memories are held by him in such sacred
remembrance, that he feels it to be a duty, as well as a gratification to
himself, to record their names, viz., Rev. George Bell Brand, Andrew
Mercer, Rev. Henry Fergus, Archibald Haxton, James Morris, Alexander
Kilgour, John Bonnar, Joseph N. Paton, John S. Soutar, Rev. Peter
Chalmers, D. D., David Birrell, Laurence Wilson, and David Laurie; and the
names of those who resided at a distance, His Eminence Cardinal Wiseman,
Rev. C. Holahan (Sub-Prior of St Edmund’s College, Douay, France), the
Rev. T. Hesking (Valladolid, Spain), David D. Black, Brechin, and David
Laing, LL.D., Edinburgh, lately deoeased.
Among those who have
rendered the writer valuable assistance during the progress of the ANNALS
through the press, his special thanks are due to the Provost, Magistrates,
and Town Council of the Burgh, for allowing him the free use of their
Records; to Mr. John Landale, Town Clerk, and to Mr. William Simpson,
solicitor, for transcripts of, and extracts from, old charters, etc.; to
Mr. George Robertson, for archaeological notes, drawings of sculptured and
lettered stones, and of other local objects, engravings from several of
which illustrate the ANNALS; to Mr. George Birrell, for interesting
notanda; to Mr. Robert Steedman for memoranda connected with the
statistics of Dunfermline; to Mr. George Stuart, for extracts from several
old Burgh minutes; to Rev. Wm. Barrack LL.D., late Rector of Dollar
Institution, now Rector of Kelvinside Academy, Glasgow, for his
translations of several old charters, deeds, etc., and other literary
assistance; and. to the Rev. William Ross, LLD., Bridge of Allan, for
historical notes relating to the Burgh and its vacinity.
The writer now closes his
work, and once more expresses his cordial thanks to all who have in any
way assisted him with THE ANNALS OF DUNFERMLINE.
Astral Villa, Muchart,
Perthshire
December 3rd, 1878. |
