Prinlaws, Leslie

[IainW81]

I'm quite curious about this place. My great grandparents lived here until the early 1950s, before moving to Glenrothes. Can anyone tell me some more about it and what happened to it, as it seems to have disappeared completely? I know there's an old chimney that stands down by the river, which I think was from Prinlaws flax mill? I've seen a photo of a gathering in the back yard of their house and it looks like typical workers rows for housing.

[diddymiller]

THIS PARISH, containing the Burgh of Barony of its own name and the contiguous village of Prinlaws,..... Prinlaws, immediately to the west of Leslie, the property of John Fergus, Esq., contains extensive flax spinning, power-loom weaving, and bleaching establishments, partly driven by water and partly by steam-power. These are the most extensive works of the kind in the county- the various mills and buildings, with the numerous dwelling-houses for the work people, constitute, in themselves, a town of considerable size and importance.
from: 1861 PAROCHIAL DIRECTORY FOR FIFE AND KINROSS on Fife FHS site

there are some pictures available online by googling.

Diddy

[diddymiller]

info about Prinlaws church

http://www.scottishchurches.org.uk/sites/site/id/10014/name/Former+Prinlaws+Church+Leslie+%28Kirkcaldy%29+Fife

map:pre 1856 etc (the 1895 is particularly good enlarged showing the houses / mills etc)

http://www.old-maps.co.uk/maps.html?txtXCoord=324500&txtYCoord=701500  can enlarge to see Prinlaws

Diddy

[Chess 010]

Do you perhaps have any photos of abridge at prinlaws in Leslie as an ancestor of mine bailie Henry hood opened this bridge and so thought would be interesting to see it assuming it still exists.my ancestors lived there for many years family names Hood and Reid and wish I lived nearer to check out family history

[Forfarian]

See https://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/NO2401 - might be something there.

And forget about old-maps.co.uk. These days you can't even get a preview there to see if you want to buy a copy. Most of the historic maps you want are available free of charge on the National Library of Scotland's web site.

In particular https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=56.1981&lon=-3.2233&layers=5&b=1

[norman_rodger]

Hi. I recently discovered that my great, great grandfather had been mill manager at Prinlaws and his father was a machine maker there, so I had a hunt for information.

There is a contemporary great article describing Prinlaws in its hayday in the Fife Herald, on 7th February 1856, originally printed in the Dundee Advertiser, entitled THE LOWELL OF SCOTLAND.

You can read it here:

https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000447/18560207/029/0004