Looking for Colin Fowler Close (a street) in Pittenweem

[Annbee]

My gggg grandfather is Colin Fowler, famous in the 1700s in Pittenweem, forgotten now it seems, and the cul de sac where he lived and operated his front-room tavern was called Colin Fowler Close. It was said to be at the end of town.

Apparently Pittenweem kept the street name Colin Fowler Close for a long time, perhaps into the 1900s. But it no longer shows on a contemporary map. (and I have not found any old maps with it on)

I would love to know where Colin lived, I would hope his building is still there: Pittenweem appears to be relatively intact over the centuries.

Can anyone help with suggestions on how I could find Colin Fowler Close?

Here's a summary of why Colin was 'famous':

When Colin was 20, he and a handful of mates hopped into a boat and sailed over to Prestopans to watch the Prestopans battle of 1745. They were mortified by the violence of, as Colin supposedly said, the "folk who don't wear breeks" when the Jacobite highlanders slaughtered the Royal British soldiers in less than an hour. As Colin supposedly observed "the fiends were smacking and hacking wi' scythes, as if men's heads were only thistle taps".

The Pittenweem lads made a run for their lives and returned to their boat only to find it beached by a low tide. Colin took off his breeches and carefully folded them and placed them on the shore and  waded into the sea to dislodge the boat. Just as he pushed it clear a bloodied, sword swinging Highlander appeared. 

Everyone jumped into the boat quick smart.

Even in 1953, a writer claimed that "a long a household saying in Fife: "May there never mair skaith (harm),' as Colin Fowler said when he tint his auld breeks at Prestonpans." " For almost 200 hundred years after his death, writers were still publishing anecdotes about Colin!

Apart from this event, Colin was a popular brewer, an active participant in suppressing smuggling, and with his friend James Martin, he was also a wool stapler. It was when he was out with James on a wool buying journey that he was thrown from his horse and fatally injured in c1770.

[dowdstree]

A very intering story and ancestor.

Are you on facebook? If so there is a gentleman by the name of Leonard Low who lives in Leven, Fife. Leonard had written many books on Fife and is very knowledgable about the East Neuk.

Message him and I am sure he will help you if he can.

Good luck

Dorrie

[hdw]

Annbee, it sounds as if you've read the story about Colin Fowler in George Gourlay's "Our Old Neighbours; or, Folk Lore of the East of Fife" (1887)? Gourlay says that Fowler's house was at the end of the High Street. The east end is closed off by the parish church. I have a copy of "Historic Pittenweem", produced in 1981 by the Scottish Burgh Survey, and although it doesn't mention Colin Fowler it does say that the names of streets and wynds have often changed over the years. I've known Pittenweem all my life but have never heard of Colin Fowler Close.
I have been researching East Neuk of Fife local and family history for about 40 years and would be very interested to know how you are descended from Colin Fowler. I am descended from Fowlers in Cellardyke just a mile or two away but don't believe they were related.

Harry

[Annbee]

it sounds as if you've read the story about Colin Fowler in George Gourlay's "Our Old Neighbours; or, Folk Lore of the East of Fife" (1887)

Harry, yes, and thanks for replying. "Old Neighbours" (readable on archive.org here's the link for anyone interested: https://archive.org/details/ouroldneighbors00gourgoog/page/n11/mode/2up).

I use the British Newspaper Archive as well as online books (I have about 8 news articles, some of which are drawing on Old Neighbours) and read the "Memoirs of the Horsbrugh Family" (though they knew little of Colin). Also I source Scotlands People records, including Kirk Sessions Records (where I learnt of the 'late' Colin Fowler, but not his death; and learnt he had a seat at the church) and found a little information on Gale Primary Sources which had the Title answers when Colin Fowler was part of a group who petitioned the government.

For anyone interested, here is "Annals of Pittenweem" too ("being notes and extracts from the ancient records of that burgh, 1526-1793 / [edited by David Cook]" ): https://archive.org/details/annalsofpittenwe00cook/mode/2up

As to how I am related to Colin Fowler, I am happy to send you a rudimentary tree if you like - so much easier than explaining! I have confirmed my relationship to Colin with records, but haven't confirmed beyond his birth of 1725.

One of the articles said that when Colin Fowler was killed at the "Lammermoors" (presumably Lammermuir), he had only two daughters and the name died with him. That is incorrect. (The author of that article didn't have the benefit of Scotlands People records in 1882.) Colin and his wife Ann Ireland had several children: George b 1751 (my ggg grandfather), Isabel b 1752 (who married Captain Rankine of Bairnsmuir according to another article), Andrew b 1753 and Margaret b 1756. George moved away from Pittenweem, to Balmullo, where he had a market gardener business on Lucklawhill.

As to the whereabouts of Colin's house, Vintner, it may remain a mystery. This afternoon I thought it might be the Inn (now an Air BNB) in Browns Close - until I discovered that Browns Close and Colin Fowler's Close existed simultaneously in the 1870s. In the 1870s there were 17 public houses in little Pittenweem! A Mrs Watson sold the building to the tennant Robert Bruce in 1882 (Fife News, 20 May 1882). Unfortunately my sub to BNA expired yesterday so currently can't read the full article.

I'll message you, Harry, re the tree.

Kind regards, Annie

[Annbee]

I am attaching a couple of early - and not terribly good - maps of Pittenweem. Pittenweem must be the land cartographers forgot! The scrawled one is 1829 and the second slightly less scrawled version is from 1936.

[Annbee]

Message him and I am sure he will help you

Thanks for the tip, Dorrie. I'll give it (him) a shot!

Kind regards, Annie

[hdw]

You have obviously done a lot of research and I'm impressed. I was brought up in Cellardyke and went to the Waid Academy in Anstruther, where by chance most of my classmates were from Pittenweem. My late brother-in-law was also a Pittenweemer, from the Water Wynd. I used to spend the New Year in Pittenweem first-footing my chums' parents, so got to know the town a bit.

I also had ancestors from Pittenweem, Horsburgh/Anderson/Thomson/Morrice or Morris. My Horsburghs were the fishing family, not to be confused with the Horsburghs of Firth who were landed gentry and property owners in the town.

A few years ago there was a discussion here about the Fortunes and Rankines of Barnsmuir, and I stuck my spoke in there too.

https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=583221.0

Harry

[hdw]

As to the whereabouts of Colin's house, Vintner, it may remain a mystery. This afternoon I thought it might be the Inn (now an Air BNB) in Browns Close - until I discovered that Browns Close and Colin Fowler's Close existed simultaneously in the 1870s. In the 1870s there were 17 public houses in little Pittenweem! A Mrs Watson sold the building to the tennant Robert Bruce in 1882 (Fife News, 20 May 1882). Unfortunately my sub to BNA expired yesterday so currently can't read the full article.

I'll message you, Harry, re the tree.

Kind regards, Annie
[/quote]

I just looked up Robert Bruce in the 1881 Pittenweem census. There were two households in Nicolson's Close, one was James Johnston and family, the other was Robert Bruce, publican, and his wife. The next entry is for School Wynd.
Harry

[Annbee]

Thanks for looking Harry, much appreciated. But all I can find on google maps is Browns Close and Gascon's Close. Ah well. I do feel it might be in the area you indicated, perhaps I feel that from an old map, and can see on Google a narrow opening from High Street which may have been/still are an entry to a couple of dwellings behind the main street. From what I read I am gathering Colin Fowler conducted his vintner business from his house; not like the Inn at Browns Close which looks set up to be a public-house.