Fife Council Archives
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I am grateful to Andrew Dowsey, Fife Council's Archivist, for permission to reproduce the appended list of records held in the Council's Archive Centre at Markinch. These are, in the main, the records of the old Burntisland Town Council and related organisations, and are from the period 1689 to 1975. There are other Burntisland records held in the Centre which are not listed here, and these can be found in the Archive Centre catalogue. The catalogue can be searched using the search facility on the Archive Centre website.
Enquiries about the records should be made to Andrew Dowsey, Fife Council's Archivist. For contact details etc, please see the Archive Centre website.
IAIN SOMMERVILLE
E-mail: iars@fife40.freeserve.co.uk
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* Series
B/BL 1/1 - Town Council minute books 1873-1975 |
* Series
B/BL 2 - Burntisland Town Council account books 1764-1974,
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Accession
numbers: 98/01 00/04 01/05 01/17 Reference Code B/BL BURNTISLAND BURGH RECORDS Administrative History Burntisland was created a Royal Burgh in 1541 by King James V (1513-1542) who recognised the usefulness of the harbour. In 1835 the Burgh set up a Police Commission under the terms of an 1833 act ( 3 & 4 Will. IV c. 46). The Police Commissioners were responsible for the cleansing, lighting, policing and public health of the Burgh. The main industries in the town were initially trade, fishing and the ferry. In the nineteenth century, Burntisland was the main port for the Fife coalfield until the opening of Methil Dock. Burntisland was the fourth largest Fife town in 1891, with a population of 4,993. In the twentieth century, Burntisland became a popular tourist resort. The main employers in the town were the Burntisland Shipbuilding Company (the shipyard closed in 1969) and the British Aluminium factory. Burntisland Town Council was abolished in 1975 under the Local government (Scotland) Act 1973 (c.65). Its powers were assumed by Fife Regional Council and Kirkcaldy District Council. These in turn were replaced by Fife Council in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 (c.39). Custodial
History These records came to the Archive Centre in four parts. Town council minute books were transferred to the Town House, Kirkcaldy, after local government reorganisation in 1975. They were transferred to the Archive Centre in February 1998 as accession number 98/01. The account books of the Burgh Chamberlain and Engineer 1913-1977 were transferred to the Archive Centre from Burntisland Local Office in May 2000 (accession number 00/04). A small number of files relating to town planning and development were transferred to the Archive Centre from the Town House, Kirkcaldy, in February 2001 (accession number 01/05). In June 2001, a further thirty-eight boxes of letter books, account books, and other records were transferred to the Archive Centre when the Burntisland Burgh Chambers were being redecorated (accession number 01/17). Collection B/BL 1 - Burntisland Burgh Records Series B/BL 1/1 - Town Council minute books 1873-1975 (The Town Council minute books for the years before 1873 are held in the National Archives of Scotland )
Series B/BL 1/2 - Sub-Committee minutes and draft Town Council Minutes 1869-1968
Series B/BL 1/3 - Police Commission minute books 1835-1877
Series B/BL 1/4 - Gas Committee records 1878-1928
Series B/BL 1/6 - Dean of Guild Court minute books 1798-1958 (see also B/BL 5)
Series B/BL 1/7 - Licensing registers 1863-1962
Series B/BL 1/8 - Miscellaneous papers of Town Clerk 1776-1962
Series B/BL 1/9 - Burgh Court records 1958-1975
Series B/BL 1/11 - Correspondence to town council and agenda papers 1874-1927
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