Inverkeithing 408205 224895208 2008-07-10T21:56:05Z Renata 3870 '''Inverkeithing''' is a town and former [[royal burgh]] in [[Fife]], [[Scotland]], located on the [[Firth of Forth]]. The [[port city|port town]] was given burgh status by King [[David I of Scotland]] (1124-53) in the [[12th century]] and is situated about 9 miles (15 km) north from [[Edinburgh Airport]] and about 4 miles form the centre of [[Dunfermline]]. Modern Inverkeithing is almost continuous with [[Rosyth]] and [[Dalgety Bay]]. Inverkeithing is an extremely well developing town and has many new housing sites including one next to the Town's Railway station. Inverkeithing is part of the [[Dunfermline and West Fife (UK Parliament constituency)|Dunfermline and West Fife]] Westminster constituency. == Origin of Name == The name is of [[Scottish Gaelic]] origin,''Inbhir Ceitein''. ''Inbhear'' mean 'confluence, inflow' thus 'mouth of the Keithing/Ceitein' or Inverkeithing. The Keithing is the name of a small river/burn that runs through the southern part of the town. == History == The parish church of St. Peter stands in its large churchyard on the east side of Church Street. The main part of the church is a large plain neo-Gothic 'preaching box' of 1826-27, but the western tower is [[14th century]]. The traceried belfry openings are unusual. Built of soft sandstone, the tower is very weathered, and has been partially refaced. It is crowned by a lead spire with over-emphatic gabled dormers housing clock-faces ([[1835]] and [[1883]]). The church's roomy interior (now deprived of its galleries) is graced by a little-known treasure, one of the finest medieval furnishings to survive in any Scottish parish church. This is the large, extremely well-preserved, grey sandstone font of ''c'' 1398, which was rediscovered buried under the church, having been concealed at the [[Reformation]]. Its octagonal bowl is decorated with angels holding heraldic shields. These include the royal arms of the King of Scots, and of Queen [[Anabella Drummond]] (d. [[1401]]), the consort of [[Robert III of Scotland|Robert III]] (1390-1406). The high quality of the carving is explained by it being a royal gift to the parish church, Inverkeithing being a favourite residence of Queen Anabella. The town was also the last place that [[Alexander III of Scotland|Alexander III]] (1241-86) was seen before he fell off his horse at [[Kinghorn]]. Some texts have said that he fell off a cliff. Although there is no cliff at the site where his body was found there is a very steep rocky embankment - which would have been fatal in the dark. The town museum (open in summer) is housed in a late medieval building which was part of the claustral ranges of the town's Franciscan friary. This is one of the few remnants of a house of the [[Greyfriars]] to have survived in [[Scotland]]. In the garden behind the museum, some stone vaults survive which were probably storage cellars associated with the friary. The [[Battle of Inverkeithing]] ([[20 July]] [[1651]]) was fought in the area, close to [[Pitreavie Castle]], during [[Oliver Cromwell]]'s invasion of the [[Kingdom of Scotland]] following the [[English Civil War#The Third English Civil War|Third English Civil War]]. This is considered of great importance to [[Clan MacLean]], and the 20th century poet [[Sorley MacLean]] mentions Inverkeithing in one of his poems. The Russian admiral [[Samuel Greig]] was a native. Inverkeithing is famous for its shipbreaking (Thos.W.Ward) yard. The 2nd [[RMS Mauretania (1938)|RMS Mauretania]] and [[RMS Olympic]] were dismantled here (the 1st [[RMS Mauretania (1906)|Mauretania]] was broken up a few miles away at Rosyth according to the article linked here). == List of Ships broken up at Inverkeithing == [[Image:Inver.jpg|thumb|right|400px|The 2nd RMS Mauretania arrives at Inverkeithing ready to be broken for scrap, 1965]] {{dynamic list}} *[[HMS Mars (1848)]] *[[HMS Dreadnought (1906)]] *[[HMS Nelson (1925)]] *[[HMS Rodney (29)]] *[[HMS Glory (R62)]] *The 2nd [[RMS Mauretania (1938)|RMS Mauretania]] *[[RMS Olympic]] *[[RMS Cedric]] *[[RMS Empress of Australia (1922)|RMS ''Empress of Australia'']]<ref>Ship Modelling Mailing List (SMML): [http://smmlonline.com/articles/empressaustralia/empressaustralia.html ''Empress of Australia'']</ref> *[[RMS Maloja]] 1954 *MT Haakon Havan(Re-named Norske Esso) 1960 *SS Ambrose 1946 *SS Hilary 1959 == Transport == Inverkeithing is [[Bypass route|bypass]]ed by the [[M90 motorway]]. The M90 links Fife to [[Lothian]] and Edinburgh via the [[Forth Road Bridge]]. The town is served by [[Inverkeithing railway station]]. The town is a hub for the rail network to and from Fife - passengers traveling to Edinburgh are carried over the [[Forth Rail Bridge]]. ==Notes== {{reflist}} == External links == * [http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/towns/townfirst39.html Gazetteer for Scotland webpages for Inverkeithing] * [http://www.fifedirect.org.uk/Inverkeithing Inverkeithing on FifeDirect] ==See also== *[[List of places in Fife]] {{Fife-geo-stub}} {{coor title dm|56|02|N|3|23|W|region:GB_type:city}} [[Category:Ports and harbours of Scotland]] [[Category:Royal burghs]] [[Category:Towns in Fife]] [[no:Inverkeithing]]