In this issue we look at more
medieval roads in Fifeshire, riding and wading stones, the "worn
way" in Carluke and the old road between Carluke and Lanark.
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Recent Additions
- Medieval Roads in Fifeshire
This
looks at some medieval roads in Fife. The most interesting of
these, at least in name, is the Pilgrymgath which led to St Andrews
through the southern part of Ceres parish. It probably came north
through Kennoway though this is not certain.
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| The Waterless Road near Struthers |
Another
road, linking Kennoway, Ceres and St Andrews was the Waterless
Road, so called because it ran along a well-drained ridge line.
Beyond Ceres with its old bridge it becomes the Bishop's Road
and is notable for the killing of Archbishop Sharp in 1679 by
a band of Covenanters.
In Portmoak
parish, charters dating from the time of Macbeth refer to a road
running from Inverkeithing up to the eastern side of Loch Leven
where the Culdees were established. Other charters mention a bridge,
probably the Old Gullet Bridge, or a predecessor.
The road is
referred to as a "publica strata" which indicates it
was a made road rather than a beaten track. Sometimes "strata"
indicates a Roman road but in the absence of any proved Roman
road in the area it is more likely to refer to the stretch just
south of Scotlandwell which even today is called the Causeway.
Privy Council records of the 1600's show that this stretch was
a dangerous quagmire, with only a ruinous bridge to help in the
journey.
At Cupar,
a via regia led north by Kilmany to a ferry on the Tay. Being
so near Balmerino
Rambles
on Old Roads
