Dunfermline
Dunfermline (/dʌnˈfɜːrmlɪn/ ⓘ; Scots: Dunfaurlin, Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Phàrlain) is a city, parish, and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, 3 miles (5 km) from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth.Today, the city is a major service centre, with the largest employers being Sky UK, Amazon, Best Western, TechnipFMC, Lloyds and Nationwide.[15] According to the fourteenth-century chronicler, John of Fordun, Malcolm III married his second bride, the Anglo-Hungarian princess Saint Margaret, at the church in Dunfermline between 1068 and 1070;[16] the ceremony was performed by Fothad, the last Celtic bishop of St Andrews.[15][17] Malcolm III established Dunfermline as a new seat for royal power in the mid-11th century and initiated changes that eventually made the township the de facto capital of Scotland for much of the period until the assassination of James I in 1437.[18] Following her marriage to King Malcolm III, Queen Margaret encouraged her husband to convert the small culdee chapel into a church for Benedictine monks.[18] The existing culdee church was no longer able to meet the demand for its growing congregation because of a large increase in the population of Dunfermline from the arrival of English nobility coming into Scotland.[19] King David I of Scotland (reigned 1124–53) would later grant this church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, to "unam mansuram in burgo meo de Dunfermlyn" which translates into "a house or dwelling place in my burgh of Dunfermline".At the peak of its power the abbey controlled four burghs, three courts of regality and a large portfolio of lands from Moray in the north down into Berwickshire.Council housing was focused towards Abbeyview, on a 97-hectare (240-acre) site on Aberdour Road; Touch, to the south of Garvock Hill; Bellyeoman and Baldridgeburn.Major developments include the creation of the Duloch and Masterton neighbourhoods with over 6,000 homes, three new primary schools, new community infrastructure, employment land and the Fife Leisure Park.[37][38][39] Dunfermline retained royal burgh status until this was abolished in 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 in favour of a three-tier regions and districts.[56] At June 2017 there was a recorded 539 Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) claimants in the Dunfermline area representing a 1.4% rate which was lower than the Fife and Scottish averages.Salt panning too required coal in large quantities, and the early outcrops near the Firth of Forth became exhausted, forcing the extraction to take place further inland.The increasing distance of the pits from the Forth made transport of the minerals an issue, and Dunfermline was a pioneer in the construction of wooden waggonways for the purpose.After the end of the Second World War traditional industries, particularly linen and coal mining, declined and eventually became obsolete in the town with many factories ceasing production.[64] Key local employers include Best Western (hotels), Sky UK (home entertainment and communications), CR Smith (windows manufacturing), FMC Technologies (offshore energy), Lloyds and Nationwide (both financial services).[21][77] Despite much of the monastic buildings being destroyed by the troops of Edward I in 1303, there are substantial remains, with the lower stories of the dormitory and latrine blocks on the east side of the cloister being the earliest surviving parts, dating back to the early 13th century.[83][84] The house was originally built in the mid-fifteenth century as a residence for Abbot Richard Bothwell and this role continued until Commendator George Durie left to move into new apartments at the Palace in 1540.[87] At the top of Moodie Street is the Category B listed[89] handloom weavers' cottage, the birthplace of Andrew Carnegie, which dates from the early 18th century.[92] Just off East Port between Carnegie Hall and the High Street is Viewfield House, a large square stone Palladian three storey villa, built in about 1808 for James Blackwood, Provost of Dunfermline, and now a listed building.[97][102] In the subsequent development of the modern park, the Category A listed[103] Pittencrieff House, built around 1610 for Sir William Clerk of Penicuik, was designed as a centre piece.[104][105] Two of the bedrooms were converted to create two long galleries for museum and art exhibition space in a restoration programme undertaken by Sir Robert Lorimer between 1911 and 1913.The project was funded through the £1.7 million Dunfermline Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS) under a partnership between Fife Council and Historic Scotland.[120][121] A separate £1 million project finished in 2012, extending the Glen Pavilion to provide a new 120 seat cafe and linking corridor to the rear of the building.[123][124] The festival which promotes Robert The Bruce's links to Dunfermline centres on a medieval village and is home to a food fayre, battle reenactments and displays of arts and crafts.[132] Since 1938, Dunfermline has also been home to the 'Kinema Ballroom' a ballroom/dancehall which has evolved into a famous live music performance venue and nightclub which has hosted many internationally acclaimed artists.[153] The school was first established in Priory Lane before moving to a new building on Shields Road in 1960 and serves the eastern side of the town as well as the villages of Crombie, Limekilns and North Queensferry.The Queen Margaret Hospital provides some long-stay beds but is primarily for out-patient and day care services with a minor injuries unit.Big Country's co-founder Bruce Watson, though born in Timmins, Ontario, was also brought up in the town, a few streets away from Pete Agnew and Manny Charlton.In literature, the critically acclaimed author, Iain Banks; poet and novelist, John Burnside and Robert Gilfillan all have links to the town.
Dunfermline (disambiguation)Scottish GaelicPilmuir Works ChimneyDunfermline AbbeyDunfermline City ChambersSovereign stateUnited KingdomCountryScotlandCouncil areaLieutenancy areaLocalityEnglishPostcode areasKY11, KY12Area codeOS grid referenceroyal burghFife, ScotlandFirth of ForthKingdom of ScotlandNeolithicBronze AgeMalcolm III of ScotlandSaint MargaretQueen consortHoly TrinityDavid IScottish CrownRobert the Brucelinen industryAndrew CarnegiePlatinum Jubilee Civic HonoursSky UKAmazonBest WesternTechnipFMCLloydsNationwideFife Pilgrim WayHistory of DunfermlineMalcolm CanmoreGaelicMalcolm Canmore's TowerPittencrieff ParkcropmarkCrossfordJohn of FordunMalcolm IIIFothadCelticbishop of St AndrewsJames IculdeeBenedictineJames FittlerDavid I of ScotlandromanisationBerwickshireAlexander IRobert Stewart, Duke of AlbanyWars of Scottish IndependenceMelrose AbbeyDunfermline PalaceAuld AllianceAnne of DenmarkPrince CharlesUnion of the CrownsJames VILondonDavid Fergusonthe palacethe abbeyBalticLow CountriesdamaskFirst World WarRoyal NavyRosythAbbeyviewDulochFife Councildormitory townAmazon.comcity statusLetters PatentLocal Government (Scotland) Act 1973regions and districtsDunfermline DistrictKincardineAberdourLocal Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994unitary council areaarea committeeslocal authorityexecutivedeliberativelegislativelocal governancecounty constituencyDunfermline and West FifeMember of ParliamentHouse of CommonsDouglas ChapmanScottish National PartyScottish ParliamentDunfermlinereview of Scottish Parliament constituency boundariesMember of the Scottish Parliament2016 Scottish Parliament electionsShirley-Anne SomervilleBrexitEuropean Parliament constituencyMembers of the European Parliamentd'Hondt methodparty-list proportional representationFirth of TayNorth SeaCleish HillsUK Census 20112011 CensusScottish Index of Multiple DeprivationJobseekers AllowanceThe mineral railways of DunfermlinePrimary IndustryManufacturing