In 1882-4, Frances Groome's Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland described Torryburn like this:
Torryburn, a village and a parish of SW Fife. The village, lying on the shore of the Firth of Forth, 1½ mile SSE of East Grange station, 2½ miles E of Culross, and 4½ WSW of Dunfermline, is a seaport carrying on a small amount of commerce, and was at one time the port of Dunfermline. ...
It has a post office under Dunfermline, with money order and savings' bank departments, and a fair on the second Wednesday of July. Pop. (1871) 723, (1881) 427, of whom 245 were in Low Torry.
The parish, comprising the greater part of the ancient parish of Crombie, and a small part of that of Saline, consists of a main body and a detached portion. The main body is bounded W by Culross in Perthshire (detached), N by Culross and by Saline (detached), E by Carnock and Dunfermline, and S and SW by the Firth of Forth. Its utmost length, from NW to SE, is 4¾ miles; its utmost breadth is 1¾ mile; and its area is 3260 acres. The detached portion, lying 5 miles N of the main body and 8 NW of Dunfermline, is bounded W and N by Fossoway in Perthshire, E by Cleish in Kinross-shire and by Dunfermline, and S by Saline. It measures 2¼ by 2 miles, and has an area of 1734¾ acres. The area of the entire parish is 4995 acres, of which 3 are water and 998¼ foreshore. The coast is mostly low and flat, and. in the main body the highest point is Shaw Hill (250 feet), whilst in the detached portion are Cult Hill (865) and Wether Hill (1100). Coal, ironstone, and sandstone have all been largely worked; and a fine brown clay, suitable for making bricks and tiles, is plentiful. The soil of the arable lands is good and highly cultivated. Antiquities are the ruins of Crombie church and a large stone at Tollzies, supposed to commemorate an ancient battle. Torrie House, a little way N of the village, belongs to R. G. Erskine-Wemyss, Esq. of Wemyss Castle; and 2 proprietors hold each an annual value of £500 and upwards, 6 of between £100 and £500. The detached portion is annexed quoad sacra to Salinel; and Torryburn itself is in the presbytery of Dunfermline and the synod of Fife; the living is worth £271. The parish church, at Torryburn village, was built in 1800, and contains 502 sittings. There is also a Free church; and a public school, with accommodation for 175 children, had (1884) an average attendance of 103, and a grant of £87, 1s. 6d. Valuation (1856) £6977, 19s., (1880) £8429, 4s., (1885) £7145, 10s. 10d. Pop. (1801) 1403, (1831) 1436, (1861) l229, (1871) 1051, (1881) 737, of whom 653 were in Torryburn ecclesiastical parish.—Ord. Sur., shs. 40, 39, 1867-69.
Torryburn through time
Torryburn is now part of Fife district. Click here for graphs and data of how Fife has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Torryburn itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Torryburn in Fife | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/16502
Date accessed: 28th April 2024
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