- Prehistoric period (12,000–500 years ago)
Stone Age: The earliest known settlements in Fife date back over 10,000 years. About 5,000 years ago our ancestors built a stone circle, one of many in Fife, near the Standing Stane Road at Earlseat Farm.
Bronze Age: In Buckhyne, a 3,000 year-old Bronze Age Cist was discovered during the building of Factory Rd in the 1940’s.
Iron Age: Around 2,500 years ago, Celtic tribes, including the Caledonii who gave the land its name, moved into Scotland. Later, they repelled invading Romans who dropped a 4thC Roman coin found in the 1950’s by a schoolboy in Buckhaven Primary School playground.
- Dark days (5th–11th Centuries)
Picts, Celts, Scots and the Vikings: After the Romans left Scotland, the tribes joined together, first as Picts, famous for their artwork in stone –on the walls of the Wemyss Caves and the Scoonie Pictish Cross – later as Scots. Old tales say that Fif, one of seven sons of an early Scottish king, gave his name to Fife around this time. The Vikings came next and, when they landed here, they gave the place its name – buck, referring to the sound of the sea breaking on the Hynds, and haven, a harbour. - Medieval Macduff (12th-15th Centuries)
The rise of the lairds: During these turbulent years, Scotland was a nation in the making, fought over by kings and lords. Feudalism was the law of the land, with the country controlled by a handful of people. Here, the Wemyss family won, built Macduff Castle and ruled the land and its people, retaining ownership and influence over the parish for centuries. - Shipwreck to Sea-fishing (17th-20th Centuries)
A fishing village is born: In the 1640’s, religious refugees from the lowlands of Holland landed here and were granted leave from the Earl of Wemyss to settle on the narrow beach, out of sight of his new Wemyss Castle. Their names changed over the years, from Tyler to Taylor, for example, but the newcomers made little effort to mingle with neighbours along the coast or inland. - Respectability (1830s – 1900s)
Moving upwards: For three hundred years, Buckhyne families made a living from the sea, until they had the second-largest fishing fleet in Scotland (after Wick) in the 19thC. With money from the herring, the fisherfolk began to leave their “higgledy-piggledy” hovels on the shore to build better homes further up the cliff. Soon the impassable Muir was hidden under Victorian houses, churches, factories and the co-op. But over-fishing brought about the end of this affluence and fishermen began the trek down the newly-opened coal mines. - The Coal Kingdom (1890s-1980s)
Denbeath: A Garden City: In 1915, in the depths of the Great War, a hospital was opened in Denbeath. This planned village was built to house miners for his Thornton coalmine by the laird, Randolph Wemyss. It is a fascinating and unappreciated architectural gem in Scotland. For the Burgh of Buckhaven, Denbeath and Methil, it represents the best society offered its working classes, though they still had to doff their cap as the laird passed by. - Homes fit for Heroes (1920-40)
Socialism in Action: To encourage Scots to fight in the 1914-18 War, Parliament agreed to provide decent housing for their families. Among the first to be built were the houses along Wellesly Road, from Toll Park to College St. The last were put up along Viewforth, homes for councillors and teachers, sturdy testament to the left-leaning councillors now being elected in place of the laird and his ilk. In contrast, the privately-owned squalid “miners’ raws” behind were not demolished until the 1960’s. - Post-War Boom (1945-80s)
The Good Old Days: With coal still king and College St shops busy, Buckhaven families “never had it so good”. Schools, offices, industry, surgeries appeared almost overnight. Gravel pitches were turned into parks and young people joined the swinging sixties. But then the mines shut and the yards closed their doors and the co-op was turned into flats; school leavers looked for their futures elsewhere. - Decline and fall (1980s-2010)
The Bad Times: For over 20 years, life in Buckhaven seemed to be on a downward spiral. Few people were in work and poverty seeped into every house. Drugs and drinks and crime became commonplace. The new lairds in the Council seemed to have washed their hands of the place and the once-clean air became thick with resignation as the old village was covered with dirt and rubble to be replaced by unhappy tenements - Regeneration: 21st Century
Community-Led Environmental Action for Regeneration: Just when things looked hopeless, a small group of local residents banded together to form CLEAR. Determined that Buckhyne should not be written off, they began work in 2007, their goal to ensure that no-one in Buckhaven should have to buy an apple in 20 years’ time. Ten years on and 10,000 trees and flowers later, we have reached that goal. The descendants of hardy tribes, pictish artists, brave sailors, hard-working miners and strong-willed citizens, today’s Buckhyne children have a proud heritage.