Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for Balcomie

Balcomie, an ancient castle, a farm-house now, in Crail parish, Fife, 1 mile W of Fifeness, and 1¾ NNE of Crail. It belonged in 1375 to a John de Balcomie; passed in the time of James IV. to the Learmonths, in 1705 to Sir William Hope, and afterwards to successively Scott of Scotstarvet and the Earl of Kellie. In June 1538 it entertained Mary of Guise on her landing at Fifeness to be married to James V. Originally an edifice of great size and splendour, it was reduced by the Earl of Kellie to only one wing, but it still is of considerable size, and serves as a landmark to mariners. A small cave near is falsely alleged to have been the scene of the beheading of Constantin, King of the Picts (863-77), by Northmen; and a group of islets, ¾ mile NW of Fifeness, is called Balcomie Brigs. See part ii. of Thos Rodger's Kingdom of Fife (Edinb., n. d.).


(F.H. Groome, Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (1882-4); © 2004 Gazetteer for Scotland)

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "an ancient castle, a farm-house now"   (ADL Feature Type: "fortifications")
Administrative units: Crail ScoP       Fife ScoCnty
Place: Balcomie

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