Person Sheet


Name Peter KINNEAR
Birth 1841, Craigie Farm, Leuchars, Fife, Scotland
Death 27 Aug1923, Balmullo, Leuchars, Fife, Scotland Age: 82
Father James KINNEAR
Mother Christian REID
Spouses:
1 Janet  WOOD
Birth 7 Sep 1839, Leuchars, Fife, Scotland
Death 11 May 1924, Balmullo, Leuchars, Fife, Scotland Age: 84
Father Alexander WOOD
Mother Catherine LOUDEN (1807-)
Children: Margaret (1862-1879)
James (1865-)
Ann Hall (1863-)
Alexander (1867-)
Robina (1869-)
Margaret (1881-)
Agnes Sime (1873-1960)
Catherine (1860-)
Isabella (1871-)
Notes for Peter KINNEAR

BIOGRAPHY: Peter and Janet Kinnear lived in Balmullo, Fife and worked in the mill at Guard-Bridge when Grandma's (Isabella Wood Prosser - nee Hay) family left Scotland in 1912.


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Balmullo, Fife

Guardbridge, 3 miles north-west of St Andrews and just south of Leuchars stands at the head of the estuary and lowest bridging point of the River Eden. The six-arched Old Guard Bridge (or Gaire Brig) from which the town's name is derived was built in the 15th century. River crossings were always important locations and the village grew up at crossings of the River Eden and Motray Water. 
It is thought that the name my be derived from the fact that pilgrims in the Middle ages, heading for St Andrews, congregated here before meeting the guards who would escort them for the final part of their journey. A whisky distillery was founded here in 1810 by William Haig but this was later converted into a paper mill in 1873. Paper is still made here today. 

Mill at Guard-Bridge 


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At the birth of Alexander (1867), Robina (1869), Isabella (1871), Peter was noted as a Ploughman.
At the birth of Catherine (1860), Margaret (1862), Agnes Sime (1873) Peter was noted as a Farm Servant.

BURIAL: Peter and Janet are buried with their daughter Margaret (Maggie) who died in the Tay Bridge Disaster (28 Dec 1879) at Leuchars.

MARRIAGE:  [ Logie: 17 Mar 1860 According to their marriage certificate, Peter was a Ploughman and Janet a Domestic Servant. Peter's residence was Servington, Parish of Kilmany, Fife. 
On Isabella's birth certificate of 1871, the marriage of Peter and Janet is listed as 24 December 1869, London (England).

The name of Logie is supposed to have been derived from a Gaelic term, signifying a hollow among the hills, and this sufficiently describes the topographical situation of part of the parish

The church of Logie was under the Abbey of Balmerino previous to the Reformation, and Archibald Keith, the first Protestant minister, who was appointed in 1562, had both Logie and Balmerino churches under his charge. The building had fallen into so great disrepair, that in 1590 it was deemed necessary that it should be "re-edifiet." The present church was erected in 1826


Logie Parish
Logie parish contains the small villages of Logie and Lucklawhill Feus, and is bounded on the north by Forgan, east by Leuchars, south by Dairsie, and west by Kilmany. The extreme length of the parish is four and five-eighths miles from north-east to south-west, its breadth varying from two and a quarter miles to three quarters of a mile, with an area of 3599 acres. The parish lies between Motray burn, which forms the northern boundary, and Moonzie burn, which marks the southern limit. The surface declines on the north and south towards these streams, reaching a height of 85 feet and 180 feet above sea-level; but the ground rises towards the north-east--Forret Hill near the centre of the parish being 571 feet, and Lucklaw Hill being 626 feet, while Crumblie Hill in the north-eastern part, near the valley of Motray, is only 335 feet. By far the largest portion of the parish is under cultivation. The only occupation is agriculture. Formerly there were hand- looms giving work to a fair portion of the inhabitants, but these have quite disappeared. The following figures give the population:    1801 - 339,   1811 - 369,  1821 - 440,  1831 - 430, 1861 - 410, 1871 - 402, 1881 - 390, 1891 - 360


Leuchars is renowned for its long association with the Royal Air Force base and also the Church of St. Athernase which dates back to the late 12th century. The Church is one of the finest examples of Norman architecture in Britain and proudly stands on a grassy knoll overlooking the village. Originally the Leuchars area was a vast marshland at the mouth of the River Eden. Both the Church and Leuchars Castle - which was demolished in the 1970's - occupied the higher ground and secured a vantage point over the surrounding area. Extensive land reclamation about 1800 allowed Leuchars village to expand  "Leuchars parish is 9 miles in length by 5 in breadth. It is bounded on the east by the German Ocean, and watered by the Eden on the south and south-west. The surface is level and the soil tolerably fertile. There is an extensive distillery in the parish. The village of Leuchars is pleasantly situated about a mile from the coast, and 6 from St Andrews, on the road from that town to Dundee. The majority of the inhabitants are employed in the linen manufacture. The Edinburgh & Dundee Railway passes through the parish, and there is a station in the village. The church is very ancient, and considered one of the most perfect specimens of Saxon architecture in Scotland; it is supposed to have been erected in the 12th century. There is also a free church in the parish." from Slater's Directory published 1852.
It is now privately owned and not open to the public. A village in the parish of Leuchars, E Fife, Balmullo is situated on the eastern slopes of Lucklaw Hill 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Leuchars. Now largely a dormitory settlement, it was once a weaving village.


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