Editing Crail

{{Short description|Coastal village in Fife, Scotland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2015}}
{{infobox UK place
| official_name = Crail
| gaelic_name = Cathair Aile <ref>[http://bartholomewmaps.com/gaelic/test_mapping_150px.asp?pid=1275&id=map&xcoord=1650&ycoord=900&xreal=1650&yreal=1050&idx=277653#demo''Iomart Cholm Cille'']</ref>
| scots_name = 
| local_name = 
| country = Scotland
| population = {{Scottish locality population|name|POP=Crail}}
| population_ref = ({{Scottish settlement population citation|year}})<ref>{{Scottish settlement population citation}}</ref>
| static_image_name = Crail, Fife, Scotland.jpg
| os_grid_reference = NO613078
| coordinates = {{coord|56.2608|-2.6263|display=inline,title}}
| post_town = ANSTRUTHER.
| postcode_area = KY
| postcode_district = KY10
| dial_code = 01333
| constituency_westminster = [[North East Fife (UK Parliament constituency)|North East Fife]]
| unitary_scotland = [[Fife]]
| lieutenancy_scotland = [[Fife]]
| constituency_scottish_parliament = [[North East Fife (Scottish Parliament constituency)|North East Fife]]
| static_image_caption = Crail harbour
}}
[[File:Crail.png|thumb|seal of Crail{{sfn|Conolly|1869|loc=[https://archive.org/details/fifianaormemoria00cono/page/105/mode/2up pg263]}} ]]

'''Crail''' ({{Audio|Crail.ogg|listen}}; {{langx|gd|Cathair Aile}}) is a former [[royal burgh]], parish and [[Community council#Scotland|community council]] area (Royal Burgh of Crail and District) in the [[East Neuk]] of [[Fife]], Scotland.

The locality has an estimated population of 1,630 (2018).{{sfn|CP|loc=[https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/scotland/ pg263 Localities]}}

==Etymology==
The name ''Crail'' was recorded in 1148 as ''Cherel'' and in 1153 as ''Karel''.<ref name="pnf">{{cite web |last1=Taylor |first1=Simon |title=Crail |url=https://fife-placenames.glasgow.ac.uk/placename/?id=1892 |website=Fife Place-name Data |access-date=10 September 2019}}</ref> The first element is the [[Pictish]] ''*cair'' (cf. Welsh ''caer'') meaning "fort",<ref name="pnf" /> though this word seems to have been borrowed into [[Scottish Gaelic|Gaelic]].<ref name="pnf" /> The second element may be either Gaelic ''ail'', "rocks",<ref name="pnf" /> or more problematically Pictish ''*al''; no certain instance of this word exists in [[P-Celtic]].<ref name="pnf" /> However, if the generic element were Pictish, then this is likely of the specific.<ref name="pnf" />

==History==
The site on which the parish church is built appears to have religious associations that pre-date the parish church's foundation in early medieval times, as evidenced by an 8th-century cross-slab preserved in the church.<ref name="gfs">{{cite web |title=Crail: Overview |url=http://www.scottish-places.info/towns/townfirst71.html |website=Gazetteer for Scotland |access-date=12 December 2018}}</ref> The parish church was itself dedicated (in the 13th-century) to the early holy man St. [[Maelrubha]] of [[Applecross]] in [[Wester Ross]].

[[Crail Castle]] was an occasional residence of [[David I of Scotland]] during the 12th century but subsequently fell into ruin.<ref>{{Canmore|num=70949 |desc=Crail Castle |access-date=12 April 2022}}</ref><ref name="gfs"/>

Crail became a royal burgh in 1178 during the reign of King [[William the Lion]].<ref name="auto">''Scottish Seaside Towns'', Brian Edwards {{ISBN|0-563-20452-4}}</ref> [[Robert the Bruce]] granted permission to hold markets on a Sunday.<ref name="gfs"/>

[[Mary of Guise]], afterward consort of [[James V of Scotland|James V]], landed in Crail in June 1538 after a severe storm, and was hospitably entertained in the ancient mansion of Balcomie Castle, whence, accompanied by the king, she proceeded to St. Andrew's.{{sfn|Lewis|1851|loc=[https://archive.org/details/topographicaldic01lewi/page/235/mode/2up 235]}}

[[John Knox]], visiting Crail on his way to [[St Andrews]] in 1559, was moved to deliver a sermon in [[Crail Parish Church]]. Afterwards, protesters went through the church and forcefully removed images which were put in place by previous generations but were now considered ideologically unsound.{{sfn|Wood|1887|loc=[https://archive.org/details/eastneukoffifeit00wood/page/48/mode/2up 48]}} In August 1583, many of the inhabitants of Crail attacked nearby Wormiston House, which belonged to Sir John Anstruther. They filled up newly made ponds and ditches, and destroyed a plantation of ash trees. They were vexed at Anstruther because his new ditches had been built on land they claimed to belong to them as common land. The [[Privy Council of Scotland]] ordered them to rebuild the dykes.{{sfn|Masson|1880}}

In 2017, the Community Council was granted the Letters Patent to the Crail Shield and Coat of Arms.{{sfn|Conolly|1869|loc=[https://archive.org/details/fifianaormemoria00cono/page/105/mode/2up pg263]}} This was lost when the Royal Burgh of Crail Council was abolished in 1976.

==Architecture==
[[File:Crail Tolbooth, Fife Scotland.JPG|thumb|[[Crail Tolbooth and Town Hall|Crail Tolbooth]] (on the left)]]
The most notable building in the town is the parish church, situated in the Marketgate – from the mid-13th century St Maelrubha's, in later medieval times St Mary's, but now, as part of the [[Church of Scotland]]'s ministry, known just as Crail Parish Church.  It was founded in the second half of the 12th century.<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|num= LB23244|desc= Crail Parish Church|access-date=22 January 2022}}</ref> From early in its history, it belonged to the Cistercian Nunnery of St Clare in [[Haddington, East Lothian]], and remained the Nunnery's possession until the [[Reformation in Scotland|Reformation]].{{sfn|Scott|1925|loc=[https://archive.org/details/fastiecclesiaesc05scot/page/190/mode/2up pg191]}} The kirkyard also includes a war memorial gateway of 1921.<ref name=Gifford>{{cite book |last1=Gifford |first1=John |title=Fife |date=2003 |publisher=Penguin |location=London |isbn=9780300096736 |pages=134–137}}</ref>

[[Crail Tolbooth and Town Hall|Crail Tolbooth]] is near the juncture of Tolbooth Wynd and the Marketgate. It stands on its own at the edge of the large marketplace with its [[Crail mercat cross|Mercat cross]] in the centre of the town. This is where the Sunday markets were once held. (The former marketplace is now used as a car park.)  The tolbooth has a characteristic tower dating from about 1600 and a European-style roof, similar to buildings in Holland. The weathervane on the spire is in the form of a smoked haddock (known locally as a ''Crail Capon'') rather than the traditional cockerel form.<ref name="auto"/>

The Crail Museum and Heritage Centre, largely staffed by volunteers and open every day in summer, is sited in a neighbouring building, also of historical interest, at the top of Tolbooth Wynd. It houses temporary exhibitions and has a permanent exhibition on [[RNAS Crail (HMS Jackdaw)|RNAS Crail]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.crailmuseum.uk/|title=Crail Museum|access-date=2 January 2022}}</ref>

The [[Golf Hotel]], on High Street, is Category A listed, dating to the 18th century or earlier.<ref name=listed>{{Historic Environment Scotland|num= LB23290|desc= The Golf Hotel 4 High Street|access-date=22 January 2022}}</ref>

==Harbour==
In 1610, the eastern pier was described as "new foundit" (newly built); however, by 1707 it was called "old and ruinous", requiring rebuilding.<ref name=Gifford />

The west pier was rebuilt in 1828 by [[Robert Stevenson (civil engineer)|Robert Stevenson]]. This work incorporated the crane on the southwest corner which lifts timbers into slots to seal the inner harbour.<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.engineering-timelines.com/who/Stevenson_R/stevensonRobert12.asp|title=Engineering Timelines - Robert Stevenson|website=www.engineering-timelines.com}}</ref>

The structure of the inner walls of the harbour features a highly unusual vertical coursing of the stones.

==Notable residents==
*[[Andrew Duncan (minister, died 1626)|Andrew Duncan]], minister exiled for opposing the policies of James VI ( c.1560–1626)
*[[James Sharp (bishop)|James Sharp]], became Archbishop of St Andrews (1618–1679)
*[[James Oswald (composer)|James Oswald]] (1710–1769), composer
*[[William Dickson (footballer, born 1866)|William Dickson]], footballer (1866–1910)
*[[Oswald Wynd]], author (1913–1998)
*[[Joan Clarke]], cryptanalyst and former fiancée of [[Alan Turing]] (1917–1996)
*[[King Creosote]], singer-songwriter (1967–)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thequietus.com/articles/15813-king-creosote-interview-from-scotland-with-love|title=Kenny's Loggin' The Past: King Creosote's Scots' History Soundtrack|website=www.thequietus.com}}</ref>

==Carboniferous fossils==
On the beach beside the harbour, there are fossilised trees related to [[Equisetum|Horsetails]], dating back to the [[Carboniferous]] geological period.

==Sport==
The [[Crail Golfing Society]], formed in 1766, is the seventh-oldest in the world. Their oldest course, [[Balcomie]], was formally laid out by [[Old Tom Morris|Tom Morris Sr.]] in 1894, but competitions had been played there since the 1850s.

==Public transport==
[[Stagecoach East Scotland]]'s bus service 95 from [[Leven, Fife|Leven]] to [[St Andrews]] via [[Pittenweem]] and [[Anstruther]] is the only bus service which serves Crail.<ref>[https://bustimes.org/localities/crail Bus list]</ref> The hourly service runs every day.<ref>[https://tiscon-maps-stagecoachbus.s3.amazonaws.com/Timetables/East%20Scotland/Fife/ESCOT_Special_Fife_95_395.pdf Bus timetable]</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:The unusual stonework at Crail Harbour.jpg|The unusual stonework at Crail Harbour
Image:Scotland Fife Crail 20070725 0117.jpg|Crail Harbour
Image:Scotland Fife Crail 20070725 0119a.jpg|House near the harbour
Image:Crail harbour.jpg|Crail Harbour
Image:Scotland Fife Crail 20070725 0136.jpg|Viewing the harbour from above
Image:Crail Harbour, Fife, Scotland.JPG|Boats in Crail Harbour
</gallery>

==References==
;Citations
{{reflist |colwidth=30em}}
;Sources
{{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}
*{{cite book |last=Bell |first=Andrew |title=The Statistical Account of Scotland |volume=9|date=1793 |publisher=Edinburgh : Printed and sold by William Creech; and also sold by J. Donaldson, and A. Guthrie, Edinburgh; T. Cadell, J. Stockdale, J. Debrett, and J. Sewel, London; Dunlop and Wilson, Glasgow; Angus and Son, Aberdeen |pages=[https://archive.org/details/statisticalacco07sincgoog/page/n445/mode/2up 439]–458 |url=https://archive.org/details/statisticalacco07sincgoog}}
*{{cite web |title=Crail |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/scotland/ |website=City Population |access-date=15 August 2020|ref={{harvid|CP}}}}
*{{cite book |last1=Conolly |first1=Matthew Forster |title=Fifiana, or, Memorials of the east of Fife |date=1869 |publisher=John Tweed |location=Glasgow |url=https://archive.org/details/fifianaormemoria00cono/page/104/mode/2up}}
*{{cite book |last=Groome |first=Francis, Hindes |title=Ordnance gazetteer of Scotland : a survey of Scottish topography, statistical, biographical, and historical|volume=2 |date=1882 |publisher=T.C. Jack |pages=[https://archive.org/details/ordnancegazettee02groo/page/298/mode/2up 299]-300|location=Edinburgh |article=Crail|url=https://archive.org/details/ordnancegazettee02groo |author-link=Francis Hindes Groome}}
*{{cite book |last1=Lewis |first1=Samuel |title=A topographical dictionary of Scotland, comprising the several counties, islands, cities, burgh and market towns, parishes, and principal villages, with historical and statistical descriptions: embellished with engravings of the seals and arms of the different burghs and universities |article=Crail|date=1851 |publisher=S. Lewis and co. |location=London |pages=[https://archive.org/details/topographicaldic01lewi/page/234/mode/2up 235]-236 |volume=1 |url=https://archive.org/details/topographicaldic01lewi |author-link=Samuel Lewis (publisher)}}
*{{cite journal |title=The register of the Privy Council of Scotland (1578-1585) |date=1880 |publisher=Edinburgh: H.M. General Register House |page=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.35112103825214&view=1up&seq=726&size=125 p616] |series=3 |volume=4 |editor-last=Masson|editor-first=David |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.35112103825685;view=1up;seq=123 |editor-link=David Masson}}
*{{cite book |last=Merson |first=William |title=The New Statistical Account of Scotland |volume=9|date=1845 |publisher=William Blackwood and Sons |location=Edinburgh and London |pages=[https://archive.org/details/b21365805_0009/page/940/mode/2up 941]–969 |url=https://archive.org/details/b21365805_0009}}
*{{cite book |last1=Rogers |first1=Charles |title=Register of the Collegiate Church of Crail |date=1877 |publisher=Grampian Club |location=London |url=https://archive.org/details/registerofcolleg00gram/page/n5/mode/2up}}
*{{cite book |last1=Scott |first1=Hew |title=Fasti ecclesiae scoticanae; the succession of ministers in the Church of Scotland from the reformation |date=1925 |publisher=Oliver and Boyd |location=Edinburgh |pages=[https://archive.org/details/fastiecclesiaesc05scot/page/190/mode/2up 191]-195 |volume=5 |url=https://archive.org/details/fastiecclesiaesc05scot |author-link=Hew Scott}}
*{{cite book |last1=Wood |first1=Walter |editor1-last=Brown |editor1-first=J. Wood |title=The East Neuk of Fife: its history and antiquities |date=1887 |publisher=D. Douglas |location=Edinburgh |url=https://archive.org/details/eastneukoffifeit00wood/page/n13/mode/2up}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Crail}}
*[http://www.crailcc.com/  The Royal Burgh of Crail and District Community Council]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Crail| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Fife]]
[[Category:Royal burghs]]
[[Category:Parishes in Fife]]