Secret Dunfermline

The ancient royal burgh of Dunfermline has a long and proud heritage. This erstwhile capital of Scotland had strong royal connections until James VI relocated the Scottish Crown to London following the Union of Crowns in 1603. The Reformation in the mid-sixteenth century had already seen a loss of the town’s ecclesiastical importance. These two events set in train a period of decline in Dunfermline’s fortunes until the introduction of the linen industry in the eighteenth century, and though the latter would not survive the First World War, the town’s economic future had by then been secured with the establishment of the Royal Navy dockyards at nearby Rosyth. Local historian Gregor Stewart delves into Dunfermline’s secret history to discover lesser-known stories and people from the town’s past.