Dysart, Scotland
Dysart
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 A view of Dysart harbour with Harbourmaster's House and the remains of St Serf's Church being visible to the north-east |
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 Dysart
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| Dysart shown within Fife | |
| OS grid reference | NT305935 |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | KIRKCALDY |
| Postcode district | KY1 |
| Dialling code | 01592 |
| Police | Scottish |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Dysart (
listen ; Scottish Gaelic: Dìseart) is a former town and royal burgh located on the south-east coast between Kirkcaldy and West Wemyss in Fife. The town is now considered to be a suburb of Kirkcaldy. Dysart was once part of a wider estate owned by the St Clair or Sinclair family. They were responsible for gaining burgh of barony status for the town towards the end of the 15th century.
The first record of the town was made in the early 13th century, its initial role being to settle civil matters between the church and landowners. During the middle of the 15th century, trade with the Low Countries began for salt and coal exportation. In the 16th and 17th centuries, trade expanded to the Baltic Countries. Dysart acquired two nicknames: "Salt Burgh" and "Little Holland" as a result.
Following the sudden decline of the town's harbour caused by the closure of the Lady Blanche Pit, the town was amalgamated into the royal burgh of Kirkcaldy under an act of parliament in 1930. Urban clearance during the 1950s and 1960s saw large parts of the historic town demolished for new housing. Demand from the town's residents meant that part of the historic town — most notably the 16th-century and the 18th-century houses of Pan Ha' opposite the harbour — were salvaged and preserved for future generations. Today, Dysart retains an individual character within the boundary of neighbouring Kirkcaldy.
The local saying "as old as the three trees of Dysart" may prove to be vital evidence that the town's existence stretches back to ancient times. Dysart’s name is considered to have had two possible meanings - either from the Latin word "deserta" meaning "the fasting place of a holy man" in reference to the legend of St Serf who came to Dysart around 500 AD or from the Celtic word "dys-ard" meaning height of god.
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Wikipedia