Gowkhall
Gowkhall
|
|
|---|---|
 Gowkhall
|
|
| Gowkhall shown within Fife | |
| Population | 220 |
| OS grid reference | NT053890 |
| Council area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Scottish |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Gowkhall (for a period known as Balclune) is a hamlet in Fife Scotland, 3.6 miles (5.794km) west of Dunfermline. The nearest village of size is Carnock 0.8 miles (1.287km) to the west, which has a church and primary school. To the south there is the Dean Woods past which is the village of Crossford, which has two hotels and businesses.
Gowkhall seems to have had at least two names in the past. In the William Roy Military Survey maps of Scotland 1747-55 the village does not appear to be marked. However in John Ainslie' mapping of Fife in 1775 it is, showing the large Clunie estate to immediate East of the village. In the later John Thomson's Atlas of Scotland 1832 it is clearly marked as Gowkhall, with the centre of the village being where the modern day junction between Clune Road and Dean Ridge occurs. However, by the Ordnance Survey map of 1898 the village is known as Balclune with no mention of Gowkhall, the name Gowkhall returns in the next (3rd) edition of the Ordnance Survey Maps 1903.
Historical maps are available free of charge online via the National Library of Scotland website, although reproduction here is not possible under copyright.
The hamlet of Gowkhall comes under the authority of the Carnock and Gowkhall Community Council making use of the primary school in Carnock. No public amenities exist in Gowkhall itself.
Gowkhall historically is considered to have resided in the Lands of Clune, which in modern terms refers to the Wester Clune Farm. The Clune lands were originally in the barony of Pittencrieff and the parish of Dunfermline. The lands were latterly transferred into the parish of Carnock. References have been found back to 14 February 1441:
The name Clune is repeatedly associated, through various tales, with a Clunic Monk, or Knight Templar who used to reside in the area. One reference refers to unspecified sources telling that the Knight was known to wear "black frock, a pelisse, a hood of lamb's wool, red hose, a white woollen tunic, and black scapular - the latter sometimes white, and at other times red.". The fables tell of this clunic being "hospitable to strangers, fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and gave drink to those who were athirst, and performed his duty.". Certainly the name Clunie has persisted with the area and continues to this day, the lands now consider to be Wester Clune Farm used to reside in the Clunie Estate, shown in maps of 1776.
...
Wikipedia