There has been a community at Inverkeithing since at least the fifth century AD, with a history that includes ship-breaking and other trades, through to the development of today's commuter town. Today the town has grown to grown to a population of nearly 5,500.

Origin of Name

The name is of Scottish Gaelic origin,Inbhir Ceitein. Inbhear mean 'confluence, inflow' thus 'mouth of the Keithing/Ceitein' or Inverkeithing. The Keithing is the name of a small river/burn that runs through the southern part of the town.

History

The parish church of St. Peter stands in its large churchyard on the east side of Church Street. The main part of the church is a large plain neo-Gothic 'preaching box' of 1826-27, but the western tower is 14th century. The traceried belfry openings are unusual. Built of soft sandstone, the tower is very weathered, and has been partially refaced. It is crowned by a lead spire with over-emphatic gabled dormers housing clock-faces (1835 and 1883). The church's roomy interior (now deprived of its galleries) is graced by a little-known treasure, one of the finest medieval furnishings to survive in any Scottish parish church. This is the large, extremely well-preserved, grey sandstone font of c 1398, which was rediscovered buried under the church, having been concealed at the Reformation. Its octagonal bowl is decorated with angels holding heraldic shields. These include the royal arms of the King of Scots, and of Queen Anabella Drummond (d. 1401), the consort of Robert III (1390-1406). The high quality of the carving is explained by it being a royal gift to the parish church, Inverkeithing being a favourite residence of Queen Anabella.

The town was also the last place that Alexander III (1241-86) was seen before he fell off his horse at Kinghorn. Some texts have said that he fell off a cliff. Although there is no cliff at the site where his body was found there is a very steep rocky embankment - which would have been fatal in the dark.

The town museum (open in summer) is housed in a late medieval building which was part of the claustral ranges of the town's Franciscan friary. This is one of the few remnants of a house of the Greyfriars to have survived in Scotland. In the garden behind the museum, some stone vaults survive which were probably storage cellars associated with the friary.

The Battle of Inverkeithing (20 July 1651) was fought in the area, close to Pitreavie Castle, during Oliver Cromwell's invasion of the Kingdom of Scotland following the Third English Civil War. This is considered of great importance to Clan MacLean, and the 20th century poet Sorley MacLean mentions Inverkeithing in one of his poems. The Russian admiral Samuel Greig was a native.

Inverkeithing is famous for its shipbreaking (Thos.W.Ward) yard. The 2nd RMS Mauretania and RMS Olympic were dismantled here (the 1st Mauretania was broken up a few miles away at Rosyth according to the article linked here).

List of Ships broken up at Inverkeithing

The 2nd RMS Mauretania arrives at Inverkeithing ready to be broken for scrap, 1965

This is an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy certain standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with sourced additions.

• HMS Mars (1848)
• HMS Dreadnought (1906)
• HMS Nelson (1925)
• HMS Rodney (29)
• HMS Glory (R62)
• HMS Tiger (1932)
• The 2nd RMS Mauretania
• RMS Olympic (1937)
• RMS Cedric
• RMS Empress of Australia
• RMS Maloja 1954
• MT Haakon Havan (Re-named Norske Esso) 1960
• SS Ambrose 1946
• SS Hilary 1959

Transport

Inverkeithing is bypassed by the M90 motorway. The M90 links Fife to Lothian and Edinburgh via the Forth Road Bridge. The town is served by Inverkeithing railway station. The town is a hub for the rail network to and from Fife - passengers traveling to Edinburgh are carried over the Forth Rail Bridge.

Here are just a few major events from the history of Inverkeithing.

AD400s - First church founded at Inverkeithing, by St Erat

1350 - Franciscan convent founded

c1400 - Mercat Cross erected

1651 - Battle of Inverkeithing

1679 - Fordell's Lodging built

1735 - Samuel Greig 'The father of the Russian navy' born in the building now known as the Royal Hotel

1754 - Town Hall rebuilt

1770 - Inverkeithing tollbooth built

1901- Inverkeithing Bowling club founded and exists to this day at the same location

1937- Titanic's sister ship Olympic's hull dismantled in inverkeithing.

1965 - Liner RMS 'Mauretania' dismantled at Inverkeithing.

1874 - Rotary Club of Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay founded

Now it's your turn!

That's the briefest of brief summaries, and hardly covers the most important dates. But this is where you come in. There's lots of interest in local history and lots of local knowledge out there - so why not share it here? To add to the time-line, all you have to do is click on the edit button.

Or perhaps you'd like to start your own article about another aspect of Inverkeithing history? You can do that, too. There must also be a wealth of wonderful photographs of old Inverkeithing - maybe even some video of more recent events - and those are more than welcome here.