Carnock ( gd, A' Chàrnaich) is a village and parish of

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

, Scotland, west of

Dunfermline Dunfermline (; sco, Dunfaurlin, gd, Dùn Phàrlain) is a city, parish and former Royal Burgh, in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city currently has an estimated population of 58,508. Accord ...

. It is east of

Oakley, Fife Oakley is a village in Fife, Scotland located at the mutual border of Carnock and Culross parishes, Fife, west of Dunfermline on the A907. The village was built in connection with the Forth or Oakley Ironworks (1846), now all gone along wit ...

. The name of the village derives from

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

, from ''ceàrn'' ("corner"), with a suffix denoting a

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

, thus giving " hecorner place". Carnock is known to have had military significance in antiquity. The civil parish had a population of 5,927 .Census of Scotland 2011, Table KS101SC – Usually Resident Population, publ. by National Records of Scotland. Web site http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/ retrieved March 2016. See “Standard Outputs”, Table KS101SC, Area type: Civil Parish 1930

Notable places

Carnock Church Ruin - South East Corner - geograph

On the Main Street of Carnock lies a Parish church which was built in 1840, though in the nearby kirkyard lies the remains of the original 12th-century church which was rebuilt in 1602. Nextdoor to the church is Carnock Primary School, this school serves both Carnock and

Gowkhall Gowkhall (for a period known as Balclune) is a hamlet in Fife Scotland, 3.6 miles (5.794 km) west of Dunfermline. The nearest village of size is Carnock 0.8 miles (1.287 km) to the west, which has a church and primary school. To the ...

. The school was built in 1864 with an extension added in 1912 and another in 2007. The main building consists of 4 classrooms and a medway hut used for various purposes. Carnock Olympian:- Former pupil at Carnock Primary was Debbie Knox part of the Gold Medal winning team at the Winter Olympics in Curling at Salt Lake City. She did come back to the school to show her Medal to the pupils and crown the Gala Queen. On Main Street is the 16th-century The Carnock Inn, one of the oldest buildings in the village, which became a public house in 1884. Next door to the Pub is a local craft shop / studio in what used to be the village Post Office . Now Oakley serves as the Post Office for Carnock. The village also boasts a Community Centre built in 2005 and available for hire vi
Fife council

History

In 1774 upon Carneil hill, near Carnock, several urns containing Roman coinage were discovered. It is believed that the local inhabitants, the Horestii, unsuccessfully defended this location against the Roman general

Gnaeus Julius Agricola Gnaeus Julius Agricola (; 13 June 40 – 23 August 93) was a Roman general and politician responsible for much of the Roman conquest of Britain. Born to a political family of senatorial rank, Agricola began his military career as a military tribun ...

. The local names Easter Camps and Wester Camps were suspected by Thomson to originate from this time as reported by Lewis. Another native fort is located at the nearby Craigluscar only away. Subsequent Roman encampments are suspected east of Dunfermline and a large camp at

Loch Ore Loch Ore is a loch situated in Fife, Scotland. It forms the core of Lochore Meadows Country Park. It is used mainly for leisure purposes, especially yachting, although the uneven depth can make speed boating problematic. The Roman General Ag ...

. The pre-Reformation church of St Caernach (which gives its name to the village) was run by the red friars of Scotlandwell and dates from 1250. The church continued in use after the Reformation and was rebuilt in 1602 and 1641 before being abandoned in 1840 when a new church was built by John Henderson. After the Reformation in 1560 the church in Carnock was under the control variously of

Saline Saline may refer to: * Saline (medicine), a liquid with salt content to match the human body * Saline water, non-medicinal salt water * Saline, a historical term (especially US) for a salt works or saltern Places * Saline, Calvados, a commune in ...

to the north and

to the east. Only in 1592 did it get its own minister, the ecclesiastical historian

John Row John Row (1568 – 26 June 1646) was a Scottish ecclesiastical historian and one of the Scottish Reformers. As minister of Carnock in Fife, he was a leading opponent of Episcopacy. Row's '' Historie of the Kirk of Scotland'' (1558–1637), ...

, who served the parish until 1645. He was succeeded by Rev George Belfrage who translated from Culross in 1647. He died and was replaced by John Shaw in 1664 who was translated to Kinnaird, Perthshire in 1679. His successor Thomas Marshall was deprived of office in 1689 for not signing the National Covenant. William Innes was minister 1693 to 1696. In 1699

James Hog James Hog (1658?–14 May 1734) was a Scottish Presbyterian minister at Carnock, known for his role in the Marrow Controversy within the Church of Scotland. Life He was the son of Thomas Hog, minister of Larbert, Stirlingshire (d. 1680?). After ...

took over and was a noted theological author. Daniel Hunter succeeded him in 1730, also serving as chaplain to the local family of Col Erskine. He died in 1739. The parish was then overseen by Rev Thomas Gillespie from 1741 to 1752. Thomas Gillespie was founder of the Relief Synod which was latterly incorporated into the United Presbyterian Church. Gillespie was followed by Rev Thomas Adie in 1753 who died in 1780 and was replaced by Rev Alexander Thomson who died in 1826 to be replaced briefly by Robert Thomson. In 1827 Rev William Gilston took over. Gilston was responsible for the building of the new church in 1840 but moved to the Free Church of Scotland in the Disruption of 1843 and was minister there until death in 1881 (a ministry in Carnock of 55 years!). Meanwhile the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

placed Rev Adam Black Douglas in their church from 1843.

Transport

The village has two bus stops. *Eastboun
Traveline
Code : 34325459 *Westbound Traveline Code : 34325439 Services run from Dunfermline bus station serving Gowkhall, Oakley and

Saline, Fife Saline is a village and parish in Fife, Scotland, situated to the north-west of Dunfermline. It lies in an elevated position on the western slopes of the Cleish Hills. At the 2001 Census the population was 1188, a decline from the 1235 recor ...

Notable places

History

Transport

Notes

See also