West Wemyss () is a village lying on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, in Fife, Scotland.Lamont-Brown ''Fife in History and Legend'' pp.151–152. According to the 2007 population estimate, the village has a population of 237. The village was granted

burgh of barony A burgh of barony was a type of Scottish town ( burgh). Burghs of barony were distinct from royal burghs, as the title was granted to a landowner who, as a tenant-in-chief, held his estates directly from the crown. (In some cases, they might also ...

status in 1525, bearing the name from the Wemyss family who lived in

Wemyss Castle Wemyss Castle (pronounced eems is situated in Wemyss on the sea cliffs between the villages of East Wemyss and West Wemyss in Fife, Scotland. Wemyss Castle is considered to be a multi-period building, and today's castle includes many elements ...

.Fife Regional Council ''The Coast of Fife'' pp.37–38.

History

The village of West Wemyss began as a settlement around the site of

which developed into a centre for the salt industry in the area.Omand,Donald ''The Fife Book'' p.195. An epidemic of

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pe ...

arrived in Scotland in July 1584, brought to West Wemyss in a ship called a crayer. A harbour was later built in 1621 by the Wemyss family for the use of coal exportation from the pits on the lands of their estate. The harbour would become a major export point for coal by the late 17th century. The ships brought back imports of

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...

iron Iron () is a chemical element with Symbol (chemistry), symbol Fe (from la, Wikt:ferrum, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 element, group 8 of the periodic table. It is, Abundanc ...

and flax from the

Baltic Countries The Baltic states, et, Balti riigid or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone ...

. A

wet dock Wet may refer to: * Moisture, the condition of containing liquid or being covered or saturated in liquid * Wetting (or wetness), a measure of how well a liquid sticks to a solid rather than forming a sphere on the surface Wet or WET may also refe ...

was added for the increased demand of the coal in the 1870s. Towards the latter stages of the 19th century, the village found itself surrounded by several mines - such as the Michael Pit in nearby

East Wemyss East Wemyss () is a village situated on the south coast of Fife, Scotland. According to the 2011 census, the village has a population of 1,928. History East Wemyss was traditionally one of several coal mining communities along the south coa ...

.Pearson, John M., ''Around Kirkcaldy'' p.31. The industry, which saw trade with

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

The Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

, started to struggle once the new docks were opened in Methil further along the Fife coast. Gradually, the demand for the harbour began to fall and it went into decline. The harbour has since been filled in and part of the old village restored, becoming a conservation area with several attractive buildings. West Wemyss Tolbooth was completed in the early 18th century. The manse in the village was rebuilt in 1894 to a design by

Robert Lorimer Sir Robert Stodart Lorimer, KBE (4 November 1864 – 13 September 1929) was a prolific Scottish architect and furniture designer noted for his sensitive restorations of historic houses and castles, for new work in Scots Baronial and Got ...

Present day

The West Wemyss

development trust Development trusts are organisations operating in the United Kingdom that are: *community based, owned and led *engaged in the economic, environmental and social regeneration of a defined area or community *independent but seek to work in partners ...

have been pivotal in the re-creation of village services. A 2009 report identified various options for the Wemyss Arms, a disused pub. In 2012 the building has been re-opened as a bistro, cafe, shop and bunkhouse, providing much needed local facilities.Bucking the trend
Scottish Community Alliance. West Wemyss - geograph

References

{{authority control Villages in Fife Mining communities in Fife Levenmouth