Dairsie, or Osnaburgh, is a village and parish in north-east Fife, Scotland. It is south-southwest of

Leuchars Leuchars (pronounced or ; gd, Luachar "rushes") is a small town and parish near the north-east coast of Fife in Scotland. The civil parish has a population of 5,754 (in 2011) Census of Scotland 2011, Table KS101SC – Usually Resident Popula ...

Junction, and east-northeast of

Cupar Cupar ( ; gd, Cùbar) is a town, former royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland. It lies between Dundee and Glenrothes. According to a 2011 population estimate, Cupar had a population around 9,000, making it the ninth-largest settlement in Fi ...

on the A91

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

to St Andrews road. The village grew out of two smaller settlements (called Dairsiemuir and Osnaburgh), and developed principally around the industry of

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...

. Since the late twentieth century it has become a dormitory settlement for nearby towns. The village may have derived its name of Osnaburgh from weaving

osnaburg Osnaburg is a general term for coarse, plain-weave fabric. It also refers specifically to a historic fabric originally woven in flax but also in tow or jute, and from flax or tow warp with a mixed or jute weft. Historic osnaburg Osnaburg fab ...

, a coarse linen or cotton, originally imported from

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population ...

in Germany. The civil parish has a population of 387 (in 2011).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

Historic buildings

Dairsie Bridge Dairsie Bridge is a 16th-century stone bridge, located south of Dairsie, in north-east Fife, Scotland. It carries a minor road across the River Eden, linking the parishes of Dairsie to the north and Kemback to the south. The bridge is protect ...

, south of the village, dates from the early sixteenth century, although it has been modified since. Nearby

Dairsie Castle Dairsie Castle is a restored tower house located south of Dairsie in north-east Fife, Scotland. The castle overlooks the River Eden. History The first castle built here was the property of the bishops of St Andrews, and may have been constru ...

(now restored) dates from the early seventeenth century, and was briefly the residence of

John Spottiswoode John Spottiswoode (Spottiswood, Spotiswood, Spotiswoode or Spotswood) (1565 – 26 November 1639) was an Archbishop of St Andrews, Primate of All Scotland, Lord Chancellor, and historian of Scotland. Life He was born in 1565 at Greenbank in ...

(1565-1639),

Archbishop of St Andrews The Bishop of St. Andrews ( gd, Easbaig Chill Rìmhinn, sco, Beeshop o Saunt Andras) was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of St Andrews in the Catholic Church and then, from 14 August 1472, as Archbishop of St Andrews ( gd, Àrd-easbaig ...

King James VI James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...

stayed at Dairsie Castle following his escape from the

Raid of Ruthven The Raid of Ruthven was a political conspiracy in Scotland which took place on 22 August 1582. It was composed of several Presbyterian nobles, led by William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie, who abducted King James VI of Scotland. The nobles intende ...

in June 1583. Dairsie Old Parish Church

St Mary's Church was built by Archbishop Spottiswoode in 1621. The church is some distance from the village and ceased to be used for worship in 1966. It is now in private hands, and the parish worshippers use the former St Leonard's Church in the village. The congregation is united with St John's Church in Cupar. Local businesses include a small Village Shop and Post Office, a Petrol Station and Garage (also selling second hand vehicles) and The Dairise Inn currently trading as Rumbledethumps Restaurant. It has a small locals bar, a conservatory restaurant and a small function room / additional restaurant.

History

In 2014 a hoard of Roman

hacksilver Hacksilver (sometimes referred to as hacksilber) consists of fragments of cut and bent silver items that were used as bullion or as currency by weight in antiquity. Use Hacksilver was common among the Norsemen or Vikings, as a result of both t ...

was found in a field at Dairsie. It is thought that the hacksilver was used by Roman soldiers to pay off the local Pictish tribes when they travelled through the area.

References

External links

Entry at Fife Place-name Data
{{authority control Villages in Fife Parishes in Fife