"The parish is about 4 miles long and 2 miles in breadth. It is bounded on the north by Portmoak, on the west by Cleish, on the south by Beath & Auchterderran, and on the east by Kinglassie and Auchterderran. About 1 square mile of the parish forms a detached portion, separated from the main part by the parish of Portmoak. The parish covers about 5000 acres, 2840 under cultivation, 1920 under pasture and 234 under wood. The only hill is Benarty, the south side of which is well planted. Oats is the grain most generally sown, but barley, wheat, peas and beans are also grown. Coal is extensively wrought, the annual value being about £10,000. The limestone to be found in the parish is not good. There is a parish school and a Sabbath school. There are 2 public houses, not too well employed, indicating the sober habits of the people." from A descriptive & historic gazeteer of the counties of Fife, Kinross & Clackmannan by M Barbieri, published 1857.

Lochore Castle

Lochore Castle is one of most important of the earliest Wardlaw places. Dating from the 1400's there is not much left of the castle now. It is located in the Ballingry (or Navitie) area just south of Loch Leven, north of Dunfermline.

Ballingry Parish

A parish in W Fife to the south of Benarty Hill, sometimes referred to as the parish of Inchgall. Formerly an agricultural parish, its landscape was transformed by deep-seam coal mining which began in 1870 and ceased in 1966. During this period the small hamlets of Kirkton of Ballingry, Lochore, Crosshill and Glencraig amalgamated into one large mining township. The Lochty Burn and the River Ore rise in Ballingry Parish.

If you would like to visit this area as part of a highly personalized small group tour of my native Scotland please e-mail me at;

sandystevenson@thefreesite.com

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