What's In A Name
The Name Burntisland
There has been much speculation as to the origin of the name Burntisland. Prior to the early 1500s, what is now Burntisland was known as Kinghorn Wester, the castle which protected the harbour was known as The Tower of Kinghorn Wester and was under the custodianship of Dunfermline Abbey.
The Origins of Burntisland
During the Wars of Independence in the late 12thcentury early 13th the monks of Dunfermline had accepted Edward I as overlord. They sought Edwards generosity and petitioned him to grant them a market in Kirkcaldy, this was granted along with 'Free Warren' in lands in Kinghorn, Kirkcaldyn, Nithbren (Largo) and Fotheroffe. Free Warren was a privilege granted by English Sovereigns to individuals or to institutions such as the Abbey at Dunfermline, to allow them to catch certain species of animals for their own use. The lands in Kinghorn were the Cunyngairlands and the Grasslandis. Cunyngar is the Scots word for a rabbit warren. These lands are now where the town of Burntisland stands. W.J.M. Liddall in The Place Names of Fife (1896) notes that Cunyngairland is commonly known as "Brint-Eland. By the early 1500s the poor parish was starting to flourish. The town in those days was mainly congregated around the harbour area and on to what is now Forth Place; it was a Burgh of Regality controlled by the Abbey of Dunfermline.
The Reformation
James V had negotiated with the Abbots of Dunfermline for the harbour and surrounding lands and given them other lands in exchange, this did not include what was called Wester Kinghorn, the King issued a charter dated 25th June 1541, to create a Royal Burgh The following year another charter was granted dated 19th July 1542, that the lands nearest to the harbour must belong to the port;" therefore the King directs that the Monastery shall resign the lands of Wester Kinghorn in excambation for an annual rent from the lands of Buckhaven. The King died in 1542 and the Abbots of Dunfermline disputed the Burgh's status and it reverted to being a Burgh of Regality. It was not until 1568 that Royal Burgh status was recognised, even after this, disputes with the occupiers of the castle continued.
The haven of Burntisland is only so called from the later 16th century onwards. From its construction right up until the later 16th century (and later) it is described in historical records as the Port of Grace
The first mention of Burntisland was in the charter of 1573, where the spelling is ‘Birtyland’, another charter of 1587, refers to Bryntyland. From the early 1600s we come across various spellings- Brunteland ,Bruntyland, Bruntisland, Brintilland, Brunteilland, Bruntilland. We must remember that in the period we are talking about there was little standardization in spelling and that those recording proceedings would write them down as they were heard. Overall, the preferred spelling appears to be Bruntiland. In the Town Court Book, dated 1737-1800, the first five entries are Bruntisland. From 1737 the spelling is the modern ‘Burntisland’, this continues up to the present day.
An alternative explanation for the name is that it is derived from the’ Binn Hill’, which overlooks the town. It is suggested that the name comes from the Old British or Celtic ‘Brynn Telyn’, meaning the ‘half carcase hill’, a reference to the shape of the Binn Hill. 'Telyn', in Welsh means harp. This again could be a reference to the shape of of Binn Hill. It was common in Celtic Britain to name places after prominent landmarks.
So, take your pick, it either comes from the Scots word for a rabbit warren or from the Celtic name for the Binn Hill. I must say that I think the explanation by W.J.M. Liddall, of 1896, “Brint-Eland”, seems the most plausible.
