1860
The following cases were disposed of Sheriff Taylor
David Watson, carter, Cellardyke, a poor infirm old man. Upwards of seventy years of age, and evidently in his dotage, was placed at the bar charged with stealing a store weight or thereby of hay from a field near Ovenstone Muir, occupied by the Rev. Anstruther Taylor, minister of Carnbee. Mr Davidson, writer, appeared as agent for the accused. From the poor old man’s appearance – he being scarcely able to support himself on his own legs it was quite evident that could not have carried a stone of hay from a field and thrown it into a cart; and the Sheriff, after hearing Mr Davidson’s statement of the case (the Fiscals not insisting on a conviction), gave David a suitable admonition, and dismissed him from the bar.
John Elder, labourer, Cellardyke, accused of stealing a man’s shirt from William Fowler’s park, pled guilty, and was sentenced to thirty days’ imprisonment.
Thomas Robertson, designed carter, but whose occupation that a cooper, Cellardyke, charged with galloping a horse through the streets of Anstruther Easter, pled guilty, and was fined 20s, with alternative fifteen days imprisonment;
1861
Gas Company.- A meeting of the Anstruther and Cellardyke Gas Co. was held on Thursday evening. An application was made by the Deacons’ Court of the Free Church to have the gas extended to the Free Church manse. It appeared that Mr Oliphant of Mayview House, had, some years ago, paid £8, his proportion of the expenses, in extending the gas-pipes to his house, which is the suburbs of the town, and the question was whether he was entitled to any compensation, as the pipes would only have to be conducted from his pipes to the Free Manse, which is almost adjoining. After a lengthened discussion, it was resolved that the Deacons’ Court would pay the proportion of expenses of laying the pipes from Oliphant’s, as it was considered that the pipes, when down, belonged to the Company.
Herring Fishing.- We are sorry we have to report the failure, or rather the unsatisfactory state of last week’s fishing. ………………. At same date last year, the number of crans caught was 24,000, while for this season there are only about 5000, being a decrease of 19,000 crans, and for the district there is a decrease of 37,000 crans, there being, up to this date, only 11,000 crans. If the weather does not change for the better, and allow the fishermen to get a fair chance before the season is over, to try and make up the loss, it will undoubtedly tell against the prosperity of this and other fishing places. We may add that there are present lying in our harbour, for the purpose of buying and curing, four Irish luggers, one Belgian, and one Dutchman ; there were some others, but they, seeing the unfortunate turn the fishing had taken, have left.
One week later
August 28.—The fishing here to-day has turned out exceedingly well, and several very heavy shots have been lauded. Several of the boats have takes ranging from sixty to seventy crans, and one boat has just come into Cellardyke loaded to the gunwale, and cannot have less than 100 crans.
1863
CELLARDYKE. EXPOSURE OF PROPERTY. -On Saturday last several properties situated in this place, and a house-wrights shop, &c. in Kilrenny were exposed for sale by public auction at the Town-hall here. There was a large attendance; but, although the upset price of most of the subjects was considerably reduced no offers were made. This was doubtless to the present unsatisfactory state of the fishing, as, from the eligible nature and situation the properties here- three 0f which were building sites—ready sales might have been reasonably anticipated.
1864
Boat Found Sea. —On Wednesday, the French fishing-lugger “B. 760” found a fishing-yawl floating in the neighbourhood of the Bell Rock, which they took in tow and brought into Cellardyke harbour. The boat was given into the custody of the Coast-Guardsmen stationed here. She is tarred inside and out, with a white paint streak under the gunwales, and appears to be old and much decayed. There is name mark to indicate her owners or where she may have belonged.
ANSTRUTHER. Sabbath Desecration.— About dawn on Sunday morning, fifteen Pittenweem boats, which had gone to the fishing ground the previous afternoon, returned to that harbour with takes ranging from one to thirty crans. It is currently rumoured that, in some instances, the fishermen were offered by certain curers a stated price for what fish they might obtain before they sailed from the harbour ; but, be this as it may, few local curers, with an Irish and a Belgian buyer, became participators in the disgraceful procedure of the fishermen, by purchasing their produce and, for a time, the quiet of the Sunday was interrupted the noise of carts driving the herrings to the several stations, and by the operation of salting and packing them into barrels. of course, contagious ; and it is, therefore, not surprising that, in the course of the afternoon and evening, about thirty-six boats left the harbours Pittenweem and St Monance for the fishing-ground, where they were joined by a number of crews from Broughty Ferry, Largo, &c. The shameful and illegal conduct of all the parties implicated in the matter has since been a subject of general comment throughout the district, and by none has it been more emphatically condemned than by many of the local fishermen. “We understand that all the circumstances connected with it have been brought under the cognizance of the Fishery Board, by Mr Gillies, the fishery officer of the district; and it is also affirmed that some influential gentlemen are in communication with the directors of the Sabbath Alliance on the subject, so that there is every probability that besides the odium they have deservedly incurred, the parties will receive the exposure and punishment of a legal prosecution. It is much to the credit of the fishermen of Cellardyke that none of them were concerned in these scandalous proceedings, but with that propriety and correctness of morals that honourably distinguishes this advanced and flourishing fishing community, they set an example to their neighbours, which it would be well for them were it more closely imitated.