In Oct 06 we visited Dunfermline, Scotland. I have transcribed
material about the Henderson Family of Fordell found recorded/copied
in the Dunfermline Carnagie Library. (As an aside, Andrew Carnagie
was from Dunfermline, Scottland).
DALGETY--the story of a parish by Eric Simpson, Copyright Eric
Simpson 1980 and published by Dalgety Bay Community Council
Chapter 16: The Great Estates: Fordell and the Henderson Family
While Donibristle mansion survives at least in part, nothing now
remains of its contemporary Fordell House. This mansion was built in
1721 at the behest of Sir John Henderson, the 3rd baronet, and was
demolished in 1963. When the demolition men were tearing the mansion
apart, they were disturbed by strange occurrences and the unearthly
appearance of a Green Lady--a ghostly figure from a past
era. Despite the supernatural protest the work of demolition went on
and this once grand 43 roomed mansion was soon but a
memory. Ironically, however, the much older Fordell Castle still
survives, which goes to show that, in the late 20th century, a small
tower-house is a more feasible proposition as a laird's ha' than a 43
roomed mansion. The castle of Fordell is a splendid example of a
16th century Scottish tower-house, which was rebuilt in 1580 after a
sudden fire in 1568 had destroyed "both the old worke and the new
worke." It would seem, therefore, that the castle that James
Henderson rebuilt in 1580 included parts of various older buildings.
The lands of Fordell, whose owners can be traced back to the 13th
century, were purchased by James Henrysone, a burgess of Edinburgh,
early in the 15th century, and they remained in the ownership of the
Hendersons for the following four hundred years. Two of the early
lairds died in battle against the English, James Henderson at Flodden
in 1513 and George Henderson at Pinkie in 1547. In each of these
battles the eldest son of the family was also killed.
One of the 17th century lairds, Sir John Henderson, also led a rather
adventurous life, serving as a mercenary captain in the Mediterranean
area. Captured by the Moors in the 1620's he was taken to Zanzibar
and sold as a slave Fortunately, an Arab lady, who was reputed to be
a Princess, fell in love with him, and, renouncing both her religion
and country, assisted him to escape. The story has it that the tow
lovers secured a passage on a trading vessel, which carried them up
the Red Sea into Egypt. But to Sir John's great grief his Arab bride
died at Alexandria.
This romantic tale is commemorated by a painting, which is a copy of
a now lost original, commissioned by the grief-stricken
husband. This copy, which was painted in 1731 and which now hangs in
the Nat'l Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh, depicts both the Arab
Princess and her maid. In the gallery the painting just bears the
title "An Arab Princess".
Although the next laird, another John, was granted a baronetcy by
Charles II in 1664, his attachment to the Covenanters led him into
trouble and in 1674 he was summoned before the Privy Council for
allowing conventicles to be held both in the open air and in his own house.
In 1715 the estate was enlarged when the lands of Pittadro were
acquired. There used to be a Pittadro House, too. William Stephen,
author of the HOSTORY OF INVERKEITHING AND ROSYTH (1921), thought
that this house was sited close to the old walled gardens.
Successive lairds of Fordell played a dominant role in the political
affairs of Inverkeithing. And Sir John Henderson, the 5th baronet,
served in the House of Commons between 1789 and 1807, representing
the Whig interest. Lord Cockburn, a Whig himself, took a dim view of
this opinionated politician, who "long nauseated the civil court by
is burgh politics." Sir John had followed family tradition by
employing his colliers to browbeat and terrorize his political opponents.
In 1833, Anne, the daughter of Sir John Henderson succeeded to the
estate, and her husband, Rear-Admiral Sir Phillip Durham, changed his
name to Henderson-Durham. Then the estate passed to the Mercer
branch of the family, and the Mercers, too, added the name Henderson
to their own. In 1902 Georgina Wilheimina Mercer-Henderson, who had
married the Earl of Buckinghamshire, succeeded to the estate. While
the Countess of Buckinghamshire still lived, the grounds were well
maintained. but in 1953 the Buckinghamshire involvement came to an
end and the estate was put up for sale.
When the estate was broken up, the castle was purchased by a Mr James
Henderson of Kirkcaldy and then 10 years later it was acquired by Mr
Nicholas Fairbairn, who now holds the office of Solicitor-General for
Scotland. When the new mansion was constructed in 1721, the old
tower was no longer used as a residence, and indeed the main hall was
eventually converted into a byre for cattle. Restoration was started
in the middle years of the last century when the beacon on the roof
and various other antique-looking ornaments were added.
In Victorian times romantically minded tourists visited Fordell glen
and admired the waterfalls and the bridges which spanned the tumbling
waters of the Keithing burn. One author wrote lyrically of the
"dimwood glen...forming in the twilight of the trees a charming spot
for mid-summer's day dreaming." But Fordell suffered a similar fate
to Donibristle and today only fragments of what was a most attractive
estate now remain. The once picturesque little loch is now silted up
and the beautiful walks and woodlands have virtually disappeared. To
see the waterfalls and the bridges involves a scramble rather than
the gentle stroll of yesteryear.
Fortunately the Fairbairns did a lot of work on the gardens i the
immediate vicinity of the castle, and today, they are surely, as they
were 100 years ago, the finest in the district. The old Henderson
family chapel also survives. It was built in 1650 close to the
castle on the reputed site of the medieval chapel of St Theoretus,
and has provided a last resting place for many generations of
Hendersons. The chapel is notable for its fine ornamental glass,
some of it modern (executed to Mr Fairbairn's own design) and some of
it very old -- the best being early Flemish and German work.
Gone, though, are the two old water-mills, one with a 16th century
panel built into its walls. But still visible here and there in the
grounds are the round stone-walled enclosures which protect the
entrances to some old pit shafts. They serve to remind us that it
was the miners who laboured hard and long to provide the Fordell
lairds with the wealth to build their grand houses and estate. Now
the estate, like the pits, the village and the railway, has passed
into the realm of history.