Early history

Neolithic finds from Inverkeithing include stone axe heads, which suggests people were clearing woodland in Inverkeithing during the fourth millennium BC. The discovery of a collared urn indicates burial activity in the second millennium BC.^[21]

There is evidence that during the Roman conquest of Britain, Roman governor Agricola established an encampment in the area between AD 78–87 during his war against the Caledonians.^[5] Archaeological finds in Inverkeithing include a bronze Roman coin dating from AD 218–222, and Roman Road is believed to be of Roman origin.^[21]

According to legend, in the 5th century St Erat, a follower of St Ninian, is said to have founded a church in Inverkeithing.^[22]

The Inverkeithing stone, a pictish standing stone depicting a hunt and a mythical beast, indicates a Pictish presence in Inverkeithing around the 8th or 9th century.^[23]

Medieval Inverkeithing (12th to 16th centuries)

Inverkeithing is first documented in 1114, when it is mentioned in the foundation charter of Scone Abbey granted by Alexander I.^[24][25] In 1163 it appears as "Innirkeithin" in Pope Alexander III's summons of the clergy of the British Isles to the Council of Tours.^[26] Inverkeithing was made one of Fife's first royal burghs in the 12th century; it is mentioned as an existing burgh in 1161 under Malcolm IV.^[27][28] This brought legal and trading privileges.^[29] The settlement was an obvious choice to be created a burgh, as its location at the narrowest crossing point of the Firth of Forth and its sheltered bay were both strategically important.^[5]

Throughout much of the Middle Ages, Inverkeithing was an important staging post for pilgrims. Travellers on their way to the shrines of Saint Margaret and Saint Andrew would stop in the town after crossing the Firth of Forth via the Queen's Ferry.^[30] A hostel for pilgrims in Inverkeithing is documented as a possession of Dryburgh Abbey in 1196. A Franciscan friary, Inverkeithing Friary, was established in the 14th century.^[30][5]

Inverkeithing's medieval church was first built by Waltheof of Allerdale, was gifted to the Dunfermline Abbey in 1139, and was consecrated to St. Peter by Bishop David de Bernham on 24 August 1244.^[31][32]

Inverkeithing was the last place Alexander III visited before his death on 19 March 1286. After crossing the Firth of Forth on his way to visit Queen Yolande at Kinghorn, he ignored advice to remain in Inverkeithing overnight and continued his journey in poor weather. He was found dead near Kinghorn the following day, having apparently fallen from his horse.^[33]

At the advent of the First War of Scottish Independence, in August 1296, 13 burgesses of Inverkeithing swore fealty to Edward I of England.^[34] Edward I stayed in the town on 2 March 1304. In Autumn 1316, Robert the Bruce issued royal charters from Inverkeithing, showing full Scottish administration had returned.^[35] In 1320, Bruce sentenced Roger de Mowbray, baron of Inverkeithing, to death for treason for his support of John Bailiol during the war, causing the town to be forfeited to the Crown.^[36]

Inverkeithing played a role in Scottish royal and political affairs during the Middle Ages. In April 1354 the Parliament of Scotland met at Inverkeithing and discussed the terms of David II's return from captivity following the Battle of Neville's Cross.^[37] Similarly, in 1423 Inverkeithing was where the Duke of Albany arranged for James I's return from captivity in England.^[31] The town was a frequent residence of David I and a favourite residence of Annabella Drummond, Queen of Scotland from 1390 to 1401.^[38][39][40]

In 1487, an Act of Parliament during the reign of James III specified that the Convention of Royal Burghs would be held annually in Inverkeithing.^[7][29] Evolving in parallel to the Parliament of Scotland, the Convention was an important representative assembly of trading towns. It is unclear how many meetings were held at Inverkeithing before the Convention moved to Edinburgh in 1552.^[7]

Inverkeithing was granted a charter for holding Saint Luke's fair in the 14th century by Robert II.^[41] Inverkeithing Lammas fair is first recorded in 1503, and Inverkeithing's Highland Games are first recorded in 1646.^[42][43]

Inverkeithing was one of the few Scottish burghs to have four stone gates, known as "ports". Inverkeithing town walls were built in 1557. In the 16th century, Inverkeithing traded in wool, fleece and hides, and served as a hub of commerce for Fife with weekly markets.^[44][5] From the Middle Ages, Inverkeithing's ships traded with ports in the Baltics, Germany and the Low Countries.^[45] Inverkeithing was granted a charter of confirmation as a Royal Burgh by James VI in 1598.^[46]

Early modern Inverkeithing (17th to mid-18th centuries)

The Inverkeithing witch hunt took place between 1621 and 1655, during which at least 51 people were executed for witchcraft in the town.^[47] The executions were carried out at Witch Knowe to the south of town.^[48][49] Walter Bruce, minister of Inverkeithing from 1641 to 1673, played a pivotal role in initiating the Great Scottish witch hunt of 1649–50.^[50]

On 20 July 1651, the Battle of Inverkeithing was the last major engagement of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms and led to the Kingdom of Scotland passing into Oliver Cromwell's control. It was an attempt by the English Parliamentarian forces to outflank the army of Scottish Covenanters loyal to Charles II at Stirling and get access to the north of Scotland.^[51] Cromwell's 4,500 troops defeated a Scottish force of roughly equal size. Of the estimated 800 MacLean clansmen who fought in the battle, 35 were said to have survived.^[52] General George Monck of the Parliamentary army occupied Inverkeithing following the battle, and permitted his soldiers to plunder the town; many houses were burned down.^[45]

On 20 October 1706, Inverkeithing town council voted unanimously to petition Parliament against the proposed Treaty of Union.^[53] However, in 1707 James Spittle, representing Inverkeithing, voted in favour of ratification of the Act. As a result, in 1708 Inverkeithing lost its separate Parliament of Scotland constituency and became part of the Stirling Burghs constituency in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.^[54] Electoral malpractice in 18th century Inverkeithing was notable during the 1760 Inverkeithing Provostship election and the 1796 Stirling Burghs election.^[55]

Inverkeithing attracted national attention in 1707 with the Murder of Henry Stenhouse, a crime of passion in which Robert Balfour, Lord of Burleigh, murdered a local schoolmaster in the town.^[56]

Trade declined during the 17th century amid plague and war. In 1654, Joan Blaeu mentions Inverkeithing as "formerly a flourishing market".^[57] In 1710, Robert Sibbald wrote Inverkeithing "hath been a place of good resort".^[58] In 1724 Daniel Defoe found the town to be "still populous, but decayed, as to what it has formerly been", sentiments echoed by Sir William Burrell in 1758.^[59][60]

The Inverkeithing Case of 1752 originated from a dispute between the congregation of Inverkeithing Parish Church against the choosing of a minister by right of patronage, and turned into a national public controversy that led to the Second Secession of the Church of Scotland with the founding of the Relief Church, and locally of St John's Church.^[61]

Industrial Inverkeithing (mid 18th to 19th centuries)

Inverkeithing developed many industries during the Industrial Revolution. In the 18th century, lead and coal were mined, there was an iron foundry, a brewery, tan works, soap works, a salt pan and timber works.^[5] A whisky distillery was opened in 1795, and operated until the mid-19th century; its buildings were later used for oil works.^[62][63] The Halbeath Waggon Railway opened in 1783, transporting coal from Halbeath Colliery to Inverkeithing harbour until 1867.^[64] From 1785, the town council employed a town piper to mark the beginning and end of the working day.^[53]

Significant building took place in the early 19th century, including of Inverkeithing Corn Exchange in 1833, a residential crescent for retired sea captains by Sir Robert Preston, and the town's three bridges over the Keithing Burn—Boreland Road Bridge, King Street Bridge and Commercial Road Bridge—in 1829, 1815 and 1821, respectively.^[65][66][67]

Maritime trade remained important to Inverkeithing. In the early 19th century through to 1835, a land lazaretto stood at Inverkeithing harbour for the purpose of quarantine, one of only two in Scotland.^[68][69] In 1845, Inverkeithing registered 25 vessels of its own.^[31]

In the mid-19th century, major industries in the area were engineering, shipbuilding and quarrying. Quarrying provided material for important works such as the extension of Leith pier and the Forth Bridge.^[36] Brickworks operated from 1831 to 1895.^[21]

By 1870, engineering and shipbuilding had largely ceased, and the harbour lost freight traffic to the railways. Inverkeithing Railway Station opened in 1877, and was expanded in 1890 following the completion of the Forth Bridge and the Jamestown Viaduct.^[70]

Modern Inverkeithing (20th century onwards)

In the 20th century, Inverkeithing became known for new industries. Caldwell's paper mill operated from 1914—2003.^[71] Quarrying remained a major operation at Cruicks quarry and Prestonhill quarry until the 1980s.^[5][72] Inverkeithing built one of the first cinemas in Scotland in 1914.^[73]

Shipbreaking at Thos. W. Ward's Inverkeithing (Jamestown) yard saw famous ships including HMS Dreadnought (1923), the hull of the Titanic's sister ship RMS Olympic (1937), the Nazi Party cruise ship Robert Ley (1947) and RMS Mauretania (1966).^{[74][75][76][77][78]}

Inverkeithing lost 130 people in WWI and 36 in WWII.^[79] In July 1939, Inverkeithing was declared a danger area because of its close proximity to Rosyth dockyard; at intervals during the war, children were evacuated to central Fife.^[45] During the Battle of the River Forth, the first air raid over Britain of WWII, pilots of the 602 (Glasgow) squadron spotted Luftwaffe aircraft over Inverkeithing. They were ordered to pursue the aircraft through broken cloud, and two German aircrew were killed.^[80] The Polish government in exile operated a barracks in Inverkeithing during WWII; on 14 June 1945, Radio Moscow claimed these were run as a concentration camp.^[81][82]

Inverkeithing recovered quickly from WWII; the town is recorded as having 88 shops in 1951, and benefitted from the opening of the Forth Road Bridge in 1964.^[21] In 1975, all Royal Burghs were disbanded and Inverkeithing came within Fife Council. Inverkeithing conservation area was created in 1985 to preserve the heritage of the town.^[83]

Other places of interest

Royalty, nobility & religion

• Walter Bruce (1605–1673), longest serving leader of the Church of Scotland in history (1662 to 1673).
• Queen Annabella Drummond of Scotland (1350–1401).^[123]
• Saint Erat (c. 5th century), Christian missionary.^[124]
• Richard de Inverkeithing (d. 1272), Bishop of Dunkeld; Chamberlain of King Alexander II; and guardian to the young Alexander III.
• Geoffrey de Mowbray (d. 1300), Lord of Inverkeithing; sealer of the Treaty of Birgham and the 'Auld Alliance' in 1296.^[125]
• Roger de Mowbray (d. 1320), Lord of Inverkeithing; sealer of the Declaration of Arbroath; sentenced to death by Robert the Bruce.
• Robert Roche (1580–1640), leader of the Church of Scotland as Moderator of the Synod in 1613.

Military & politics

• Henry Echlin of Pittadro (d. 1606), negotiator during the 'lang siege' of Edinburgh Castle.^[126]
• Samuel Greig (1735–1788), 'Father of the Russian Navy'; military advisor to Catherine the Great.^[127]
• Sir John Henderson, 5th Baronet, provost of Inverkeithing 1791–1801. MP for Fifeshire (1780), Dysart Burghs (1780–84), Seaford (1785-6), and Stirling Burghs (1806-7).
• Francis Holburne (1704–1771), Royal Navy Admiral; commander-in-chief at the Leeward Islands during the War of the Austrian Succession.^[55]
• Janet McCallum (1881–1946), Scottish trade unionist and suffragette.
• Natalie McGarry MP (1981–), SNP Member of Parliament for Glasgow East 2015 - 2017.^[128]
• John Smart Peddie (1816–1848), chief surgeon aboard HMS Terror during Franklin's lost expedition.
• David Spence (1818–1877), awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions during the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

Science & exploration

• David Livingstone (1813–1878), explorer and missionary, occasionally lived in Inverkeithing between 1855 and 1865.^[129][130]
• Sir Duncan McDonald (1921–1997), engineer closely associated with Northern Engineering Industries.
• Robert Moffat (1795–1883), African missionary and the first to translate the Bible into an African language.^[131]
• Rev Alexander Stoddart Wilson (1854–1909), naturalist, botanist and founder of the Andersonian Naturalists Society.

Film, TV, literature & music

• Morris Blythman (1919–1981), poet, musician and political activist influential to the Scottish Folk Revival.^[132]
• Denise Coffey (1936–2022), English actress, comedian, director and playwright.^[133]
• Kenneth Roy (1945–2018), journalist, writer and broadcaster.^[134]
• James Simpson (1826–1882), author.^[69]

Sport

• Barney Armit (1874–1899), New Zealand national rugby union player.
• Billy Bostock (1943–1996), footballer and top goal scorer for Cowdenbeath F.C.^[135]
• Finlay Davidson (2004–), Scottish Commonwealth Games and World Championship para powerlifter.^[136]
• Gordon Durie (1965–), footballer for Scotland, Chelsea F.C., Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Rangers F.C.^[137]
• Jock Gilfillan (1898–1976), footballer for Heart of Midlothian F.C. and Portsmouth F.C.
• Douglas Morgan (1890–1916), footballer for Hull City and World War I casualty.
• Alexander Muir (1923–1995), footballer for Liverpool F.C.
• Steven Pressley (1973–), footballer for Scotland, Celtic, Rangers and Hearts, and manager for Dundee.
• Alan Stewart (1955–), Winter Olympic ski racer in the 1976 and 1980 Winter Olympic Games.

Miscellaneous

• James Anderson, manager of Mount Vernon, George Washington's estate after his presidency.^[138][139]
• Alexander Bell Donald (1842–1922), New Zealand merchant.^[140]
• Henry Stenhouse (d. 1707), schoolmaster at Inverkeithing murdered by Robert Balfour in a famous crime of passion.^[56]

Tourist visitor sites

• Welcome to Fife homepage for Inverkeithing
• Undiscovered Scotland guide to Inverkeithing
• Caledonian Sleeper guide to Inverkeithing
• Heritage Network's Inverkeithing Town Trail
• Visit Scotland guide for Inverkeithing

Community sites

• Inverkeithing Trust
• Gazetteer for Scotland webpages for Inverkeithing

Videos

• Inverkeithing as viewed by drone, April 2025
• A Scottish Odyssey's information video on Inverkeithing