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THE
HISTORY
OF
BUCHAVEN.
In the county of Fife, on the sea-cost, there stands a little town, inhabited by few but fishers, called Buckey harbour, because of sea buckies and shells to be found so plenty on the rocks about that place. There is little mention made of this town by historians, to know its original extraction and antiquities, but in their own Burges-ticket, which was partly truth, but more of it by way of lampoon. This Ticket was dated the two and thirtieth day of the month of Julius Cæsar. Their Coat of Arms was two hands gripping each other over a Scate’s rumple. Their oath was, “I wish that de de’il may tak me an I binna an honest man to you, an ye binna de like to me.” An article of good neighbourhood they had, whoever was first up in a good morning, was to raise all the rest to go to sea; but if a very bad morning, piss and go to bed again till break of day, then raise wise Willy, who could judge of the weather by the blawing of the wind. Their freedoms were to take all sorts of fish contained in their tickets, viz.:—Lobsters, partens, podles, spout-fish, sea-cats, sea-dogs, fluks, piks, dick-puddocks, and p—fish.
Again, these people are said to have descended from one Tom and his two sons, who were fishers on the coast of Norway, who, in a violent storm, were blown over, and got a-shore at Buck-harbour, where they settled; and the whole of his children were called Thomsons, and soon became a little town by themselves, as few of any other name dwelt among them. This is a traditional story handed down from one generation to another.—They kept but little communication with the country people about them, for a farmer, in those days, thought his daughter cast away, if she married one of the other hand; Witty Eppie the ale-wife, wad a sworn Bugo, laddie, I wad rather see my boat and a’ my three sons daded against the Bass or I saw ony ane o’ them married to a muck-a-byre’s daughter; a wheen useless tawpies, it can do naething but rive at a tow-rock and cut corn, they can neither bait a hook nor redd a line, hook sand-eels, nor gather pirriwinkles.
Now, Wise Willie and Witty Eppie the ale-wife, lived there about a hundred years ago. Eppie’s chamber was their College and Court-House where they decided controversies, and explained their wonders; for the house was like a little kirk, had four windows and a gavle door: the wives got leave to flyte their fill, but fighting was prohibited, as Eppie said, up-hands was fair play. Their fines was a pint o’ ale, and Eppie sold it at a plack the pint. They had neither minister nor magistrate, nor yet a burly bailie, to brag them wi’ his tol-booth. The Lord o’ the manor decided all disputable points, and Wise Willie and Witty Eppie were the rulers of the town.