Freuchie
Freuchie FAL S NO283067 1 373 55m NOF
tendschef of Fruchy 1438 St A. Cop. no. 92 [‘all our <St Andrews Priory’s> teind-sheaf of the Newton <of Falkland> and of Freuchie lying within our parish of Kilgour’ (all oure tendschef of the Newtoun and of Fruchy, liand within oure parochin of Kylgoure) fermed for six years to ‘John Cooper or Cupar burgess of Cupar’ (Jhone Cowpare burges of Coupir)]
de firmis de Fruchy 1451 ER v, 469
de firmis terre de Fruchy 1454 ER v, 684 [‘from the fermes of the land of Freuchie’]
Freuchy Myln 1498 RSS i no. 231 [see Freuchie Mill, below]
(mill of) Freuchy 1528 RMS iii no. 705
(mill of) Fruchy 1541 RMS iii no. 2457
(vill and lands of) Freuchy 1541 RMS iii no. 2457
(lands of) Freuchy 1541 RMS iii no. 2467
(lands of) Fruchy 1541 RMS iii no. 2468
(twelfth part of the lands of) Freuchy 1578 RMS iv no. 2796 [feued with injunction to build a house (mansio) with suitable policies, viz fenced garden provided with ‘ash, willows, alder, aspen, plane, elm and birch’ (eschis, sauchis, aller, esp, plane, elm and birk), and also the sowing of broom etc., and sowing of ‘flax and hemp’ (linum et canabin) outside the vegetable garden not inside it]
Fruchy 1615 Retours (Fife) no. 241 [James Birrell, son of Thomas, portionar of Freuchie (Fruchy), an 8th part of the lands of Freuchie]
Freuchie 1637 Retours (Fife) no. 556 [John Birrell, an 8th part of the lands of Freuchie]
Freuquhy 1641 Retours (Fife) no. 606
Frouchy 1642 Gordon MS Fife
Freuchy mill 1642 Gordon MS Fife
Freuchy 1654 Blaeu (Pont) East Fife [also Mill of Freuchy]
Frewchy 1654 Blaeu (Gordon) Fife [also Frewchy mill]
Fruchy 1753 Roy sheet 18, 1 [also Fruchymill]
Frouchie 1775 Ainslie/Fife [also Little Frouchie]
Freuchie 1790s OSA, 356 [with a population of 476]
Fruchie 1828 SGF [also Little Fruchie and Fruchie Mill]
Fruchie 1856 OS 6 inch 1st edn [also Fruchie Burn, Fruchie Feus, Little Fruchie]
G fraoch + – in
‘Heather place, place of heather’ (G fraoch ‘heather’). Its earlier pronunciation seems to have led to its use as an expletive. For example, Robert Chambers writes: ‘It is common in some parts of Scotland to say, in case of being annoyed by any trifling or mischievous person, “Go to Fruchie!” ... There is a tradition that Fruchie was a place of exile for courtiers suffering under the royal displeasure’ (1827 ii, 191); while CSD under ‘Freuchie’ gives gae tae Freuchie (and fry mice) as meaning ‘go to blazes!’. There is also a local tradition that the (now closed) station of Freuchie was re-named Falkland Road in case the porters shouting out the name on the platform might alarm the more genteel passengers.
OS Pathf. also shows Freuchie Feus, Little Freuchie, Freuchie Burn and Freuchie Mill.
ˈfruxɪ/, locally and traditionally /ˈfrʌxɪ/
This place-name appeared in printed volume 2