Barns

Barns CRA S NO598069 1 35m

occidentales granges de Karel 1235 NLS Acc. MS 8487 [o.c.; see KRY Introduction for text and discussion]
(lands of) Bernis 1329 x 1371 RMS i app. 2 no. 932 A [16th c. index; to Alexander Lambie; Bernes ibid. no. 932 B (17th c. index) in the barony of Crail]
(lands of) Estbernys 1370 RMS i no. 304 [one of the lands granted by David II to ‘our chapel of the blessed Monan’ (capella nostra Beati Monani)]
(lands of) Westbernys 1376 RMS i no. 593 [to Nigel Cunningham (de Conyngham) the lands of West Barns viz ‘the Westfield, Seaflat, Templeland and the *Gallowside’ (le Westfeld, Seeflat, Tempylland et le Galousesyde)]
Westbarnis 1505 ER xii, 717 [Robert Cunningham (Cunynghame), West Barns and *Gallowside (Gallowsyde) CRA]
Robert Cunyngam of West Bernys 1512 Crail Register no. 10 [w.]
West Barnis c.1560 s Assumption, 177 [3½ chalders bere, 3½ chalders oats, to Haddington Priory]
West-Barnis 1563 RMS iv no. 1700 [to Alexander Cunningham, lands of West Barns and *Gallowside (Gallowsyde) in constabulary of Crail (Craill)]
(Ale ander Cunningham of) Barnes 1636 RMS ix no. 500 [to build the lighthouse (lie lichthous) on the Isle of May, and granted means of funding it; see Isle of May ANR, above]
Barns 1642 Gordon MS Fife [= OS Pathf. Old Barns; also Barnscotton, Barnsmill, Barns panns, and Barnsmuir (Barnsmuir KRY)]
W. Barnes 1654 Blaeu (Pont) East Fife [wrongly shown at the site of Barns Mill, by the shore]
Barns 1654 Blaeu (Gordon) Fife [also Barns cott<on>, Barns mill, Barns muir and Barns panns]
West-Barnes 1657 Retours (Fife) no. 870 [Andrew Sword; see Isle of May ANR for more details]
Barns 1674 Retours (Fife) no. 1136 [James Watson (Watsone) of Aithernie (Atherney) SCO, ‘de terris de Barns in parochia de Craill,’ redeemable for 10,000 merks]
Barnes 1691 Retours (Fife) no. 1321 [‘in the lands of Pinkerton CRA in the barony of Barns’ (terris de Pincartone infra baroniam de Barnes)]
W. Barns 1753 Roy sheet 19, 5
Barnbaugh 1753 Roy sheet 19, 5
Barnsmills 1753 Roy sheet 19, 5
W. Barns 1775 Ainslie/Fife [= OS Pathf. Old Barns; also Barns Mill, Barnbough and Barns Moor (Barnsmuir) KRY]
West-barns 1790s OSA, 171 [noting that the house has been demolished]
Barns 1828 SGF [‘ruins’]
Barns 1855 OS 6 inch 1st edn
Barns Mill 1855 OS 6 inch 1st edn
Barns 1899 OS 1 inch 2nd edn

Sc barn

‘Barns’. The earliest name for the settlement (apart from the 1235 Latin form) is simply Barns (Bernis 1329 × 1371). By 1376 it appears as West Barns (Westbernys), distinguishing it from other royal store-houses throughout Crailshire, which were described in relation to Crail itself. Those to the north were called North Barns, later Kingsbarns, whence the name of the new parish created out of Crail in 1633 (see KBS Introduction). *East Barns (Estbernys) is first mentioned in 1370. See *East Barns CRA for further discussion.

OS 6 inch 1st edn (1855) also shows Barns Mill at the southernmost tip of the parish, close to the shore, on the burn which forms the boundary of CRA and KRY. See Barns Mill #, below.

The Cunningham family held Barns from 1376, when Nigel of Cunningham (Nigellus de Conyngham) AYR received a charter of the lands of Barns on the resignation of Patrick of Polworth (Patricius de Polworthe), knight (RMS i no. 593). The Cunninghams continued here till the early eighteenth century, when they sold the lands of Barns to David Scott of Scotstarvit. They were later sold by his grand-daughter, the Marchioness of Titchfield, to Major-General Philip Anstruther, who held them in the late nineteenth century (Millar 1895 i, 389).

The humorous poem Polemo-Middinia, allegedly written in the 1620s by the famous Scottish poet, William Drummond of Hawthornden, was about a dispute between Cunningham of Barns and Scott of Scotstarvit, laird of neighbouring Thirdpart KRY. For more on this, see Thirdpart KRY, below.

The muir or rough grazing land attached to West Barns is the origin of Barnsmuir KRY. Ainslie/Fife (1775) shows a place called Barnbough north of West Barns, which is Barnbaugh on Roy (1753).[98]

The buildings of the original settlement at the above NGR no longer exist (see NMRS NO50NE 14 for details), OS Pathf. Old Barns having been built 150 m to the north-west of that site. There is nothing at this site on the OS 6 inch 3rd revision (1924–49), but OS 6 inch 1st Imperial edn (1948–77) shows an unnamed settlement here, finally named on OS 1:10,000 1st Metric Edition (1969–96) as Old Barns.

This place-name appeared in printed volume 3