Mairston
Mairston * CRA S NO599092 2
le Maretona 1375 RMS i no. 623 [to William Herwart (Herowart) the office of mair of our (i.e. the king’s) east quarter of Fife (officium mari nostri orientalis quarterii de Fyff) , with the land called the *Mairston annexed to this office, which office and land William the Mair (Willelmus Marus) held and which he resigned to us]
(the land of) Martoun 1391 RMS i no. 816 [to William Fernie the office of mair of the fee of Crail, with the land of *Mairston and the acre called *Pultureland (Pulterland) belonging to the said office; [114] both office and land resigned by Nicholas Herwart]
Mairtoun 1504 x 1505 RMS ii no. 2871 [Andrew Fernie (Ferny) of *Mairston]
(lands of) Mairtoun 1507 RMS ii no. 3067 [to William Scott of Balwearie KDT, which Andrew Fernie (Ferny) resigned]
(lands of) Maretoun 1513 RMS ii no. 3853 [to William Scott of Balwearie to David Spence the lands of *Mairston in the constabulary of Crail (Crale)]
(lands of) Maretoun 1514 RMS iii no. 18 [to John Spence student at St Andrews the lands of Mairston in the constabulary of Crail (Carale)]
(John Spence of) Mairetoune 1520 Fife Ct. Bk. 187
(John Spence of) the Maretoun 1520 Fife Ct. Bk. 192
(John Spence of) Mairestone 1521 Fife Ct. Bk. 223
Maristoun 1531 RMS iii no. 1015 [to John Spence of Mairston the lands of Colliston (Collistoun) SCO etc. (see Kilmux KWY, PNF 2)]
Martoun c.1560 s Assumption, 177 [9 boll oats, to Haddington Priory]
Mairstoun 1571 RMS iv no. 1978 [Patrick Lord Lindsay of Byres; one of lands held by him in virtue of his office of Constable of Crail, which David Spence of Wormiston CRA had forfeited; see CRA Introduction, Lands and Burgh]
decimas de Merstoune 1594 RMS vi no. 100
Martin 1753 Roy sheet 19, 5
Sc mair + Sc toun
The mair was an official of court, whose office is discussed in Fife Ct. Bk. pp. lxii ff.. Robert the Mair (le Mare) is involved in the granting of land beside nearby Lingo CBE in the first quarter of the thirteenth century, and is probably the mair of Crailshire (St A. Lib. 383; see CBE Introduction, Multi-Ethnic Lingo, for text and translation). The connection between the lands of Mairston and the office is clearly made in the earliest occurrence of this name (1375 RMS i no. 623). For other Fife names containing this word, see Mairland KGH (PNF 1), and Mairsland AMY and Merston CLS (PNF 4).
William Herwart (Herowart), who receives the office of mair in 1375, was previously keeper of the king’s muir of Crail (RMS i app. 2 no. 909 A; see also Kingsmuir CRA above). The name Herwart, which derives from Old English Hereweard, appears thus in Black 1946, 357, but these Crail examples are not included.
The approximate NGR is supplied by Martin on Roy’s map (1753).
This place-name appeared in printed volume 3