Torry

Torry TOB PS NT026861 1 15m SOF

(Gillanders of) Torrin 1231 Dunf. Reg. no. 196 [see Glanderston TOB above]
(church of) Torry c.1250 Dunf. Reg. no. 313
(church of) Torry c.1250 St A. Lib. 32
Richard’ persone del Eglise del Torry 1296 Inst. Pub. p. 138 [French: Richard parson of the church of Torry ‘of the county of Fife’ (del counte de Fyf)]
apud Torry 1320 NLS Adv. ms. 15.1.18, no. 19 [o.c.; charter of Bishop William Lamberton of St Andrews issued there]
Joh’n of Cokburn of Torry 1437 Dunf. Reg. no. 406 [see Pitfirrane DFL]
Torre 1452 RMS ii no. 1444 [... Torre, Crannoch, Cavill ... amongst lands of the regality of St Andrews]
the town of Torry 1481 Culross Chrs. 90 [near the mouth of the Torry Burn, which is called in this charter the Wattir]
the kyrkland of Torry 1481 Culross Chrs. 90 [on the Torry Burn, near its mouth, so it must be where the present parish kirk is]
(lands of) Torry 1536 RMS iv no. 3 [lands of Torry with manor, mill, coal (carbofodina) etc.]
(parsonage and vicarage of) Torry 1561 Thirds of Benefices, 13
Torre 1593 RMS v no. 2273 col. 4 [... Kavill, Torre, Carnochie ...]
(parish of) Torry 1603 RMS vi no. 1485 [in which are lands of Glanderstoun and Drumfyne]
(church of) Torrie 1606 RMS vi no.1710 [advowson of the church attached to the free holding of Pitdinnie CNK, DFL]
(barony of) Torrie 1609 RMS vii no. 98 [Wardlaw of Torrie]
(lands of) Torrie 1609 RMS vii no. 136 [lands of Torrie with the place of the manor (cum maneriei loco) in the regality of St Andrews]
(lands of) Torrie 1621 RMS viii no. 256 [the lands of Torrie comprehending the Mains of Torry (lie Mayns de Torrie), the town (villam) and lands of Torrieburne on the west side of its burn, the port and quay ‘the haven’ (lie heavin) of Torrie]
Torrie 1621 RMS viii no. 256 [‘the harbours and quays of Torry, Newmills and Torryburn’ (portus et stationes de Torrie, Newmylne et Torrieburne)]
Torrie 1630 RMS ix no. 460 [‘the harbours, quays and havens of Torry, Newmills and Torryburn formerly and recently built by the late Patrick Wardlaw of Torry ... and his predecessors’ (portus, stationes et lie heavingis-places de Torrie, Newmylne et Torrieburne ab antiquo et novo per quondam M. Pat<rick> Wardlaw de Torrie ... et eius predecessores edificat.)]
(the lands of) Torrie 1637 RMS ix no. 786 [the shore in front of the lands of Torrie and their glebe and kirklands, all defined as lying between Torrieburne on the east and Newmylne-burne or Valay-burne or the water of Bluther (aquam de Blodder) on the west]
Torry 1654 Blaeu (Gordon) Fife
Torry panns 1654 Blaeu (Gordon) Fife
Torregleis 1654 RMS x no. 328 [and the kirklands thereof]
(lands of) Torrie 1664 RMS xi no. 747 [lands of Torrie, comprehending the Mains of Torrie, the towns and lands of Torriburne on the west side of the stream, the port and quay of Torrie, Newmilne and Torriburne lately built by the late Mr Patrick Wardlaw of Torrie]
Toryhouse 1753 Roy sheet 17, 5
Tory Pans 1753 Roy sheet 17, 5
Torry 1775 Ainslie/Fife
Torry 1776 Taylor and Skinner
Mains of Torry 1799 Sasines no. 5484
Port of Torry 1799 Sasines no. 5484
Crosshill-head of Torrie 1799 Sasines no. 5484
Drum of Torrie 1799 Sasines no. 5484
Torry 1828 SGF [and also Torry House]
Torrie Village c.1900 RHP2960 [= OS Pathf. Low Torry]

G tòrr + - in

‘(Conical) hill place’ The tòrr in question is almost certainly the steeply rising, conical hill now known as Shaw Hill, which is such a prominent landmark immediately to the north of Torry House. The site of Torry House (NT015866) was probably the caput or head-place of the lands of Torry, at least some of which were acquired by the Wardlaw family in the early fifteenth century, apparently through the marriage of Sir Andrew Wardlaw of Wilton ROX to Christian de Vallence, whose family may have had interests here since the thirteenth century (see Henderson 1988, 59, 89). Henceforth this branch of the Wardlaws style themselves ‘of Torry’.

The bishops of St Andrews also had an interest in the lands of Torry. Bishop William Lamberton issued a charter there in 1320 (NLS Adv. ms. 15.1.18, no. 19), and Torry is listed as part of St Andrews regality in 1452 (RMS ii no. 1444).

Newmills is described as one of the four villages in the parish in 1895, and given the alternative name of Torrie (Millar 1895 ii, 245).

The above NGR is of the parish kirk of Torryburn, for which see TOB Introduction above.

OS Pathf. shows Low Torry at NT016863, Torry House (ruins), Torry Pier, Torry Bay, and Torry Burn, as well as the settlement Torryburn, for which see next entry.

/ˈtɔrɪ/

This place-name appeared in printed volume 1