Fordell

Fordell DGY S NT146853 1 60m

(territory of) Fordal 1214 x 1217 Inchcolm Chrs. no. 12 [o.c.]
(vill of) Fordal 1214 x 1217 Inchcolm Chrs. no. 12 [o.c.]
(lord of) Fordell 1240 Inchcolm Chrs. no. 19
(moor of) Fordell 1240 Inchcolm Chrs. no. 19
(mills and mill-land of) Fordale 1279 Inchcolm Chrs. no. 31
(lord of) Fordalis 1428 Inchcolm Chrs. no. 48
(mills of) Fordal(e) 1428 Inchcolm Chrs. no. 48
villam superiorem de Fordalis 1428 Inchcolm Chrs. no. 48 [Overton of Fordells]
(barony of) Fordalis 1428 Inchcolm Chrs. no. 48
terras de Fordale 1480 RMS ii no. 1440 [royal grant to Alexander Hepburne, son and heir apparent of Mariota Normavile (sic) of Gargunnock (Gargunnok) STL]
duas septem (sic) partes terrarum de Fordalis 1511 RMS ii no. 3548 [Alexander Drummond of Ardmore sells to Master James Henderson (Henrisoun) burgess of Edinburgh etc. and Helen Baty his spouse two sevenths of the lands of Fordell with his part of the mill of that ilk]
in baronia de Fordalis 1511 RMS ii no. 3548
terras suas de Fordalis 1511 RMS ii no. 3562 [James Livingston (Levingstoun) of Manerstoun sells to Master James Henderson (Henrisoun) burgess of Edinburgh etc. his lands of Fordell, extending to two sevenths of the lands and barony of Fordell, with his part of the mill of Fordell]
septimam partem suam terrarum et baronie de Fordalis 1511 RMS ii no. 3562 [Elizabeth Erth lady of Plean (Plane) STL, with consent of her son and heir David Somerville (Somervell) of Plean sells to Master James Henderson (Henrisoun) her seventh of the lands and barony of Fordell, with her part of the mill of Fordell]
tertiam partem suam septime partis terrarum et baronie de Fordalis 1511 RMS ii no. 3566 [Cristina Hepburne senior portioner of the lands and barony of Fordell (Fordalis), with consent of her spouse John Kirkwood (Kirkwod) sells to Master James Henderson (Henrisoun) etc. the third of her seventh of the lands and barony of Fordell, with her part of the mill of these same]
terras et baroniam de Fordell 1511 RMS ii no. 3570 [the king to James Henderson (Henrisoun). See below for more details]
le Estertoun de F<ordell> 1511 RMS ii no. 3570 [called Mekle F.]
Mekle F<ordell> RMS ii no. 3570 [le Estertoun de F. called Mekle F.]
le Westertoun de F<ordell> 1511 RMS ii no. 3570
Litill F<ordell> 1511 RMS ii no. 3570
liberam baroniam de Fordell 1511 RMS ii no. 3570
dimedietatem septime partis terrarum et molendini de Fordall 1515 x 1516 RMS iii no. 56 [John Seaton (Seytoun) and Janet Turnbull (Trumbill) his wife, portioners (partionariorum) of Gargunnock (Gargunnok) and Fordell (Fordall), sells to William Spittale of Leuchat (Luquhat) DGY and Elizabeth Seaton (Seytoun) his spouse half of a seventh part of the lands and the mill of Fordell, in the barony of Fordell]
tertiam partem septime partis terrarum et baronie de Fordell 1531 RMS iii no. 1039 [king to William Wood (Wod) of Bonyntoun a third of a seventh of the lands and barony of Fordell; also fractions of lands in STL including Plean (Plane) and Gargunnock]
landis of Fordale 1533 Inchcolm Chrs. no. 56
dimedietatem septime partis terrarum et baronie de Fordale 1542 RMS iii no. 2775 [king to George Henderson (Henrisoun) and Katherine Adamsoun his wife half of a seventh of the lands and barony of Fordell, with the same fraction of the mill of the same, and with the outsets (lie outsetis) etc., resigned by Thomas Stewart of Gastoun]
terras ville orientalis de Fordell 1546 RMS iii no. 3304 [to George Henderson and Mariota Scott the lands of the Easterton of Fordell]
Fordell 1654 Blaeu (Pont) West Fife
Fordel Moor 1654 Blaeu (Pont) West Fife
Fordell 1654 Blaeu (Gordon) Fife
Fordellmill 1654 Blaeu (Gordon) Fife
L<ittle> Fordell 1654 Blaeu (Gordon) Fife
Fordle 1753 Roy sheet 17, 5
Fordell 1775 Ainslie/Fife [Sir Robert Henderson Bart.]
Fordell Mill 1775 Ainslie/Fife
Fordel 1828 SGF

G for + G dail

‘(Place) above (for) the haugh or watermeadow (dail)’. The feature referred to in the name is probably the site of the medieval Fordell Castle which gives the above NGR. This estate, later a barony, occupied much of the northern part of the parish. However, in the early thirteenth century at least, it extended as far as the sea, since Inchcolm Priory was given a bovate of land which is described as being in the territory of Fordell lying next to the sea, between the land of Dalgety and Leuchat. The bovate of land was known in the fifteenth century as Seyset, and later possibly as Little Fordell. Both these names are now obsolete (see Inchcolm Chrs no. 7 and note p. 117; and Seaside ABO for more details).

The lands of Fordell were later divided into various parts, and several charters specify sevenths of the estate, and even fractions of sevenths (e.g. RMS iii no. 1039). A series of charters of 1511 shows the consolidation of most of these parts in the hands of the Henderson family. This culminates in a royal confirmation charter to James Henderson and Helen (Baty) his spouse issued on 1 May 1511, in which the divisions of Fordell are named as follows: the lands and barony of Fordell (Fordell), that is the Easterton of Fordell called Meikle Fordell (le Estertoun de F<ordell> nuncupat. Mekle F.), the Westerton of Fordell (le Westertoun de F.), Letham (Letheme) DGY and Little Fordell (Litill F.), with the mill of these same, along with the advowson of the chapel of St Theorot (capelle S. Theroti), incorporating all these lands into a free barony of Fordell, with the barony centre (capital messuage) to be at the Westerton of Fordell (RMS ii no. 3570). Of these names, only Letham has survived.

OS Pathf. Fordell in the north of the parish south-east of Mossgreen is on the site of the old mining village of Fordell, for more details of which see DGY Introduction.

For the chapel of St Theorot, which was attached to the barony of Fordell, see DGY Introduction above.

/ˈfɔrdəl/, or less common and less local /fɔrˈdɛl/

This place-name appeared in printed volume 1