ST ANDREWS HERITAGE MUSEUM DISPLAYS

First Floor Museum

Our Ancient City – Themes & Objects

Early History of St Andrews

St Andrews grew from a small settlement to a religious and economic hub that shaped Scotland’s history. Hunter-gatherers first settled in the area 6000 years ago. Around the 7th century, early Christians built a church on the eastern headland near the current harbour, starting the settlement’s growth.

Picts and Culdees

The Culdees, an order of Celtic Christians, established an important base in St Andrews under the Pictish Kingdom. This area was originally called Muckross. Gaelic language influences and the growing Church saw the name change to Kilrymont, meaning Church of the King’s Muir.

In 732, Bishop Acca of Hexham brought three fingers and an arm bone of Saint Andrew to Fife. The Pictish King Oengus I gave land and these relics to the Culdees at Kilrymont. The Culdee Church flourished with the Pictish and Gaelic union, becoming the religious capital of a developing Scottish state.

Cathedral and Augustinians

In the 12th century the Augustinian order, aligned with Roman Church authorities, took over the new Cathedral precinct from the Culdees. The Cathedral was consecrated in 1318 and attracted pilgrims to worship Saint Andrew. This solidified the Church’s influence and secured Royal Burgh status, giving the town economic privileges of trading with Europe.

Workers and Merchants

The workers of St Andrews facilitated the Church’s influence and wealth – 400 stonemasons, apprentices, and labourers built the Cathedral over 150 years. It was the merchant class, however, that controlled the Town Council and governed everyday affairs. They enjoyed the Burgh’s privileges, trading steadily with the Netherlands and Belgium. The metalworkers, bakers, shoemakers, tailors, weavers, wrights and butchers of St Andrews were eventually allowed their own associations in 1469. Yet, these guilds were heavily restricted and the majority working population of labourers had even fewer rights.

Thanks to these social and economic structures, the town enjoyed prosperity and prestige before the upheaval caused by the Protestant Reformation in the mid-16th century.

Fisherfolk of St Andrews – Themes & Objects

Local ‘fisherfolk’ made a living from the sea around St Andrews. Up until the early 20th century, they were one of the town’s defining communities. A small fishing community emerged around the Kinness Burn, which flows through St Andrews, some 6,000 years ago. By the 12th century, St Andrews had blossomed into a religious centre and trading port. The fisherfolk moved to the East End of Town near the newly built Cathedral, an area called the ‘Ladyhead’.

Fishing was an important industry in St Andrews for many centuries. Archive records reference a ‘fishing harbour’ in 1222, and the Geddy Map of c.1580 shows a fish market on North Street. The house you are now standing in is shown on the same map, and fisherfolk lived here for generations.

Peak and Decline

A storm in 1765 devastated local fishing, killing 11 fishermen and wrecking five boats. Fishing restarted in 1803, when local businessman Cathcart Dempster and the St Andrews Town Council hired two crews from Shetland. Fishing in St Andrews reached its peak in 1881, with 57 boats and 200 fishermen. During this time, 300 boxes of fish were sold every day.

Fishing in St Andrews could not withstand economic, political, and technological shifts. Gentrification of the East End of St Andrews, coupled with competition from large steam trawlers, meant that by the mid-20th century the fishing community had all but disappeared. As such, their stories have often been sidelined within the broader themes of St Andrews’ history.

This space tells the stories of real fisherfolk, some of whom lived in this house, or nearby. Their lives have been reconstructed through archive material and interviews to explore the distinct way of life, customs, and beliefs of this now lost community.

Aikman & Terras – Themes & Objects

In 1837, Andrew Aikman (c.1815 – 1894) established a traditional grocer’s shop ‘Aikman’ at 165 South Street. The shop served luxury goods such as coffee beans, tea, sugar, herbs, spices, tobacco, and chocolate. Smelling freshly roasted coffee wafting out the shop into South Street is still a fond memory for many St Andreans.

The introduction of the railway to St Andrews in 1852 was embraced by local shopkeepers who welcomed new customers. By 1865, Mr Aikman had to compete with around 40 other grocers, such was the rapid growth of St Andrews in the 19th century.

Mr Aikman passed the torch to his son Andrew Jr. and former apprentice Thomas Terras in 1867, devoting more time to civic affairs in St Andrews. The name of the business became ‘Aikman & Terras’.

The rise of large supermarkets in the late 20th century signalled the end for many small and independent grocers. Most products were pre-packaged and could be bought cheaper in the supermarket chains that had arrived in St Andrews. Aikman & Terras closed in 1981 with some furnishings salvaged and brought to the museum for display.