Chapter 134 – Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy

James Hogg and I stand outside Scotland’s Parliamentary building, which was part of the governance structure of Scotland, which ruled itself from 1235 to 1707, before the Act of Union prorogued the Parliament, with no further date of meeting stipulated.

“‘Sine Die’, is the expression used for adjourning an assembly indefinitely. I wonder if it will ever open again?”, said James Hogg.

“An interesting debate, which I am sure will rage for another 165 years. We find ourselves in a fitting venue to discuss the first person of our enlightenment discussion.”, I said.

“Have you ever been to the Kingdom of Fife?”, asked James.

“Once, I visited Dunfermline Abbey, the resting place of Scottish Monarchs for centuries. Did you know Dunfermline was once the Capital of Scotland?”

“I haven’t been. However, I know Malcolm III moved his court there in 1065 and was Scotland’s seat of power until 1437.”

“James, your knowledge is vast. However, I must move you further east to the ‘Fort on the Hard Hill’, which is the Pictish translation for Kirkcaldy.”

“The famous ‘Lang Toun’, stretching from Bridgetown to Pathhead, hugging the Firth of Forth and boasting a High Street, unrivalled in the Kingdom, at over four miles long.”

“Today is not for cartography. Today is for discussing Kirkcaldy’s most famous son, who changed the world.”