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Although today most people think of Earlsferry as an extension of its bigger neighbour Elie, this was not always the case. It is believed that Earlsferry was first granted Royal Burgh status in the 11th century though records of this no longer exist,having been destroyed by fire in Edinburgh, along with the records of many other Royal Burghs and Towns. However King James the Sixth made Earlsferry a Royal Burgh for the second time commenting that 'it was old beyond memorie of man', in 1589.
Earlsferry's connection with the pre Reformation Church was the reason for it becoming a Royal Burgh so long ago. Most, if not all, of the ancient Royal Burghs owe their status to the Church of the time. As the northern end of the ferry link over the Firth of Forth that was used by many thousands of pilgrims it is reasonable to surmise that the village would become quite rich from this 'tourism'. The destination of all those pilgrims was the shrine, situated in the town of St Andrews, containing relics of Saint Andrew. In those days the fear of hell and damnation was very real. Pilgrimage, prayer, and donations, by those that could afford them, were all used to avoid the deadly drop into hell.
The ferry was organised and run by nuns, based at North Berwick, the southern end of the route. The only evidence that exists in Earlsferry today are the remains of the Chapel hospital on Chapel Green, the name Grange, (as in Grange Farm) and on the beach the jumble of rocks that are the remains of Earlsferry's ancient pier. If you look closely you can make out the baseline of this pier, which probably would have been rebuilt quite a few times in it's long life though the baseline would have remained pretty much as original. The Grange was the farm where the nuns grew the vegetables, herbs and grain used to provide food for themselves and the pilgrims who were sick, or to poor to afford lodgings in the village. One has to remember that this movement of pilgrims was going on all over Europe especially from the 12th to 16th centuries when the influence of the Church was at its peak. Although Earlsferry was only a small village in the scheme of things, benefits were bound to accrue to the local people.
With the Royal Burgh having good connections in Edinburgh and with the other Royal Burghs of Fife and the Lothians, a thriving trade in wool was begun with the Lowlands of Holland. Culross (in Fife) was the centre of this trade with Veere being the partner in Holland. Veere is well worth a visit by anyone who is interested in the history of the trading links of Fife.
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