KINGHORN, a small burgh in Fife, which joins with Kirkcaldy, Dysart, and Burntisland in sending a member to parliament. For its constituency, see Kirkcaldy. It has charters from King Alexander III. dated 26th June 1284; from King David II. dated 2d July 1364; from King James V. dated 30th August 1541; and from King James VI. dated 12th December 1611. By these charters its privileges as a burgh, and its right to the harbours of Pettycur and Kinghorn, with its lake, lands, and mills, are confirmed. The revenue of these amounted in 1832 to L.670. They were then valued at L.13,114, and the debts upon them amounted to L.5836. 2s. 5d. The various projects for improving the harbours are mentioned in the article Forth, and a negotiation is at present (1836) going on for their execution, by a joint-stock company. The extent of the lake of Kinghorn is about twenty imperial acres, and the length of the stream flowing from it to the sea is nearly 1000 yards. The« height of the mill-sluice upon it above the level of the high-water mark is about 178 feet ten inches. Six mills were, within the last thirty years, driven by the waters flowing from it, and there might have been a seventh. There are at present upon it a meal and barley mill, and three flax spinning-mills, turning, with the aid of powerful steam-engines and their water-wheels, 3660 spindles. The other waterfalls are at present unemployed. Flax spinning is the principal trade of the town. The shipping trade, besides that of the ferry, is of little importance, consisting only of one large brig and two coasting vessels. The government of the town is vested in a provost, two bailies, a treasurer, thirteen councillors, and five police commissioners, chosen by the inhabitants, under the act 5 and 6 William IV. cap. 63. It has also five incorporated trades. The principal buildings are the townhouse, erected on the site of an old Saxon building called St Leonard’s Chapel, and the schools. Both buildings are from plans by Mr Hamilton of Edinburgh. The prison, with its airing ground, annexed to the town-house, is, with the exception of the jails at Kirkcaldy and Cupar, the best in the county. The schools belong to the burgh, but were erected by private subscription; and the gardens were gratuitously laid out chiefly by the working classes. The principal teacher is chosen by the burgage and landward heritors; the burgage heritors pay half of his salary, [7:12:729]•and the landward heritors the other half. There is an infant school-room, a geological museum and library-room, and a drawing school-room, within the buildings. Upwards of an acre of ground is laid out with shrubbery, and the borders of the walks contain a selection of plants, arranged with tallies bearing their names, and classes, and orders; a portion of the ground forms a bowling-green, and another contains the usual erections for gymnastic exercises. Besides the parish church, there is in the burgh an Associate Secession meeting-house and a Baptist chapel, both of which are well attended. This little town, from its ample revenue and increasing trade and population, bids fair soon to become one of the most prosperous in the county. Much has been done within the last ten years in opening up streetsand removing ancient deformities; .and the operations at present in progress, under the police commissioners, to carry water in pipes through all the streets, and to light them with gas, will add further to the comfort of its inhabitants. Population in 1831, 2579.

Kinghorn Ferry (see Forth). This has been a public ferry from the earliest period of Scottish history. By an act of parliament passed in 1474, the freight for the portage of man and horse at Kinghorn was to be six pennies Scotch, and for the man separately two pennies Scotch. In 1551, parliament raised the freight for the portage of the man and horse to twelve pennies Scotch, and for the man separately to six pennies Scotch; and also provided that the ferrymen were never to charge more, under pain of death, and confiscation of all their goods. On the 20th of May 1800, the ferrymen were allowed by the justices at their quarter-sessions to charge passengers, of freight ninepence sterling for the best seats in their boats, and sixpence for the seats before the mast. At present (1836) the freights of passengers are as high as two shillings sterling for the best and eighteenpence for the inferior sittings on board the steamers navigating these ferries.